Podcasts about us mexico

What if everything we are told about the border crisis is completely missing the point? In this episode, Bill Thompson sits down with Gil Gillenwater, author of *Hope on the Border* and founder of Rancho Feliz. Over nearly 40 years of hands-on work on the US-Mexico border, Gil has discovered a radical truth: traditional charity doesn't work, and a wall cannot fix a crisis of dignity. Gil shares how giving handouts disempowers people, while creating structured opportunities allows families to lift themselves into Mexico's middle class, eliminating the desire to illegally immigrate. From trade-offs like swapping plastic trash for food tickets to transforming privileged American teenagers into "Guardian Warriors," this conversation flips the script on political rhetoric. It's an eye-opening look at what happens when we stop looking at the border as a political battlefield and start seeing it as a shared human experience.Get your copy of Hope On The Border by Gil GillenwaterAs an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.Chapters:00:42 Why Traditional Charity Fails 01:20 The Real Driver of Immigration 02:55 Dwell on Yourself, Dwell on Misery 06:43 The Plastic Bag Experiment: Earning Dignity 08:42 From "Volunteers" to "Guardian Warriors 11:10 Evolutionary Baggage vs. Cooperation 15:37 The True Cost of the Wall 16:44 Common Sense Solutions for Border Policy 21:24 Breaking the Cycle: Dirt Floors to Rolls-Royce 24:20 How Service Transforms Privileged YouthGuest InformationGil GillenwaterRancho Feliz websiteSocial:YouTube Facebook Instagram TikTok2007 interview with Vicente FoxEasier, more confident everyday conversation: "The Everyday What To Say"For more intriguing and engaging interviews each week, subscribe now on:Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube

This week on the show, rabble editor Nick Seebruch and publisher Sarah Sahagian sit down to discuss ongoing news coverage on rabble.ca this summer, the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the war in Iran, Pride Month coverage and more.  Some pieces mentioned in this episode include:  Scott Douglas Jacobsen's on-the-ground reporting in Ukraine  The heroic life of Betty Baxter, athlete and activist by Tom Sandborn  Five Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ books to add to your TBR list  US-Mexico start free trade review talks without Canada by Evan Wexler And celebrating rabble's three summer interns:  Lea Lagredelle Hannah Bolwell Piper Canniff If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and now: subscribe to rabble on Patreon to hear exclusive bonus episodes of rabble radio. 

Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links —Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.

A historic Tucson venue gets a new partner and a new name; Federal investigators probe ASU to root out DEI; part of the US-Mexico border is on fire; and more...

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening  The Tai-Ex opened up 103-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 45,660. However, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing saw its share prices (股價) soar to a record high (歷史新高) of 2,440 N-T with the opening minutes - and that resulted in the main board making a significant gain of 841 points … .. which pushed the market above the 46,000 point mark, as it reached 46,398. Market watchers say the rises are due to investor optimism (投資人樂觀情緒) toward A-I, as keynote speeches at Computex Taipei has boosted tech stocks values both here in Taiwan and on Wall Street overnight. Air Force grounds T-34C trainers follow crash  The Air Force has grounded (停飛) all of its T-34C trainers pending safety checks (安全檢查) following a crash at the Gangshan Air Base in Kaohsiung that left two pilots dead. The two-seater aircraft crashed while conducting a routine simulated engine-failure training exercise. Both Lt. Col. Lu Chi-yu and Lt. Col. Kuo Chun-nan were pronounced dead at the scene. According to Air Force Chief Inspector Major General Chiang Yi-cheng, the pilots reported no anomalies or malfunctions (故障) during the flight test and weather conditions, including visibility, were suitable for flying. The Air Force has formed a special task force to investigate the cause of the crash. Taiwan makes 1st large-scale shipment of summer fruits to Europe Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih has overseen a send-off ceremony for the first large-scale export (大規模出口) of Taiwan-grown summer fruits to Europe. The 6 metric tons of mangoes, lychees and dragon fruit left Pingtung County after meeting European Union import and quarantine requirements (檢疫規定). Speaking at the ceremony Chen said Taiwan's fresh fruit exports to Europe had previously been limited, but this latest shipment mark the start of a more systematic push into the European market. According to the exporter, the shipment is destined for Rungis, France's largest wholesale fresh produce market (生鮮批發市場), which serves as a key sourcing hub for Michelin-starred restaurants, hotels and major retailers. Starmer's WhatApp messages set to disappear as Mandelson files deepen leadership crisis British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesperson (官方發言人) has confirmed the prime minister's WhatsApp messages are set to automatically disappear (自動消失)… A revelation that emerged after a cabinet meeting on the same day as the release of around a thousand pages of documents related to the appointment and dismissal of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to Washington. The opposition Conservatives say they are surprised by how little of the prime minister's own communications feature in the release, and have accused the government of a cover-up (掩蓋真相). Olly Barratt reports from London. Canada Calls on US Mexico to Renew FTA Canada is calling on the United States and Mexico to renew (延長 / 續約) the free trade agreement (自由貿易協定) between the countries for another 16 years just as U.S. President Donald Trump revives talk of making Canada the 51st state. Canada's minister for U.S. trade sent a letter to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexico's Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard on Tuesday that conveys Canada's recommendation. The letter comes ahead of the scheduled July review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Its the latest version of free trade agreements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada dating back to the early 1990s that have intertwined (緊密相連 / 交織在一起) the economies of the three North American countries. Trump posted “51st State!” on social media late Monday. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

New World Screwworm found in bovine just 31 miles from US-Mexico border.The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has reportedly withdrawn its mountain lion harvest reporting proposal following significant opposition. USDA is celebrating the opening of a livestock insect research lab in Kerrville. Estate planning is critical on the farm and ranch.The path to profitability is not an easy one for Texas High Plains corn farmers this year.Young people can obtain a veterinary science certificate from Texas A&M AgriLife.

Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel look at Patrick Mahomes being back at practice for the Chiefs. What is it that has athletes returning from injuries so fast? Matt talks about the different severity of leg injuries. USMNT's Shaq Moore talks about his career path in soccer and how he reached the professional level. Shaq explains the passion from fans overseas while playing in Spain. Bobby asks about playing in the Gold Cup and the US/Mexico rivalry. How did Shaq get chosen to play for the previous World Cup team? Shaq explains how he believes the US can get better at soccer. We explore the stars on this US World Cup team and the leaders on the squad. Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel is part of the NFL Podcast Network See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might remember the Jesuits of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministry. They have a podcast that we've aired episodes of on this very channel. Every week for ten seasons now, Fr. Brian Strassburger the director of the ministry, and Joe Nolla, a Jesuit regent, have been dropping us into their work, sharing with us stories from the US-Mexico border, helping us understand the nuances and lived reality of immigration policies and hosting an array of impressive guests who research, write about or work with immigrant communities. Well, today's a special episode: Joe Nolla is wrapping up regency and heading to Paris, France to begin theology studies—the next and final stage in Jesuit formation before ordination to the priesthood. So, Brian asked AMDG host Eric Clayton if he'd do a sort of exit interview for Joe as a bonus episode of the podcast. And now we're airing that episode here for you. It's a great conversation. Joe's reflections and experiences give insight into Jesuit formation, Jesuit ministry and the ongoing needs that Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministry is trying to meet in and around Brownsville, Texas. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you want to learn more, visit delcamino.org.

The following article of the Logistics & Mobility industry is: “The Fatigue Factor in Cross-Border and Global Trade” by Jorge Duarte | VP Sales, U.S. & Mexico, Cross-Border Supply Chain Strategist, Fountain City Logistics.

Photo: Ice jam flooding in Chalkyitsik, Alaska on May 7, 2026. (Courtesy National Weather Service) Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) issued a disaster declaration Monday for two Interior Alaska communities, after they were inundated with severe ice jam flooding. The declaration covers the areas near Chalkyitsik on the Black River and Hughes on the Koyukuk River, as The Alaska Desk’s Shelby Herbert from KUAC reports. Jeremy Zidek is a spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He says almost a dozen homes became flooded in Chalkyitsik, but the situation is especially dire in Hughes. The state is working to deliver emergency supplies to the community, but the water is still high. “They had water and ice on their runway. The water has gone down a little bit, but the runway is not serviceable by fixed-wing aircraft at this time. We're looking at an alternate runway that is nearby.” He says when the flooding peaked on May 9, most of the community's nearly-80 residents had to shelter at the Hughes Tribal Hall. Zidek says spring breakup is in full swing, and the danger hasn't passed for many other riverside communities in the Interior. “We're still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding. And so, if there is a necessity to add new areas, the governor will consider the information we provide to him, and then make that determination.” In addition to activating the state's emergency response capabilities, the Governor's disaster declaration also opens up several assistance programs for the affected areas. The state's public assistance program focuses on restoring essential infrastructure, and can be accessed by local governments, tribes, and nonprofits. And its individual assistance and temporary housing programs can help individuals and families recover from flood-related property damage. Zidek says the state will release more information about those programs in the coming days. A House committee met Wednesday to review President Donald Trump's funding proposal for the Interior Department. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a southern Arizona congresswoman took that opportunity to talk about the recent destruction of a sacred border wall site. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared that federal officials apologized to the Tohono O'odham Nation weeks after a border wall contractor bulldozed Las Playas Intaglio, a thousand-year-old archeological site along the US-Mexico boundary. “This is a super unfortunate thing that happened. There's a series of mistakes that happened along the way – zero intention – and we've delivered direct apologies.” But U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) stressed words aren't enough. “I mean, unfortunately, once it's destroyed, you can't undo that.” Now, Grijalva fears another O'odham cultural site of concern, a desert oasis called Quitobaquito Springs, could be damaged next. It sits just south of Ajo inside Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. “So will you commit that [the] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service avoid Quitobaquito Springs and minimize impact by not using groundwater within five miles, and monitor those water levels closely as the border wall is being built?” Burgum replied, “Well, I – that's a very specific thing that I won't jump ahead and commit to.” Missing person Benjamin Stepetin, 42, stands in downtown Juneau, Alaska. (Courtesy Stepetin family) Divers are searching the murky waters of Gastineau Channel this week for the body of a Juneau, Alaska man missing for nearly a year, as KTOO's Clarise Larson reports. Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin, a 42-year-old Juneau resident, disappeared last June. His family believes he may have fallen or been pushed into the water near the downtown seawalk. His brother, Martin Stepetin Sr., says the family hasn't given up hope. “We just want to find our brother, you know. And we really miss our brother, and if we could get some closure to finding him, then that would be amazing.” The search, funded by the Juneau Police Department (JPD), includes divers and underwater sonar vehicles. Police are investigating the case as criminal and say some people may be withholding information. The search includes both divers and underwater vehicles with sonar technology. The team is scanning up and down the downtown seawalk, while thousands of cruise ship visitors walk above them. Martin says that his family believes their brother may have fallen or been pushed into the water along the seawalk. JPD is currently investigating the case as a criminal investigation. Deputy Chief Krag Campbell says police believe there may have been people involved in Benjamin's disappearance who are withholding information. “Our ultimate goal is to get a successful resolution to this investigation, and if at all possible, recover or find the body and missing person for the family. So doing those things whenever we can, I think, is very important.” People can share information by calling JPD's dispatch line at 907-586-0600 or submitting an anonymous tip through Juneau Crime Line. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 15, 2026 – Native In The Spotlight: Washington State Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis

Next month, the FIFA World Cup returns to North American soil, marking a transformative moment for the sport of soccer on this continent. But to understand the current state of the US Men's National Team as they prepare to host the world, one must first examine their complex and often turbulent relationship with their greatest rival: Mexico. In this episode, we welcome back soccer journalist, historian and Episode 270 guest Hal Phillips, author of the definitive new book, "Sibling Rivalry: How Mexico and the US Built the Most Contentious, Co-Dependent Feud in World Soccer." Phillips' work frames the rivalry with El Tri not just as a series of games, but as a "co-dependent feud" that has fundamentally shaped the national identities of both countries. We trace the narrative arc from the Americans' 1934 World Cup qualifier success in Rome through the grueling 46-year "dark age" where the US failed to secure a single victory against their neighbors. Phillips takes us through the pivotal shifts of the 1990s and the birth of the "Dos a Cero" era, explaining how the professionalization of the American game turned a lopsided regional dominance into an ever-escalating athletic confrontation of equals. Beyond the tactics on the pitch, we discuss the deeper cultural and geopolitical baggage that makes this rivalry unique. From the personal stories of dual-national stars caught between two flags to the economic realities of the "Border War," Phillips explains why this rivalry was the necessary forge for American soccer's survival. As this year's World Cup beckons, we explore whether these two "siblings" are finally ready to step out of each other's shadows and challenge the global elite. + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "Sibling Rivalry: How Mexico and the US Built the Most Contentious, Co-Dependent Feud in World Soccer": https://amzn.to/3PxRbjK SPONSOR THANKS:  Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this Monday Headline Brief of The Wright Report, Bryan covers a shocking attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, raising urgent questions about Secret Service failures and the broader climate of political violence in America. He breaks down how the suspect gained access to the hotel with weapons, the security breakdowns that allowed him to get dangerously close to the President and his cabinet, and the political and cultural factors that may be fueling rising threats. Bryan also examines national reactions and what this moment could signal about the stability of U.S. institutions and public safety moving forward. Plus, Bryan delivers key updates on the war with Iran, including stalled peace talks, covert U.S. operations targeting Iranian naval threats, and new signs of deepening cooperation between Israel and Arab nations. He also covers a surge in U.S. energy exports, looming fuel shortages in the western U.S., immigration policy shifts, rising crime trends in Washington, D.C., and a developing agricultural threat from screwworm infestations.   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: Trump assassination attempt 2026 White House Correspondents Dinner security failure, Secret Service breach Hilton Hotel Washington DC investigation, political violence US polarization threats analysis, Iran war update peace talks collapse covert operations Strait of Hormuz, Israel UAE cooperation Iron Dome Middle East alliances, US energy exports record LNG crude oil markets 2026, West Coast fuel shortage forecast diesel jet fuel crisis, immigration policy denaturalization DOJ expansion 2026, screwworm outbreak US Mexico cattle crisis agriculture impact, vitamin D diabetes prevention research Tufts study, Bryan Dean Wright podcast, The Wright Report

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, Flavio Bravo, S.J., celebrates Mass in migrant shelters among people living in fear and uncertainty. Reflecting on John's resurrection appearances in which Christ shows his wounds and breathes his Spirit, Flavio preaches the risen Christ, not as an idea, but as a presence encountered in woundedness. Flavio joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to speak about preaching resurrection and hope from within places in which migrants are suffering as part of this Easter series of the "Preach" podcast. 0:00 A Haitian girl blesses the priest 2:07 Meeting Fr. Flavio Bravo, S.J. 2:48 Crossing borders: arriving in the U.S. as a teenage refugee 5:00 Who comes to the border today 9:34 Inside Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries 11:35 Homily: The risen Lord is the crucified one 24:50 How preaching grows out of daily ministry 25:57 The Gospel stories we never wrote down 27:54 How his preaching has changed 28:39 Resurrection within suffering—not escape 30:25 Preaching on the move: new faces each week 32:00 Joy at Mass: children, bells, holy water 35:10 Sustaining the work: community and self-care --- Support this podcast by becoming a subscriber. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This work is protected by Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0SCP-1730: "Site 13" (part 2)https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1730"SCP-1730 was a large complex of structures 15km northwest of the US/Mexico border within Big Bend Ranch State Park ..."

Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links —Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.

Immigration might be President Donald Trump's signature issue, but what do Americans actually think about border security and enforcement? This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim, mixed by Shannon Mahoney, video edited by Christopher Snyder, and hosted by Astead Herndon. A migrant climbs over the border fence into the US after fetching groceries for other migrants waiting to be processed by authorities on the US-Mexico border. Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images. You can also watch this episode on youtube.com/vox. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oil prices plunge as Iran and the U.S. declare the Strait of Hormuz open; meanwhile, a million displaced people begin a perilous return to southern Lebanon. Keir Starmer welcomes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but warns a permanent international mission is still needed to keep the global economy from being "held to ransom." Myanmar frees former president Win Myint as part of a New Year amnesty for more than 4,500 prisoners. A US-Mexico labour panel rules against Canadian-owned gold mine in Mexico for violating workers' rights. Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser is worried about the increasing use of the Charter's 'notwithstanding clause'. Ontario Court of Appeal considers overturning law prohibiting class-action suits against province's Children's Aid Societies.

It's the Ranch It Up Radio Show Herd It Here Weekly Report!  A 3-minute look at cattle markets, reports, news info, or anything that has to do with those of us who live at the end of dirt roads.  Join Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt, the Boss Lady Rebecca Wanner aka 'BEC' by subscribing on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel. New World Screwworm Close To The United States Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today is warning of a serious and immediate threat to the state's livestock industry. The northern-most detection of the New World screwworm has now been confirmed in Nuevo León, Mexico — just 90 miles from the U.S. border. Miller says this is no distant concern. MILLER: “The New World screwworm is a direct and imminent threat to Texas, and we are treating it that way. This is a high-stakes situation for our ranchers, our livestock industry, and our food supply.” While federal agencies have responded, Miller says the pest's spread has not yet been contained — and that raises concern. MILLER: “That's exactly why Texas must be proactive. We are fully engaged and prepared to use every available tool to stop this threat.” He's urging all Texas producers to act now. MILLER: “Be on high alert. Check your animals. Know the signs. If you see anything unusual, report it immediately. Early detection is the difference between containment and a full-blown crisis.” State leaders say they're coordinating with federal, state, and local partners — but more action is needed at the source. MILLER: “Texas has defeated screwworm before, and we will do it again — but it takes urgency and immediate action.” For more information on detection, prevention, and reporting, visit Screwworm dot gov. References:  https://www.nationalbeefwire.com/new-world-screwworm-found-90-miles-south-of-texas-commissioner-says-not-a-drill Upcoming Feeder Cattle, Bull & Cow Sales On RanchChannel.Com Lots of feeder cattle, steers & heifers, bulls, and cow sales coming up on the RanchChannel.Com sale calendar.  Check out the full line up HERE. SPONSORS Jorgensen Land & Cattle https://jorgensenfarms.com/ @JorLandCat Ranch Channel https://ranchchannel.com/ @RanchChannel Questions & Concerns From The Field? Call or Text your questions, or comments to 707-RANCH20 or 707-726-2420 Or email RanchItUpShow@gmail.com FOLLOW Facebook/Instagram: @RanchItUpShow SUBSCRIBE to the Ranch It Up YouTube Channel: @ranchitup Website: RanchItUpShow.com https://ranchitupshow.com/ The Ranch It Up Podcast is available on ALL podcasting apps. https://ranchitup.podbean.com/ Rural America is center-stage on this outfit. AND how is that? Because of Tigger & BEC... Live This Western Lifestyle. Tigger & BEC represent the Working Ranch world by providing the cowboys, cowgirls, beef cattle producers & successful farmers the knowledge and education needed to bring high-quality beef & meat to your table for dinner. Learn more about Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt & Rebecca Wanner aka BEC here: TiggerandBEC.com https://tiggerandbec.com/

This work is protected by Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0SCP-999: "Site 13" https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1730"SCP-1730 was a large complex of structures 15km northwest of the US/Mexico border within Big Bend Ranch State Park ..."

Casey Walker speaks to Emily Everett about his story “Islands,” which appears in The Common's fall issue. Set at an old lake house rife with unresolved family tensions, the story explores the dynamics between three orphaned brothers, and between the narrator and his pregnant wife. Casey discusses how the piece evolved over more than a decade, and how he always hopes a story will take on a life of its own during the writing process. Also discussed is his forthcoming novel Mexicali, set in the US-Mexico borderlands during the first half of the 20th century. Casey Walker's new novel Mexicali is forthcoming from Knopf in 2027. He is also the author of the novel Last Days in Shanghai and has published fiction and essays in The Common, Ninth Letter, The Believer, The New York Times, and El País, among others. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Princeton University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. ­­Read Casey's story in The Common here. The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine at thecommononline.org, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. Her new debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a Reese's Book Club pick. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

About two thirds of the US-Mexico border is along the Rio Grande, and the Trump Administration is working to install hundreds of miles of buoy barriers in the river. Now residents of border towns are raising the alarm over how these buoys could impact wildlife, restrict access to the river and sever cultural ties.   Also, news media outlets are retreating from covering climate change, according to the Media and Climate Change Observatory at the University of Colorado Boulder, which has been tracking this trend for decades. They report that since a peak in 2021, climate news stories across the globe have dropped nearly 40 percent.   And the poems in Aimee Nezhukumatathil's new book Night Owl offer a window into the magic of nature at night and a light in the darkness. She shares selected poems from the collection and talks about how poetry can help us grapple with ecological loss and celebrate natural wonders alike.   ---   Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this summer! We're now accepting applications and to learn more, go to loe.org/about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Casey Walker speaks to Emily Everett about his story “Islands,” which appears in The Common's fall issue. Set at an old lake house rife with unresolved family tensions, the story explores the dynamics between three orphaned brothers, and between the narrator and his pregnant wife. Casey discusses how the piece evolved over more than a decade, and how he always hopes a story will take on a life of its own during the writing process. Also discussed is his forthcoming novel Mexicali, set in the US-Mexico borderlands during the first half of the 20th century. Casey Walker's new novel Mexicali is forthcoming from Knopf in 2027. He is also the author of the novel Last Days in Shanghai and has published fiction and essays in The Common, Ninth Letter, The Believer, The New York Times, and El País, among others. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Princeton University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. ­­Read Casey's story in The Common here. The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine at thecommononline.org, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. Her new debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a Reese's Book Club pick. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Casey Walker speaks to Emily Everett about his story “Islands,” which appears in The Common's fall issue. Set at an old lake house rife with unresolved family tensions, the story explores the dynamics between three orphaned brothers, and between the narrator and his pregnant wife. Casey discusses how the piece evolved over more than a decade, and how he always hopes a story will take on a life of its own during the writing process. Also discussed is his forthcoming novel Mexicali, set in the US-Mexico borderlands during the first half of the 20th century. Casey Walker's new novel Mexicali is forthcoming from Knopf in 2027. He is also the author of the novel Last Days in Shanghai and has published fiction and essays in The Common, Ninth Letter, The Believer, The New York Times, and El País, among others. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Princeton University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. ­­Read Casey's story in The Common here. The Common is a print and online literary magazine publishing stories, essays, and poems that deepen our collective sense of place. On our podcast and in our pages, The Common features established and emerging writers from around the world. Read more and subscribe to the magazine at thecommononline.org, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook. Emily Everett is managing editor of the magazine and host of the podcast. Her new debut novel All That Life Can Afford was a Reese's Book Club pick. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. She was a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last winter, ICE ramped up immigration enforcement in several American cities. It was a strategy that shifted focus from the US Mexico border to the streets of American cities. That led to a spike in the detention of families and children, most notably the arrest of  5-year-old Liam Ramos in Minneapolis. According to the Marshall  Project, more than 6,000 children have been held so far during Trump's second term, and the daily detention rate in January was ten times higher than the Biden Administration's final days. What are the conditions within these detention centers? And what are the lasting effects on the young detainees? Guests: Shannon Heffernan, staff writer, The Marshall Project Anna Flagg, senior data reporter, The Marshall Project Shaina Simenas, co-director of Technical Assistance Program, Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Melissa Butcher puts it in her book The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future (Manchester UP, 2026) when asked to rank the importance of freedom to them most Americans would put it as an 11 out of 10. So, what happens when the idea of freedom becomes not something that unites Americans but rather, through its different interpretations, ideals and priorities becomes something that polarises Americans? Based upon extensive fieldwork and interviews with Americans across the states, Butcher is able to explore not just the different conceptions of freedom of America across realms such as justice, COVID, the rural/urban divide and religion, but also gives us an insight into how Americans think about America and how, especially at the local level, there are areas of hope which confound the claims we hear at the national level. In our conversation we discuss issues such as how she identified her places to visit and people to speak to, the daily experiences of crossing the US/Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, the important conversations that can come from speaking to people as people rather than labels and why, precisely, so many Americans bring up postmodernism at the same time that Universities no longer teach it. Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of The Anthem Companion to Henri Lefebvre (2026, Anthem Press) along with other texts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

As Melissa Butcher puts it in her book The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future (Manchester UP, 2026) when asked to rank the importance of freedom to them most Americans would put it as an 11 out of 10. So, what happens when the idea of freedom becomes not something that unites Americans but rather, through its different interpretations, ideals and priorities becomes something that polarises Americans? Based upon extensive fieldwork and interviews with Americans across the states, Butcher is able to explore not just the different conceptions of freedom of America across realms such as justice, COVID, the rural/urban divide and religion, but also gives us an insight into how Americans think about America and how, especially at the local level, there are areas of hope which confound the claims we hear at the national level. In our conversation we discuss issues such as how she identified her places to visit and people to speak to, the daily experiences of crossing the US/Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, the important conversations that can come from speaking to people as people rather than labels and why, precisely, so many Americans bring up postmodernism at the same time that Universities no longer teach it. Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of The Anthem Companion to Henri Lefebvre (2026, Anthem Press) along with other texts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

As Melissa Butcher puts it in her book The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future (Manchester UP, 2026) when asked to rank the importance of freedom to them most Americans would put it as an 11 out of 10. So, what happens when the idea of freedom becomes not something that unites Americans but rather, through its different interpretations, ideals and priorities becomes something that polarises Americans? Based upon extensive fieldwork and interviews with Americans across the states, Butcher is able to explore not just the different conceptions of freedom of America across realms such as justice, COVID, the rural/urban divide and religion, but also gives us an insight into how Americans think about America and how, especially at the local level, there are areas of hope which confound the claims we hear at the national level. In our conversation we discuss issues such as how she identified her places to visit and people to speak to, the daily experiences of crossing the US/Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, the important conversations that can come from speaking to people as people rather than labels and why, precisely, so many Americans bring up postmodernism at the same time that Universities no longer teach it. Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of The Anthem Companion to Henri Lefebvre (2026, Anthem Press) along with other texts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

As Melissa Butcher puts it in her book The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future (Manchester UP, 2026) when asked to rank the importance of freedom to them most Americans would put it as an 11 out of 10. So, what happens when the idea of freedom becomes not something that unites Americans but rather, through its different interpretations, ideals and priorities becomes something that polarises Americans? Based upon extensive fieldwork and interviews with Americans across the states, Butcher is able to explore not just the different conceptions of freedom of America across realms such as justice, COVID, the rural/urban divide and religion, but also gives us an insight into how Americans think about America and how, especially at the local level, there are areas of hope which confound the claims we hear at the national level. In our conversation we discuss issues such as how she identified her places to visit and people to speak to, the daily experiences of crossing the US/Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, the important conversations that can come from speaking to people as people rather than labels and why, precisely, so many Americans bring up postmodernism at the same time that Universities no longer teach it. Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of The Anthem Companion to Henri Lefebvre (2026, Anthem Press) along with other texts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

As Melissa Butcher puts it in her book The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future (Manchester UP, 2026) when asked to rank the importance of freedom to them most Americans would put it as an 11 out of 10. So, what happens when the idea of freedom becomes not something that unites Americans but rather, through its different interpretations, ideals and priorities becomes something that polarises Americans? Based upon extensive fieldwork and interviews with Americans across the states, Butcher is able to explore not just the different conceptions of freedom of America across realms such as justice, COVID, the rural/urban divide and religion, but also gives us an insight into how Americans think about America and how, especially at the local level, there are areas of hope which confound the claims we hear at the national level. In our conversation we discuss issues such as how she identified her places to visit and people to speak to, the daily experiences of crossing the US/Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, the important conversations that can come from speaking to people as people rather than labels and why, precisely, so many Americans bring up postmodernism at the same time that Universities no longer teach it. Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of The Anthem Companion to Henri Lefebvre (2026, Anthem Press) along with other texts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

As Melissa Butcher puts it in her book The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future (Manchester UP, 2026) when asked to rank the importance of freedom to them most Americans would put it as an 11 out of 10. So, what happens when the idea of freedom becomes not something that unites Americans but rather, through its different interpretations, ideals and priorities becomes something that polarises Americans? Based upon extensive fieldwork and interviews with Americans across the states, Butcher is able to explore not just the different conceptions of freedom of America across realms such as justice, COVID, the rural/urban divide and religion, but also gives us an insight into how Americans think about America and how, especially at the local level, there are areas of hope which confound the claims we hear at the national level. In our conversation we discuss issues such as how she identified her places to visit and people to speak to, the daily experiences of crossing the US/Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, the important conversations that can come from speaking to people as people rather than labels and why, precisely, so many Americans bring up postmodernism at the same time that Universities no longer teach it. Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of The Anthem Companion to Henri Lefebvre (2026, Anthem Press) along with other texts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has branded Mexico a narco-state, accusing it of failing to control its border. The US president has escalated his rhetoric, issuing stark accusations and threatening unilateral military action, claiming drug trafficking and illegal immigration still pose a significant threat to the United States. But what's the reality on the ground? Our correspondents, Laurence Cuvillier and Quentin Duval, report from the Mexican side of the border.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Annie Lee moderates a panel with African and Asian Americans about the impacts of Birthright Citizenship and the need for Surviving Through Solidarity. Guests include: Lisa Holder, Ming Hsu Chen, Don Tamaki and Michael Harris.   Link to an APEX Episode on Wong Kim Ark from March 20, 2025 Show Transcript [00:00:00] Opening Music: Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   [00:00:40] Miko Lee: Welcome to Apex Express. I'm your host, Miko Lee, and tonight we will listen to a recent event, Birthright Citizenship, Surviving Through Solidarity that took place at Chinese for Affirmative Action. Just yesterday, on April 1st, the Supreme Court heard the case around birthright citizenship. This event that you're gonna listen to was highlighting Asian and African American solidarity. As you might know, the cases of dread Scott in 1857 and Wong Kim Ark in 1898 are linked as landmark Supreme Court cases that directly defined and redefined American citizenship specifically about race and birthright. While Dred Scott denied citizenship to people of African descent, Wong Kim Ark's case utilized the subsequent 14th Amendment to solidify birthright citizenship for children born to foreign nationals. I'm just noting that in this conversation, because it was a panel discussion that was live, there was some irregular use of microphones, so sometimes the audio can be a bit spotty. Please bear with us, and if you want to review the transcript, check out our website, kpfa.org, apex Express. And last year we also covered the story of Wong Kim Ark and have included this past show in our show notes. Now let's listen in to moderator Annie Lee, Lawyers Michael Harris and Don Tamaki, Lisa Holder of Equal Justice Society and Ming Chen of UC Law.   [00:02:20] Annie Lee: Everyone. My name is Annie Lee and I am the managing director of policy at Chinese for Affirmative Action. Welcome to CAA's office here in San Francisco, Chinatown. And thank you all for being here today for our discussion: Birthright Citizenship Surviving through Solidarity. CAA and Stop AAPI Hate are proud to co-sponsor this event because it matters to us. CAA has been around since 1969 and we are a community based organization that provides direct services to lingual working class Chinese immigrants. And we also try to improve their lives through policy and advocacy. And in 2020, we co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, which is the national leading aggregator of anti-Asian hate incidents. And we know at Stop AAPI Hate that anti-immigrant policies are anti-Asian hate. So why are we here right now? March marks two anniversaries of two Supreme Court cases. One is Dred Scott and the other is Wong Kim Ark. These are two seminal cases in US history. And next week on April 1st, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the lawsuits challenging Trump's birthright citizenship executive order. So we are here to talk about birthright citizenship because it's an issue that is near and dear to both the Black and Asian communities.   [00:03:46] Without further ado, I am so thrilled to welcome this panel of amazing folks. Let's start with Michael Harris. Michael Harris here on my right is a retired attorney. He, for many, many years led the juvenile justice division at the National Center for Youth Law, an incredible litigator and advocates, and I'm so proud that he's here. He's also on the Equal Justice Society Board. Next to Michael is Don Tamaki. Don is a lawyer at the firm Minami Tamaki, and you might know him because he was part of the legal team that successfully got reparations for Japanese Americans after decades of fighting that injustice. So thank you Don. Don and Lisa, actually, spend time together on the California Reparations Task Force. And so this is Lisa Holder next to Don. Lisa is the president of the Equal Justice Society, which is based in Oakland, an incredible legal organization that has been in many, many fights, including, they filed an amicus brief in support of birthright citizenship, and that brief discusses why this is an issue for the Black community. And last but not least, we have Professor Ming Chen, who is a law professor at UC Law, and she's also the faculty director of the RICE Program, which is Race, Immigration, Citizenship, and Equality. So thank you so much to my panel and let's dive in. So some of you know, but I am a former US history teacher, so I often worry that people don't adequately understand American history and I fear that people don't understand reconstruction and the 14th Amendment. So let's start with the origin of birthright citizenship. What is birthright citizenship and where did it come from and why does its origin matter for understanding what's happening today? So Ming, I'm gonna start with you because you're a law professor and then others chime in. Lisa, Michael, Don. 'cause I think you'll have more to add.   [00:05:45] Ming Chen: Great. Thank you so much Annie, and thank you to CAA for having us all. I'm really excited to be part of this conversation, which I think is going to be really the beginning of a series of conversations over the next few months. So you're starting in the right place, Annie, in asking us what birthright citizenship is, because that is the heart of what the common lawsuit will be about: who gets to be a citizen in the United States. And that's actually why I named my organization RICE. I think the emphasis is on the “C” [citizenship], because I do think it is something that brings together immigrant communities, as well as all of the different communities within the United States that have been expanding, over time. Getting to the, legal text I, I think it's important to remember first that birthright citizenship is bigger than the United States. Worldwide there are at least two ways of becoming a citizen. One is by birthright and the other is by naturalized citizenship. So we're talking about the birthright half. And the United States is not alone. It's among countries mostly in the Western hemisphere that have chosen to focus on the “jus soli” version of birthright citizenship, which is “soli” is soil. So it's birth by touching US soil. And the idea behind that theory was always meant to be an egalitarian one. It's one that is about the idea that anyone can become a citizen, right? In contrast to the older system that Europe and other countries use, “jus sanguinis,” which is to say that citizenship could only be inherited by blood and heritage. Right? So I think right from the very beginning, it tells us what the text and the history of our 14th amendment citizenship clause intended to accomplish, which was to have an egalitarian spirit, a fresh start, and a continual renewal of what it means to be an American.   [00:07:33] Lisa Holder: Just sort of continuing on the path that Ming just opened up for us, birthright citizenship is very much connected to the African American experience. Particularly because the genesis of that right, really was a reversal of the construct and the regime of the enslavement era, right? Everyone's aware that during that era, descendants of Africa were not considered humans, much less citizens. And the legal cases that were brought where people try to have their citizenship, and their humanity acknowledged, the courts universally said, no, you are not citizens and Black people have no rights that white people need to respect. Right. And so that was the case, law of the land until, after the Civil War, when we had the 13th, 14th, and 15th, amendments were lifted up and embedded into our laws. You also had the Civil Rights Act of 1866 where that body of law was overturned and enshrined into our constitution was a new law that said that freed people are citizens and they do have rights that everyone needs to respect and rights to equality. You know, we know that there have been problems executing that [laughs] but at least enshrined in our laws and enshrined in our constitution that is where the birthright citizenship, constitutional law came from. It came out of that experience.    [00:09:21] Michael Harris: I just want to add a couple things to that. I mean, it's very distinguished scholars, they're hitting it really hard. Two things, universality and so I wanna talk about that first. I got one more coming forward. It's universal. Birthright citizenship is universal. And what I mean by that is everybody gets to be a citizen who's born here in the United States. Period. It's universal, applies to everybody. It doesn't matter if you're Black or white or Asian, none of that matters. That's really important. The other thing is it's that this criteria is not something that's subjective, nobody gets to decide. It's automatic. If you're born here, you automatically have citizenship. Those two things being automatic and being universal I think are really important. And this, we'll talk about this more as we go through the conversation, but those two things are what makes birthright citizenship so powerful and why they keep coming to try and take it down because it's universal so everybody gets it and it's automatic. Nobody can take it away. So let's, we'll I'll just leave it there for now, but we'll come back to that.   [00:10:33] Annie Lee: Don, this one's for you. So the 14th Amendment passes in 1868. Like Lisa said, it's to reverse Dred Scott, where the Justice Taney wrote that Black people had no rights, which the white man was bound to respect. And so they had to repudiate that through the 14th amendments, they have universal and automatic birthright citizenship with very, very few exceptions for like diplomats kids. Okay, that's like so, so narrow. So 14th Amendment passes in 1868, but it takes another 30 years for a Chinese American man named Wong Kim Ark to establish that birthright citizenship actually applied to the children of immigrants. So Don, can you tell us Wong Kim Ark's story, who was he, what happened to him and why did the federal rural government make him this test case?   [00:11:22] Don Tamaki: Just a couple words about context. I mean, one of the remarkable things about the case is it occurred during especially California's ultra racist, ultra virulent racist period. It's a contradiction in that regard. So just taking you back to the origins of where this racial pathology comes from, of course we focus, tend to focus on Asian American history, but actually you have to begin with Black history and indigenous history in the country. So in 1619, the first enslaved people were brought to America. And you know, 12 million people were kidnapped off the west coast of Africa. 2 million died during the middle passage. 400,000 were dropped off in America, and the million other millions ended up in the Caribbean, in the Brazil in Haiti, Jamaica, et cetera. And from there, slavery in America continued for 246 years. Two and a half centuries. Civil war happened in 1865. It concluded, and for another 100 years, Jim Crow exclusion infected America. And San Francisco, by the way, was heavily Jim Crow until the 1960s and into the 1970s. The vestiges of that exclusion and discrimination directly are rooted in the Black American experience.   [00:12:52] Michael Harris: And it's still present here today. That's why we have a Chinatown. That's why we have a Japantown in San Francisco because of what Don just did.    [00:13:00] Don Tamaki: Redlining and racial covenants.    [00:13:02] Michael Harris: That's right.    [00:13:03] Don Tamaki: Exclusions, redevelopment, and so on. So people think of California as being like a enlightened state. Well, California did enter the union in 1850 before the Civil War. 1849 enslavers came to California and they brought their human property with them. So there were probably at least 1500 enslaved people in California. 1865 Civil War ended, but Democrats in 1868 rose to power saying they would vote against any law that would have any equality between , Black Californians, indigenous people, and Chinese folks. And beginning toward late 1800s, that's when the bulk of Asian American immigration began. First Chinese American coming during the gold rush, and then Japanese Americans have followed and so on. And so, Jim Crow seeped into all that. Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882. California was known as a strong Klan state by the end of the 1800s with strong Ku Klux Klan chapters in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, San Jose, Anaheim and so on. And so this was a toxic stew that Chinese immigrated into and other groups too. So unsurprisingly, tons of anti-Asian legislation policies, exclusion, follow. So Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco in 1873 to Chinese parents who lived and operated a business here. His parents continued to reside and remain in the United States until 1890, and then they departed for China. Probably no doubt because of the inhospitable conditions here. And racial terror was part of that, including the race riots here in Chinatown. And now that I mention it between 1865 to 1935, 352 people were lynched in California. Eight of those were Black Californians, but the rest were indigenous, Chinese, and persons of Mexican descent.   [00:15:18] So that was the environment. Wong Kim Ark continued to live in California into his twenties, reportedly working as a cook in San Francisco. And at the age of 21 he actually made two trips to China. He made a trip to China when he was 17 to visit his parents. Stayed there a year, came back without incident worked, came back here, worked till he was 21, then went back to China to visit his parents at that point. And when he attempted to reenter the United States, he was denied entry and detained with a threat of deportation upon the sole ground that he was not a citizen of the United States. Of course he was born here. So the issue was you know, birthright citizenship was the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment did it apply to Wong Kim Ark. And the interesting thing is about the case is that the court ruled in his favor. All persons born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof. And those words are now, today becomes crucial. And people, I think we on the panel will talk about the implications of that language subject to the jurisdiction thereof. And it established this principle that basically was reaffirmed repeatedly throughout our history for this 100 year plus period. To get to your last question, why did the court do this? I think scholars smarter than me can explain this, but I'll give you some clues. The court ruled in Wong Kim Ark's favor despite the virulent context of the era, because that's what the plain and expansive language of the 14th Amendment says.   [00:17:02] All persons didn't say formally enslaved, didn't say Black Americans. It said all persons. That's what the plain expensive language of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 says: all persons and as Lisa referred to. And the congressional record of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1862, where legislators are debating these issues they clearly understood, and the record shows that if you include this expansive language, it will apply to groups like Chinese and Asians. And so with that understood it was adopted and ratified in 1868, 14th Amendment, and it was reaffirmed in other legislation like the Immigration Act of 1940. They just assumed that if you're born in this country, you're an American citizen. It was applied throughout the turbulent history involving my community, Japanese Americans. As you recall, 1942, 125,000 people were rounded up and put in concentration camps and the first generation were ineligible to become citizens. They were given identity cards marking them as enemy aliens. 2000 people died in those camps, but people were born in those camps. And the government, despite the fact that we were at war with Japan, understood that if you're born in this country. And even if your parents were quote, “enemy aliens,” you're gonna be classified as American citizens. And maybe lastly, the court ruled in favor of Wong Kim Ark because the 14th Amendment was trying to repair the harm done by Dred Scott v. Sandford, which was to provide human beings who've been here for two and a half centuries, the right to become an American citizen with all the benefits that go with that, like voting for instance. And recognizing that if you don't have those rights, you don't have anything, you are you, you're nothing. And for Japanese Americans, for instance, who are born in those camps, can you imagine if they didn't have birthright citizenship? They're not part of Japan. They're not part of America. Where are they? They're stateless. They have no home. They have no rights. And so it would create another underclass of people who have no rights for, and for which the 14th Amendment was trying to remedy which was you know, to provide a pathway. And so I guess you could say that's why, that's the incongruity of why Wong Kim Ark came out that way. In my opinion.   [00:19:59] Ming Chen: Maybe what I could add to the conversation is not just sort of who is included but who is not included. Because I think that's actually a much more small and specific group than the current dialogue would have you believe. So in the very language of the 14th Amendment, this idea of subject to the jurisdiction thereof. It refers to three exceptions and only three exceptions. One is for Native Americans, and that is because as of 1924 there wasn't a need to grant citizenship through the 14th Amendment because there were other provisions to grant citizenship to Native Americans. The second exception is for those who are children of diplomats. And the reason for that is because they have citizenship in their home country and their parents are only on a temporary post to the United States with the understanding that they're here in the United States in service to their home country. And I think that actually points to the limited meaning of the third exception, which is the one that I have to say, I have a really hard time understanding is part of the debate now. Because I think up until now, you know, this debate renews itself a couple times every year. Every time there's a new census, every time there's redistricting on all of the anniversaries, and usually the fight is about subject to the jurisdiction thereof. But the third exception, which has come into the dialogue, is about the language of accepting children of invading armies. And that is one that I have not thought we needed to argue about. It really becomes a touch point as Don mentions this history with internment and the children of a group of enemy aliens. I think that gives it a whole new historical read.   [00:21:48] But one of the reasons that this argument, I guess I should first explain the argument because it may not be obvious to you as it was not obvious to me the first time I heard it, which was about 18 months ago. And so the argument is that the children of invading armies referring mostly to the children of immigrants coming across the US Mexico border should not be considered birthright citizens. So that's kind of what the public debate, what the insinuation is behind some of the current effort to chip away at Wong Kim Ark through the executive order. There have been many efforts to chip away through legislation. I don't know how frequently it's been attempted through constitutional amendment, which is what it would actually require. That's a very, very high bar that's almost never met. I think most people haven't really made a serious, serious effort there. But what I think is kind of stunning to me in the sort of momentum behind the current moment is that Judge Ho who himself is a birthright citizen. Took up this language and this argument about the children of invading armies after previously saying that he agreed with this interpretation that children of undocumented immigrants, children of temporary visas all of these different legal statuses in addition to all of these racial groups, would immediately be citizens. And the argument he tried to make is that it wouldn't include the group at the border because historically it wouldn't have included enemy aliens or invading aliens either. And I think that what is so surprising to me is that a) that there is meant to be this historical analog between what would've been happening at the time of the Civil War and what is happening now at the US Mexico border. We are not having a civil war. We are not in active military conflict at the US Mexico border. I'll set aside other US military conflicts and how we wanna use that terminology. But I think that's really important because I, I feel like it's almost a trick, you know, to turn what is a media frame that's meant to be like clickbait, right? The idea that there is an invasion at the border, right. That we're being flooded with people who don't belong here. And to try to turn that into a legal argument saying this is actually an invading army and that takes this group outside of the 14th Amendment.    [00:24:19] Michael Harris: That's, I was gonna ask you a follow up question because we haven't been invaded that many times by armies I mean, maybe the War for Independence when the British sent ships over and took over Boston for a while. I could see how if they had kids, I mean, that's a stretch, that might apply to this. But I think the rhetorical device, they're touching on where they speak of people who come into the United States without proper documentation as an invading army or an invading whatever. They use that terminology quite often. Is that enough to bootstrap into this exception?    [00:24:59] Ming Chen: I, not to me, [audience and panel laughter] I think not to serious legal scholars and jurists. I mean, and you know, I'm not trying to be inflammatory by saying that. I think there are a lot of people who are pretty far away from me on a legal and political spectrum who would also say that this argument is pretty unprecedented. To try to say that that would be enough to bootstrap it into the actual text of the constitution or the spirit of Wong Kim Ark. So I think it's going really, really far. And I think too far, and I hope that if that becomes a line of discussion during the oral argument, that it would be cut off pretty quickly.   [00:25:38] Annie Lee: Well, let me punt it to Lisa then. If it's pretty clear based on the text, based on the legislative history, based on, just everything in the last 125 years that has said very clearly that birthright citizenship is universal and automatic. Why is Trump doing this? Like, what is being attempted legally, but also politically? And Lisa, you take a stab at this first and then others can chime in.    [00:26:04] Lisa Holder: Yeah. You know, why is Trump doing this? [audience and panel laughter] There's many layers, you know? And it, this is a strategic play and you have to sort of think about this in a layered way. Like there's a long term strategic play. There's a short term strategic play, there's a procedural strategic play, but that sort of bootstraps and brings in a much more moral and narrative rhetorical play. Procedural play. The short term strategic play has a lot to do with the midterm elections. Right, right. And also limiting people of color's ability to pick people who look like them as their representatives. Right. Because all of a sudden you're not only putting into question people's citizenship based on birth and turning this into a lineage thing where you have to bring me proof that your parents or their parents were born here or something like that, or were naturalized. So you're starting to put into question in a practical measure, people's access to the franchise, people's access to the voting booth. Right. And you're also starting to create a chain effect. So people are actually afraid to go to the voting booth. Right. And then you couple that with moving the migration of ICE. Now ICE is in the airports. Guaranteed by November, ICE will be in the voting booth, right? So you create this chilling effect. And then in terms of having representation that looks like you having people of color represent you in the US House of Representatives, your state representative. When you put birthright into question in this way, you're also gonna be able to challenge people who are running for office, people of color, running for office and say, well, you can't really run because you need to prove. And that is a rhetorical issue that we have seen being used already with both Harris and Obama, you know, because they were brown, Black people. Their birthright citizenship was, they were manipulating that rhetoric and that narrative.   [00:28:25] So this is not coming out of the outta left field. It's iterative and it's a it's rhetoric that has been, you know, percolating up for a long time. This is just a culminating moment. The long term strategy is really about white supremacy. We know that, you know, all of the social science shows that in 20 years this, the country will be a majority minority country, right? And people of color will have a huge amount of power in terms of, you know, in terms of the vote, right? Because of that, switch to majority minority and white people will be in the minority. And so, this is about, from a long term perspective, ensuring that certain people maintain their power as an electoral block. Right? So that's sort of like a long term electoral politics play. And then finally, the procedural issues are what's outstanding, okay? As Ming mentioned, if you are going to use procedure to overturn a constitutional amendment that is a, an astronomical feat to accomplish, right? Because you need two thirds of all of the representatives in Congress, and then on top of that, you need 75% of the states to ratify that process. So overturning a constitutional amendment is virtually impossible. But what we have here is trying to do the same thing. One person trying to do the same thing using the powers of the executive office. It is unprecedented. It is absurd. It has no legal viability, but it is a political moment where this man sees an opportunity because of the bias that we see in the judicial branch, in the court system. And that is being leveraged for the executive to to do something that is unprecedented and that is actually procedurally impossible, right? For one person by just signing a document all of a sudden disenfranchising 13 million people. That is not the democratic process. It's quite the opposite.   [00:30:38] Michael Harris: I just wanted to add to that. The Senate and the House of Representatives are both very narrowly controlled by the Republicans, and so it's really important to Trump to maintain that control. He'll only be able to continue doing these outrageous things by virtue of getting a rubber stamp from Congress. And so either house going the other way would put a stop sign in front of him and make it much more difficult for him to do all those things. All this money he's spending he would not be able to do that if Congress was actually active in doing it's job. Cause under the Constitution, spending is supposed to be controlled by the Congress, not by the Executive. So everything's upside down, but that's only working because Congress is allowing him to do that and not trying to stop him. If the Democrats are able to take over the Senate or the House where there's only a three or four seat margin right now that would make it much, much, much harder for him to pull these things off. And so anything he can do to get an advantage in that way I think is also part of what they're trying to do and trying to pull off.   [00:31:48] Ming Chen: One other thought, and you know, I'm trying very hard to not be professorly in the sense of using jargon or highfalutin terms, but I'm just curious, has anyone in this room heard the term perpetual foreigner before? A few of you have, I mean, I think it's really pertinent here. The first time I heard of this idea was when I started to learn from other Asian American law professors when I was still in college. I think that idea was that for certain groups of people, including Asian Americans, it doesn't matter whether you are actually a citizen by law or how many generations you've lived in the United States, right? So I'm a birthright citizen like Wong Kim Ark, but I think the first time I heard about it was, you know, this idea of Asian Americans not being able to be Americans socially in terms of belonging regardless of whether they are themselves, the child of citizens or immigrants and if they're the sixth generation children, right. I remember taking a Chinatown tour with David and is that where we are about six generations out for a lot of the descendants. So even if you were in the sixth generation that if you look Asian, that you will still be seen as being foreign. And so I think that idea has animated a lot of the work that I do. Like why it is that a lot of the work I do on race centers Asian Americans and then a lot of the work I do on immigrants centers, the naturalization process.   [00:33:16] But I think it's also important to recognize the breadth of that idea. Again, this idea of trying to blur the line between actuality, like what is real and what sounds like a fancy argument. Right. And I think what Lisa said, you know, her brief reference to the challenges against Barack Obama and Kamala Harris when they were running for a highest offices. You know, I think again, there's not, it's not a coincidence. I mean, to me that's the perpetual foreigner at work again. Because it's the idea that not only that Black people cannot possibly be the leader of this country, right? Sort of the, the figurehead of this country, but that for Barack Obama, the child of one international student on a lawful, probably f visa at the time, or that for Kamala Harris, the child of two lawful immigrants, that they cannot be birthright citizens that would be eligible for president. So there's a lot of commonality in that argument. And I think, you know, people forget, I think people assume that if you're talking about groups who are not Asian right, or who are not Latinx, that we're not talking about foreignness, we're only talking about race. And certainly we are talking about race, but we're not talking about it exclusively.   [00:34:33] Michael Harris: And then in addition to all of that is just the straight up racism of it. And that's supported by this notion of white supremacy. And what I mean when I say that, Lisa has touched on this already, is that there is a hierarchy of racial groups. And we're not all created equal. There's a hierarchy and the top group is, you already know, I don't have to say it, is the whites [laughter], and then below that are the other people like us who look different. And the reason there's, they're able to put these groups out there and get people to buy into that belief system is because we look different. And so this is why the perpetual thing is perpetual it's because we still look different. And that is a key part of the white supremacy. They still want to buy into this notion that white people are superior. And the only way they can make that work is by saying that people who look different are inferior.   [00:35:34] Annie Lee: I love this discussion because it's so real. And what you are saying essentially is you're talking about belonging and you're talking about power. Like who gets to belong in America? And then that is necessarily connected with who has power in America, who deserves to have power in America. But I know that we all belong in America and that we have power. So I wanna shift this conversation now to what can we do? And so beyond the courts everybody tune in next week. But beyond the courts, what is the role of community organizing, state and local policy advocacy? Public education in defending birthright citizenship and fighting against the attack on birthright citizenship is one sliver of everything that he has done. So many executive orders that came out on day one. So how, how do we, as everyday people fight white supremacy? What can we do when they are redistricting and trying to take away our franchise right before the midterm elections? What do we do when they're using courts that they've already packed with their federal society judges? And so what, what can an average regular person do? And Don I'm gonna go to you first.    [00:36:47] Don Tamaki: Let me say something in a very far less intellectual way than my colleagues here. This is a very old playbook. The playbook of demagoguery is very old. He said the old is humanity. And there are three elements to that playbook. One, appeal to prejudice, however, that is, race, skin, color, religion, whatever. Secondly, fear monger and scapegoat. And thirdly trafficking, conspiracy theories, fake news, false information, erasure of history. That's how you control the culture. And it worked in 1619. It worked in 1882. It worked in Germany in 1933. And it works today, you know, 2016, 2020. You know, when Chinese were blamed as spreaders of the Chinese virus. Asian Americans, when Mexicans were characterized as drug dealers and rapists when Jews and immigrants were portrayed as replacing good white people. This dehumanizing [of] people where one more Black man killed during an encounter with law enforcement barely evokes a shrug because it is so normal. It is so normal, folks, and so it works. And so, you have the candidate Trump running for office and say to a national audience that, to the people of Springfield, Ohio, that Haitian immigrants are eating your dogs and cats and getting away with it. Or the images of the Obamas transposed on cartoon apes. And this is really Jim Crow stuff. This is Antebellum stuff. And it's a recycling of the same playbook. And so the first part of organizing is being aware of what's going on. This is not a new thing. Okay, it's just a racial pathology that churns in one form or another, and it has an origin. It predates us. And so I, I think part of that is educating ourselves how everything is interconnected.   [00:38:58] And since we're talking about Black Asian solidarity, I'll just say a couple things. I mean, the civil rights movement had three triumphs that we all should remember. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of '65 began the dismantling of Jim Crow, which I, as I said, was a hundred year phenomenon following the end of the Civil War and the Immigration of Act of 1965. The third act. It ended as, you know, racist quotas. It prioritized family ties and skills and it greatly increased Asian immigration. As a result, the majority of AAPIs today are post 1965 Americans whose very presence here was made possible by the Black Civil Rights Movement. How many of us know that, you know? I mean, everybody focuses not everybody, but people tend to focus on their own peculiar predicament as if it's unique to our own situation. And in fact, it's all, quite connected. So I think part of this organizing process is realizing, you know, it's Martin Luther King, the oft quoted statement where he says we may have come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now. And especially in connection with what's happening and, and you're seeing it in different parts of the country where sure, immigrants are being targeted in Minneapolis, but then you have thousands of Minneapolitans that, you know, ordinary people, business folks, teachers, laborers, protesting in Sub-Zero weather against what, what happened? And, and yeah. You know what, can we do protest work? I hope everybody's out there on March 28th, you know, this Saturday on the No Kings March.    [00:40:51] Michael Harris: Not just protesting, running them out of town.    [00:40:55] Don Tamaki: Well, [audience and panel laughter] Gregory Bovino, Gregory Bovino, who was the leading charge? Gone. Kristi Noem. Gone.    [00:41:03] Michael Harris: Yes, right.    [00:41:05] Don Tamaki: 2000 ICE agents in Minneapolis reduced to much smaller numbers. That's right. Their plans then launching Ohio trashed. You know, so that's why you, so boycotts, boycotts work. Ask Elon Musk. Ask Target. Local elections, Michael mentioned the midterm elections. It is if we don't, if Democrats don't get back the House, the country's cooked. So, I mean, everybody should be involved one way or the other in that. Raising money, you know, we are part of a, a fundraising group called CAPA21, and there are other groups out there, but those are, those things are crucial to funnel money toward swing elections and critical races. The education part I think is essential. If you consider the velocity change in terms of the civil rights movement, Japanese American redress and reparations was a 20 year movement. And it was full of education of the public. Civil rights movement, same thing. The philosophy of change on marriage equality or LGBTQ rights and all those things happened because they became normal. They were, they started out as ideas that people thought were preposterous. You know, that'll never change.    [00:42:26] Michael Harris: Right.    [00:42:26] Don Tamaki: And Jim Crow will never end. And San Francisco can segregate Asian Americans within Japantown and Chinatown. It, it will never change. But that idea of change, which were thought preposterous happens. But it requires civic engagement. So just examples.   [00:42:46] Michael Harris: I want to amplify two things that Don said. One is there will be a march this Saturday a No Kings March, and it's really, really important for people to show up for that march. ‘Cause the one thing that's devastating to a government is to have its people out there visible on the streets saying what the government is doing is wrong. Because you can spin certain things, you can lie about certain things, but bodies in the streets you can't lie about. It's there and it's real. So that's one thing that's really important, really. But I would encourage all of you if you can, if you are able, please join us and come out on Saturday. The other thing I want to add to the Don's excellent list is there's a few groups in the Bay Area and in San Francisco that does postcards. And their strategy is they identify particular jurisdictions where it's a very close race and it'll be pivotal if a Democrat can win over a Republican, say in a House or maybe even like the Texas Senator race. That one's probably gonna be very close too. And they send postcards to people encouraging them to vote. Don't sit it out. And those extra votes can be the difference between winning and losing. And that might flip the House might flip the Senate. So those are some other additional items.    [00:44:11] Ming Chen: I think at a much more basic level, it's just like telling, telling your story, telling the story of America. Because, you know, when we talk about all these rhetorical tricks, I mean, I think what it means is that that narrative is gaining a lot of power. And so I think you have to reclaim the narrative, right? You have to tell the counter story which happens to be the real story of what's happening. This is something that I actually haven't talked about this publicly, but my daughter she's like on the brink of being 13, not yet a teenager. It made me really sad that she came back from her well-funded, pretty liberal public school about a month ago crying because she said that in her Mandarin Chinese class, there was a child who was saying that Asian people eat dogs. And then writing swastikas on the chalkboard and singing Nazi songs making fun of the women in the room, I guess they're girls in the room saying that they're all lesbian without knowing anything about them. And it just made me really profoundly sad because I'd like to think that a lot of ignorant narrative is because people don't know better, right? I mean, as an educator, I hope that education will simply solve it. And it made me really sad to hear that again. You know, I'm, I'm on the brink of Berkeley. I basically live in Berkeley, right? So one of the most densely populated PhD overeducated people in America. And to be three generations in and to still have this story being told in the classrooms was really distressing to me. And even more distressing that it isn't just the like Chinese people that eat dogs as being a stereotype from those who are not educated, but it's something she might have heard on TV from the highest offices in the land, right? Something she might've heard the vice president say, for example. And so I just think it's so important and doesn't take education, doesn't take a law degree, right? To be able to tell that story. And so I was really, really proud that my daughter you know, did file a complaint with the principal that she came home and told us about it. And you know, her two parents who are civil rights and immigration lawyers, [laughter] but also that she's been like talking to her classmates right, about the fact that that's not true. That's not right. She's been comforting the other kids in the classroom who don't share the same background that she does. And I feel like that kind of work is just as important.    [00:46:45] Michael Harris: I want to add something to that. We have to take note of the fact that a lot of these types of comments really vile, racist things and not just about Asians, it's also some of the things about Black people, young people are saying. Part of it is because it's very easy to say things like that online because you can do it anonymously and not have to, you know, stand up and back up your comments, so to speak. And another part of it is our culture. We gotta be real about this. When I was growing up, I'm sure you were told this too, as the country became more educated and got more exposed to people of color and more people got higher education, all this crazy stereotypical racist stuff would go away because people would know better. That's what they told me the whole time I was growing up and now we know that's not true [audience laughter] because the reverse is happening. It's growing because some people are making money by putting stuff like that online and selling t-shirts and hats and stuff like that. Or starting, you know, whatever they start. There's this guy, Alex Jones, who made millions of dollars doing that kind of stuff. So some people are making money off of it. Other people are just buying into that ideological tip and are using that to gain power and influence and clicks. So we just have to be aware that this is a current going on in our society right now. And it's happening and it's growing and we, we need to be aware of it and start thinking about ways how we can put it to rest. Cause it's, it's happening.    [00:48:30] Annie Lee: Thank you so much. I do wanna give our audience some time to ask any questions that you all might have. So if you have a burning question to ask our illustrious panel now is your opportunity.   [00:48:45] Audience member: I was wondering how does this with, with the rhetoric of, of Washington pushing for IDs for voting how will that impact on people's presence at the voting booths and validating their ability to vote?   [00:49:04] Michael Harris: I think what you're referring to is the Safeguard [SAVE America] Act is now in Congress, and if it's passed and signed by the president, then it'll become law. And what it will require is anyone who wants to vote will have to have a photo ID. And even if you registered, you have to prove you're a citizen. So those two steps are, I think, designed to suppress the vote of people of color. I mean, I think it's very straightforward. This has been what Republicans have been trying to do for ever since the case that Don just mentioned passed and they were able to start doing this stuff. And I agree. It goes back to the notion that in 20 years, America's going to be a majority minority country. There's gonna be more people of color than white people. And I think that I'm just gonna come out and say that freaks them out. It really freaks 'em out. I think a lot of them have lived their whole lifetime where only white people were in charge, running stuff, and they can envision a future not too far off where that might not be the case anymore. And that's scary. It shouldn't be. I mean, we're all the same. It's all gonna be, you know, and there's Black Republicans and Black Democrats and there's Asian Republican. I don't know why they're so freaked out about it, but but they are freaked out about it. And a lot of this is to suppress the vote so that they can continue to stay in power and will not have to give up the power that they would lose otherwise.   [00:50:35] Lisa Holder: Yeah, I mean, it's always been about limiting the franchise, right? And since the time that it expanded beyond white males with property, there's been a battle to keep it as limited as possible. You know? And when you think about what happened after the Civil War, after the 13th, 14th, and particularly the 15th Amendment were passed and African Americans were allowed to vote, you had a 100 year backlash. Where 10,000 African Americans were murdered and lynched. Most of those were people who were trying to mobilize their communities to enter into the franchise and exercise the right to vote. That's the retrenchment that we're seeing being reiterated right now. Right. And we know that during that period, there were all kinds of hoops that, for instance, Black people had to jump through because of those Black Codes where you had to, for instance, prove that you can read this particular statement. Right. Or, you know, just like all kinds of random hoops that you had to jump through. And so when we see these barriers, these gatekeepers, like, oh, you have to have an ID. If this birthright citizenship goes through, no, no, no you can't bring in your birth certificate. You know, we need some proof of your parent, of your lineage. Right. And it's really is combined with that narrative and that rhetorical aspect, that Ming was articulating because although in fact we are America. America looks like us, Americans look like us. The alternative narrative where white predominance is the point is always going to be pushed where no, no, no, we are different. We are not normal and we are not America. And so that's, that's the narrative piece that all of this leads to. And that's why this story of storytelling that Ming talked about is so important. And also it is so important to just constantly push back to resist, to vote. To run for office when you look like an American.   [00:52:45] Audience member: My question is, if the executive order passes, what can we do to resist? Because one of the things is it will also disenfranchise women because it's about proving your identity that matches your birth certificate. Right. And there are really so many people that will not have their names to match their identities. And so what can people do to, to, to counter if that should happen?   [00:53:11] Don Tamaki: The legislative answer? Well, there'll be court challenges, no doubt    [00:53:15] Audience member: but, but before, let's say the midterm election.   [00:53:18] Michael Harris: Call your representative, fax 'em, email 'em, get your friends to do that, because it's pending in Congress right now.   [00:53:25] Don Tamaki: But elections have consequences is the point. And it people who says, well my vote doesn't count, doesn't matter. Everybody, both parties the same. Elections have consequences. I, I guess the only other thing to remember, I keep, you know, repeating this, the solidarity and connectedness bears repeating because the story keeps recycling. It's very recycled story about voter suppression. You know, the Civil War ended in 1865, 12 years of reconstruction. Lincoln is assassinated shortly after during the beginning of reconstruction and thereafter, you know, a deal was struck in the contested election of 1876. Federal troops are withdrawn from the south and then the voter suppression comes in literacy tests, poll taxes.   [00:54:19] Annie Lee: Mm-hmm. Grandfather clauses.   [00:54:21] Don Tamaki: Yeah. I mean in Virginia. During reconstruction 140,000 formerly enslaved people registered to vote after the collapse of reconstruction it was reduced to 21,000. California had you know, poll taxes. Other states had literacy tests and whatever, and it's now repeating because folks don't like the results of an election. The answer is not to, you know, broaden your net and appeal to upfront (?) policy. The answer is to suppress voting, stop people from voting. And so again, it's a matter of awareness I think we have to realize the game plan. And it makes it so important about who is voted into the dials and levers of the controls that run the country. So that's critical.    [00:55:13] Ming Chen: I can jump onto that. go vote. But I think it's also, you know, it's early enough to say, get your documents in order. Right? Go and be ready to vote in a way that won't draw question, right? So you don't have to wait for the lawsuit. And I will say for that, as someone who spends most of my days working with 20 something year olds who move all over the country, a lot of it is about sort of get your ducks in order, right? So if you don't have a driver's license with the current address that matches your name, you can fix that now. So many people who don't have a normal ID because they never learn how to drive, right? So make sure you go get that document. You mentioned marriage, Anna, and I remember I moved to New York at the same time that I got married and trying to get my name on the document when I was it, you know, it's like this endless loop, right? Because you're getting a new ID because of your address. If you don't have that, you can't get your social security card, if you don't have that you can't validate the marriage certificate, right? There's just this endless loop. And you have to get all of that in order, right? So I think maybe there needs to be two parts to our voter mobilization this year, right? It's get yourself ready, sort of like arm up and then vote so that your vote will actually end up counting.    [00:56:33] Miko Lee: Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/apexexpress to find out more about our show and our guests tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preti Mangala-Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me Miko Lee, and edited by Ayame Keane-Lee. Have a great night.   The post APEX Express – 4.2.26 – Surviving Through Solidarity. appeared first on KPFA.

In Part 1 James discusses the overlooked information regarding Fort Huachuca, Joint Task Force 6 (JTF-6), The Mormon Connection and the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC). He examines the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s work on detecting clandestine tunnels along the US-Mexico border and validates the testimony of Mitch Snow. James also covers the suspicious murder of Army soldier Richard Halliday and the double-dealing occurring within these intelligence operations. In Part 2 James Bartley discusses the Iran War, the prospects of an amphibious invasion, and the ultimate objective of plunging the world into a Mad Max Scenario replete with cannibalism, mass famine, 15 Minute Cities and possibly nuclear war. This is all part of the Reptilian Overlordship Agenda. James also discusses the logistical impossibilities and strategic pitfalls of a potential US-led war against Iran. He compares the proposed amphibious and airborne assaults to historical battles like Iwo Jima and the siege of Sevastopol, highlighting the dangers of underground tunnel warfare. James also talks about the reptilian agenda to instigate a global conflict. Part 1: https://www.thecosmicswitchboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/James-Bartley-Commentary-104-on-thecosmicswitchboard.com-Part-1.mp3&Download: mp3 Audio Part 2 – Members Only: https://www.thecosmicswitchboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/James-Bartley-Commentary-104-on-thecosmicswitchboard.com-Part-2.mp3To Play or Download: Login or Join  To Download Use the link under the player for the part you want to download. The post JTF-6 Secret Tunnels, El Paso Intelligence Center & Iran War – James Bartley Commentary appeared first on The Cosmic Switchboard.

Jonnie Park was born in Argentina to Korean parents, crossed the US-Mexico border undocumented at age three, carried by a mother with two toddlers and nothing but courage, and grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles, caught between Korean, Latino, and Black American culture. He became one of the only Asian battle rappers in history to gain mainstream notoriety, starred in Run DMC, appeared in Awkafina is Nora from Queens, voiced a character in Raya and the Last Dragon, and now he's written a memoir, Spit: A Life in Battles, which drops on April 14th. In this episode, Jonnie and Sadia get into what it actually felt like to step into a battle rap circle surrounded by hundreds of people, how hip hop taught him to be unapologetically Asian, the complicated relationship with his father that he had to write about first before anything else, and why immigrants, including his mother, built the best parts of America. This episode covers: undocumented immigration, Korean American identity, battle rap culture, cultural appropriation vs. appreciation, Asian American representation in Hollywood, memoir writing, and generational trauma. Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can find more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to help more people find us!  You can connect with Saadia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@itssaadiak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email:saadia@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Host & Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Saadia Khan I Editorial review: Shei Yu I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound Immigrantly Podcast is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, contact us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Belong on Your Own Terms (BOYOT) is the app created to help first-gen, second-gen, and diaspora communities move from confusion to clarity. With structured prompts and deep reflection tools, it helps you define identity without shrinking yourself for anyone else http://studio.com/saadia Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Immigrantly Uninterrupted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. Follow us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What started decades ago at the U.S.-Mexico border didn’t stay there. Journalist, author, and professor Jean Guerrero speaks with Maria Hinojosa and argues that communities on the southern border were a “testing ground” for the increased immigration enforcement that we’re seeing play out across U.S. cities. Jean also makes the case that Honduras may be the next laboratory for something called “startup cities” which could be replicated here. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since last summer, when the Trump administration ramped up deportation efforts, a group of volunteer observers has kept a constant presence at the Santa Ana Immigration Court. Reporter: Jill Replogle, LAist A four-week strike by thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers in California and Hawaii is ending Tuesday morning, even though no contract deal has been reached. Cities on the US-Mexico border remain on high alert following a weekend of violence, in response to the killing of a cartel leader. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode connects two explosive fronts in the political fight: 1️⃣ President Donald Trump escalating what supporters describe as a full-scale war against Mexican cartels. 2️⃣ A brewing battle in Congress over voter rolls, Social Security numbers, and the SAVE Act. From border militarization and cartel extraditions… to allegations of voter fraud, automatic registration, and a stalled Senate bill — this is a deep dive into the power struggle shaping 2026 and beyond. ⚡ PRIMARY TALKING POINTS Trump's cartel crackdown framed as national security war Texas vs. federal government during the Joe Biden administration Warnings from Ken Paxton about cartel expansion Extradition of high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel Courtroom fallout tied to the ATF gunwalking scandal The death of Brian Terry Claims surrounding Social Security issuance to noncitizens Automatic voter registration laws in multiple states Senate gridlock over the SAVE Act The role of Mitch McConnell in committee control Pressure on Senate leadership including John Thune and Lindsey Graham

A quiet extradition deal. Military at the border. Cartel kingpins facing U.S. justice. Today we break down the escalating crackdown on Mexican cartels, the reported extradition of nearly 100 high-ranking traffickers, and what this means for the U.S.-Mexico power dynamic. Is this just border enforcement — or a full-scale geopolitical reset? ⚡ PRIMARY TALKING POINTS President Donald Trump escalates cartel crackdown Nearly 100 cartel figures extradited to the U.S. Cartels labeled Foreign Terrorist Organizations The role of Ken Paxton in early border warnings Texas vs. federal government border standoff during Joe Biden administration Militarization of the southern border Intelligence cooperation with Mexico Cartel power structure and internal violence Human trafficking crisis and missing migrant children Political implications heading into major election cycles

The cross-border payments market remains stubbornly difficult despite billions in venture capital and countless smart founders attacking the problem. The core challenge isn't technology—it's economics. Western Union's margins weren't exploitative greed; they reflected the brutal reality of cash distribution networks, compliance infrastructure, and dual-country regulatory overhead. Palla Financial cracked this by inverting the entire model: instead of fighting for expensive US-based senders, they partnered with Latin American banks to let recipients pull funds. This approach taps into the world's largest remittance corridor ($160+ billion annually flowing from the US to Latin America) while sidestepping the customer acquisition bloodbath. In this episode, Enrique Perezalonso, CEO of Palla Financial, breaks down why recipient-driven payments eliminate distribution costs, how they rebuilt their product three times based on bank feedback, and why the "no CAC" embedded model still requires massive partner investment to actually work. Topics Discussed: Why cross-border payments remain broken: dual-country regulations, cash distribution economics, and two-sided transaction complexity The shift from cash-based infrastructure to digital rails and its impact on unit economics Palla's pull-based model: embedding payment requests inside bank apps to flip sender/recipient dynamics Revenue mechanics: $3 consumer fees, FX markup economics, and interchange/revenue sharing with bank partners The buy-vs-build calculus for banks and why a Central American banking group returned after a four-year internal build attempt Creating a new category and watching competitors attempt to copy the embedded approach Selling into banks with no standardized buyer: navigating from remittance teams to CEOs depending on organizational maturity The reality of "indirect" CAC: why embedded distribution still requires heavy investment in partner success Implementation failures and the shift from hands-off best practices to consultative partner enablement GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Flip expensive distribution by attacking the other side of the transaction: While competitors burned cash acquiring US-based senders in saturated corridors (US-Mexico, US-India), Palla partnered with recipient-side banks in Latin America. Banks gained deposits, interchange revenue, and digital channel differentiation without building infrastructure. The lesson isn't just "find cheaper distribution"—it's recognizing that two-sided markets have two potential wedges, and the less obvious side may offer superior economics and strategic positioning. Target buyers who already tried and failed to build: A Central American banking group spent nine months evaluating Palla, decided to build internally, then returned four years later. This wasn't poor execution—it was competing priorities, lack of scale economics, and the reality that cross-border payments isn't their core business. The strongest signal for partnership readiness isn't interest, it's previous build attempts that stalled. These buyers understand the problem deeply and won't need convincing on value. "Embedded" and "no CAC" are myths without massive partner investment: Palla initially provided best practice guides and light coaching, assuming banks would naturally drive adoption. They saw "lackluster results" until they became "more and more hands-on," shifting to consultative implementation with proper incentive design and accountability frameworks. The volume business requires scale, and scale requires active partner management. Budget for partner success resources as if you're hiring an implementation consulting team, not just doing integrations. Use speed to rebuild the product in real-time with customers: The product Palla launched bears little resemblance to their original vision. They rebuilt features "hand in hand" with bank partners, leveraging their advantage over large competitors: no bureaucracy, hunger to make it work, and speed. This isn't about "customer feedback"—it's about treating early partners as co-developers and having the discipline to throw away your original roadmap when partners show you what actually solves their problem. Extreme focus means saying no to everything adjacent: Palla deliberately limits themselves to "two or three products" all within cross-border payments, explicitly avoiding cross-sell opportunities and adjacent revenue streams. Enrique notes this is both their moat and "a potential pitfall" when opportunities multiply with success. The discipline isn't about focus when you're struggling—it's about maintaining focus when growth creates endless plausible expansions. Each "yes" to something new is a "no" to deepening your core advantage. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

In this episode, host Michael discusses the recent takedown of El Munchies, the leader of Mexico's New Generation Cartel. He shares his thoughts on the operation, the implications for Mexico and the US, and the potential consequences of the cartel's fragmentation. Michael also touches on the history of the cartel, its rise to power, and the role of the US in the operation. He also shares his insights on the current state of the US-Mexico relationship and the impact of the operation on the upcoming World Cup in Guadalajara.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Note: This episode was recorded on February 17th, 2026, before the death of Mexican cartel leader “El Mencho.”  In this episode, Mariana speaks with Jorge Castaneda, a Mexican politician and academic who served as Secretary of State from 2000 to 2003.  They discuss President Trump's high-pressure stance toward Mexico and how President Sheinbaum has thus far been able to navigate his demands while avoiding a face-to-face meeting. They also explore the on-the-ground realities behind President Trump's claims that Mexican trafficking organizations are allied with the government, the recent shifts in Mexico's security strategy, and the risks of a unilateral U.S. incursion. Finally, the conversation turns to the broader region, examining the likelihood of regime change in Cuba, the evolving situation in Venezuela, and the anticipated pushback to the new "Don-Roe Doctrine" in South America.  As these nations increasingly depend on China as a primary market for commodities and a major source of foreign direct investment, the tension between U.S. hemispheric policy and global economic realities has never been higher.

A $15 million bounty, a failed capture, and a dead cartel leader. The killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes aka El Mencho by Mexican special forces has triggered a violent backlash across the country, with the CJNG torching businesses, blocking highways with burning vehicles, and spreading panic in major cities including Guadalajara, one of the host locations for this summer's FIFA World Cup. Tourists have been told to stay indoors, airports have shut down routes, and Mexico's government is once again being tested on whether it can maintain control. On today's episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by journalist Deborah Bonelle, Cecilia Farfán-Méndez from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, and Benjamin Smith, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Warwick and author of The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade, to discuss what El Mencho's death reveals about state power, cartel dominance, US-Mexico pressure, and what this violence means for the world's biggest sporting event. 

With authorities on both sides of the US-Mexico border looking for Nancy Guthrie, another purported ransom demand surfaces. Plus, in the mountains near Lake Tahoe, the search continues for victims of the country's deadliest avalanche in 45 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the United States a nation state? Does it have a national identity? On this episode of the Transatlantic, scholar Colin Woodard discusses his early career experiences as a journalist in Eastern Europe and the Balkans at the end of the Cold War and how that work informs his work on national identity in the United States. He then talks about his current research uncovering what he describes as eleven distinct nations that make up the United States and how their clashing cultures and traditions have defined the country's struggle to form a national story and identity.    Colin Woodard – a New York Times bestselling historian and Polk Award-winning journalist – is one of the most respected authorities on North American regionalism, the sociology of United States nationhood, and how our colonial past shapes and explains the present. Compelling, dynamic and thought provoking, he offers a fascinating look at where America has come from, how we ended up as we are, and how we might shape our future. Author of the award winning Wall Street Journal bestseller American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, Woodard has written six books including The Republic of Pirates — a New York Times bestselling history of Blackbeard's pirate gang that was made into a primetime NBC series with John Malkovich and Claire Foye – and Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood, which tells the harrowing story of the creation of the American myth in the 19th century, a story that reverberates in the news cycle today. His latest book is Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America, released by Viking/Penguin in November 2025. He is the founder and director of Nationhood Lab at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University, an interdisciplinary research, writing, testing and dissemination project focused on counteracting the authoritarian threat to American democracy and the centrifugal forces threatening the federation's stability. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a visiting scholar at the Minneapolis-based HealthPartners Institute and a POLITICO contributing writer. As State and National Affairs Writer at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram he received a 2012 George Polk Award, was named Maine Journalist of the Year in 2014, and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. A longtime foreign correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, he has reported from more than fifty foreign countries and seven continents from postings in Budapest, Zagreb, Washington, D.C. and the US-Mexico border and covered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and its bloody aftermath. His work has appeared in dozens of publications including The Economist, The New York Times, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek and Washington Monthly and has been featured on CNN, the Rachel Maddow Show, Chuck Todd's The Daily Rundown, The PBS News Hour, and NPR's Weekend Edition. A graduate of Tufts University and the University of Chicago, he's received the 2004 Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Public Advocacy, a Pew Fellowship in International Journalism at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Study and was named one of the Best State Capitol Reporters in America by the Washington Post. He lives in Maine.   This podcast is hosted by Bakhti Nishanov and produced by Alanna Novetsky, in conjunction with the Senate Recording Studio.

In this episode of The Carl Jackson Show, Carl Jackson dives into the latest developments on the US-Mexico border. He's joined by Tom Homan, a seasoned expert on immigration enforcement. They discuss the recent surge in violence and chaos in Minneapolis, and how it's connected to the broader issue of illegal immigration. Carl also shares his thoughts on the Trump administration's efforts to secure the border and protect American citizens. With Tom Homan's expertise and Carl's sharp analysis, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in immigration policy and national security. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carljacksonradio X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/carljacksonshow Parler: https://parler.com/carljacksonshow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecarljacksonshow http://www.TheCarlJacksonShow.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Carl Jackson Show, Carl Jackson dives into the latest developments on the US-Mexico border. He's joined by Tom Homan, a seasoned expert on immigration enforcement. They discuss the recent surge in violence and chaos in Minneapolis, and how it's connected to the broader issue of illegal immigration. Carl also shares his thoughts on the Trump administration's efforts to secure the border and protect American citizens. With Tom Homan's expertise and Carl's sharp analysis, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in immigration policy and national security. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carljacksonradio X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/carljacksonshow Parler: https://parler.com/carljacksonshow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecarljacksonshow http://www.TheCarlJacksonShow.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leading Into 2026: Executive Pastor Insights Momentum is real. So is the pressure. This free report draws from the largest dedicated survey of Executive Pastors ever, revealing what leaders are actually facing as they prepare for 2026. Why staff health is the #1 pressure point Where churches feel hopeful — and stretched thin What worked in 2025 and is worth repeating Clear decision filters for the year ahead Download the Full Report Free PDF • Built for Executive Pastors • Instant access Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. We're continuing our special series responding to insights from the National Executive Pastor Survey with an executive pastor from a prevailing church. Today we're joined by Eric Garza, Executive Pastor at Cross Church. Cross Church is one of the fastest-growing churches in the country, with 12 campuses across South Texas, serving both English- and Spanish-speaking congregations. In this conversation, Eric helps unpack the number-one fear expressed by executive pastors in the survey: running out of space and not knowing what to do next. Is your church growing but feeling physically constrained? Are facilities, kids' space, or parking holding you back from what God may want to do next? Eric offers practical, hard-earned wisdom from leading through rapid multisite expansion. Facilities don't just limit space—they shape momentum. // At Cross Church, growth has come through both campus planting and mergers or acquisitions of existing churches. In both cases, facilities either enable momentum or quietly choke it. Sustainable space must support all aspects of ministry—not just a worship room. Parking, kids' environments, lobbies, restrooms, storage, and office space all play a role. A building that works on paper can quickly fail if it can't support the full weekend experience. Don't rush into permanence. // One of Eric's strongest recommendations is to resist the pressure to own a building too early. Several Cross campuses began in leased spaces, which reduced operational burden and allowed the church to test viability without long-term risk. Leasing removes concerns like insurance, major maintenance, and long-term liability, freeing leaders to focus on ministry. If a campus stalls or misses the mark, leaders can pivot without being locked into a costly asset. Location matters more than you think. // Some facility lessons are learned the hard way. Eric humorously—but seriously—warns against launching next to railroad tracks or industrial zones. Visiting a facility during a Sunday morning timeframe is essential. Noise, safety, curb appeal, and accessibility all influence guest experience. Cross has launched campuses in libraries and event centers, learning to adapt acoustics and layouts while prioritizing safety and hospitality. Capital campaigns need margin. // Eric is candid about capital campaigns. Churches often believe in faith for a number that rarely materializes at full scale, especially since capital giving sits above normal tithes. Meanwhile, construction costs almost always rise. Cross learned the hard way that campaign timelines and construction timelines rarely align. Building 10–15% margin into every campaign accounts for inflation, surprises, and delays. If surplus remains, it becomes a testimony of generosity rather than a crisis averted. Remodeling vs. rebuilding requires sober math. // Acquiring an existing building can be a gift—or a trap. Before knocking down walls, Eric urges leaders to get third-party inspections and cost estimates. Some remodels quietly approach the cost of new construction while delivering less functionality. Evaluate whether a building should serve as a long-term campus, a ministry center, or even collateral for future development. Sometimes the wisest move is not to hold services there at all. Define a clear facility standard. // Over time, Cross Church developed a consistent “Cross standard” across campuses—shared color palettes, stage layouts, kids' safety ratios, and ministry flow. While floor plans differ, the experience feels familiar. This standard helps teams evaluate remodels quickly and ensures families know what to expect. It also clarifies where compromise is acceptable and where it's not. When space is tight, simplify strategically. // Not every constraint requires construction. Cross has increased capacity by adding services, adjusting service times, and consolidating kids' age groups when space is limited. Combining grades temporarily doesn't dilute quality—it preserves momentum. Eric defines excellence not as “having the best,” but “doing the best with what you have.” Obstacles are reframed as opportunities to steward growth faithfully. Communicate the season clearly. // Your people can endure inconvenience when they understand the why. Leaders don't need to share every detail, but they should frame facility strain as evidence of impact, not failure. Clear vision keeps people focused on mission rather than discomfort. To learn more about Cross Church, visit crosschurchonline.com or follow @crosschurchrgv on social media. You can also connect with Eric directly on social media at @ericpgarza. Watch the full episode below: Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com/unseminary and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. We are in the middle of, in the in the midst of, is maybe a better way to say, these special set of podcasts where we’re responding to what you said in the National Executive Pastor Survey, which turned out to be the largest dedicated or direct executive pastor survey that we’re aware of ever, which is kind of cool. And hundreds of people were you know, logged in and told, gave us a sense of where ministry is at. And what we’ve been doing is spending time with an executive pastor from a prevailing church, and frankly, people I like, to get their ah thoughts on kind of what was surfaced. Rich Birch — And today we’ve got a big one. This is a significant issue. In fact, it was the single biggest fear that was expressed. We asked a question around, what’s your kind of biggest fear for this year? And nearly one in five executive pastors expressed fear about this. And what is that fear? It’s the whole issue of our facilities, space, capital projects, that sort of thing. Many churches are running out of kids space, parking, seating, lobby capacity. Rich Birch — You know, we’re all worried about in inflation of construction costs. If you got a building quoted on five years ago, you’re going to want to get it quoted on again, you know, renovation, building, all of this stuff. And, you know, we’re excited to have ah today a return guest, Eric Garza with us. He is from a fantastic church, Cross Church, which is located in Texas. It’s one of the fastest growing churches of ah in the country, and they have 12 campuses, if I’m counting correctly. So Eric has thought about facilities and so excited to have you back on the show, Eric. Thanks for being here.Eric Garza — Rich, thanks for having me back. Good to have an opportunity to have a great conversation about a big topic for a lot of pastors and executives across the country. Yeah.Rich Birch — Well, you’re going to solve all our problems for us today, Eric. So.Eric Garza — It’s just some nuggets of what I’ve learned and experienced. But if I can make your life and your world a little bit better, awesome.Rich Birch — That’s great. That’s good. Kind of tell us a little bit about Cross again, kind of set the context, you know, give us a bit of sense of the the church.Eric Garza — Yeah, so we’re in deep south Texas. Most of our campuses are within a half hour north of the US-Mexico border. So right at the bottom of the tip of Texas. 30 years going on 31 years as a ministry. In the last eight years, we went from one site ah to now seven locations, physical locations and 12 campuses.Eric Garza — We’re a bilingual ministry, which means we do we have English campuses and we have Spanish campuses. And we recently, last year in 2025, launched our first campus outside of our region in San Antonio, Texas. Rich Birch — Love it.Eric Garza — And you can imagine a lot of ah victories and a lot of challenges, ah you know leaving your space, your comfort area, the region where you’ve been, for 30 years and then heading out and venturing off into what we believe God called us to do in in Central Texas.Eric Garza — So ah just phenomenal growth. We’ve seen God’s hand up on our ministry and it’s come with, ah like I said, a lot of wins and a lot of challenges we’ve had to navigate. And being a a predominantly Hispanic ministry that reaches both English congregants and Spanish congregants, dealing with cultural, political issues in our region of the country ah has just been a whirlwind. But as anybody could imagine, it’s been a big learning season for us for expansion. You know, I know we’re talking about facilities going from one side to multisite and all of that that entails operationally, logistically, financially. So I wouldn’t say we know it all. We certainly don’t if we’re always learning. But man, if if we can just impart any wisdom, we’re we’re all for that.Rich Birch — Love it. Well, I would say I actually re-looked at a lot of these fears. And the overall tone, if you were to kind of summarize the the conversation that people seem to be expressing is like, there’s this sense from a lot of executive pastors, listen, our ministry could grow, but our space, frankly, is holding us back. And we’re not entirely sure what the path forward is. It’s like, we we see the physical space issues, but I’m not sure where to go from here. So I’d love to jump right in. Eric Garza — Sure.Rich Birch — How have you, as you’ve looked at your seven physical locations, 12 campuses, how do you evaluate facility limitations? And are they the things that are actually restricting growth or does the issue lie somewhere else? How do you, how are you discerning that when you look at, you know, this, this whole issue?Eric Garza — Yeah, a lot of our of our growth has come from us planting campuses, but some of our growth has come from, I guess, what the corporate world calls mergers and acquisitions, where we’ve merged or really acquired other ministries who either had an existing facility that we took over. Or where we partnered with them through the acquisition and launched a campus in a new building or a new facility.Eric Garza — So some of the things that we’ve done is, there’s a whole process, right, that that it’s entailed with going multisite. And one of those big key indicators of whether the campus or the church plant is going to succeed is whether they have a sustainable facility that can house all aspects of the ministry. And sometimes that can be difficult to find.Eric Garza — For example, you don’t just want meeting space to have services, right? You need maybe an office space, you need childcare space, you need a meeting space, you need lobby, restrooms, you need adequate parking. And all of those factors come into play when you’re looking to find the right spaces. So for us, We’ve just been blessed that ah either we’ve have you know gone through the capital campaigns, we’ve gone through the funding, the you know internal funding to build new facilities, or the acquisition that we’ve ah done over the last couple of years already had an existing facility, which is a plus. Because instead of building, we just went into a remodel phase to bring that building up to what we would call our Cross-standard to house our campus and facility. And so I mean it’s It’s a holistic approach. Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah.Eric Garza — You look at parking, kids space. What you don’t want to do and what what we’ve run into in the past, is it’s okay to to launch with limited space, but if you’re launching and you already have a couple of hundred people that are gathered, you’re going to want to find a space that’s going to give you ample room to have one or two services without having to crunch yourself in the short term. And it’s going to, in in in a larger sense, going to really facilitate some challenge and some angst and frustrations early on. And you want to minimize as much of that, especially when you’re when you’re launching and you’re setting out to start a new campus or a new church.Rich Birch — Yeah, so that’s one of those kind of pinch points would be too small, right? Like I’m assuming you’ve ended up in facilities where it’s like, okay, this is this just frankly is too small. Eric Garza — It’s not going to work. Rich Birch — And so we’ve got to, it’s not going to work. We’re going have to start with three services and that, you know, or something like that. Or we’ll start with two and we’ll be pinched too quickly. Are there any other kind of tripwires that you’ve run into that are like, oh, like it might be great on these five things, but this, these, if it’s not these two or three, if these aren’t right, we were not going in there. Are there any other things to get to, as you said, a sustainable facility? Are there any kind of big no-nos that you’ve bumped into, or maybe you wish you knew before? Yeah. Tell me about that.Eric Garza — Yeah, a couple of things. Number one is don’t ah start a church next to the railroad tracks. That may sound a little funny.Rich Birch — No, tell me more.Eric Garza — You never know that during your Sunday morning message at your 10 o’clock service, roughly about 10:40 a.m., this train… Rich Birch — Oh, gosh. Eric Garza — …who’s two or three blocks away is going to come blaring out ah and just completely disrupt your sound and and your service and your message for a few minutes. So it may sound comical, but ah yeah, definitely don’t do that. Right.Rich Birch — No, that’s very good.Eric Garza — Yeah.Rich Birch — That’s well, and even going and seeing, that’s a great takeaway because even going and seeing the facility during a Sunday morning, like, cause you wouldn’t know that if you’re there to just Tuesday afternoon or something, you would have no sense of that. Eric Garza — Yeah.Rich Birch — But, but cause it might be a train, but there’s, I could see lots of things where.Eric Garza — Trains are not confined to Monday through Friday.Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.Eric Garza — They’re there every day as they need. And so you just you just never know. That has to happen a couple of times, and it’s incredibly frustrating. Rich Birch — Yeah. That’s interesting. That’s good.Eric Garza — And so you play it off the middle of the service, but man, it can it can mess it could mess with some stuff. The second thing I would say is is this when looking for a facility. There’s obviously some innate some internal perhaps pressure or self-imposed pressure as a pastor or an executive to want to get into a permanent facility right away.Eric Garza — One of the things that helped us early on with with a couple of our campuses is we actually rented. And here’s the benefit of renting or leasing, even for a year or two, as you grow that site is number one, you’re not worried about insurance, right? You’re not worried about lawsuits. You’re not worried about maintenance or you’re paying for that, right? But there’s a lot that you minimize when it comes to overloading your mind and your brain about what you have to handle.Rich Birch — Yep. Eric Garza — Alright. And so you pay a fee, but the building’s clean when you come in. And right after you set, you know, you tear down your equipment for the service in your kids area, you don’t have to worry about that because you’re leasing a space. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Eric Garza — And so if you can minimize, like I said, as much of the overload of operations and facilities on the front end, that’s that’s a great a great thing. And most spaces, right, what we did early on is if we had an event center where we would rent the main auditorium uh we would use conference rooms or or multi-purpose room for child care. We would safe proof them, right – all of our protocols in place. But that’s what we would do early on, and it would give us a chance to test and gather some data. Rich Birch — That’s so good.Eric Garza — Is this going to work long term? Right. Number one, we don’t believe we missed God. But if after a couple of years, this isn’t going anywhere. Well, thank God we didn’t buy a building… Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — …because now we’re you know up a creek without a paddle, as they say. And so leasing is not is not an entirely bad idea on the early outset.Rich Birch — No, that’s great.Eric Garza — But definitely the neighborhood that you’re in, right beside the town that you’re in, you want to be in a centrally as centrally as you can, centrally located as you can, and and not next to a railroad track or any industry or warehouses where there’s going to be trucks, just for safety concerns, for the curbside appeal. And so that’s why public libraries or where we had actually launched started campuses was at a public library – acoustic set because we couldn’t be so loud. So all of those facility concerns are are really things you want to keep in mind.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. I love the idea of the rental on the front end. What a great way to, it’s good use of capital. It’s a good, you know, it it gives you a chance to test… Eric Garza — Yeah. Rich Birch — …even if you stay for a couple of years, that’s, you know, that’s fantastic. So you’ve been through multiple, you know, capital campaigns, this whole process of like, we’ve got to raise money and then get a facility renovated or, you know, you know, expanded or whatever. Rich Birch — What, what do you wish you would have known before all that? Well, are there a couple like things that either, you know, you stumbled upon, you stubbed your toe or you wish, man, I wish somebody would have told me this. Are there any things that stand out to you?Eric Garza — Number, I think the first one is this. You have an you have a number in your mind, and you of course you believe God for it. It…Rich Birch — And it’s lower. It’s going to come in lower every time.Eric Garza — …it is. Every single, unless God does a miracle, which he is more than able to do… Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Garza — …it’s going to come in lower. And so I think have have high anticipation but realistic expectations… Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — …because most capital campaigns are campaigns that are above normal giving.Rich Birch — Yeah. Okay. Yep.Eric Garza — Right. And so at least for us, it’s above normal giving. Rich Birch — Yep.Eric Garza — We encourage and we get people to give towards a specific capital campaign, which is for a specific campus or a specific project or or what have you. But you have this number in mind and then if you can tend to early on. It’s not coming in yet. Or maybe you’ve done it for a year or give a specific timeline.Rich Birch — I see. Okay. Yep.Eric Garza — And you can get quickly discouraged, especially with capital campaigns where you’re like, we’re halfway through this thing and not even half has come in yet, or of what we thought would come in. And so it’s easier to get discouraged. But that was a big thing is that number in your mind, it’s going to be lower. And that’s not a bad thing. Right. That’s not a bad thing.Eric Garza — People are giving to a capital campaign above giving of their normal giving, sacrificially, they’re giving by faith. They’re giving with expectation. But at the same time, for those of us on the inside, right, those of us who are managing the resources and what have you, it’s it’s about having a realistic expectation that we have the faith that God can do it. But we’re all going to budget ourselves knowing that if there’s a high probability, not impossible, there’s a high probability that the number we had in mind, is not going to be what comes in for the capital campaign.Rich Birch — Let’s talk about that there. So there’s an interesting, um so I’ve seen that for sure in churches. There’s an interesting kind of tension that pulls in two different directions. One, you can have exactly what you’re talking about, which is, you know, we thought we would go in, we we were hoping we would raise X and we raised something less than that. Eric Garza — Yeah. Rich Birch — But then the other part of it is we were hoping the project was going to cost X and it costs X plus, you know, it’s costing us more than, than we anticipated. How do you manage that tension? How have you been able to kind of navigate that? That’s a, that’s a tough tension.Eric Garza — Yeah, the longevity of the capital campaign is gonna is not always going to be exactly match, it’s not going, rather, to exactly match what the building construction cost was at the beginning. Prices fluctuate and prices change.Eric Garza — And so let’s say you have let’s use so a rough even number, a million dollar capital campaign for your church organization. And the construction is going to cost, I don’t know, $900,000, $950,000. Well, a million dollars should cover it. But by the time a million dollars or shortly or short of that comes in, well, your budget is now at 1.2 or 1.3. Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — It’s fluctuated. And so the what’s congruent at the beginning can be really a little bit financially off by the time that can…In other words, the timelines of the capital campaign and your building projects sometimes don’t align perfectly. And we’ve run into that too, where we’ve had to take from our operating budget a little bit, or we’ve had to really emphasize a certain amount during the campaign, because that’s what needs to come in. We’ve you know met with with key givers and donors of the church. And those are challenges that you navigate ah during the capital campaign process. Rich Birch — Sure. Eric Garza — And and like I said earlier, it’s it’s challenging because, well, let me backtrack and say this.Eric Garza — This is why on the front end, you should add margin into your capital campaign… Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Eric Garza — …which we didn’t do that, perhaps the first go around. But certainly the later ah seasons, we added margin in our capital campaigns to account for any fluctuation in construction costs. And if there was ever in a surplus, well, we would tell the church it’s because of your giving and because of your support and generosity that we had more than enough come in. Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Garza — And so now we’re going to use those funds for X or they’re going to go back to the general fund or or whatever whatever the case. But I think that the key that would be to incorporate some 10 to 15% margin in your capital campaign on the outset to account for anything that might happen 12, 15, 18 months down the road.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. That’s really good. That’s good. You maybe just saved somebody a lot of headache two years from now… Eric Garza — Yeah. Rich Birch — …because of that part of the conversation. I want to go back to something you talked about earlier. You’ve had multiple buildings that you’ve acquired or you’ve merged with, and you were talking about remodeling and there’s like, that can be a blessing and a curse. Like it can be amazing. Like, wow, this is great. And…Eric Garza — You never know what you’re going to find.Rich Birch — …you know, you open up, you open up a wall and who knows what’s behind that wall. And, you know, there’s all that. And you talked about bringing it up to the Cross standard. Talk me through what how have you decided what that is? What is the Cross standard? And how do you what are the common things that you find, Oh, we’ve got to make this change. And how have you kind of defined that as you think about projects like that?Eric Garza — Yeah, so over the last few years, we’ve pretty much honed in on, I guess, the vibe and the look of what we want our campuses to to feel and look like.Rich Birch — Okay.Eric Garza — They may be different ah floor plans because some of them we built, some of them we acquired, properties we took over. But as far as color schemes, we do our very best to match wall colors, sanctuary colors. We use the same stage equipment, both branding and layout as best as possible across all of our sanctuary auditoriums, our stages. Eric Garza — Our kids spaces, ah we have an internal ratio of how many teachers or volunteers per infants, per toddlers, for school-age children we want. And so that determines our spacing. And so sometimes we’ve got to knock some walls down or build some walls in to accommodate for for what, like I said, our standard of ministry, both in appeal, but also in care for for our congregants and for our families.Eric Garza — And so when we remodel, you’re right, there’s some things that once you knock down a wall, you’re not going to know until you knock it down. And that’s where that, you know, that margin comes in. But for the most part, right, we’ve had we do inspections, we get we get third party opinions on the building, on the cost estimates, and like we would encourage anybody to do, right.Eric Garza — But that’s our Cross standard is the look, the feel, the equipment, the wall colors, you know is there enough space for our our guests, connect area, our next steps area for first impressions. Does every ministry have adequate space to store their items – all of those factors come into play in deciding how we’re going to remodel a facility. Eric Garza — And I’ll say the second thing is this is why before you break or before you knock down a wall, get an inspector or or get some people either in your church or in the construction industry or somebody that you know in in your community. Because sometimes when you have a building, your initial thought is to remodel. That may not always be the most financial financially wise decision. And here’s why. Because you may not know all that you’re going to encounter, you may in the long run end up spending just as much as if you had built a brand new facility with the exact floor plan you want.Eric Garza — And so that’s where you’re evaluating and deciding, is it more feasible to remodel this building for X amount of dollars? Or are we within 5% to 10% budget margin, where we might just say it’s it’s in the best interest of the church perhaps to use either this facility as collateral for our next building or a brand new building, or is it better to use it a multisite building, excuse me, multi-purpose building, and we end up building a new facility…Rich Birch — Right.Eric Garza — …for the church or for the campus. And so those cost estimates are going to help you make the best, most informed decision of where you’re going to steward the resources financially in either remodeling or in building a site.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. One of my favorite churches, Mercy Hill Church in North Carolina, they they had a building that was given to them and they did, they weren’t entirely sure what to kind of, it was in a part of town, they weren’t necessarily sure they wanted to launch a campus and just they had a campus closer and all that. And they ended up using it turned it into a really a student center and it’s a fantastic ministry building and it’s active, you know, five, six days a week.Rich Birch — Now they don’t do Sunday morning services there, but they do all kinds of other stuff, which is fantastic. Like is a great, you know…Eric Garza — And we’ve seen that too. Yeah. They use for leadership meetings, for small chapel receptions… Rich Birch — Yeah. Eric Garza — …or gatherings or next gen events, youth, young adults, even renting it out to the community as a means to supply income to the church…Rich Birch — Yep. Yep. On a daycare or something.Eric Garza — …to like, you know aligned organizations, of course, whatever your church policy is. But yeah, sometimes the best use of that building is not for church services.Rich Birch — Have you, have you run into facilities that you’ve evaluated and then decided, no like this is going to cost way too much to renovate and we’re, so we won’t go forward with it. Have you run into that after evaluation?Eric Garza — Well, not entirely, but I’ll say this…recent… Rich Birch — I know that risk is there for sure.Eric Garza — Yeah, there is risk. There is risk. And the risk assessment is different when you’re leasing a space or remodel… Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — …and when you’re when you’re obviously building your own facility, as far as and including the costs associated with that. One of our campuses recently, and I mean in the last 24 months, before we moved into our new building was leasing a space and we were given the option to remodel the space we were leasing. Because though it was suitable for what we needed for the ministry, for Sunday services and and all the other ministries, parts of it were not really conducive to growth for the congregation and for the ministry.Eric Garza — So we did contemplate remodeling. I think I think what kept us from doing that number one is whatever you remodel for the landlord the landlord is going up keeping. And so the return on that investment would be short term and not long term, We were already in the midst of building our building but we were growing at a rapid rate, and so we were eight, twelve months out from from being in our building and the campus was growing, and so we needed a short-term solution. Rich Birch — Right.Eric Garza — So we did think, Well, we’ll spend X amount of dollars to remodel our site where we’re leasing before we get into the new building. But we found out that shifting our service times and and doing different different strategies ended up alleviating in the short term the constraints we had to give us a time to get into our new building, which is now more than enough space for us to grow for for years and years to come.Rich Birch — Right. That’s cool. Yeah. Cause I’ve said as a, I feel like I’ve been in a ton of conversations with XPs where, you know, they’re talking about this issue and you know, there’s like a building that they’re, maybe it’s another church that’s come to them and they’re having a conversation and they’re, I would say their mindset is like, I’m not sure we should do this. Like this is, they’re like, this other church came to us and statistically, actually the most likely for these mergers to succeed are when the joining church comes to the lead church. Eric Garza — Yeah.Rich Birch — So they would come to your church and be like, Hey, we’re interested. So it actually happens a fair amount. And I’ve, I feel like I’ve talked, tried to talk so many executive pastors into like, man, it’s gotta be a really bad building. If particularly if it’s like has debt or has no debt or very little debt on it, it’s gotta be a very bad building to not want to take it. Cause it’s like, you know, you can, you can take, invest, you know, a moderate amount of money. You don’t need to dump a ton into it and get something great. And like you said, as long as you’re above board with everybody, you know, five years from now, if it doesn’t work, you could take that asset, sell it and move on and use those resources somewhere else.Eric Garza — And that’s very good because when you talk about acquiring a ministry, especially if it has a low balance on their mortgage or or they don’t have much to pay off the building, and if you’re in a position to pay that off within the first year of acquiring the ministry… Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — …think of a collateral and the equity that your organization now has because of that new facility that’s in your portfolio.Rich Birch — 100%.Eric Garza — And I know it sounds very business-minded, but when you’re looking to expand into the future, even at another site in your church ministry organization, you now have more collateral, more resources to leverage for a better financial position in the future when you do want to actually build a building. Eric Garza — And the second thing is this, if you’re acquiring a ministry that already has an existing building, in most cases, it’s already built out for church purposes. So that’s very helpful. So at that point, you may be putting in a smaller amount and just… Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — …you know, refurbishing it, painting the walls, putting some new equipment, some new screens, maybe be changing out the flooring a little bit, or some of the fixtures in different spaces… Rich Birch — There’s technology or whatever, yep. Eric Garza — …because it’s already built out for a church. And so that’s the benefit of going or acquiring in a ministry if you’re going that route that already has an existing facility.Rich Birch — Yeah, we had, ah we were running, our budget was about $8 million dollars and we were, we had a church come to us and they were, they had really, they had had a tough season and the summer before we ended up merging with them or they joined us really, they had multiple Sundays where they had two people show up on Sunday. They had the person that was preaching and the guy that was opening the door, like it was, it had really atrophied down.Rich Birch — And I remember in one of those conversations, they had had a bit of a roof problem. The facility was worth just probably south of 2 million. It was like ah a great facility, but they had a roof problem. And I remember one of the the elders leader person, he said, you know, we we got a quote on the roof and it’s it’s going to cost maybe about $15,000 to fix. Do you think you guys will be able to fix that? And they had no debt and were going to give us their building. Rich Birch — Well, like I humbly had to say like, like, yeah, we’ll we’ll be okay. Like, it’s gonna it’s gonna be fine. Like, you know, I what I didn’t want to say is like, I feel like our youth guys have like wasted $15,000 this year. Like, you know, like it’s like we can, you know, the exchange just on paper. And again, that’s not why you go into those conversations. Eric Garza — Of course.Rich Birch — But a part of that is, particularly in our seats as executive pastors, that’s a part of what we have to wrestle through and think about those things. So let’s get back to the renovation thing. A lot of what churches were talking about is like, pressure of like, man, I just, our physical facilities are, are holding us back. Rich Birch — Any other thoughts around, you know, changes you’ve made to increase capacity or, um you know, things that maybe are like some low hanging fruit or creative solutions that have that, that maybe we’re not thinking about, but as a leader who’s been through this, you know, you’ve been, you’ve wrestled through that, that we, we could, you know, benefit from.Eric Garza — Yeah, absolutely. A couple of things. You can please everybody, right? Rich Birch — That’s good. Eric Garza — And so I think one of the ministry pressures well, we want to please the next gen. We also want to please the child care. We also want to please the elders of the church. And we also want to please the younger families of the church and young professionals. And when you’re when you’re in a facility that wasn’t originally built according to your specs, it’s going to be difficult to do that.Eric Garza — And so you have to focus, as we have, on the most critical areas, sanctuary and child care. If you don’t have child care, it’s going to be a barrier to growth because families or parents are not going to have the comfort level they need to come to your church on a regular basis and to be a part of the community. And so for us, when we’ve remodeled, the first things we look at are sanctuary and then the kid space. Do we have enough adequate kids space?Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Garza — Some of the solutions when we’ve been limited in space is is launching multiple services to we have a smaller sanctuary or a smaller space, we’ll offer more service opportunities. Or when it comes to our kids ministry, we’ve evaluated with our kids directors and our our kids department of how can we best merge age groups to maximize the space that we have. So if you have right an ideal facility where you have you know your child your child care divided by grade level or age level, sometimes you have the amenity to do that and many times you don’t. And so what we’ve done is instead of having first grade on their own, maybe we’ll put you know kindergarten and first grade level kids together.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Eric Garza — We’ll put second and third together, fourth and fifth together as a way to consolidate because we don’t have the space that we prefer to have, at least in this season. And so for us, sometimes you’re not watering down in essence, the content, the quality, but you are consolidating in the short term or even medium term… Rich Birch — Right. Eric Garza — …if you will, if that’s even a term, to make adequate space for the constraints that you may have. Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Garza — And so you have 600 members and you only have 200-seat sanctuary, 250. Well, that’s an opportunity for three services. Rich Birch — Right.Eric Garza — Is that is that is that Is that a strain? Well, it can be if you see it from core perspective versus a perspective of, Man, we’re so large and we have the space. You know, one of our core values at our church is excellence. And we’ve defined excellence as not having the best, but doing the best with what you have.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Eric Garza — So we may not have a thousand seat auditorium for this growing congregation, but what we do have, we’re going utilize it and steward it to our best ability. So if that means two or three services, well, God give us the strength and the people to manage and to lead and to execute three strong services every weekend, or every Sunday, in order to meet the need of the congregation that we have.Eric Garza — And and I think one of the biggest things, Rich, is also communicating this. It’s keeping them current, right. You’re not going to go into all the details per se, unless that’s your preference and that’s your senior pastor’s prerogative. But to share with them the overarching theme of, hey, here’s where we’re at as a ministry. Here’s our facility. And here’s what we’re going to do to continue to offer as best a ministry as we can, while at the same time being cognizant of the challenges that we’re facing.Eric Garza — We said this to our staff and to our church many times, is we don’t look at obstacles as negatives. We look at obstacles as opportunities. Okay.Rich Birch — That’s so true.Eric Garza — If this is what we have, how can we be as excellent as possible with what we have? If that means going to a third service, well, then we’re going to give it a shot because what we don’t want to do is allow facility constraints to translate into diminished capacity or into a diminishing congregation and I’m talking about numerically. Because the diminishing congregation numerically also means a diminishing budget and revenue financially because you have less givers in the seats. And that’s those are some of the challenges that you got navigate so we don’t see it as obstacles. We don’t see obstacles necessarily as a challenge we see that’s an opportunity of okay how can we navigate around this mountain if you will to continue to provide as excellent a ministry as we can.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. I love your example of the kids age size rooms. Because I think you’ve you’re articulating a tension that whenever we’re, particularly for launching we talked a lot about this, like renovating other spaces and new campuses and all that, where I think really is germane to our job as executive pastor to to manage this tension of we want it feel, you know, the language you used was Cross standard. It’s absolutely has got to be Cross standard, but there will be areas where we’re going to have to compromise. Like that is just true. And a part of what we have to do, we have to use our leadership and our discernment and, you know, get the right players in the room and have the conversation. And, you know, somebody using your example, somebody kids’ ministry to be like, no, we can’t combine them together. That’ll be terrible. And it’s like, we’re going to be fine. Like, we’ll figure it out, you know. Eric Garza — Yeah [inaudible].Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s going to be okay. We’ll we’ll help that navigate. And that’s one example, but there’s a ton of those that can come up in these, you know, in these renovations for sure.Eric Garza — Yeah, absolutely.Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Garza — and And people are always going to have opinions. Rich Birch — Right.Eric Garza — But I’ll say this from experience. And I mean, no ill intent towards anybody in your congregation or your ministry.Rich Birch — No.Eric Garza — Most of the people that are criticizing are the people that aren’t giving anyway. And so I’m not saying ignore them by any means. They’re part of your part of your ecosystem. They’re part of your church, they’re part of your flock.Rich Birch — Yep. That’s very true.Eric Garza — But it’s always with a grain of salt because the people that are really bought into your ministry are going to walk through those opportunities alongside you, ah hopefully with the best attitude that they possibly can muster up because this too shall pass.Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Garza — Right.Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Garza — If you’ve gone out in faith to plant or to grow or to expand your congregation, this is a temporary season. It’s not a permanent season. You won’t always be at three or four services, right? Or multiple services.Eric Garza — At some point, if God is in this and you really believe He is, and I believe He is for many organizations and ministries, the timing will be right when you have a facility that can house what you need, or that can provide the amenities and space that you need. And so for parents, for givers, for guests, it is just letting them know as best you can, even subtly through announcements or even messages and say, hey, we’re in a season of growth and expansion. Growth doesn’t always look you know perfect. And so we have seasons where we’re going to navigate some some challenges and opportunities as best we can to get us to an end goal.Eric Garza — This is a means to an end. What we’re going through is a means to get us to where we want to go as a ministry. And as long as you keep it at the forefront, tying it into the vision of the house, you’re going to see that in a large sense, you’re going to have people rally behind that idea and unfocused, if you will, from the constraints of their of the facility to the broader appeal of what God is doing in the ministry.Rich Birch — Yeah, that is so good. Friends, you should go back and re-listen to what Eric just said there. That is some wise advice. And obviously from somebody that’s been in the trenches a lot, that’s been my experience as well. The people, the complainers, I’m reading through the book of Job right now. And I’m like, man, his friends are just like, this guy needs better friends.Eric Garza — Yeah.Rich Birch — And that that reminded me of the people you’re talking about. Like…Eric Garza — Yeah.Rich Birch — You know, there’s these people who are just, you know, sniping from the cheap seats and they’re not really engaged in the mission where, man, those people that are right on in the middle of it, they’re like, let’s go, let’s lean in.Rich Birch — And man, that’s the kind of person, I’m hoping as I transition into older age that I’m that person, you know, because we have a number of those people at our church that I look at that are like, these are incredible saints who have seen so much change. And who I’m sure lots of things annoy them, but they’re fired up for the mission. They’re excited in our case to reach unchurched people, to see people who far from Jesus connected.Eric Garza — If you’re not changing, you’re not making progress, right? Rich Birch — Yeah, absolutely. And the fact you the fact that your ministry is facing opportunities or obstacles rather disguised as opportunities is proof positive you’re going somewhere. Rich Birch — Yeah.Eric Garza — You’re not a stagnant ministry. You’re not a you’re not a lazy ministry, right? You’re not apathetic. You’re really out in the field of vision that God has given you or to your senior leadership. And so it’s proof positive, right? And so take that as an badge of honor in some way to say, we must be doing something right.Rich Birch — So good. Well, Eric, just as we’re coming to kind of land, this has been a great conversation, hopefully been helpful for you, friends, as you’ve have been listening in. But as we kind of come to land today’s conversation, what’s a question or two that that you’re kicking around for this year at at Cross as you’re thinking about 2026? Where’s your head at? What are the things you’re wondering? It doesn’t have to be about this, could be anything.Eric Garza — Yeah, well, ah thanks for letting me speak into that, Rich. I think for me as an executive and looking at our ministry, you know, looking at the previous 30 years and looking at the next decade, if you will, of where God is going to take our ministry, being one of America’s fastest growing churches, being the largest bilingual Hispanic-led ministry in the country. We’ve, you know, like I’ve said in a previous episode with you, we haven’t had any precedent for us in our context. And so we’ve navigated a lot of uncharted waters and learned from both wins and losses and different opportunities and struggles to get us to where we’re at now. Eric Garza — I think one of the biggest questions facing the church at large in 2026 is how the church is going to respond to the ever increasingly fast-paced changes that we’re seeing on the political front, on the cultural front. I’m not saying that the church has to be a political response. The church has to be, has to provide a biblical response to what we’re seeing.Rich Birch — Yep. Eric Garza — And with the fast paced nature of culture and society and trends, I don’t believe it’s the church’s responsibility to respond to every trend or to everything, but certainly the overarching elements of our current culture and political dynamic where there is a biblical either mandate or precedent for it, that the church would speak it into that and provide biblical perspective… Rich Birch — That’s good. Eric Garza — …and and and wisdom for how people should think about certain topics that have a biblical or moral prerogative. And so navigating that as an organization, because as a growing church and being such a large ministry, if you can imagine the opinions. We have people in our church who are conservative and who some who are not. We have people who belong to one political party over another. We’re in multiple communities. And so different communities have different demographics, different cultural contexts, different policy initiatives. There’s a lot going on.Eric Garza — And as a church ministry, especially as that we’re multisite, one of the biggest questions I’m asking myself and our team is how do we, number one, stay biblically founded, right? And unwavering in what the biblical standard is.Eric Garza — Number two is how do we address the different things and different occurrences in different communities that we’re in? If we were just one site and one community, well, then we would just be I guess you could say in our own little space and our own little focus. But we have multisites, so we have multi-focus, if you will, at how we continue to provide as excellent a ministry as possible… Rich Birch — That’s good. Eric Garza — …keeping Jesus at the forefront, above the fray, and at the same time, giving a biblical perspective so that people have the right biblical worldview for how to walk out their journey of faith their relationship with Christ, but at the same time, how to respond to what’s happening in our world. I think for many times, for for many years, really for decades, the church has abdicated its biblical responsibility, if you will, to speak into things, not from a political perspective, but from a biblical perspective.Eric Garza — And because that abdication of responsibility we’ve seen a lot of things that have happened. Thankfully, in recent seasons, in recent years, we’ve seen a a shift where faith is now at the forefront. And so though I have that question, my biggest, I guess you could say prerogative is to leverage that people are focused more on faith, that people are open to faith now more so in our country, that people are focused more on this person of Jesus and is to leverage that as an opportunity to really hone in and speak into people’s hearts and minds and into the different communities that we’re in so that they have the right biblical perspective, the biblical worldview to carry out what God has enabled them or called them to do.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. I love I love what you’re saying there. And you know I know had a friend say, you know if you’re, you know, we we all are serving in a context. We serve in a particular time, in a particular cultural context, and God’s called us to lead in that context. And if you’re not feeling the pull from, you know, multiple sides, multiple polarities, you’re like, well, everybody here agrees with me then it means you’re not actually reaching your community, you know. And the fact that you’re feeling that tension means, okay, like there’s there’s people from a wide variety of, and it can be all different political is one, but there’s lots of different ways to think of that.Eric Garza — Yeah.Rich Birch — And yeah, that’s that’s so true. I really appreciate this. Well, Eric, you’re you’re a blessing to us. I thank you so much for for giving us time today and helping us think about these things as we kick off into 2026. If where do we want to send people if they want to track with you or with the church?Rich Birch — How do we how do we want to get people connected to Cross?Eric Garza — Yeah, well, Rich, thanks for the opportunity. And it’s what a blessing for us and for me personally to be able to just share some thoughts. And if it helps anybody, well, praise God for that. I think if you want to follow the church, we’re crosschurchonline.com or crosschurchrgv on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, all of, you know, most of the social media platforms.Eric Garza — If you want to connect with me, I’d be happy to connect with you at Eric, E-R-I-C-P Garza on any of social media platforms. It’d be a h privilege for me to help you guys and to share some thoughts and even answer questions. I’d be more than happy to do that. If I can serve your ministries in any way, by all means, feel free to reach out to me on any of the social media platforms.Rich Birch — Nice. Thanks so much, Eric. Really appreciate being here today, sir. Thank you. Eric Garza — Thank you, man. God bless. Appreciate it.

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Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe [CB] is pushing their agenda across the country and world. They are now pushing their Universal Basic Income in Illinois, this will fail. US production is picking up. SEC is cracking down on ETF’s. Trump has now nominated Kevin Hassett to take over the position of Powell. This restructuring will begin soon and the alternative currency will show it. The [DS] knows they are running out of time and they are losing control over Zelensky, this is why they are now pushing a war with Russia. They do not want peace. Trump is exposing the corruption and pushing for elections to remove Zelensky. Trump has null and voided everything Biden/Obama have done over the last 4 years. It’s like everything they did doesn’t exist. The [DS] is boxed in, there is no escape. Economy https://twitter.com/MJTruthUltra/status/1996238986650464720?s=20   government, and I’m here to help,”. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/AwakenedOutlaw/status/1996060994892955661?s=20   logs, program letters, etc. weekly or be limited to 3-months of SNAP benefits in a 3-year period. US Industrial Production Sees Biggest Annual Gain In 3 Years Despite Slowing Capacity Utilization    Industrial Production rose just 0.1% MoM (as expected) up from the downwardly revised 0.3% MoM decline in August. On a YoY basis, production rose 1.62% – its best since Nov 2022… US Manufacturing output was unchanged in September (slowing from the 0.1% MoM rise in August), but, like IP, that supported a 1.5% YoY rise in output, its highest level since April 2022… Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1996217766366400884?s=20  registration of ETFs that seek to provide more than 200% (2x) leveraged exposure to underlying indices or securities,” the SEC wrote. Leverage is clearly out of control. Bessent says White House may ‘veto’ Federal Reserve presidents   Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday he would push a new requirement that the Federal Reserve’s regional bank presidents live in their districts for at least three years before taking office, a move that could give the White House more power over the independent agency.  Bessent said that “there is a disconnect with the framing of the Federal Reserve” and added that, “unless someone has lived in their district for three years, we’re going to veto them.” Source: msn.com https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1995954684859941373?s=20   In a July 2025 interview, Hassett highlighted the Fed’s origins under the gold standard in 1913 to critique current practices: “When the Federal Reserve was created, we were under the Gold Standard—and the idea that the Fed could print money and then spend $2.5B on a building… I think that we’ve got a real problem of oversight and excess spending.”   This aligns with sound money ideals, where gold symbolizes disciplined, non-inflationary currency, but he stops short of calling for reinstatement.  Monetary economist Judy Shelton (author of Good as Gold) praised Hassett in July 2025 for referencing the gold standard, noting it as a reminder that “Fed has a lot to answer for” in deviating from that era’s stability.  Hassett views Bitcoin as “digital gold” for its scarcity and hedge qualities—echoing sound money without physical backing. Political/Rights https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1996252623209373754?s=20  created sweeping exemptions covering Afghans who worked for the Taliban during the first regime (1996-2001) and again after August 2021, enabling hundreds of individuals normally barred under terrorism laws to enter the U.S. TRIG waivers skyrocketed to 6,848 in FY 2024, the vast majority for refugees, including 374 Taliban civil servants and more than 3,000 individuals who provided “limited” support to Tier 1 or 2 terror groups. Now, after the ambush killing of a West Virginia National Guard soldier by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, critics say Biden knowingly imported massive security risks into American neighborhoods. OUTRAGE: Minneapolis Police Chief Urges Somali Community to Dial 911 on Masked ICE Agents — Promises Cops Will “Intervene” Against Federal Arrests Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara speaks at a press conference alongside city officials as he urges Somali residents to call 911 on masked individuals Police leadership in Minneapolis is urging the city's Somali community, and other immigrant residents, to call 911 if they spot masked individuals detaining people in their neighborhoods. He urged community members to call 911 if they were unsure whether those enforcing arrests were legitimate law enforcement — and pledged MPD would investigate and log every such call. He did not stop at documentation, however. “If there is anything that is … a violation of someone's human rights or civil rights, excessive force or anything like that, they absolutely have a duty to intervene as police officers,” O'Hara declared. https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1995956308902879320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1995956308902879320%7Ctwgr%5E19002c76c52297fc2dd58664d00870448c39f149%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Foutrage-minneapolis-police-chief-urges-somali-community-dial%2F Source: thegatewaypundit.com UNREAL: Mayor Jacob Frey Declares He Won't Cooperate With ICE… and Suddenly Starts Speaking Somali to His Audience Mid-Speech Minneapolis far-left Mayor Jacob Frey abruptly shifted a public address into Somali, all while promising that city police will refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. At a press conference held on Tuesday, Frey stood alongside St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Ward 6 Council Member Jamal Osman, Police Chief Brian O'Hara, and other city leaders, reacting to reports that the federal government is preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's Twin Cities. This is not the first time the far-left mayor has drawn backlash from conservatives for switching into Somali during public remarks. Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1995991450530553880?s=20 https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995920756203516224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1995920756203516224%7Ctwgr%5E7752673c29b3a4de82187485d2de8512019722ba%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Frusty-weiss%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Ftim-walz-gets-skewered-by-kristi-noem-over-visa-fraud-warns-minnesota-is-about-to-feel-the-wrath-of-ice-n2196746 https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1995918101200703814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1995918101200703814%7Ctwgr%5E6e01980749bee6d0aabd2036c6c2b51da5cb194a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Fkatie-jerkovich%2F2025%2F12%2F02%2Fpam-bondi-proves-trumps-flipped-script-on-crime-in-us-n2196748 https://twitter.com/DiligentDenizen/status/1996268038895907125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1996268038895907125%7Ctwgr%5Efc686f6c13365f75910a196f3fa3620a5f168083%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fbreaking-house-oversight-committee-dems-release-never-before%2F https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/1996022839250461041?s=20 DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1996173544884154529?s=20  https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/1996233719469035734?s=20 https://twitter.com/JimFergusonUK/status/1996175636352700892?s=20  , and even Hezbollah have a presence in South America — and their anchor presence is inside Venezuela.” Let that sink in. 8 million Venezuelans displaced Spillover into Colombia, Brazil, the U.S. Cartels, trafficking networks, and Iranian intelligence embedded in the region Rubio isn't speaking hypothetically — he's confirming what U.S. intel has known for years: Venezuela is no longer just a failed socialist state. It's a forward operating base for Iran and Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere. This is why the situation is escalating. This is why Trump's ultimatum matters. This is why Maduro's regime cannot be ignored or “managed.” The threat isn't local — it's global. War/Peace https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1995724042285056018?s=20  that was left in unsecured parking lot in an industrial area near Burg in Saxony-Anhalt, according to the German Ministry of Defense. https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1996226688363979160?s=20   the beginning of the war for fossil fuels. Now we’re down to €1.5 billion per month…we aim to bring it down to ZERO.” “This is a good day for Europe and for our independence from Russian fossil fuels — this is how we make Europe resilient.”    “The European Union agreed on Wednesday to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027 as part of an effort to end the bloc’s decade-long dependency on Russian energy.” – Reuters https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1996207752134488284?s=20 https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1996197728167043438?s=20   text does not address our concerns.” Meaning: No legal cover, no political suicide. The plan was simple on paper – use immobilized Russian funds as collateral for loans to keep Ukraine afloat. But Belgium is the custodian of the largest chunk of those assets. If something goes wrong, they're the ones holding the radioactive bag. This isn't some bureaucratic squabble. It's the EU's financing strategy cracking in real time. Prévot's pushback signals the core fear: If Europe touches Russian state money without watertight legal armor, Moscow retaliates – economically, diplomatically, and possibly through countersanctions on European firms. And here's the thing: the Commission thought it had majority backing. Belgium saying “nope” on the morning of rollout is a political body-slam. Happening next? The EU will scramble to rewrite the legal plumbing. Germany and France will pressure Belgium quietly – nobody wants to admit the plan is wobbling. Russia will weaponize the hesitation as proof the West can't agree on how to bankroll Ukraine. And Kyiv? Still waiting for the money that was supposed to be “already there.” Another example of Europe discovering that seizing assets is easy. Using them? That's where the real war begins.    Ursula von der Leyen did not state that she received “permission” from the US to seize Russian assets. In a recent appearance at the GLOBSEC forum, she said that she informed the incoming Trump administration (specifically mentioning a conversation with Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent) about the EU’s proposal to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine, and that “it was positively received.” https://twitter.com/briefing_block_/status/1996241939931201801?s=20 https://twitter.com/Dubinsky_pro/status/1996242036417028176?s=20  regime. Now the system is falling apart. Yermak is out. The crackdown is collapsing. Ukraine must release all political prisoners. I call on everyone involved in peace talks to demand this from Zelensky. These people committed no crimes. They were jailed for their faith, political views and demanding peace. Zelensky built a dictatorship – and filled prisons with dissent. I know what I'm talking about: I spent 24 months behind bars under this system. https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1996231792752287822?s=20  to Brussels to meet Zelensky, the team returned to Washington. No official reason was given, but the message is clear: there's no deal, yet. Putin's warning didn't help. He said Russia is “ready” for war in Europe and claimed any future conflict would be so fierce that “nobody will be left to negotiate with.” This setback casts doubt on whether a negotiated end to the war is possible anytime soon. It also suggests Kyiv isn't ready to engage on Moscow's terms. What's next: Watch for how Ukraine positions itself diplomatically in the coming weeks, and whether Trump's team will try again with a revised proposal. https://twitter.com/MJTruthUltra/status/1996059724173754525?s=20   situation may quickly arise where there is no one left for us to negotiate with” https://twitter.com/Panchenko_X/status/1996192741508645286?s=20  been given the black mark and is seen globally as corrupt. Many Ukrainian politicians are already quietly fleeing to Moscow in an attempt to negotiate. They hope that the Russians and Americans will come and shower everyone with money for the elections. It won’t happen that way. According to my information, the US and Russia are already discussing possible candidates for the position of President. I cannot make the names public. https://twitter.com/TimOnPoint/status/1995949121929138184?s=20   targets is the rule, not the exception. The physical status of possible survivors is not part of the consideration with stand-off weapons. This has been the norm under both Republican and Democrat administrations since the first Hellfire was mounted on a Predator years ago. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is lying or ignorant. The method is ugly, no doubt about it, but there's nothing new here except politics. https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/1996006625333727410?s=20 Medical/False Flags https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/1996048243516456967?s=20 Man in TSA Sues Feds for Not Allowing Him to “Pat Down” Women   A man who says he is a woman is suing the federal government over restrictions in his job at the Transportation Security Administration that do not allow him to “pat down” female travelers. That restriction followed an executive order from President Donald Trump against recognizing transgenderism claims in the federal government. The claim being made by Mittereder is that the policy violates federal civil rights law. According to the report on the recently filed lawsuit, Mittereder began working at the TSA in 2024 and now is stationed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. He claims because he is not allowed to pat down women, his job prospects are being hurt. Source:  thelibertydaily.com  [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/TheLastRefuge2/status/1996069477197451483?s=20   questioning people (McCord, Wolfe, Jones, Warner and various staff), not merely discussing them. Rather than talk about what XXX is doing, or what motivates XXX, they would simply be going to XXX asking questions (on/off camera) and then reporting on what XXX responds with. Instead, what we are getting is a screenplay, that the ‘journalists’ (battle for influence) sell through various platforms. From here on out when I see it, I will draw attention to it. After a few examples it will become obvious. https://twitter.com/LauraLoomer/status/1996183770790048092?s=20  1, 2025, Maxine's California residence remains in default with a redemption amount still due totaling $21,302.95, despite her recent payment of $19,033.94 on August 13, 2025. Maxine also is incurring a monthly penalty of $301.45. Maxine is not competent to serve as the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee when she cannot even keep her own house in order. https://twitter.com/SBA_Kelly/status/1995846331202457607?s=20   executives implicated in these schemes. Despite Governor Walz's best efforts to obstruct, SBA continues to work to expose abuse and hold perpetrators accountable, full stop. https://twitter.com/GOPoversight/status/1996237594514915451?s=20 https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/1996226960393957435?s=20 https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1995957774510162165?s=20 https://twitter.com/almostjingo/status/1996051371251155359?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1996222235783401610?s=20 So all of these people were installed. https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1996195848087384084?s=20 https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1995934359569007036?s=20 President Trump's Plan https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1996218048458490302?s=20   imminent threat to the world and to the broader West, but especially the United States who they identify as the chief source of evil on the planet.” https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1996213829802307948?s=20  that received benefits more than twice – multiple people received benefits in 6 states – In February, for the first time ever, the Federal Government asked for alls rates to turn over their data to root out the fraud. —— 29 Red states said yes —— 21 Blue states said no “So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington https://twitter.com/MediasLies/status/1996279507079008317?s=20   states already share the data with zero privacy disasters. – USDA's own audits show $10–15 billion a year in improper payments and fraud. – The “court order” she keeps citing is a preliminary injunction, not a final ruling. Refusing basic federal oversight of a fully federally funded program isn't about privacy. It's about protecting bloated rolls and hiding waste. BREAKING: In Stunning Development, President Trump Issues Full and Unconditional Pardon to Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar  Biden's DOJ charged Cuellar, a nine-term Democrat Texas lawmaker who represents an area along the US-Mexico border, after he lashed out at both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for allowing illegal aliens to pour over the border.    the TRUTH. It is unAmerican and, as I previously stated, the Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy! They will attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country. Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don't know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over! Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1996053923820351745?s=20  despite recent disagreements: Senator Paul: “I know we have been at odds recently but in ur first term you signed an executive order to legalize Association Health Plans (that allow individuals to buy collectively health insurance via Costco, Amazon, or Sam’s Club). This collaboration brought us together and still holds the promise of lowering insurance premiums.” Paul noted the plan failed because Democrat AGs fought it in court, but it could now pass through Congress. Here’s why this matters: the current system forces individuals to buy insurance alone, giving them zero bargaining power against massive insurance companies. Association Health Plans let people band together through retailers or organizations to negotiate as a group, the same way large corporations do for their employees. More buyers in a pool means more leverage. More leverage means lower premiums. It costs nothing to implement and simply changes labor law. Competition works. Let Americans shop for insurance the same way they shop for everything else. https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1995856738994565416?s=20  Raskin against Trump Republicans to block this provision to protect the deep state. This is an easy one. This bill is DOA unless this provision gets added in as it was passed out of committee https://twitter.com/FBIDDBongino/status/1996205447917781326?s=20 -The Director and I made a long series of important personnel changes. The new leadership team has produced dramatic results which we will produce for you, in detail, as the year wraps up. They will include a historic drop in the homicide rate, along with record disruptions, arrests and drug interdictions. Many of these personnel changes have upset a group of Comey-Wray era disgruntled former agents who prefer the old ways of operating. We are not going back -We have been working on an AI project to assist our investigators and analysts in the national security space. I received an update yesterday and I am happy to report that the product looks promising. More coming on this. – We are in the end stages of a redesign of the FBI crisis management process. The redesign is intended to make information more accessible and transparent in a crisis to enable quick and effective decision making. The project should be complete by the end of the calendar year. -We saved the taxpayers billions of dollars by scrapping the plan for an expensive new FBI headquarters building. We will be moving to the existing Reagan building after decades of fruitless haggling as the current FBI headquarters building crumbles. -We relocated over a thousand headquarters based personnel out of the Washington DC area and into the field to focus on violent crime, crimes against children, and terrorism. Those agents are now working on the mission in those regional offices. -In recognition of the growing threat, and in conjunction with the President's Executive Order, we designed, launched and completed the FBI's first-ever counter-drone school last month. Special thanks to Sebastian Gorka and DDCOS Regan for their help on the project. -The work force apprehended 4 of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives, and we are hunting down the rest. -We produced unprecedented disclosures, and took action on documents related to January 6, Crossfire Hurricane, Arctic Frost, and more. -The new leadership team, and the work force, made a series of ANTIFA related arrests in multiple states and assisted in record numbers of deportations and apprehensions. -Some of the culture changes we implemented include eliminating DEI, reforming the physical fitness test, making promotions contingent on real world results, severing ties with the SPLC and ADL, and implementing a new training curriculum to reflect current mission requirements. We dedicated significant personnel and financial assets to streamlining FOIA reform to ensure responsiveness. -We shut down multiple open air drug markets nationwide and, in conjunction with the White House, had 12 fentanyl precursors from China listed. -We created CIO and CTO positions to work with the CFO to find efficiencies and implement new technologies to assist in our mission. We conduct bi-weekly meetings and we have found and eliminated tens of millions of dollars in duplicative contracts, unnecessary real estate, and outdated technology. These are real savings to the taxpayer and each budget dollar allocated is intensely scrutinized for value. -We vastly expanded the overseas biometrics program to stop bad actors before they board a plane or vessel to the US. This gives us the ability to expand the border outwards and prevent the problems from coming here. -We are in the end stages of a reform project on our intelligence analysis positions to make them more responsive to current mission needs. We have been working with the field on this and we're happy with the progress. -We implemented a technology working group to ensure our technology tools evolve with the mission. Thank you, and God bless America and all those who defend Her.  https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1995992366553981026?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");