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TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Morning Brief 2025-11-18

November 18, 2025
Chris Brady

TOP OF HOUR 3
GUEST: Justin Haskins
TOPIC: Are YOU ready for the next big crash?

News...

Thomas Matthew Crooks went by 'they/them' on DeviantArt, linked account reveals 'furry' fetish: Report
Crooks "was not simply some unknowable lone actor. … He left a digital trail of violent threats, extremist ideology and admiration for mass violence."

Why are two high-profile political assassins tied to the furry fetish?
Crooks and Robinson both fit this profile perfectly: socially isolated, downwardly mobile young white men from middle- or working-class suburbs, radicalized in the exact online spaces where economic resentment, racial grievance, and sexual deviancy all converge.

Charlie Kirk’s security chief says he was hamstrung on day of assassination
The owner of the company providing security for Kirk said federal drone restrictions and Utah laws blocked him from using aerial surveillance or overwatch at the event — and that Utah Valley University never requested help from a nearby police department that did have an active drone unit.

Hunter Biden tells the left to ramp up rhetoric after Charlie Kirk assassination
The pardoned felon emphasized in a recent interview that his allies on the "leaderless" left should not tone down their extreme rhetoric in the wake of Kirk's assassination — but rather ramp it up against the MAGA movement.

Judge flags ‘profound missteps’ that could derail Comey prosecution
The magistrate said government errors — including exposure to privileged material, faulty legal instructions, and irregular grand jury handling — may have tainted the case, giving James Comey fresh grounds to seek dismissal.

Schiff Claims Biden’s DOJ Couldn’t Have Been ‘Weaponized’ Because Merrick Garland Wasn’t Partisan
Schiff mocked Republicans — some of whom were actively targeted by Biden's DOJ — saying that it was "absurd" to believe that.

Supreme Court takes case on states demanding donor lists from faith-based nonprofits
Justices will weigh whether a New Jersey subpoena for years of donor names and internal records can force a pro-life group into state court first, a fight that could reshape donor privacy, free-association rights, and when advocacy groups can get federal protection.

Kash Patel’s Girlfriend Alexis Wilkins Details Violent Threats Spurred By Internet Theories
"I don't feel very comfortable going in public," she told the Daily Wire. "I don't leave my house a lot."

New Jersey man tied to satanic ‘764’ network charged with cyberstalking a minor
Marek Cherkaoui is accused of terrorizing a teenage girl while stockpiling gear and writing out plans for mass murder, ISIS-inspired attacks, and other violence — all while engaging with an online cult known for coercing kids into self-harm.

Neo-Nazi pleads guilty to ‘monstrous plots’ to poison Jewish children in NYC
White supremacist known as "Commander Butcher," from the country of Georgia, faces 40 years in prison.

Seattle man arrested after Molotov threat and anti-Semitic tirade at strip club
A dancer said Cooney directed anti-Semitic insults at her, accused her of being after his money.

Epstein...

President Trump urges house Republicans to 'vote to release the Epstein files'
“Let’s start talking about the Republican Party’s Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein ‘TRAP.’”

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announces step back from public life over Epstein ties
The House Oversight Committee released a trove of emails and documents last week between Epstein and several prominent politicians and former government employees, including Summers, who served under former President Bill Clinton.

Democrats predict Epstein controversy will hit Trump supporters hard
“The Epstein files have become more of a symbol that is starting to crack the image Trump supporters had, that he was on their side,” Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said. "These show him siding with the literal pedophile and the elites."

New York...

Trump may meet with Mamdani at White House
"The mayor of New York, I will say, would like to meet with us, and we'll work something out. He would like to come to Washington and meet. We'll work something out. We want to see everything work out for New York," Trump said as he met with reporters.

Kathy Hochul weighs massive corporate tax hike amid pressure to bend knee to Mamdani
Mamdani has pushed for an increase in the corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 11.5%, which would match the highest rate in the nation.

Far-Left Mamdani Ally Launches Primary Challenge Against Hakeem Jeffries
Chi Ossé, a democratic socialist New York City councilman, promised to defund NYPD in 2020 and has repeatedly accused Israel of committing a "genocide" in Gaza.

Actor Jon Voight calls on Trump to 'terminate' election of Mamdani in NYC
"We the people have put our trust in the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. He, and only he, can stop this horror as this mayor, Mamdani, will try to destroy New York’s wealth and turn it into a socialist crap city."

Politics...

Dems propose ideas to repurpose Trump WH ballroom, including tearing it down, exhibit on 'corruption and autocracy'
"This is a space that’s owned by the people and that serves the people. So it should be used opposite of what Trump has in mind, which is for the American aristocracy and plutocracy to gather."

Trump Says His Voice Is Hoarse Because ‘I Blew My Stack’ Shouting At ‘Stupid’ People
Happens to the best of us.

5 Republicans side with Democrats to trigger vote on restoring federal union power
A group of progressive House Republicans joined Democrats to revive union bargaining rights for federal workers, using a discharge petition to bypass leadership and advance a pro-union measure the president opposed.

Vance slams attacks on Tucker Carlson’s son as smear campaign
Buckley Carlson works in JD Vance's office as deputy press secretary. There appears to be a campaign underway to have him removed over the perceived sin of having Tucker Carlson as a blood relation.

Bill Maher: AOC Would Be A Great Candidate — With Some ‘Deprogramming’ First
"She’s never going to resonate with people outside of the bubble that she lives in and the very far left."

Graham Platner Calls to Stack the Supreme Court and Impeach ‘at Least 2’ Sitting Justices
"If we retake the Senate … we need to use every single lever of power that we have to deal with the Supreme Court."

House moves forward with resolution condemning Democrat Rep. Chuy Garcia for ‘election subversion’
House Democrats failed to block a rare disapproval resolution — led by a member of their own caucus — accusing retiring Rep. Chuy Garcia of “election subversion” over a scheme to hand-pick his successor.

Free speech...

George Soros Gave $250K to British Group Working to Censor Conservative News Sites and ‘Kill Musk’s Twitter’
The Center for Countering Digital Hate, which does not disclose its donors, has lobbied U.S. lawmakers to create a "digital regulator."

Economy...

Trump To Address McDonald’s Franchise Owners As He Focuses On Driving Down Food Costs
As President Trump focuses his energy on bringing food costs back down, he’s taking his messaging to the people who serve food to millions of Americans for a living each day: McDonald’s franchise owners, operators, and suppliers.

The next recession is coming — and this time, you’re the collateral
It’s not a matter of if the next recession comes, but when. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently warned that “sections of the economy” are already showing signs of strain — and that if the Federal Reserve doesn’t cut rates soon, the pain could spread fast.

Immigration...

‘Massive’ drop in Latino support for Trump stuns CNN analyst Harry Enten: ‘38 points underwater’
“On the issue of immigration — Latinos despise, hate Donald Trump,” Enten declared.

Trump admin wants Supreme Court to reverse an asylum case involving Mexico
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide a case that would determine at what point an individual seeking asylum "arrives" in the United States.

Democrat fires staffer accused of posing as immigration attorney at ICE facility
The staffer was allegedly trying to help a man who had been previously deported four times.

WAR news...

‘Whatever We Have To Do’: Trump Says He’s ‘OK’ With Striking Inside Mexico ‘To Stop Drugs’
“We have lost hundreds of thousands of people to drugs, so now we’ve stopped the waterways. We know every route. We know the addresses of every drug lord. We know their address. We know their front door. We know everything about every one of them. They’re killing our people. That’s like a war.”

Trump Won’t Rule Out Ground Troops To ‘Take Care Of’ Venezuela Problem
Trump said he would “probably” first talk to Maduro “directly” before making his decision on a strike.

Middle East...

United Nations approves President Trump's peace plan for Gaza
The Security Council voted 13 to 0, with Russia and China abstaining, to endorse the president’s Gaza plan and authorize an international stabilization force — a major diplomatic win that puts his 20-point proposal at the center of Gaza’s post-war future.

Trump says Saudis will get F-35s, bucking Israeli hope he’d condition sale on peace
The U.S. president makes the announcement the day before MBS arrives in D.C. to meet him; Trump is still expected to raise the Abraham Accords, but Saudi Arabia is sticking to the Palestinian statehood demand.

Hamas defiant in face of calls to disarm, endangering ceasefire
The terrorist group also enjoys growing popularity in the Gaza Strip, according to the most recent polling data of residents.

Canada...

Canada's leftist prime minister gets embarrassed by football fans before country's biggest game
Mark Carney was loudly heckled — with fans even hurling vulgar insults — as he appeared on camera and handled the coin toss, a rough reception he later downplayed despite videos showing the crowd turning on him.

Europe...

UK To Announce ‘Milkshake Tax’ As Budget Crisis Deepens
The move is expected to generate between £50 million and £100 million.

Africa...

25 Schoolgirls Abducted In Latest Mass Kidnapping In Nigeria
Gunmen attacked a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State, northwest Nigeria, early Monday, killing a vice principal and abducting 25 female students in what authorities described as a coordinated assault.

Asia...

Bangladesh's ousted PM sentenced to death for student crackdown
Sheikh Hasina, 78, was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Entertainment...

Diddy hit with new sexual battery probe as prison sentence unfolds
The new allegations involve the son of deceased rapper Notorious B.I.G.

'The Naked Gun' creator David Zucker bashes 'frightened' Hollywood elites
David Zucker says risk-averse executives and “humorless” decision-makers are steering the industry into unfunny, recycled flops.

Melissa Gilbert now feels ‘nauseated’ by age difference with ‘Little House on the Prairie’ husband
There was an eight-year age difference.

Media...

BBC chairman says 'determined to fight' Trump's threatened defamation lawsuit: Report
Samir Shah reportedly told staff on Monday that "we are determined to fight" President Trump's threatened defamation lawsuit over a documentary released just before the 2024 election.

Ryan Lizza claims then-girlfriend Olivia Nuzzi cheated on him with GOP presidential candidate in 2020
Disgraced political reporter Olivia Nuzzi — who is set to release a tell-all book on her “sexting” affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was accused by her ex-fiancé of sleeping with former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford in 2020.

Environment...

Why No One Cares About the Climate Conference
Belém’s rainforest-clearing host city is drawing barely a fraction of past attendance as governments, investors, and tech giants shift away from climate crusades toward energy security, AI growth, and economic priorities, leaving the once-dominant movement suddenly out of steam.

LGBTQIA2S+...

Philadelphia school district risks potential federal funding cuts to push trans ideology, DEI
While Democrat districts push sex changes on children, students struggle with basic reading and math skills.

Mich. education official’s response to ‘how many genders are there’ sparks fury: ‘Crazy as hell’
“Different people have different beliefs on that.”

Religion...

How Joe Rogan stumbled into defending Christianity — and exposed atheist nonsense
Before this year, many had long assumed Rogan was a firm agnostic based on various on-air proclamations and statements. But 2025 seemed to signify what can only be described as a spiritual shift in the host’s life.

AI...

Google asks court to dismiss conservative influencer's AI defamation lawsuit
The tech giant told the court that Starbuck purposely misused its AI tools to "hallucinate" the alleged defamatory statements and said his lawsuit "fails to name a single person who was actually misled." Starbuck's attorney responded that Google's argument was "equal parts rank falsehood and victim blaming."

AI could be causing ‘quiet time’ in labor market, top Trump economic aide Hassett says
“Firms are finding that AI is making their workers so productive that they don’t necessarily have to hire the new kids out of college and so on.”

BofA says AI is boosting bankers' productivity, revenue
Hari Gopalkrishnan says the bank is using AI to expand each banker’s client load, automate mountains of routine work, and boost revenue — a push he claims will retrain employees rather than replace them.

Apple shuts AI out: iOS apps just got more private
AI companies will have to look elsewhere for training data.

Nov. 18, 2010 - Rockefeller says that the FCC should control cable news... Soros says Obama may not be the president he was waiting for... Glenn says time is of the essence... 'Harry Potter' cast talking about GB...

A Sharia enclave is quietly taking root in America. It's time to wake up.

NOVA SAFO / Staff | Getty Images

Sharia-based projects like the Meadow in Texas show how political Islam grows quietly, counting on Americans to stay silent while an incompatible legal system takes root.

Apolitical system completely incompatible with the Constitution is gaining ground in the United States, and we are pretending it is not happening.

Sharia — the legal and political framework of Islam — is being woven into developments, institutions, and neighborhoods, including a massive project in Texas. And the consequences will be enormous if we continue to look the other way.

This is the contradiction at the heart of political Islam: It claims universal authority while insisting its harshest rules will never be enforced here. That promise does not stand up to scrutiny. It never has.

Before we can have an honest debate, we’d better understand what Sharia represents. Sharia is not simply a set of religious rules about prayer or diet. It is a comprehensive legal and political structure that governs marriage, finance, criminal penalties, and civic life. It is a parallel system that claims supremacy wherever it takes hold.

This is where the distinction matters. Many Muslims in America want nothing to do with Sharia governance. They came here precisely because they lived under it. But political Islam — the movement that seeks to implement Sharia as law — is not the same as personal religious belief.

It is a political ideology with global ambitions, much like communism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently warned that Islamist movements do not seek peaceful coexistence with the West. They seek dominance. History backs him up.

How Sharia arrives

Political Islam does not begin with dramatic declarations. It starts quietly, through enclaves that operate by their own rules. That is why the development once called EPIC City — now rebranded as the Meadow — is so concerning. Early plans framed it as a Muslim-only community built around a mega-mosque and governed by Sharia-compliant financing. After state investigations were conducted, the branding changed, but the underlying intent remained the same.

Developers have openly described practices designed to keep non-Muslims out, using fees and ownership structures to create de facto religious exclusivity. This is not assimilation. It is the construction of a parallel society within a constitutional republic.

The warning from those who have lived under it

Years ago, local imams in Texas told me, without hesitation, that certain Sharia punishments “just work.” They spoke about cutting off hands for theft, stoning adulterers, and maintaining separate standards of testimony for men and women. They insisted it was logical and effective while insisting they would never attempt to implement it in Texas.

But when pressed, they could not explain why a system they consider divinely mandated would suddenly stop applying once someone crossed a border.

This is the contradiction at the heart of political Islam: It claims universal authority while insisting its harshest rules will never be enforced here. That promise does not stand up to scrutiny. It never has.

AASHISH KIPHAYET / Contributor | Getty Images

America is vulnerable

Europe is already showing us where this road leads. No-go zones, parallel courts, political intimidation, and clerics preaching supremacy have taken root across major cities.

America’s strength has always come from its melting pot, but assimilation requires boundaries. It requires insisting that the Constitution, not religious law, is the supreme authority on this soil.

Yet we are becoming complacent, even fearful, about saying so. We mistake silence for tolerance. We mistake avoidance for fairness. Meanwhile, political Islam views this hesitation as weakness.

Religious freedom is one of America’s greatest gifts. Muslims may worship freely here, as they should. But political Islam must not be permitted to plant a flag on American soil. The Constitution cannot coexist with a system that denies equal rights, restricts speech, subordinates women, and places clerical authority above civil law.

Wake up before it is too late

Projects like the Meadow are not isolated. They are test runs, footholds, proofs of concept. Political Islam operates with patience. It advances through demographic growth, legal ambiguity, and cultural hesitation — and it counts on Americans being too polite, too distracted, or too afraid to confront it.

We cannot afford that luxury. If we fail to defend the principles that make this country free, we will one day find ourselves asking how a parallel system gained power right in front of us. The answer will be simple: We looked away.

The time to draw boundaries and to speak honestly is now. The time to defend the Constitution as the supreme law of the land is now. Act while there is still time.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Why do Americans feel so empty?

Mario Tama / Staff | Getty Images

Anxiety, anger, and chronic dissatisfaction signal a country searching for meaning. Without truth and purpose, politics becomes a dangerous substitute for identity.

We have built a world overflowing with noise, convenience, and endless choice, yet something essential has slipped out of reach. You can sense it in the restless mood of the country, the anxiety among young people who cannot explain why they feel empty, in the angry confusion that dominates our politics.

We have more wealth than any nation in history, but the heart of the culture feels strangely malnourished. Before we can debate debt or elections, we must confront the reality that we created a world of things, but not a world of purpose.

You cannot survive a crisis you refuse to name, and you cannot rebuild a world whose foundations you no longer understand.

What we are living through is not just economic or political dysfunction. It is the vacuum that appears when a civilization mistakes abundance for meaning.

Modern life is stuffed with everything except what the human soul actually needs. We built systems to make life faster, easier, and more efficient — and then wondered why those systems cannot teach our children who they are, why they matter, or what is worth living for.

We tell the next generation to chase success, influence, and wealth, turning childhood into branding. We ask kids what they want to do, not who they want to be. We build a world wired for dopamine rather than dignity, and then we wonder why so many people feel unmoored.

When everything is curated, optimized, and delivered at the push of a button, the question “what is my life for?” gets lost in the static.

The crisis beneath the headlines

It is not just the young who feel this crisis. Every part of our society is straining under the weight of meaninglessness.

Look at the debt cycle — the mathematical fate no civilization has ever escaped once it crosses a threshold that we seem to have already blown by. While ordinary families feel the pressure, our leaders respond with distraction, with denial, or by rewriting the very history that could have warned us.

You cannot survive a crisis you refuse to name, and you cannot rebuild a world whose foundations you no longer understand.

We have entered a cultural moment where the noise is so loud that it drowns out the simplest truths. We are living in a country that no longer knows how to hear itself think.

So people go searching. Some drift toward the false promise of socialism, some toward the empty thrill of rebellion. Some simply check out. When a culture forgets what gives life meaning, it becomes vulnerable to every ideology that offers a quick answer.

The quiet return of meaning

And yet, quietly, something else is happening. Beneath the frustration and cynicism, many Americans are recognizing that meaning does not come from what we own, but from what we honor. It does not rise from success, but from virtue. It does not emerge from noise, but from the small, sacred things that modern life has pushed to the margins — the home, the table, the duty you fulfill, the person you help when no one is watching.

The danger is assuming that this rediscovery happens on its own. It does not.

Reorientation requires intention. It requires rebuilding the habits and virtues that once held us together. It requires telling the truth about our history instead of rewriting it to fit today’s narratives. And it requires acknowledging what has been erased: that meaning is inseparable from God’s presence in a nation’s life.

Harold M. Lambert / Contributor | Getty Images

Where renewal begins

We have built a world without stillness, and then we wondered why no one can hear the questions that matter. Those questions remain, whether we acknowledge them or not. They do not disappear just because we drown them in entertainment or noise. They wait for us, and the longer we ignore them, the more disoriented we become.

Meaning is still available. It is found in rebuilding the smallest, most human spaces — the places that cannot be digitized, globalized, or automated. The home. The family. The community.

These are the daily virtues that do not trend on social media, but that hold a civilization upright. If we want to repair this country, we begin there, exactly where every durable civilization has always begun: one virtue at a time, one tradition at a time, one generation at a time.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The Bubba Effect erupts as America’s power brokers go rogue

Gary Hershorn / Contributor | Getty Images

When institutions betray the public’s trust, the country splits, and the spiral is hard to stop.

Something drastic is happening in American life. Headlines that should leave us stunned barely register anymore. Stories that once would have united the country instead dissolve into silence or shrugs.

It is not apathy exactly. It is something deeper — a growing belief that the people in charge either cannot or will not fix what is broken.

When people feel ignored or betrayed, they will align with anyone who appears willing to fight on their behalf.

I call this response the Bubba effect. It describes what happens when institutions lose so much public trust that “Bubba,” the average American minding his own business, finally throws his hands up and says, “Fine. I will handle it myself.” Not because he wants to, but because the system that was supposed to protect him now feels indifferent, corrupt, or openly hostile.

The Bubba effect is not a political movement. It is a survival instinct.

What triggers the Bubba effect

We are watching the triggers unfold in real time. When members of Congress publicly encourage active duty troops to disregard orders from the commander in chief, that is not a political squabble. When a federal judge quietly rewrites the rules so one branch of government can secretly surveil another, that is not normal. That is how republics fall. Yet these stories glided across the news cycle without urgency, without consequence, without explanation.

When the American people see the leadership class shrug, they conclude — correctly — that no one is steering the ship.

This is how the Bubba effect spreads. It is not just individuals resisting authority. It is sheriffs refusing to enforce new policies, school boards ignoring state mandates, entire communities saying, “We do not believe you anymore.” It becomes institutional, cultural, national.

A country cracking from the inside

This effect can be seen in Dearborn, Michigan. In the rise of fringe voices like Nick Fuentes. In the Epstein scandal, where powerful people could not seem to locate a single accountable adult. These stories are different in content but identical in message: The system protects itself, not you.

When people feel ignored or betrayed, they will align with anyone who appears willing to fight on their behalf. That does not mean they suddenly agree with everything that person says. It means they feel abandoned by the institutions that were supposed to be trustworthy.

The Bubba effect is what fills that vacuum.

The dangers of a faithless system

A republic cannot survive without credibility. Congress cannot oversee intelligence agencies if it refuses to discipline its own members. The military cannot remain apolitical if its chain of command becomes optional. The judiciary cannot defend the Constitution while inventing loopholes that erase the separation of powers.

History shows that once a nation militarizes politics, normalizes constitutional shortcuts, or allows government agencies to operate without scrutiny, it does not return to equilibrium peacefully. Something will give.

The question is what — and when.

The responsibility now belongs to us

In a healthy country, this is where the media steps in. This is where universities, pastors, journalists, and cultural leaders pause the outrage machine and explain what is at stake. But today, too many see themselves not as guardians of the republic, but of ideology. Their first loyalty is to narrative, not truth.

The founders never trusted the press more than the public. They trusted citizens who understood their rights, lived their responsibilities, and demanded accountability. That is the antidote to the Bubba effect — not rage, but citizenship.

How to respond without breaking ourselves

Do not riot. Do not withdraw. Do not cheer on destruction just because you dislike the target. That is how nations lose themselves. Instead, demand transparency. Call your representatives. Insist on consequences. Refuse to normalize constitutional violations simply because “everyone does it.” If you expect nothing, you will get nothing.

Do not hand your voice to the loudest warrior simply because he is swinging a bat at the establishment. You do not beat corruption by joining a different version of it. You beat it by modeling the country you want to preserve: principled, accountable, rooted in truth.

Adam Gray / Stringer | Getty Images

Every republic reaches a moment when historians will later say, “That was the warning.” We are living in ours. But warnings are gifts if they are recognized. Institutions bend. People fail. The Constitution can recover — if enough Americans still know and cherish it.

It does not take a majority. Twenty percent of the country — awake, educated, and courageous — can reset the system. It has happened before. It can happen again.

Wake up. Stand up. Demand integrity — from leaders, from institutions, and from yourself. Because the Bubba effect will not end until Americans reclaim the duty that has always belonged to them: preserving the republic for the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Warning: Stop letting TikTok activists think for you

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

Bad-faith attacks on Israel and AIPAC warp every debate. Real answers emerge only when people set aside scripts and ask what serves America’s long-term interests.

The search for truth has always required something very much in short supply these days: honesty. Not performative questions, not scripted outrage, not whatever happens to be trending on TikTok, but real curiosity.

Some issues, often focused on foreign aid, AIPAC, or Israel, have become hotbeds of debate and disagreement. Before we jump into those debates, however, we must return to a simpler, more important issue: honest questioning. Without it, nothing in these debates matters.

Ask questions because you want the truth, not because you want a target.

The phrase “just asking questions” has re-entered the zeitgeist, and that’s fine. We should always question power. But too many of those questions feel preloaded with someone else’s answer. If the goal is truth, then the questions should come from a sincere desire to understand, not from a hunt for a villain.

Honest desire for truth is the only foundation that can support a real conversation about these issues.

Truth-seeking is real work

Right now, plenty of people are not seeking the truth at all. They are repeating something they heard from a politician on cable news or from a stranger on TikTok who has never opened a history book. That is not a search for answers. That is simply outsourcing your own thought.

If you want the truth, you need to work for it. You cannot treat the world like a Marvel movie where the good guy appears in a cape and the villain hisses on command. Real life does not give you a neat script with the moral wrapped up in two hours.

But that is how people are approaching politics now. They want the oppressed and the oppressor, the heroic underdog and the cartoon villain. They embrace this fantastical framing because it is easier than wrestling with reality.

This framing took root in the 1960s when the left rebuilt its worldview around colonizers and the colonized. Overnight, Zionism was recast as imperialism. Suddenly, every conflict had to fit the same script. Today’s young activists are just recycling the same narrative with updated graphics. Everything becomes a morality play. No nuance, no context, just the comforting clarity of heroes and villains.

Bad-faith questions

This same mindset is fueling the sudden obsession with Israel, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in particular. You hear it from members of Congress and activists alike: AIPAC pulls the strings, AIPAC controls the government, AIPAC should register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The questions are dramatic, but are they being asked in good faith?

FARA is clear. The standard is whether an individual or group acts under the direction or control of a foreign government. AIPAC simply does not qualify.

Here is a detail conveniently left out of these arguments: Dozens of domestic organizations — Armenian, Cuban, Irish, Turkish — lobby Congress on behalf of other countries. None of them registers under FARA because — like AIPAC — they are independent, domestic organizations.

If someone has a sincere problem with the structure of foreign lobbying, fair enough. Let us have that conversation. But singling out AIPAC alone is not a search for truth. It is bias dressed up as bravery.

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

If someone wants to question foreign aid to Israel, fine. Let’s have that debate. But let’s ask the right questions. The issue is not the size of the package but whether the aid advances our interests. What does the United States gain? Does the investment strengthen our position in the region? How does it compare to what we give other nations? And do we examine those countries with the same intensity?

The real target

These questions reflect good-faith scrutiny. But narrowing the entire argument to one country or one dollar amount misses the larger problem. If someone objects to the way America handles foreign aid, the target is not Israel. The target is the system itself — an entrenched bureaucracy, poor transparency, and decades-old commitments that have never been re-examined. Those problems run through programs around the world.

If you want answers, you need to broaden the lens. You have to be willing to put aside the movie script and confront reality. You have to hold yourself to a simple rule: Ask questions because you want the truth, not because you want a target.

That is the only way this country ever gets clarity on foreign aid, influence, alliances, and our place in the world. Questioning is not just allowed. It is essential. But only if it is honest.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.