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Glenn's Show Prep

Morning Brief 2022-07-20

July 20, 2022
Chris Brady

TOP OF HOUR 2

GUEST: Vivek Ramaswamy
TOPIC: What is behind BlackRock's earnings downturn? Is it the economy or their push for ESG?

BOTTOM OF HOUR 3

GUEST: Eric July
TOPIC: BlazeTV contributor, July, brings in $2.5 million in sales in first week with his launch of 'non-woke' Rippaverse Comics.

CB, RR, JB, SK, BM, KD

Domestic News...

Most say Biden profited off Hunter’s deals — will get away with it
As much as the media and Democratic leaders have tried to hide the issue, not only are most voters paying attention to first son Hunter Biden’s money scandals, but they believe President Joe Biden cashed in and that they won’t face any charges.

Joe Biden and Hunter's Colombia connection
Hunter and his partners began corresponding about the OAS/Colombia business in Feb 2011. They planned to pitch OAS - $20k a month, plus a 5% "success fee" - for Hunter's help in getting the Colombia projects. "If it works, we'll all be rich," one of Hunter's partners emailed him.

Indiana passerby rescues five children from burning home
An Indiana man who was driving by a burning house sprung into action and rescued five people trapped inside before first responders had the chance.

15 seconds: Police correct timeline of armed civilian stopping Indiana mall shooter
The armed bystander credited with ending a shooting at Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana on Sunday killed the suspect in just 15 seconds of the gunman opening fire.

A Young Gun Owner In Indiana Did What Uvalde Police Wouldn’t
Dicken had “no police training and no military background,” according to Police Chief James Ison. "He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun, [and] was very tactically sound, and as he moved to close in on the suspect, he was also motioning for people to exit behind him.”

Lone Mississippi abortion clinic drops lawsuit against state ban
The clinic, which was at the center of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, was the last operating abortion clinic in Mississippi.

Man found dead in Georgia house used by black nationalist communist group 'Black Hammer'
Police were dispatched to the home after a man called 911 saying he had been kidnapped by a group of people.

New details emerge in California thieves’ $150M ‘Ocean’s 11’-style jewel heist
The apparently highly skilled robbers made off with a massive haul from an armored car that included diamond, sapphire and gold necklaces, as well as a horde of luxury watches.

Politics...

White House pressed on declaring climate and abortion emergencies, claims nothing imminent
Press Secretary was asked if the White House is concerned it will anger female voters if Biden declares a climate emergency before declaring a public health emergency on abortion access.

Biden declaring ‘climate emergency’ will be pure politics at the expense of democracy
If President Joe Biden goes ahead and declares a “climate emergency” Wednesday, it’ll be one more sign he’s putting the extremist demands of his party’s base ahead of democracy, science and common sense.

Biden Has No Right To Declare A ‘National Climate Emergency’
There’s no “It’s Summer” clause in the Constitution, empowering the president to ignore the will of Congress and unilaterally govern when it gets hot.

Place Where Biden Face Planted Off Bike Is Named ‘Brandon Falls’ On Google Maps
At time of writing, ‘Brandon Falls’ is still listed as a ‘historical landmark’

House Republicans Prepare Next Salvo In War On Woke Capital
Members of the Republican Study Committee detailed steps to combat Environmental, Social and Governance investing, which critics refer to as “woke capital,” during a Monday round-table discussion.

AOC talks a big game, but she'd rather fake being handcuffed than do her job
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the former barmaid, and Ilhan Omar, who allegedly married her brother, spent Tuesday cosplaying as revolutionaries.

Dem Congressman Mocked For Wearing Bandana Like ‘The Office’ Character
Andy Levin became the target of a swarm of “The Office” related jokes after he was arrested outside the Supreme Court Tuesday looking like an idiot.

Rashida Tlaib campaign events in 2018 were organized by alleged terror financiers
Two men who held key positions at nonprofit groups that were found liable in a Hamas terror financing scheme helped organize campaign fundraising events for Tlaib in 2018.

DeSantis threatens Trump's hold on Michigan and Florida
DeSantis will likely continue to deny his interest in 2024 during his reelection campaign. For now, time is Trump’s best friend. Should Trump get ahead of DeSantis and announce his candidacy before November, he will be multiple steps ahead of the only man who can defeat him.

George Soros donates $1 million to Beto O'Rourke's bid for Texas governor
Nearly half of O’Rourke’s record-breaking $27.6 million fundraising haul came from out-of-state donors, with Soros’s hefty donation helping the Democratic challenger best Abbott in fundraising over the past six months.

House passes bill codifying same-sex marriage with significant GOP support
If enacted, the Respect for Marriage Act would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that defined marriage for federal purposes as a union between one man and one woman.

Clinton lawyers deny involvement with dossier source Danchenko ahead of Durham trial
Clinton's lawyers are denying any connection to British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s alleged main source Igor Danchenko following a lawsuit brought by Trump in the lead-up to Danchenko's October trial.

Salena Zito: The upside-down world of the Pennsylvania Senate race
Fetterman leads Oz in the race for the seat by 6 points in a recently published AARP poll. The result shows the race tightening from a USA Today poll earlier that had Fetterman leading by 9 points.

"Women and non-men" invited to conversation with Pennsylvania Democrats
"Join us tomorrow evening for a phone bank where we will be talking to women and non-men about issues affecting our communities that highly impact non-men in PA," PA House Democrats said Tuesday on Twitter.

Former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio drops out of Congressional race due to low polling
"I’ve listened really carefully to people," de Blasio said. "And it’s clear to me that when it comes to this congressional district, people are looking for another option."

Economy...

US housing market could be headed for ‘meltdown,’ economist warns
“Homebuilders have been in denial about the extent of the drop in demand, despite mortgage applications falling by more than a quarter over the first half of the year, with no end in sight to the decline,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Biden Praised GM Over Tesla. Now, GM Is Building Newest EV In Mexico
In response to the news of GM’s expansion in Mexico, Elon Musk commented on social media that “Teslas are the most made-in-USA vehicles.”

WAR News... 

Putin gets Iranian endorsement for war in Ukraine during Middle East trip
"If you had not taken the initiative, the [West] would have caused the war with its own initiative," Iran's supreme leader said.

Russian lawmakers blame losses on experimental Ukrainian super-soldiers
Two Russian lawmakers told reporters this week that the Kremlin is investigating the blood of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and has found “evidence” of experimentation.

John Kirby: 'Climate change is a national security issue'
"The Pentagon has noted not just in this administration, but even the previous one, that climate change is a national security issue."

MONKEYVID-19...

Researchers say students will take 3-plus years to recover academically from pandemic
For some, “full recovery” isn’t attainable before the end of high school.

Secret docs reveal FBI investigated decision to give cash to Wuhan lab linked to COVID-19
NIH emails show the bureau was investigating possible gain-of-function research at the lab and possible failures to comply with reporting rules.

Masks are back: San Diego says kids and staff must comply with school mandate
Mandatory masking will be required through at least the end of summer school due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the county.

DC has highest number of monkeypox cases nationally per capita
According to the most recent CDC data, DC is only behind New York, California, Florida, Illinois and Florida for total case count, despite its much smaller population.

Commie Update...

China accuses US of being security risk after Taiwan Strait sailing
The US Navy's 7th Fleet said the destroyer USS Benfold conducted a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit through international waters "in accordance with international law."

China threatens ‘strong measures’ if Pelosi visits Taiwan
I know we're supposed to support and defend all Americans when they're threatened by foreign nations... but... come on, this is really pushing it.

China’s homebuyers are running out of patience with the real estate slump
Last week, a spike in reported numbers of homebuyers halting mortgage payments prompted many Chinese banks to announce their low exposure to such loans. But the bank stocks fell.

Bill Gates shoots down rumored Chinese ‘security risk’ link to North Dakota farmland
Gates’ $13.5 million investment in 2,100 sprawling acres of North Dakota land has raised questions — as the purchase coincided with a controversial Chinese company buying 370 acres of farmland just 40 miles away.

Entertainment...

Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘deliberately farted in my face,’ Miriam Margolyes claims
“I was playing Satan’s sister, and he was killing me, so he had me in a position where I couldn’t escape and lying on the floor. And he just farted.”

Capitol Police chief says ‘Colbert 9’ lied about having credentials before arrest
Biden's Justice Department refused to prosecute and instead dropped all charges.

Netflix loses nearly 1M subscribers, forecasts return to growth
That was better than the 2 million subscriber loss it had predicted.

Media...

AP Spreads Disinformation By Adopting J6 Committee’s Fabricated Timeline
Trump’s supposed three-hour delay in responding to the riot has been repeatedly highlighted by members of the Jan. 6 Committee, is contradicted by detailed timelines from both The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Former Intelligence Officer Blasts Pulitzer Board After Refusing To Take Back Russiagate Prizes
“Pulitzer’s refusal to take back the award given for the inaccurate coverage of the Russiagate Hoax is a big win for Putin”

CIA Discusses Covert Location With NYT In Order To Racially Virtue Signal
CIA director William Burns issued a warning to the agency last week after discovering what is believed, but not confirmed, to be a noose outside a secret facility in Virginia.

Europe...

EU to ask countries to reduce energy usage as Putin tightens grip on gas supplies
European countries will reportedly have to quickly curb their consumption of natural gas as part of a wider plan to deal with reduced supplies from Russia.

UK inflation hits new 40-year high of 9.4% as cost-of-living crisis deepens
The most significant contributors to the rising inflation rate came from motor fuels and food.

Environment...

Professor: ‘Unbearable’ that white people dominate discussions about ‘climate anxiety’
There’s a new concern in the relatively new field of so-called “climate anxiety”: Those interested in it are very white.

LGBTQIA2S+...

Merriam-Webster Changes the Definition of ‘Female’
In order to appease woke activists, the dictionary publisher has added a secondary definition of “female” that defines the term as “having a gender identity that is the opposite of male.”

Gender activists push to bar anthropologists from identifying human remains as ‘male’ or ‘female’
Argue scientists cannot know how an ancient individual identified themselves

Lia Thomas is not a woman and should not be honored as one
Since bursting into the public news cycle, Thomas has done nothing but take away opportunities from women. That is his actual legacy.

Left-Wing Activists Urge Big Tech To Censor Anti-Pedophile ‘Smear’
Media Matters is urging Twitter to censor the word “groomer,” which it characterizes as anti-LGBT.

Education...

Republicans have advantage over Democrats regarding confidence in handling education, survey shows
A survey commissioned by one of the nation's largest teachers union found that Republicans have an advantage over Democrats in regard to voters' confidence in handling education.

Technology...

Global chip shortage is not over and the slowdown is ‘going to bite,’ IDC says
Citing supply chain challenges due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Gupta said the two countries capture a large part of the market share, with Russia and Ukraine being the largest exporters of krypton — a gas used in the chip production.

Google will once again test augmented reality glasses in public
Google seems to be attempting to avoid a repeat of the “Glasshole” debacle that plagued the company’s infamous Google Glass headset, which debuted nearly a decade ago.

Science...

On This Day: One giant leap for mankind in 1969 moon landing
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin inside.

Google and Chevron invest in nuclear fusion startup that’s raised $1.2 billion
TAE was founded in 1998 and aims to have a commercial scale fusion reactor delivering energy to the grid in the early 2030s.

Travel...

Six Nations Where U.S. Says Its Citizens Most Likely to Be Wrongfully Held
Here's the top 6 places to buy an all-expenses paid vacation for unwanted in-laws: China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

Top 10: Worst tourist destinations for pickpockets
Spain and France have some of the world's worst pickpocket hotspots

Sports...

NBA Star Says He ‘Didn’t Like That It ‘Wasn’t My Choice’ To Put Vaccine In ‘My Body’
Andrew Wiggins said Monday that he still wished he hadn’t gotten the COVID vaccine so he could play last year.

Donald Trump tells golfers to ‘take the money’ and join LIV Golf
“All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” Trump wrote.

Woke NASCAR to Hit the Streets of Chicago With Downtown Race in 2023
The city’s letter addressing the upcoming NASCAR races in Chicago was sure to note that they’re committed to executing the event “in a safe and secure manner,” so fear not, NASCAR fans.

Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax explored in ‘Untold’ Netflix documentary
"Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist" is set to chronicle the elaborate hoax involving the former Notre Dame star whose terminally ill girlfriend, “Lennay Kekua,” never existed.

Animals...

I slept with my pit bull - until he tried to eat me alive
The dog tore off two-thirds of Tya’s right arm, ate her bicep and sank its teeth into her leg and foot. She was screaming, “Help me, I’m dying” when her daughter, Tana, 20, and her husband, Harley, 21, rushed into the living room.

Bears Eat Star Athlete, Rich Tourist Couple After Helicopter Crash In Russia
What happened after the helicopter crashed is unclear. The victims may have survived the fiery crash, but by the time rescuers arrived, all three bodies had been dragged, mauled, and eaten by wild bears.

July 20, 2004 - Predictions about the future of technology... What will the world look like in 2019? Self driving cars, computers embedded in everything, paper is rarely used, people will be in relationships with AI / bots... Sandy Berger stuffs classified docs in his pants...

July 20, 2009 - Our system has been pushed to a breaking point... There's a shift coming, and it starts with you... What role will you play?... $700 million for horse condoms...

Revealed: The quiet architect behind Trump’s war on Big Gov’t

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Trump’s OMB chief built the plan for this moment: Starve pet programs, force reauthorization, and actually shrink Washington.

The government is shut down again, and the usual panic is back. I even had someone call my house this week to ask if it was safe to fly today. The person was half-joking, half-serious, wondering if planes would “fall out of the sky.”

For the record, the sky isn’t falling — at least not literally. But the chaos in Washington does feel like it. Once again, we’re watching the same old script: a shutdown engineered not by fiscal restraint but by political brinkmanship. And this time, the Democrats are driving the bus.

This shutdown may be inconvenient. But it’s also an opportunity — to stop funding our own destruction, to reset the table, and to remind Congress who actually pays the bills.

Democrats, among other things, are demanding that health care be extended to illegal immigrants. Democratic leadership caved to its radical base, which would rather shut down the government for such left-wing campaign points than compromise. Republicans — shockingly — said no. They refused to rubber-stamp more spending for illegal immigration. For once, they stood their ground.

But if you’ve watched Washington long enough, you know how this story usually ends: a shutdown followed by a deal that spends even more money than before — a continuing resolution kicking the can down the road. Everyone pretends to “win,” but taxpayers always lose.

The Vought effect

This time might be different. Republicans actually hold some cards. The public may blame Democrats — not the media, but the people who feel this in their wallets. Americans don’t like shutdowns, but they like runaway spending and chaos even less.

That’s why you’re hearing so much about Russell Vought, the director of the United States Office of Management and Budget and Donald Trump’s quiet architect of a strategy to use moments like this to shrink the federal bureaucracy. Vought spent four years building a plan for exactly this scenario: firing nonessential workers and forcing reauthorization of pet programs. Trump talks about draining the swamp. Vought draws up the blueprints.

The Democrats and media are threatened by Vought because he is patient, calculated, and understands how to leverage the moment to reverse decades of government bloat. If programs aren’t mandated, cut them. Make Congress fight to bring them back. That’s how you actually drain the swamp.

Predictable meltdowns

Predictably, Democrats are melting down. They’ve shifted their arguments so many times it’s dizzying. Last time, they claimed a shutdown would lead to mass firings. Now, they insist Republicans are firing everyone anyway. It’s the same playbook: Move the goalposts, reframe the narrative, accuse your opponents of cruelty.

We’ve seen this before. Remember the infamous "You lie!” moment in 2009? President Barack Obama promised during his State of the Union that Obamacare wouldn’t cover illegal immigrants. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted, “You lie!” and was condemned for breaching decorum.

Several years later, Hillary Clinton’s campaign platform openly promised health care for illegal immigrants. What was once called a “lie” became official policy. And today, Democrats are shutting down the government because they can’t get even more of it.

This is progressivism in action: Deny it, inch toward it, then demand it as a moral imperative. Anyone who resists becomes the villain.

SAUL LOEB / Contributor | Getty Images

Stand firm

This shutdown isn’t just about spending. It’s about whether we’ll keep letting progressives rewrite the rules one crisis at a time. Trump’s plan — to cut what isn’t mandated, force programs into reauthorization, and fight the battle in the courts — is the first real counterpunch to decades of this manipulation.

It’s time to stop pretending. This isn’t about compassion. It’s about control. Progressives know once they normalize government benefits for illegal immigrants, they never roll back. They know Americans forget how it started.

This shutdown may be inconvenient. But it’s also an opportunity — to stop funding our own destruction, to reset the table, and to remind Congress who actually pays the bills. If we don’t take it, we’ll be right back here again, only deeper in debt, with fewer freedoms left to defend.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

U.K. forces digital IDs on workers—Is the U.S. next in line?

OLI SCARFF / Contributor | Getty Images

From banking to health care, digital IDs touch every aspect of citizens’ lives, giving the government unprecedented control over everyday actions.

On Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood at the podium at the Global Progressive Action Conference in London and made an announcement that should send a chill down the spine of anyone who loves liberty. By the end of this Parliament, he promised, every worker in the U.K. will be required to hold a “free-of-charge” digital ID. Without it, Britons will not be able to work.

No digital ID, no job.

The government is introducing a system that punishes law-abiding citizens by tying their right to work to a government-issued pass.

Starmer framed this as a commonsense response to poverty, climate change, and illegal immigration. He claimed Britain cannot solve these problems without “looking upstream” and tackling root causes. But behind the rhetoric lies a policy that shifts power away from individuals and places it squarely in the hands of government.

Solving the problem they created

This is progressivism in action. Leaders open their borders, invite in mass illegal immigration, and refuse to enforce their own laws. Then, when public frustration boils over, they unveil a prepackaged “solution” — in this case, digital identity — that entrenches government control.

Britain isn’t the first to embrace this system. Switzerland recently approved a digital ID system. Australia already has one. The World Economic Forum has openly pitched digital IDs as the key to accessing everything from health care to bank accounts to travel. And once the infrastructure is in place, digital currency will follow soon after, giving governments the power to track every purchase, approve or block transactions, and dictate where and how you spend your money.

All of your data — your medical history, insurance, banking, food purchases, travel, social media engagement, tax information — would be funneled into a centralized database under government oversight.

The fiction of enforcement

Starmer says this is about cracking down on illegal work. The BBC even pressed him on the point, asking why a mandatory digital ID would stop human traffickers and rogue employers who already ignore national insurance cards. He had no answer.

Bad actors will still break the law. Bosses who pay sweatshop wages under the table will not suddenly check digital IDs. Criminals will not line up to comply. This isn’t about stopping illegal immigration. If it were, the U.K. would simply enforce existing laws, close the loopholes, and deport those working illegally.

Instead, the government is introducing a system that punishes law-abiding citizens by tying their right to work to a government-issued pass.

Control masked as compassion

This is part of an old playbook. Politicians claim their hands are tied and promise that only sweeping new powers will solve the crisis. They selectively enforce laws to maintain the problem, then use the problem to justify expanding control.

If Britain truly wanted to curb illegal immigration, it could. It is an island. The Channel Tunnel has clear entry points. Enforcement is not impossible. But a digital ID allows for something far more valuable to bureaucrats than border security: total oversight of their own citizens.

The American warning

Think digital ID can’t happen here? Think again. The same arguments are already echoing in Washington, D.C. Illegal immigration is out of control. Progressives know voters are angry. When the digital ID pitch arrives, it will be wrapped in patriotic language about fairness, security, and compassion.

But the goal isn’t compassion. It’s control of your movement, your money, your speech, your future.

We don’t need digital IDs to enforce immigration law. We need leaders with the courage to enforce existing law. Until then, digital ID schemes will keep spreading, sold as a cure for the very problems they helped create.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.