Morning Brief 2025-10-02

TOP OF HOUR 1
GUEST: Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.)
TOPIC: Bizarre new facts come to light in the January 6 pipe bomb case.

BOTTOM OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Pastor Rob McCoy
TOPIC: The jailing of pastors in South Korea should serve as a WARNING to America.

TOP OF HOUR 3
GUEST: Keith Wilson
TOPIC: Is there a legal pathway for Alberta to break free from Ottawa’s far-left federal government?

News...

Bondi vows indictment against Comey is just the start in effort to 'end the weaponization'
James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury, and it sounds increasingly that this is just the beginning.

FBI cuts ties with ADL
Director Kash Patel blasted James Comey for embedding agents with the ADL and using its “hate group” labels to target Americans, declaring the bureau will no longer work with the left-wing group that recently branded TPUSA extremist.

ADL ends its 'Glossary of Extremism' after listing Charlie Kirk's TPUSA under 'extremism' and 'hate'
"At ADL, we always are looking for how we can and should do things better. That’s why we are moving to retire the Glossary effectively immediately. This will allow ADL to explore new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively."

Flashback: ‘OK’ is now a hate symbol, the ADL says
What began as an online prank to bait the media into overreacting is now officially listed by the ADL as a white supremacist symbol.

WaPo: Mormons raise $200,000 for family of gunman who attacked their church
What readers are saying: "The comments overwhelmingly praise the LDS community for their financial and emotional support of the gunman's family, highlighting it as an inspiring act of true Christian values, forgiveness, and charity."

FBI sent 55 agents to the Capitol Jan. 6, none for ‘crowd control,’ former Chief Steven Sund says
Sund said he does not understand FBI Director Kash Patel’s assertion that 274 special agents were deployed to the Capitol primarily to do “crowd control.”

Calling MAGA ‘fascist’ is the smear of the century
Contrary to today’s rhetoric, fascism did not begin on the right. Mussolini himself was a Marxist. He and Antonio Gramsci broke with Leninist revolution but retained socialism’s collectivist core. Fascism emphasized nationalism, racial particularity, and the total authority of the state — summed up in the term “blood and soil.”

Antifa controls Portland streets for 100-plus nights; police told not to engage
If you have never seen Antifa at night, in their natural menacing environment, I’d describe it as a mental asylum meeting in a Batman movie. It’s almost hard to imagine these characters are real.

Planned Parenthood Closes Mammoth Houston Abortion Facility
“Prevention Park,” the 78,000-sqare-foot, stair-step tower once known as the largest Planned Parenthood facility in the Western hemisphere, permanently closed its doors Wednesday.

Trump’s commerce secretary reveals how Jeffrey Epstein made money
“That’s what his MO was, you know, get a massage, get a massage. And what happened in that massage room, I assume was on video. This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever,” Howard Lutnick said, adding, “Blackmail people. That’s how he had money.”

QAnon shaman sues Trump for $40 trillion
The lawsuit names Trump, Musk, Israel, T-Mobile, the Fed, IMF, World Bank, and Warner Bros., claims he is the rightful president, proposes minting a $40 trillion gold coin to erase U.S. debt, accuses the NSA of catfishing him, and alleges Hollywood stole his ideas for "The Dark Knight" and "Avatar."

A day at the multimillion-dollar government museum with no visitors
The Smithsonian's well-funded "Black Power" museum remains focused on leftist politics and race but has almost no demand.

Government shutdown...

Mass firings to begin 'in a day or two' over government shutdown, Trump official says
Russell Vought, the chief of the Office of Management and Budget, made the comments in a private call, according to Politico.

5 brutal consequences if Democrats continue government shutdown
Troops and DHS officers will work without pay, law enforcement task forces lose funding, veterans lose VA services, travel delays mount as TSA and FAA staff go unpaid, and key health care and nutrition programs lapse.

Democrats deny shutdown is about health care for illegal aliens — then one admits the truth
While Schumer insisted otherwise, Rep. Ro Khanna conceded the dispute involves billions flowing to cover noncitizens.

John Thune shares what ‘reasonable Democrats’ are telling him about shutdown
“People want an off-ramp. They want a way out of this box canyon that Chuck Schumer has marched them into,” Thune said, adding that moderates are quietly signaling they want the shutdown ended.

GOP shutdown messaging seems to resonate with the public, for once
With the shutdown only one day in, pollsters have yet to freshly gauge public perception of the issue. But one reputable pollster, just ahead of the shutdown, revealed that the public opposed an explicitly Democratic-driven shutdown.

‘The View’ host warns Trump will absolutely use a shutdown to his advantage: ‘He’s got a plan’
Former White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin said Democrats miscalculated by triggering the shutdown, citing polls showing they’ll get more blame while Trump uses the standoff to strengthen his position.

‘A solemn promise’: Vance swears sombrero memes will stop if Hakeem Jeffries helps end shutdown
"And I've talked to the president of the United States about that."

Fewer than 200 tuned in to Hakeem Jeffries’s YouTube livestream blaming Republicans for shutdown
Jeffries’s livestream, billed as "Stop the Republican Shutdown," drew only 156 viewers about 90 minutes before the shutdown began. A second screenshot showed viewership sinking to just 93, roughly 20 minutes after the shutdown took effect.

Politics...

Democrats on all levels are mainstreaming socialism
In just 15 years, the percentage of Democrats viewing socialism favorably has gone from half to almost two-thirds. In contrast, over the same period, the percentage of Democrats who at least view capitalism “favorably” has fallen from 51% to just 42%.

Hillary who? New report suggests Biden had to be reminded who top Dems were
That same card also included a photo of actor Denzel Washington and a note reminding Biden that he was “one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.”

Tim Walz says he was too ‘nice’ to JD Vance in debate after Kamala bashes him in book
Walz said Kamala Harris was right to fault his “Minnesota nice” approach to the VP debate in her book, in which she pins her failed presidential run on him and others — but not herself.

Kamala seemingly makes embarrassing gaffe about trans people in new book
Harris wrote that 350 transgender people were murdered in the U.S. in 2024, but the number actually reflects global data, with fewer than 50 cases reported in America.

Mayor of Boca Raton: Beware, New York! The red flag is already raised. Start planning your escape now.
If the polls hold, New York is about to elect a mayor whose ideas will devastate the city. Cities have two choices: Reward work or punish it. Protect families or abandon them. Embrace freedom or slide to socialism. Mamdani’s New York would be the latter — and it’s a recipe for decline.

Courts...

Supreme Court denies Trump emergency motion to fire Lisa Cook from the Fed — for now
Trump appealed to the Supreme Court to allow him to fire Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, over allegations of mortgage fraud that she has denied. On Wednesday, the court denied the emergency appeal and said it would fully consider the case in January.

Massachusetts Judge Includes Anonymous Pro-Trump Note and Rambling Anti-Trump Commentary in Ruling Against Trump Administration
Judge William Young included several spelling and grammatical errors in his ruling in addition to quotes from his wife and rambling personal attacks against the president

Economy...

Elon Musk becomes first person in history to be worth over $500 billion
The accomplishment, which comes less than a year after he became the first person to be worth over $400 billion, occurred after Tesla shares closed with a 4% boost, adding approximately $9.3 billion to Musk’s fortune, Forbes reported.

Gold obliterates records, hits $3,895 on Wednesday
The shutdown of the U.S. government and softer-than-expected employment data reaffirmed investors' stance that the Federal Reserve would reduce interest rates at its upcoming meeting.

Immigration...

Vast fraud of Somali migrants, starting with Ilhan Omar, finally being exposed
This week, federal officials made an astounding announcement: Nearly half of all immigrants in greater Minneapolis were found to have committed some form of immigration fraud.

Maryland Man's final order of removal stands as judge denies motion to reopen his case
The Department of Homeland Security responded, posting on X: “With today’s ruling, Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s final order of removal stands. This MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, domestic abuser, and child predator will never be loose on American streets."

Let’s Track Every Lie Dems And Media Invented To Demonize Immigration Agents
The anti-ICE rhetoric touted by the left and its allies in the propaganda press has proved deadly and dangerous.

Trump administration launches Project Firewall to crack down on H-1B fraud
The Labor Department’s new plan boosts investigations, penalties, and bans for companies abusing visa rules, with Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer personally certifying cases to ensure American workers are put first.

Homeland Security arrests 800 illegal aliens in Chicago raids despite shutdown
Operation Midway Blitz swept up rapists, gang members, and repeat deportees as federal agents stormed Chicago-area hideouts of Tren de Aragua while protestors and rioters tried to block arrests.

WAR news...

It Turns Out The Military’s Biden-Era Recruitment Crisis Was A Leadership Problem After All
For the first time in a long time, service members have leaders who actually give a damn about the mission and their well-being.

US deploys military assets to Middle East
The sudden deployment of dozens of KC-135 tankers comes amid a highly volatile regional environment. Similar large-scale military movements were observed just before the 12-day conflict involving Israel and U.S. strikes on Iran’s infrastructure and nuclear facilities.

Middle East...

Qatar’s journey from pariah to partner capped with new security guarantees from Trump
The guarantees may be a signal to Hamas leaders that they have a safe haven from Israel after disarming and vacating Gaza, if they accept the president’s peace deal. Will a promise from Hamas to disarm prevent a re-takeover of Gaza?

‘Are You Ready to Die for Qatar?’ Conservatives Rage over Trump Pledge to Defend Terror Sponsor
Trump signed an executive order — publicized on Wednesday — to give Qatar, the wealthy Gulf nation that has long hosted Hamas leadership, security guarantees backed up by the United States earlier this year.

Europe...

German police arrest Hamas operatives plotting terror attacks on Jews
Authorities seized an AK-47, pistols, and large amounts of ammunition from three suspects accused of preparing assassinations against Jewish institutions in Berlin just before Yom Kippur.

Telegram founder says he survived 2018 poisoning attempt
Pavel Durov revealed he collapsed with nerve-agent-like symptoms after a “strange neighbor” left something at his door, leaving him unable to walk for weeks. At that time, Durov said several countries, including Russia, were trying to ban the messenger app.

Entertainment...

Eric Clapton, Roger Waters join Ilhan Omar at pro-Palestinian gala in New York
At a $2,500-a-head Gramercy Theater fundraiser, Clapton played Cream hits on a Palestine-flag guitar, Waters railed against Zionism, and Omar took the stage to cheers of “Free Palestine,” capping a night of anti-Israel activism dressed up as music and peace.

Jane Fonda ties CNN to anti-Trump Hollywood group, and Dana Bash is all in
Hanoi Jane relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment with a new slogan dubbed “Creative Non-violent Non-cooperation” — or CNN — as she and Bash laughed about the group’s mission to oppose President Trump and fund leftist candidates.

Education...

Weingarten’s ‘fascism’ warning is a smokescreen to block school choice
In her new book, the teachers’ union boss labels reformers as fascists, distorts tragedies to push politics, and attacks Milton Friedman while ignoring failing schools — all to preserve union power and stop parents from choosing alternatives.

Love & marriage...

Church ban on cousin marriage helped shape Western civilization
Historians note that the Catholic Church’s prohibition of incestuous unions in the Middle Ages reshaped Europe by fostering stronger nuclear families, reducing genetic disorders, and encouraging trust and cooperation beyond kinship — advantages that fueled the West’s rise.

UK NHS consultant: Nothing wrong with guidance endorsing cousin marriage
“I think that people who practise cousin marriage can be well-supported by enhancing genetic literacy among the professionals and the population at large. I can’t believe that banning marriage within the family will help families who may choose to avoid state-sanctioned marriage institutions altogether."

Connecticut bans first-cousin marriages
Starting on Wednesday, Connecticut is banning first-cousin marriages. This is not a law that is on the books in every state. It is still legal in 16 stages.

Kamala Harris’ book reveals petty birthday squabble with husband
Harris wrote that she expected a special night during the campaign but instead fought with Emhoff after he repurposed a gift, ignored her towel request while watching baseball, and booked a drab hotel.

Health...

Walmart announces plan to eliminate synthetic food dyes from private label brands by 2027
While the company claims that 90% of the food items it sells are currently free of artificial colors, it says there are more than 1,000 products that will require reformulating and testing (i.e., prices will go up).

Sports...

ICE agents to patrol Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show
“We’re going to do enforcement everywhere. We are going to make Americans safe. That is a directive from the president. If you’re in this country illegally, do yourself a favor: Go home.”

Animals...

Lubbock suspect runs after drug-sniffing horse joke
A joke about a drug-sniffing horse appears to trigger a suspect who, instead of laughing the remark off, takes off running.

Alligator captured in Detroit
Two vigilante animal rescuers hauled a juvenile gator out of Belle Isle’s lagoon after weeks of strange sightings.

Oct. 2, 2009 - Pat at hospital due to incident with protester… David Letterman… The economy… Glenn's book tour... Glenn and Stu discuss Chicago losing 2016 Summer Olympics bid to Rio de Janeiro...

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.

Britain says “no work without ID”—a chilling preview for America

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.