CrossroadsET

New York City could soon have government-run grocery stores. At least that's an issue now on the ballot with the upcoming mayoral elections. But we can look to history and basic economics to understand where this new initiative will likely lead.We'll discuss this topic and others, in this episode of “Crossroads.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Alligator Alcatraz model will soon spread to new states. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced five additional Republican governors are now planning to build similar facilities to help streamline deportations.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

China's communist regime is holding drills to prepare for a sea-borne invasion of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, while Taiwan is responding with its own drills for a potential war. In the face of this, the United States is shifting its military focus to the Asia-Pacific, and is discussing with allies whether they're ready for a war with the Chinese regime.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

In a sweeping move, the Trump administration has ended a long list of taxpayer-funded programs that were benefiting illegal immigrants. This includes programs on housing, education, grants, and many others.Some states are looking to create other programs to assist illegal immigrants, using money outside of federal funds.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The 90-day pause has come to an end, and the tariffs are back. The interim stage, when most countries were paying a set 10 percent levy, is now shifting, with many countries likely having to pay very substantial tariffs. President Donald Trump has now issued letters to several international leaders announcing the new tariff rates starting August 1st. And with this move, Trump is also detailing his vision of what this tariff policy will lead to.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Churches in the United States have been regarded as a kind of sleeping giant for elections. The issue is, because of different regulations on nonprofits, churches have not been able to endorse political candidates. And because of this, they've been forced, to an extent, to stay out of politics. Critics have criticized the issue the other way though, noting that the regulations have acted as a government restriction on religion. And now, things have changed. The Internal Revenue Service has determined that churches can now endorse political candidates.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A new type of bomb is being showcased for the Chinese regime, which aims to destroy an electric grid. A propaganda video for the bomb shows a simulation where the bomb is fired from a launcher, then breaks into cluster munitions to destroy an electric station. The video also comes on the heels of a concerning trend, where Chinese-manufactured signal jammers are being intercepted by U.S. customs agents.In other news, border security has just gotten a boost from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Now, the Trump administration is expected to vastly increase its operations to deport illegal immigrants. And border czar Tom Homan recently issued statements on how that could look.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has now passed. President Donald Trump signed the bill on July 4, clearing the way for a package that includes large-scale spending and large-scale cuts. We'll take a look at what was included in the bill.And in other news, Elon Musk has officially launched the America Party as a new third party. Alongside this, he also described his political plans for the upcoming midterm elections.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Charges from a recent operation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement suggest that a new type of criminal charge is being used against illegal immigrants working in the United States. Individuals are being charged with “aggravated identity theft,” suggesting that the administration could now be enforcing a crime that is commonly committed by illegal immigrant workers.Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is also taking on a new image, having just unveiled a new “patriotic ‘America First' rebranding.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A new political party could soon be formed in the United States, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk could be the force behind it. The former head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has since turned critical of some policies under the Trump administration, and he has now declared his intent to start a new political party for moderate voters.Meanwhile, Alligator Alcatraz is now open. The facility in the Florida Everglades is going to house illegal immigrants in an area surrounded by alligators.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

There is a push to have citizenship verification for elections in the United States, and part of this effort includes a controversial system that documents American citizens. The tool will work as a searchable database that can be used by election officials, but it is raising concerns over privacy.The FBI announced the takedown of a fraud ring that was stealing hundreds of millions from the U.S. health care system. The scandal involved 324 defendants, including many who worked in the medical field.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A major ruling from the Supreme Court has brought an end to nationwide injunctions by district judges and could unblock many of the orders by President Donald Trump facing challenges, including his order ending automatic birthright citizenship. In a 6–3 opinion, the justices have determined that nationwide injunctions are not legal unless they're done through class action lawsuits. This means that all of Trump's executive orders that had been blocked by district judges are free to progress forward.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

After the United States launched attacks on key Iranian nuclear facilities, some media reports are now alleging that the attacks only set back the Iranian regime's nuclear program by a few months. The claims are based on an alleged top-secret assessment. The Trump administration is criticizing the reports as false, while also explaining how intelligence leaks can be used to skew the facts.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A Florida plan to create an “Alligator Alcatraz” has now been approved by the Department of Homeland Security. This will be a facility in the Florida Everglades to detain illegal immigrants.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

There are signs that Iran could see a regime change. Iran's former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, is now pushing for a transfer of power and a new system of democracy for the country. And one of the latest Israeli strikes suggests the country is now moving beyond just targets related to nuclear weapons.Meanwhile, Iranian leaders carried through with their promise of retaliation. There were no U.S. casualties, and the attack appeared mostly symbolic.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Iran is threatening retaliation against the United States, after U.S. bombers destroyed key nuclear sites in their country.Meanwhile, analysts turned to a strange source to predict the U.S. strikes: pizza deliveries.And in other news, the Democrat Party could soon search for new leadership, with many voters now asking for a third party.We'll discuss these topics and others in this episode of Crossroads.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

FBI Director Kash Patel has provided Congress with declassified documents saying the CCP may have interfered in the 2020 elections. The documents describe claims of an elaborate scheme that involved using fake driver's licenses and fake mail-in ballots.In other news, young men are facing a crisis that is impacting their health, both physical and mental. Recent polls show that men are suffering from a loneliness epidemic that is getting even worse with younger generations. And this isn't just an issue in the United States. It's global.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Mass surveillance could be a cause of mass paranoia. New studies show that surveillance has an impact on the brain, and that instead of causing good behavior, it may be a factor in an epidemic of stress.Also, the Chinese regime is launching a new campaign to lure U.S. influencers to China for propaganda tours. This comes alongside other findings that the Chinese Communist Party has broad campaigns to infiltrate American society.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

“No Kings” rallies have now been held across the United States, with many protests involving upwards of 2,000 to 3,000 people. Some of the protests turned violent, while others remained peaceful. The rallies overall have worked as a continuation of the anti-ICE protests and riots also spreading across the country.In those riots in Los Angeles, a key Maoist tactic was at play called the “mass line,” where organizers generate a movement for political means and make it look like a grassroots movement.Meanwhile, alongside the ongoing protests and riots, an assassin has killed a representative and her husband, and injured another official and their spouse.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The protests and riots in Los Angeles appear to be getting under control. The Los Angeles mayor has put a curfew in place, and President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines to help with security. And now, we're seeing the next phase of the law enforcement operations, with arrests and wanted posters.The Department of Homeland Security announced it had arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants during the riots. The FBI has a wanted poster out for a man accused of throwing stones at police officers. And the Department of Homeland Security has announced the arrest of an illegal immigrant accused of firebombing police.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Trump administration is going to increase its operations to deport illegal immigrants. President Donald Trump said during a recent press conference that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations will be spreading to every major city in the United States, and similar statements are being issued by other government agencies.And in other news, a federal judge has blocked an emergency request from California Gov. Gavin Newsom to remove National Guard troops from their operations in Los Angeles.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Nationwide protests are now being planned as the riots in Los Angeles continue. Already, additional demonstrations have sprung up in San Francisco and New York City. However, the large-scale protests planned for June 14 aim to have 50 protests in 50 states. The movement is being called “No Kings,” and falls on the same day as both President Donald Trump's birthday and the 250th anniversary celebrations of the United States Army. We'll discuss this topic and others in this episode of Crossroads.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

“Crossroads” host Joshua Philipp gives updates from overnight reporting in Los Angeles, where riots continued. Protesters and agitators set fire to vehicles and looted businesses, while political battles continued over President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard.Also in this episode, we travel to the U.S.–Mexico border for updates on the border wall, military operations, and the status of the immigrant processing facilities.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly creeping into daily life. And it's not just people using it for work. Some people are turning to it for therapy, while others are looking to it for medical diagnoses. Some are starting to regard it as a replacement for talking to a friend. This is all raising concerns over whether AI could lead to a new type of social pathogen that could even deepen the darker parts of human nature.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The U.S. justice system is being remade, former prosecutions are being investigated, and key figures are being pardoned. This is being done against the backdrop that weaponization of the justice system allegedly played a role in many of the cases, and it's possible that, as the investigations continue, many previous convictions could be overturned through pardons.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The new administration is working to remake the federal government. In a recent announcement, Assistant FBI Director Dan Bongino said he and FBI Director Kash Patel are working on “important cultural changes” within the agency. Among these is an effort to remove employees who have “violated their oaths, and those who invited partisanship into the workplace.”In addition to this, the Trump administration is also creating a new program for government employees to educate them about the U.S. Constitution. The new class being created under the Office of Personnel Management aims to help government officials follow their duty to protect and uphold the Constitution.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has established a broad network inside American universities. This allows them to monitor and use Chinese students, and also ties them in with a broader system of CCP subversion that includes the consulates, front organizations, and sources of funding.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The United States is moving to uphold free speech globally, and this could even impact foreign leaders. The State Department announced it will begin restricting the visas of any foreign national involved in censoring, or even trying to censor, the protected expressions of anyone within the United States. And alongside this announcement, the United States has also deployed a team to carry out investigations in Europe of how censorship laws have impacted the rights of even non-U.S. citizens.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

All student visa applications to the United States are officially on hold. The Trump administration gave orders to all U.S. embassies to freeze all student visa applications. This happens while President Donald Trump is looking to stop government funding to Harvard, and just after a federal judge blocked his ability to stop Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students.In other news, COVID-19 is back. A new variant of the virus has now been detected among people at U.S. airports, as cases begin to rapidly increase in parts of Asia.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Close to 13 million people could soon lose access to Medicaid and Obamacare, although this only applies to two main groups: illegal immigrants, and able-bodied Americans under 64 years old who refuse to work at least part-time. The change of policy was just approved in a House vote under the “Big Beautiful Bill,” but will now have to make its way through a Senate vote before becoming law. We'll discuss this topic and others, in this episode of Crossroads.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The World Health Organization has now officially passed a controversial pandemic accord. The international agreement is legally binding. What this agreement does is create a new program for the global sharing of pathogen data and samples, on anything that could potentially spark a pandemic. It also makes it so that any pharmaceutical manufacturer that's part of this system now has to give 20 percent of its products for “equitable” distribution.In other news, President Donald Trump met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a press event at the White House. During the talks, Trump raised his concerns that the government in South Africa has not taken strong enough actions to prevent the land seizures and killings of white farmers.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Retailers are warning that high costs from U.S. tariffs are about to hit. Some of them are planning to shoulder the extra costs themselves. Others are saying that they will increase prices. Walmart is one of the bigger examples of this and the message from the Trump administration to the company to “eat the tariffs.”In other news, a member of Congress is now facing criminal charges over an incident at an immigration facility. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) is now facing charges for allegedly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a law enforcement officer.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The U.S. Supreme Court has now made its determination on President Donald Trump's policy to mass deport Venezuelan illegal immigrants. The administration is cleared to remove their temporary protection status, which could lead to hundreds of thousands being deported. In other news, there could soon be criminal charges over the so-called “Russiagate” scandal. FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Director Dan Bongino say that new evidence has been uncovered and that justice could be incoming.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

There are allegations that the Trump administration is collaborating on a new reality TV show where immigrants compete for a prize of U.S. citizenship. And the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has now responded. In other news, the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively blocked part of Trump's plans for mass deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The case is being sent back to a lower court, and could open the door for illegal immigrants facing deportation to challenge the orders.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A recent discovery is raising concerns over whether America's electricity could be shut off by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at a moment's notice. The United States is now investigating solar panels from China, after rogue communication devices were recently found. The issue raises something bigger as well, going back more than a decade, of suspicious Chinese parts and components in everything from U.S. military airplanes to our missile defense system.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Money sent home by illegal immigrants in the United States could soon be taxed by the U.S. government. Remittances are a top incentive for many illegal immigrants looking for work in the United States, and there are broad systems set up to help them send money to their families in the countries they came from. But a new bill could put that money up for taxation.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

President Donald Trump is on a three-day tour of the Middle East that can potentially rewrite U.S. relations in the region. His statements during events in Saudi Arabia have sparked new debates over globalism, previous wars, and a potential new way forward for relations. This also included major investments and new agreements on defense. In addition to Trump's other plans to visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, he's also offering diplomatic fresh starts to Syria and even Iran.In other news, the United States welcomed a group of 59 South African farmers under a refugee program. Communist organizations in South Africa have been carrying out a genocide against the farmers. The incident is also sparking some debate around race politics, given that the farmers are white.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Americans have been shouldering the cost of medicines, while the rest of the world has received a discount, according to the White House. And now, the Trump administration says it's putting an end to the practice. The president's new executive order is expected to reduce the costs of medications in the United States while causing the costs to rise in other countries.In other news, the Trump administration is now negotiating a trade deal with the Chinese regime. After meetings over the weekend, it was announced that both countries would temporarily lower their tariffs, and that this will last around 90 days while talks continue.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Supreme Court could have the final say over whether judges across the nation can continue putting orders from the president on hold.A case that will be heard this Thursday will focus on whether district judges have the authority to place nationwide injunctions on President Donald Trump's executive orders. And this case could be pivotal in determining the divisions of power between the different branches of the government.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The new pope has been selected. Robert Prevost will now become the first-ever American pope, and he'll now be known as Pope Leo XIV.In other news, the United States has reached a new trade agreement with the United Kingdom. UK representatives met with President Donald Trump and other key members of the administration in the White House to finalize the deal, and it could signal the way other international trade deals could play out.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A controversial research program is now again being restricted. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 5 about “Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research.” The order takes aim at practices including gain-of-function research, where scientists add new capabilities to existing pathogens. And in particular, it also addresses taxpayer-funded research programs in other countries where restrictions may not be as strong.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Alcatraz could soon be reopened as a prison. The facility on a small island in San Francisco was closed as a prison in 1963 and has since been turned into a tourist destination. But President Donald Trump says he wants the facility reopened to house the most dangerous criminals. And while some have suggested the prison is not feasible because of its limited space and high maintenance costs, Trump says it will act as a symbol of law and order.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Two very different agendas are now at odds over the return of American manufacturing. One trend was that of so-called deindustrialization. The concept refers to the destruction of a nation's manufacturing industry, with a shift to other forms of employment, primarily in the service industry. This trend was evident in the United States over the past few decades, with manufacturing industries heading offshore to countries such as China. Now, however, a new agenda is being declared: reindustrialization. And the return of American industry could again change the global economic order.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

While the last four years saw the adoption of policies in line with DEI, or “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the emerging culture is going in the opposite direction. The Pentagon declared in a recent video that the focus is no longer on DEI but instead on the idea of the “American warrior.” Troops are now being pushed to lose weight and become stronger. And many recent videos from official military accounts are posting videos with high firepower and that demonstrate some of the U.S. military's emerging capabilities.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

There are growing debates over whether President Donald Trump could suspend habeas corpus as a way to bypass judges blocking deportations. Doing so would be regarded as a more extreme method of carrying out his agenda, and in a recent interview, Trump suggested that while he may have this type of capability, he'd rather not use it.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A secret brainwashing experiment was conducted on Reddit by unauthorized researchers. These researchers from the University of Zurich used artificial intelligence (AI) to see if they could sway the opinions of regular people, and the results are raising concerns over the potential uses of AI.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been using the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) as a tool for transnational repression. In a recent case, Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma was implicated in a CCP campaign to export its abuses into other countries. Yet this is just the latest of many instances in which INTERPOL, an organization with 196 member countries, has been manipulated by China's communist regime to work as its very own global police force.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Do states have the right to not cooperate with federal authorities on deportations of illegal immigrants? Can the federal government cut funding to states that don't cooperate? We could soon get answers to both of these questions. President Donald Trump is now signing an executive order targeting the so-called sanctuary cities, and this comes on the heels of legal challenges that blocked his federal freeze on cities with sanctuary policies.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

There's a legal battle taking place over the push for large-scale deportations. On one side, there are calls for due process. On the other, there are allegations that the problem is so large that it would never be resolved if each deportation were challenged in court. And now, President Donald Trump is calling for a kind of “courageous justice” in the face of legal challenges.Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The UK is moving forward with experiments to dim the sun, carrying out controversial programs on what's known as solar geoengineering. These are being developed with the goal of fighting “global warming” by reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth.–Views expressed in this podcast are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

A new conflict is emerging in the White House, and this time it's between the various news outlets being allowed into the briefings. Seats for “new media” have now been opened. Many of these are conservative outlets, and this is creating some tensions with the media that used to hold those seats.—Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.