Morning Brief 2025-12-02

No guests slated for today's show. Subject to change.

News...

Glenn Beck: A nation without trust is a nation on borrowed time
When institutions betray the public’s trust, the country splits, and the spiral is hard to stop.

Jordan, other lawmakers were probing DOJ conduct when J6 prosecutors seized their phone records
A former representative suggests that the timeline raises questions about whether Smith's subpoenas served a dual purpose — to investigate Jan. 6, as Smith was appointed to do, and to keep tabs on the oversight probes into agency conduct.

New docs reveal Jack Smith intentionally violated congressional Republicans’ constitutional rights
The records show Biden’s DOJ greenlit subpoenas for GOP lawmakers’ phone data while openly acknowledging the move was barred by the Speech or Debate Clause, then pursued gag orders using arguments they knew didn’t apply.

Claims Afghans were ‘vetted’ contradict federal investigations and common sense
Federal reports found the Biden administration admitted Afghan evacuees without real screening: Staff lacked training to detect fake Afghan documents, IDs were accepted without verification, missing or made-up data was entered into U.S. systems, and individuals without proper vetting were still allowed into the country.

Treasury, House panel launch probes into Tim Walz’s handling of $1B food aid fraud — and they could make criminal referrals
“Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was warned about massive fraud in a pandemic food-aid program for children, yet he failed to act. Instead, whistleblowers who raised concerns faced retaliation,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said.

DOJ expected to bring fresh indictments against Comey and Letitia James after judge’s dismissal
A federal judge tossed their previous cases on a technicality over an improper appointment, not the merits, and DOJ sources now say new charges are being readied for grand juries in Virginia.

Food stamp data shows thousands of liquor, smoke shops are approved for EBT, raising fraud concerns
There's no way to determine how much alcohol, tobacco, or other "non-compliant" goods have been sold nationwide. At least 20 states refuse to share data with the feds.

Judge’s murder exposes alleged sex-and-drug ring run by Kentucky officials
A sheriff’s killing of a district judge triggered a cascade of accusations that Letcher County officials operated a yearslong coercive sex and drug ring inside the courthouse and jail, with multiple women describing systemic abuse and ongoing FBI scrutiny.

Groupies flock to courthouse to support alleged CEO murderer
Dozens of left-wing fans turned the hearing into a celebration, treating an accused killer as a folk hero for targeting a corporate executive — a grim example of how open support for political violence has been creeping further into the far-left culture.

Portland radical accused of threatening to kill ICE agents, sexually assault their wives
A man who has referred to himself as “Osama bin Laden” and “Timothy McVeigh” is now facing criminal charges after allegedly threatening to kill federal immigration officers and sexually assault their wives.

Politics...

Tennessee Democratic candidate caught saying she 'hates' Nashville, country music in resurfaced clip
"I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an 'it' city to the rest of the country. But I hate it."

Big-name Dems make final pitch for Aftyn Behn, hope for Tuesday ‘miracle’ in Tennessee
Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged that it would take a miracle for Democrats to turn Tennessee's 7th district blue.

Too-close Tennessee election warns GOP: Damning the left isn’t enough
Going by conventional wisdom, this should be a walkover for Van Epps. But redistricting in 2020 made the 7th somewhat less rural than it had been, as statehouse Republicans tried to boost the party’s chances elsewhere. Now it’s anchored by Democrat-dominated Nashville and its suburbs.

Karoline Leavitt dropkicks reporter who wrote rosy story about Biden’s health but questioned Trump’s fitness
Leavitt blasted the New York Times and Katie Rogers for portraying Trump as cognitively unfit while previously assuring readers that Biden was “100% fine” after falling on Air Force One.

Indiana Republicans unveil 9-0 congressional map amid redistricting push
It remains unclear whether the legislature will pass the plan, though Trump has urged them to do so.

Cory Booker obtains female wife in boost to 2028 White House bid
The notorious bachelor ties the knot in a "private" ceremony shared exclusively with the New York Times.

Easter Bunny who shielded Biden from reporters mocked after attacking Trump’s age
The ex-White House staffer best known for wearing the Easter Bunny suit that steered Biden away from reporters in 2022 drew ridicule after attacking Trump’s age, prompting critics to resurface footage of her guiding Biden off as he tried to answer questions.

Economy...

The middle class can’t keep up with persistent inflation forever
It seems unlikely that one issue — indeed, one chart — could define the politics of the last several years and even the last decade. Yet the pattern seems clear.

Immigration...

DHS chief Kristi Noem wants full travel ban on ‘every damn country’ she says sends ‘killer’ migrants to US
“I just met with the President,” Noem wrote on X. “I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies."

NYC jails holding 7,169 criminal illegal aliens, including 'hundreds of sexual predators' — and ICE wants them all deported
"Honor those detainers, and then we won't have to flood the zone with our ICE law enforcement. We won't have to put those men and women on the ground because we will get these vicious criminals out of New York City's jails," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Thousands of students drop out of Los Angeles schools over 'climate of fear' from deportations, superintendent says
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a statement that enrollment decreased by 4% compared to last year.

Chicago school district lets children ditch class over ICE fears: Report
Chicago Public Schools students can be marked as "excused" from class if their parents or guardians express fears about immigration operations, according to a document obtained by Defending Education and reviewed by Fox News Digital.

WAR news...

Maduro’s forces prepared for guerrilla war, ‘anarchization’ if the US invades Venezuela: Report
Rather than face an invading force head on, Venezuela plans to mount a guerrilla-style resistance and sow chaos to make it impossible for the U.S. to quickly boot Maduro and replace him with a new leader, according to sources and documents obtained by Reuters.

Karoline Leavitt says Hegseth didn’t order second strike on narco-terrorist’s boat
Leavitt refuted a Washington Post claim that the war secretary gave a “kill them all” order, saying Admiral Bradley authorized the follow-up strike under his own lawful authority as part of Trump’s lethal targeting policy against designated narco-terrorist groups.

White House reaffirms Trump’s authority to use lethal force against narco-terror groups
Leavitt said traffickers tied to designated narco-terror networks are lawful targets under Trump’s orders as the administration ramps up pressure on Venezuela, expands military operations in the Caribbean, and warns that Maduro’s airspace is effectively closed.

Whoopi says Pete Hegseth set soldiers up to face war crimes charges
Goldberg claimed on Monday that if any American service members were charged with “war crimes” in relation to drug boat strikes, it would be because War Secretary Pete Hegseth had “set them up” to take the fall.

Biden admin prosecuted leader of Venezuelan drug cartel that mainstream media now says 'doesn't exist'
A CNN headline declared the cartel "may not technically exist." AP said, "It's not a cartel per se." USA Today cited experts who claimed Cartel de los Soles "is not a real drug cartel." New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg called Cartel de los Soles "a group that doesn't exist." The Guardian and other outlets echoed similar sentiments.

Israel...

Egypt and EU stepping up preparations to dispatch Palestinian police force in Gaza
Training programs are being expanded to ready thousands of "vetted" Palestinian officers for deployment as the new civilian security force envisioned in Trump’s Gaza plan, though the structure, responsibilities, and timetable of the force are still being finalized.

Europe...

Nose-in-the-air Europeans mulling over same move as Trump
French lawmakers are considering whether to exclude foreigners from publicly funded health care, a policy similar to one championed by Trump.

Europe's media sees ambush on Guard in DC as opposition to deployment, another case of too many guns
While European media reported the fact that the alleged shooter was seeking asylum in the U.S., most coverage cast it as evidence of an increasingly polarized country, dangers of the proliferation of guns, and the controversial deployment of National Guard troops.

UK AG urges Nigel Farage to apologize for alleged anti-Semitic bullying ... when he was a teen
The Guardian had the scoop last month when it reported that some classmates of Farage alleged that he said mean things in the 1970s. Farage last week responded, "Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter in a playground, that you can interpret in the modern light of day in some sort of way? Yes."

Africa...

Trump to host Congo and Rwanda leaders at White House to sign peace deal ending decades of conflict
The agreement, brokered by the administration after months of negotiations, aims to halt 30 years of fighting in eastern Congo and secure commitments from both governments as they move toward a final settlement after repeated past deals collapsed.

Entertainment...

Hollywood actor Guy Pearce apologizes for anti-Semitic posts, quits social media
Pearce has apologized for a series of social media posts claiming that the top three pornography companies are owned by Jews, that Israel was behind the 9/11 terror attacks as well as the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — including reposting material from Nick Fuentes.

Josh Brolin calls Trump a marketing ‘genius’
The actor said he once knew Trump personally and praised his unmatched branding instincts, noting supporters see him as a symbol or “mascot,” though he now opposes Trump’s policies and doubts he’ll win another term.

Media...

Vanity Fair expected to let Olivia Nuzzi’s contract lapse, insiders say
Condé Nast is backing off after Nuzzi’s ex-fiancé — a longtime political reporter — published allegations that the magazine’s new hire used sexual relationships with sitting politicians and a presidential candidate to gain access and even tried to interfere with other journalists’ work.

Inside RFK Jr.’s needy love, drug use, and cringe poetry, as Olivia Nuzzi book reveals how he hid bad behavior
Nuzzi’s memoir claims the HHS secretary showered her with dramatic declarations, used hallucinogens in secret, talked about getting her pregnant, sent explicit poetry, and even hid photos of his wife during their video calls.

Environment...

Left-wing dark money giant funds Dem lawsuits against oil companies — and trainings for judges on how to handle those cases
New Venture Fund funneled millions to the climate-lawfare firm Sher Edling while also bankrolling the Environmental Law Institute, which instructs judges on the same litigation, deepening concerns that the left’s biggest dark money hub is influencing both the legal assault and the officials ruling on it.

Health...

FDA official in memo claims link between COVID-19 vaccines and pediatric deaths
Dr. Prasad did not, however, share any data used in the review, including the children's ages, whether they had existing health conditions, or how the FDA determined there was a link between their death and the vaccine.

Religion...

Pro-life nuns join effort to send Christmas cards to every abortion facilitator in the country
The simple effort of religious sisters sending postcards and Christmas cards can be a lifeline to workers feeling trapped and searching for a way out of the abortion industry.

AI...

AI becomes a political wedge issue, creating odd bedfellows across parties
Populists on the right and progressives on the left are openly clashing with their own leaders as Trump pushes aggressive national AI expansion.

Trump’s push for more AI data centers faces backlash from his own voters
A packed county meeting in Pennsylvania showed farmers, homeowners, and longtime Trump supporters uniting with environmentalists against massive rezoning for data-center projects and new power plants.

Musk says AI and robotics are 'only' things that can solve massive US debt crisis
Tesla CEO predicts widespread deployment will cause deflation and remake the economy within three years.

AI Solved 30-Year Math Problem in 6 Hours
The autonomous system “Aristotle” cracked a long-standing Erdős challenge using Lean with no human help, highlighting how modern AI is rapidly clearing out decades of overlooked mathematical problems and forcing top researchers to rethink what “hard” even means.

Travel...

TSA sets record for busiest single-day screening with post-Thanksgiving travel
The milestone was reached in the post-Thanksgiving travel rush and surpasses the previous record of 3.09 million travelers screened in a single day on June 22. Eight of the top 10 busiest travel days occurred in 2025.

TSA announces it will charge Americans $45 to fly without Real ID, passport next year
The new rule, which will go into effect on Feb. 1, will allow filers to have their identities confirmed through a fee-based verification system called TSA Confirm.ID if they forget their Real ID or other approved forms of identification.

Sports...

Former NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. talks about the struggles of receiving a $100 million contract
"Like bro, you give somebody a five-year, $100 million contract, right? What is it really? It’s five years for $60M. You’re getting taxed. Do the math — that’s $12M a year ... I’m going to buy a car, I’m going to give my mom a house. Everything costs money. So if you’re spending $4M a year, that’s really $40M over five years — $8M a year."

Eagles coach's house gets egged after loss to Bears
The New Jersey home of Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was vandalized with eggs early Saturday morning. A video surfaced on social media of multiple people appearing to throw objects at Patullo's home.

Dec. 2, 2004 - Denver bans words 'Merry Christmas' from parade of lights... Tom Brokaw signs off 'NBC Nightly News'... Who will replace Dan Rather on CBS?... Man sees ET in bowl of cereal... Is OJ Simpson the biggest villain of the last 10 years?...

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.

The Crisis of Meaning: Searching for truth and purpose

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.

A break in trust: A NEW Watergate is brewing in plain sight

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.