California is once again at the center of the nation’s automotive and energy policy debate. With federal electric vehicle tax credits set to expire this September, the state is considering whether to create its own replacement program.

This would not only affect car buyers but could also reshape the national conversation on emissions rules, vehicle affordability, and the balance of power between state and federal regulators.

With its ZEV mandate and aggressive environmental policies, California is pushing automakers, consumers, and policymakers to adapt — whether they’re ready or not.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released a report on August 19 recommending that the state consider “backfilling” the federal credits with its own point-of-sale rebates, vouchers, or other incentives to keep EV sales moving.

The details remain vague, but the intention is clear: California wants to keep its aggressive zero-emission vehicle goals on track, even as Washington scales back related programs.

Emissions mission

But California has been here before. This is not the first time the state has clashed with the federal government over vehicle regulations — and it likely won’t be the last.

California has a unique history when it comes to vehicle emissions. Decades before the federal government created the Environmental Protection Agency, California was already regulating air quality in response to its smog problem.

When the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, California was granted a waiver that allowed it to set its own stricter emissions standards. Other states were given the option to adopt California’s rules, and some states have done so. Today, 11 states follow California’s lead.

This waiver authority has made California an outsize force in shaping vehicle propulsion. Automakers cannot ignore a market of this size, which means California’s rules often become de facto national standards.

Better red than fed

California’s regulatory independence has not always sat well with Washington. Under different administrations, the federal government has either supported or resisted the state’s authority. During the Obama years, California partnered with the federal government to create a unified fuel economy and emissions program, giving automakers a single set of national rules.

Under the Trump administration, the EPA rolled back certain emissions standards, sparking legal battles with California, which insisted on enforcing its own tougher rules. The state formed alliances with other states and even some automakers to defend its position.

Today, with federal EV tax credits expiring at the end of September and policy focus shifting, California is again stepping into the driver’s seat by proposing its own financial incentives. These ongoing disputes highlight a deeper question: Should environmental and automotive policy be driven by national uniformity or by one state acting as the policy leader?

Forever ZEV?

The discussion over tax credits cannot be separated from California’s ZEV mandate. Under CARB’s plan, automakers must steadily increase the percentage of EVs they sell, with the ultimate goal of phasing out new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035.

This is one of the most ambitious policies in the country, and automakers are scrambling to meet the targets. Some states, such as New York and Massachusetts, have pledged to follow California’s lead, while others remain skeptical. For consumers, this means that vehicle availability will increasingly be shaped by government mandates and not by market demand. Even if gas-powered cars remain popular, automakers will need to balance that demand with regulatory compliance.

Different strokes

The CARB report suggests that any new program would differ from the federal credits in key ways. Instead of tax credits, buyers could receive point-of-sale rebates, allowing them to benefit immediately rather than waiting until tax season.

Incentives may also vary depending on income level, vehicle type, or price, so luxury EVs could receive lower rebates while affordable models get more support.

Additionally, any new program would be tied to yearly funding availability, meaning that if budgets tighten, rebates could shrink or disappear. This approach could make the system more flexible, but it also introduces uncertainty for buyers trying to plan their purchases. In the past, the state of California and other states have run out of money in the EV fund and left buyers with nothing.

Justin Sullivan/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Electric slide

The promise of continued incentives may be welcome news for some California drivers, but the reality is more complicated. EVs still come with challenges beyond sticker price. Even with rebates, EVs are often thousands of dollars more expensive than comparable gasoline cars.

California has built more chargers than any other state, yet many regions remain underserved, and home charging is not always an option, particularly for renters.

EVs also tend to depreciate faster than gas vehicles due to rapid advances in technology and concerns about battery life. Insurance rates are higher on electric vehicles as well.

And let’s not forget a major expense: Electricity rates are rising at double the rate of inflation.

One of the key criticisms of EV subsidies is that they often benefit wealthier households. Data from federal programs has shown that a large percentage of credits went to buyers in higher income brackets because these households are more likely to purchase new cars, and EVs remain disproportionately concentrated in the premium market segment.

California may attempt to address this with scaled incentives, but questions remain about whether the system can truly deliver benefits to everyone. Meanwhile, working-class families who rely on affordable used cars may find themselves subsidizing programs that they cannot realistically take advantage of.

Bowing to the bear

For automakers, California’s decisions carry immense weight. The state accounts for nearly 12% of U.S. auto sales, and when you include the other states that follow its rules, the market share becomes impossible to ignore.

Manufacturers that fail to meet California’s requirements face penalties, while those that comply can earn credits to sell or trade. This system has created an uneven playing field, favoring companies with strong EV lineups.

Tesla, for instance, has profited significantly from selling ZEV credits to competitors in the past. If California establishes a robust new rebate system, it could further tilt the market toward EVs, encouraging automakers to prioritize them even more, take greater losses on each vehicle.

Off the market

At its core, this debate is about whether government policy should drive technology adoption or whether the market should dictate the pace.

California argues that aggressive incentives and mandates are necessary to address climate goals and push the auto industry forward. Critics counter that these policies distort the market, forcing automakers and taxpayers to shoulder costs that may not align with consumer demand. They also warn of unintended consequences, such as reduced affordability, lack of charging stations, and strained electrical infrastructure.

California’s proposal to replace expiring federal EV tax credits with state-funded incentives is the latest chapter in a decades-long story of the state asserting its role as the nation’s automotive regulator.

With its ZEV mandate and aggressive environmental policies, California is pushing automakers, consumers, and policymakers to adapt — whether they’re ready or not.

For some wealthier car buyers, this could mean continued financial support when purchasing an EV, but it also raises questions about long-term effectiveness. For taxpayers, it means another debate about where funds should be directed and increased taxes for residents. For the auto industry, it underscores more losses on vehicles that are designed by one state’s demands.

As history shows, when California moves, the rest of the country often feels the impact. The next few months will reveal whether the state can successfully design a program that keeps EV sales going without overburdening its citizens with more increased taxes. But one thing is certain: California still has significant power over the U.S. auto industry.

What Charlie Kirk meant to us

Charlie Kirk was killed on September 10, 2025.

Like all conservatives, I think I must have seen hundreds or maybe even thousands of Charlie Kirk videos over the years. On YouTube, on Twitter, on Instagram. Videos of him being interviewed on Fox, videos of him hosting his show in his studio, and endless clips of him talking with students on college campuses.

You can’t go out, sit at a table for hours and hours over and over again, talking with anyone who comes up to you, without revealing that you, too, are human.

I don’t remember the first time I heard about Kirk, but it was early on, when he — and I — were much younger. Before he had kids and before I had kids.

Over the years, I, along with many conservatives of our generation, watched Kirk evolve and his impact grow — usually via the particularly intimate medium of our phones. His killing — no, murder; no, assassination — hits home in a close and terrible way.

Endless stream of mourning

I’m not alone in that feeling. To scroll through X Wednesday afternoon into the evening was to encounter an endless stream of shock, anger, and mourning. I read lots of posts from young people reflecting that it’s hitting them harder than they thought something like this could.

There were posts from parents noting how broken up their high-school and college-age kids were. There were abundant tributes from just about every big name in conservative politics praising Kirk for everything he did. Ben Shapiro wrote that when he met the 18-year-old Kirk, he predicted he would be the head of the RNC one day.

Kirk wasn’t a politician; he never held office. There’s a distance between us and politicians. They aren’t so real; everything is kind of an artifice to keep up an image and satisfy constituents.

Kirk was an activist, speaker, and a strong advocate for the good and the American people. He was human, and we who watched him on our little screens felt that. You can’t go out, sit at a table for hours and hours over and over again, talking with anyone who comes up to you, without revealing that you, too, are human.

'I can't stop thinking about it'

Thursday morning, I woke to a text from my sister, a normal, not terribly online conservative with a 10-month-old son. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” she wrote.

As I was writing this column, a DM came in from a friend: "Just no words. It’s hitting me like crazy. He was my exact same age and stage [of life].”

So many young conservatives are hit so dreadfully hard by the killing of Kirk because, in some way, they felt like they knew him. They saw him express just what they believed — or what his words made them realize they believed — hundreds and hundreds of times.

For many, Kirk was them, a representation of their hopes and their collective sense about the world and the future. Kirk did everything we are supposed to aspire to, or everything we as parents would want our children to aspire to. He advocated for what he believed in; he stood up for what was right; he was a husband and a father.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A deeply American value

How many minds did Kirk change during his time on earth? How many people watched him debate on college campuses and then start to question what lies they previously thought they believed? I’m not sure it’s possible to accurately calculate the tremendous impact he had.

It takes a lot of bravery to go out, sit on a chair, and answer any question any person brings up to the open mic. Would you be able to do it? I don’t think I could. He fielded questions from people — often pretty nasty people — from all over the spectrum, but he never lost sight of the good and was never dragged down to the bad, as all too many have been. He devoted his life to trying to change people’s minds (and the world) with words and debate. It's a deeply American value, and he was killed while he was doing it.

Leave a legacy

On Wednesday, I saw a post from Charlie dated July 27, 2025. It was a video of his young daughter running up to him as he sat on a couch in a Fox News studio. She jumped on his lap; he hugged her and smiled. The text accompanying the video read: “Get married, have kids, and stop partying into oblivion. Leave a legacy, be courageous. Happy Sunday. God Bless all the parents out there.”

Kirk believed in something, and he devoted his life to it. He didn’t sit around speculating, he didn’t spend his time waiting, he didn’t see a problem and decide not to do anything. He wanted to make a difference in the world; he wanted to make it better, and so he did. He changed American politics in the 2020s and invigorated young conservatives in a way few others have, and he did it all while raising a family. He did exactly what his post on July 27 called for the rest of us to do.

Charlie Kirk got married, he had kids, he was courageous, and he left a legacy.

God bless his soul in eternal rest.

'Triumph of the Heart': An unflinching depiction of what it means to follow Christ

The current landscape of Christian cinema is more desert than garden. Too many films settle for pandering and saccharine depictions of the faith, as if doing the bare minimum to attract what they assume is a captive audience. Meanwhile, moviegoers thirst for stories that challenge them with reality of the Christian life.

With the success of "Sound of Freedom," "The Shift," and "Cabrini," Angel Studios has shown that viewers will show up for more nuanced, high-quality fare, but most "faith-based" films still seem content to take as little risk as possible.

As Kolbe, Marcin Kwaśny embodies an ordinary man who makes the extraordinary decision to pick up his cross and follow Christ, whatever the consequences.

This was all in my mind as I attended the premiere of "Triumph of the Heart." I wasn't sure what to expect; word of mouth has been strong, but would it live up to the hype? I'm happy to answer that question with a resounding yes.

Greater love hath no man ...

"Triumph of the Heart" tells the incredible true story of the Polish Catholic priest and newspaper publisher who would become Saint Maximilian Kolbe (Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1982). Arrested and sent to Auschwitz in 1941, Kolbe volunteers to take the place of a prisoner condemned along with nine others to die in the camp's starvation cell.

As the men cope with despair, starvation, and ideological division, Kolbe's humanity and their shared Polish identity forge a brotherhood that allows them to face down evil and die with honor.

A humble saint

Not since Paul Roland’s "Exemplum" have I seen such a truthful and realistic depiction of Catholicism. These characters are far from perfect, and that includes Kolbe himself. He smokes, he has regrets, he makes mistakes. But he’s also relentlessly hopeful, courageous, and brave in his faith in Jesus Christ, which empowers him to be a source of light for his fellow cellmates who struggle to maintain their dignity.

This is no sanitized depiction of sainthood. As Kolbe, Marcin Kwaśny embodies an ordinary man who makes the extraordinary decision to pick up his cross and follow Christ, whatever the consequences.

Sherwood Fellows

The weight of despair

The actors playing the other prisoners are equally astounding, making you feel the weight of their despair and claustrophobia in the confinement of the hellish, one-window bunker.

Especially impressive is Rowan Polonski’s Albert, who gets the film’s central arc. As he mourns the life with his wife that he passed up to fight in the war, he struggles to accept the inevitability of death and resist the temptation of suicide. It's a dark but layered portrayal of suffering that took me aback like nothing I've ever seen in a Christian film.

Keystone-France/Getty Images

As camp commandant Karl Fritzsch, the man who condemns the prisoners to death, Christopher Sherwood makes a chilling antagonist. But the more deadly foe is Satan himself. He never shows up, except for some artistic shots of a snake peppered throughout the third act, but his presence is tangible as the heroes grapple with despair. All of which makes Kolbe's admonition to “finish the race” (as seen in the movie's trailer) ring with such emotional power as they reject Satan and embrace the hard way out.

Trusting in God

Writer/director Anthony D'Ambrosio has created a deeply Catholic film. That D'Ambrosio himself struggled with anxiety and insomnia while bringing this story to life comes as no surprise; this is a movie that exudes the painful uncertainty that comes with trusting in God's plan.

"Triumph of the Heart" is also a triumph for Christian/Catholic cinema, a profoundly moving examination of the suffering that often accompanies the pursuit of holiness. I can only hope its example inspires other filmmakers to bring the full richness of the Christian faith to the big screen; the possibilities are endless. For now, go see "Triumph of the Heart." The hype is real.

God save the English pub

Forget about the riots, censorship, and the gradual transition into full-blown anarcho-tyranny. If the pub dies, England will truly lose its soul.

Let me explain. We like to drink. A lot. English culture revolves around alcohol, like electrons around a nucleus. Drinking is in our blood. There’s nothing we won’t drink to, no place we won’t pop open a beer.

Elsewhere, an angry Muslim man is suing the Saracen’s Head in Buckinghamshire for its alleged ’Islamophobic’ name and sign.

When commercial air travel became affordable to the working class, the airplane evolved into a flying bar. I once boarded the same plane as a bunch of inebriated women on a hen party to Spain. A drunken woman punching a man on an economy flight to Ibiza is something of a British rite of passage.

Drinking it in

Ours is a country steeped in history, tradition, and strong drink. Like the Irish, we can boast of many an ale-quaffing literary heavyweight. It was Chaucer who made reference to the Tabard Inn almost 700 years ago in "The Canterbury Tales." Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare drank in the George Inn just a few yards away.

The Tabard was demolished in 1873. The George still exists but only as a museum — an apt symbol for our current crisis.

A few days ago, I walked past a place I regularly used to drink. It was like seeing a ghost. A poster case housing thousands of papered-over concert flyers half an inch thick has been ripped down, leaving the exposed brickwork cracked, discolored, and casting an ominous shadow.

From a broken window, I saw that the chairs were stacked on tables, the oak bar counter was gone, and the copper foot rail had been removed from its bolts. The doors were locked, and the loud neon sign that had once welcomed me in like an old friend now sat silently on the ground, gathering dirt.

Poignant pints

Standing there, aghast, my heart sank, and I felt the pangs of nostalgia. You see, It was more than just a pub. It was a repository of memories. Imagine if bricks could tell stories: a place that my friend took me after my first break up. As a young man, it was where I came to know my father as he slipped a pint across the table without saying anything. On late nights, it was where co-workers danced while the jukebox played the Pogues and everyone sang along.

I remember the beer garden where I chatted up a future girlfriend, asking her for a light, and that dimly lit back room where I jumped off a speaker stack into the sticky, beer-soaked floor at my first ever live gig. It’s where my best friend shared his heart-wrenching news that he only had a few weeks left and the place where locals came together to raise a glass in his memory when he was gone.

What ales us

We are losing an average of one pub per day. Since 2020, more than 2,000 have shut their doors for good. Economic factors have played a big part in the decline of the industry. Escalating business rates, VAT, and alcohol duties are causing many pubs to close — one-third of the cost of a pint now goes toward taxes. Landlords have been forced to increase prices due to the escalating expenses. It's predicted that the price of a pint could double in less than a decade. In some parts of London, it has reached 10 pounds. As a result, many people now buy alcohol from the off license (liquor store) and drink it at home.

The culture wars have also played a part. Pubs with names like the Black Bitch, the Black Boy, and the Blacks Head have all been changed due to racial identitarians spouting nonsense about systemic/structural/institutional racism.

Head case

Elsewhere, an angry Muslim man is suing the Saracen’s Head in Buckinghamshire for its alleged "Islamophobic" name and sign. Every time Khalid Baqa walks past the pub in Amersham, he is "shocked and deeply offended" seeing the name Saracen — the name for Arabs and Muslims in the Middle Ages. The 61-year-old Baqa claims that the pub sign "incites violence" and glorifies "decapitating/beheading Muslims." He wants the landlord to pay him £1,800 for the offense. If successful, he plans to target the other 30 British pubs with the same name.

The plaintiff turns out to be a convicted terrorist. In 2018, he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for creating and distributing jihadi propaganda. No need to worry; in an interview with the Sun newspaper, he claims to have "stopped all the terrorism stuff now."

Blaze Media Illustration

Ours to save

Defending our culture goes far beyond stopping a mad Muslim pensioner from declaring jihad on a 500-year-old bar. We must fight a true culture war. In order to save pubs, taxes must be cut, grants and subsidies allocated to community-owned pubs, and new planning laws enacted to prevent developers from tearing down historic buildings such as pubs and churches, which serve as important social hubs.

Pubs are where the English laugh, cry, and argue. They bring people together. As a result, they act as an antidote to loneliness and isolation, two of the most insidious and pervasive threats in our time. As I sat in my new local pub, I noticed a young woman and her father befriending an elderly man. Three strangers, two generations bonded over fries and Guinness. That’s what community means. And we are losing it.

Grieving Charlie Kirk: How to cling to God in the face of evil

“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).

Why we should read this reminder: God is sovereign over suffering and, in His time, repurposes unspeakable evil for redemptive good. The question of evil appears to be eternal, but evil did, in fact, have a beginning. And just as evil had a beginning, it will have an ending. Evil is not eternal.

Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.

On Wednesday, my heart was shattered. Charlie Kirk and I had been texting late Sunday night, finalizing details for his surprise appearance at our Prestonwood Biblical Worldview Conference. Just hours later, our brother and friend was ushered immediately into the presence of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8). His life was cut short in an act of unspeakable evil. He was brutally murdered and assassinated.

When we are struck by evil atrocity, our hearts cry out: Why, Lord? We feel the weight of grief pressing down, and worry and fear become destabilizing forces. But in these moments, we need a deeper anchor for our souls.

George Müller, the great 19th-century prayer warrior, once said: “My faith is the same faith which is found in every believer. It has been increased little by little for the last 26 years. Many times, when I would have gone insane from worry, I was at peace because my soul believed the truth of God’s promises.”

Müller’s words remind us of a vital truth: Peace is not found in explanations but in God’s promises.

Worry, even fear, is destabilizing so many of us right now. We need a steady anchor for our souls to stabilize our emotions and help us put one foot in front of the other today.

Oh, how we all need the reminder that our God weeps with us today. Through His Son — and now through His Spirit — God has entered our world of suffering. In the midst of heartbreak and loss, He offers His presence, His peace, His hope, His joy, and the promise of eternal life, even when life makes no sense.

Evil does not make sense, so there is no spiritual value in trying to understand or make evil make sense. Evil is a disruption in all the good God has created for us.

Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

We also do not have the right words. That's OK. Scripture reminds us, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).

In light of this, I want to share four biblical anchors that can steady our souls as we grieve Charlie’s loss and face the problem of pain and evil.

1. God allows and is in control of all my challenges

When Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and cast into prison, he suffered unjustly for 13 long years (Genesis 39). Was he in God’s will? Yes. Was God still sovereign? Absolutely.

Only years later, standing before his brothers who had betrayed him, Joseph declared, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). What was meant to destroy Joseph, God used to save a nation and preserve the line of promise that would lead to the Messiah.

The same God is at work in our pain today. That situation in your life that feels unbearable, even senseless — He is still in control. He is not absent. He is bringing good out of evil in ways we cannot yet see.

Please join me in praying for Charlie’s precious wife, children, and family. We cling to the promise that “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). And we take comfort in the truth that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

2. When evil strikes, we live on promises — not explanations

Ultimately, there is little spiritual value or peace from explanations. Explanations rarely heal a broken heart. In fact, answers alone fall flat in the face of evil. But the promises of God never fail. As seekers of truth, we will find the assailants and pray they are brought to justice, but as a pastor, I know more peace will still be needed when “those questions” are answered.

To experience peace, we must learn to live by faith in the promises and character of God. No one lives by having faith in explanations. All of the faith heroes of the scriptures (many who greatly suffered) lived by faith in the promises of God. Faith is taking God at his word, not asking him for an explanation. That doesn’t mean we cannot ask God, “Why?” But in my experience, God wants us to trust him in the moment, rather than ask for an explanation.

When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.

Here’s the key when evil strikes: Living by faith means obeying God’s word in spite of feelings, circumstances, or consequences. It means holding on to God’s truth no matter how heavy the burden or how dark the day, knowing that He is working out His perfect plan.

It means living by promises and not by explanations.

We may never know why Charlie’s life was taken so horrifically. Evil does not make sense, nor should we expect it to. Our hope is not in explanations but in the unchanging goodness of God.

3. Suffering can confirm my faith

Suffering strips away our illusions of self-sufficiency and reminds us that apart from God, our lives are fragile and fleeting.

Think of Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice Isaac — the very son of promise (Genesis 22). That moment of unimaginable testing revealed the depth of his trust in God. And in the right time, God provided a ram.

In the same way, when trials overwhelm us, we are given the opportunity to see God as our true provider. Suffering, as painful as it is, refines our faith, anchors our hope, and draws us closer to the Lord who holds our days.

When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.

When we walk through suffering, we are reminded how small and fragile our lives are apart from the will of God. Trials strip away illusions and reveal that the true value of life is not found in the temporary, but in what is eternal.

4. Someday everything will become clear, and God’s ultimate purpose will be accomplished

Biblical heroes like Abraham, Joseph, and Job did not understand their trials while they were in the midst of them. Clarity only came later, when they could look back and see the hand of God at work in the crisis.

Even our Lord Jesus entered the depths of sorrow.

On the night before His crucifixion, He confessed to His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). In agony He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Only hours later, He would endure such profound abandonment that He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.

This week, with the heartbreaking news of Charlie’s murder, we feel that same weight of sorrow and confusion. Like the great saints of old, we don’t yet have clarity on why such atrocities happen. But we cling to the same promises they did.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

And we hold fast to God’s unchanging word: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Charlie loved Jesus and was unashamed of the gospel. Today, we grieve his loss, but not as those without hope. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know this is not the end. The God who provided for Abraham, who redeemed Joseph’s suffering, who restored Job, and who raised Jesus from the grave will one day wipe away every tear.

Until that day, we trust His heart, we rest in His presence, and we lean on His promises.

And God promises us still: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.

A final word

In this season of heartbreak, let us cling to Christ, our unshakable anchor. Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.

Until that day when faith becomes sight, we will trust His heart, rest in His presence, and hold tightly to His promises.

DC Comics immediately cancels new series after author mocks Charlie Kirk's murder

A new comic book series was canceled after the writer mocked the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was murdered during a stop on his campus tour at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, leaving behind his loving family that includes his wife and two children. Kirk was just 31 years old.

'We place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints.'

On the same day the first issue of DC Comics' "Red Hood" was released in stores, the company announced it was canceling any future orders of the series. "Red Hood" is a spinoff from the "Batman" universe, with the main character being Batman's former sidekick, Robin.

In a statement sent to retailers late on Wednesday, DC wrote, "DC Comics cancels existing orders for Red Hood #2 and Red Hood #3, and any orders for future issues of the series."

"DC Comics will credit retailers for all invoiced copies of Red Hood #1, inclusive of copies that may have already been sold," the publisher wrote, according to Popverse.

The cancellation comes after the comic's writer, Gretchen Felker-Martin, allegedly posted horrific commentary about Kirk's death on the social media platform Bluesky.

Felker-Martin's name appears on the cover of "Red Hood" as one of the writers.

As reported by Bounding Into Comics, the writer seemingly took to her Bluesky account to mock Kirk within an hour of the news of his shooting.

"Thoughts and prayers you Nazi bitch," the post read. But it did not stop there.

Photo by Ollie Millington/Getty Images

Adding to the heartless display, the post added, "Hope the bullet's okay after touching Charlie Kirk."

Without mentioning Felker-Martin's name, DC Comics responded to Popverse after the outlet reached out asking for the reason behind the canceled comic.

"At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints," DC Comics said in a statement. "Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC's standards of conduct."

Felker-Martin's Bluesky page no longer exists at the time of this publication, and a search on the social platform for her name did not bring up any other profiles.

Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

The second and third issues for "Red Hood" had already been scheduled, but will seemingly never hit the shelves. Issue No. 2 was set for release on October 2, 2025, while the third issue was scheduled for November 12, 2025.

Both issues had Felker-Martin announced as the writer. The series was also meant for a mature audience, with a rating of 17+.

Felker-Martin was the subject of headlines in 2022 after writing a horror novel that featured author J.K. Rowling dying in a fire at the hands of transgender activists, according to Daily Mail.

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The past is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there

Recently, my wife and I spent a night in Milwaukee. I was there for work, and she came along just for the fun of it. We left the kids with our parents and had 30 peaceful hours all to ourselves.

When you are in the thick of raising young kids, getting away for just one night feels like a hard reset or some kind of meditative retreat that leaves you clear in both mind and spirit. It was a good trip, it was a fun trip, it was a reflective trip.

We sat outside on the roof at Benelux in the Third Ward imagining life if we never left. If we never had kids. If we never changed. If we just ... stayed.

We lived in Milwaukee for a few years before we had kids. We rented a big loft with concrete floors and high ceilings. It was just one big, barren, concrete room. The only walls were the ones separating the bathroom from the rest of the place. It was up on the eighth floor; we had a great view of downtown.

We used old shipping pallets to divide the room. We didn’t have any money back then. We still don’t, but we have more than we did. When we moved to Milwaukee, we didn’t have jobs. I convinced the landlord to rent us the apartment without proof of income or proof of employment. I don’t know if it was possible because things were just really different before, because she was just really nice, or because I was just really convincing. It was probably a mix of all three.

Cart blanche

A few weeks after we moved, we found a shopping cart abandoned by a bus stop. We took it home and used it every week at the grocery store. We would push it to store empty, buy our groceries, and then push it, now completely full, back to the apartment again, stowing it next to the front door until next week’s trip. It was efficient and worked well, and I am sure we looked absolutely absurd.

We had a great time there. Those few years in the concrete loft before we had kids gave us a lot of great memories and a great start to our lives together. But going back and visiting was odd. We hadn’t been back since we left years ago, and finding ourselves in the same places completely unchanged as people who have very much changed felt somehow wrong.

Don't look back

It felt like some strange corruption of memories or maybe like we were somewhere we weren’t supposed to be. Almost like someone might come up to us and ask, “What are you doing here?” It felt like we were taking a detour down some road that’s been blocked off and just looking around for a bit before getting back on the highway again. It was strange and surreal.

Tamer Soliman via iStock/Getty Images

Maybe it’s because life only goes one way. We can’t go back in time. We can’t change the past. We can’t revisit who we were. Maybe in some way, going back to where we lived before feels like attempting to do something we cannot do. It’s like building a replica of some old world city here in the new one. It’s just not right. It’s not as it should be. We can’t go back, and why would we want to anyway?

The path not taken

Well, I don’t want to go back and live life as it was. Walking around there, just us two, talking about how we were then and how we are now, all we could really say was that while we loved being there when we were there and that those memories are ones we treasure still, we are glad we are no longer there. I don’t just mean physically there, either. I mean mentally, spiritually, and situationally there. We very much like where we are now and wouldn’t change it for anything.

We sat outside on the roof at Benelux in the Third Ward imagining life if we never left. If we never had kids. If we never changed. If we just ... stayed. We could have very easily done all that. That kind of life could have happened to us if we let it. The years would have passed at the same rate, we would be the same age, but we wouldn’t be the same. And we both sat there together, slightly nostalgic for who we were — and grateful for who we are today.

Part of the plan

I think that’s how we are supposed to feel. All of it. We’re supposed to love those memories of youth, but we’re also supposed to cringe a little bit at our past feelings or opinions. We’re supposed to not quite respect our past selves. We’re supposed to laugh at how naive we were. It means we’ve grown and that’s a good thing. And we’re supposed to feel kind of weird going back to where we once lived. We’re supposed to feel a little out of step there in that foreign world of the past. We are no longer who we were, that’s the truth, and that’s OK.

The next morning, we left on the ferry to take us back. Watching Milwaukee disappear into the distance as we headed east across Lake Michigan, we were glad we had a day away, thankful for the lives we lived years ago, and happy we were going home to who we are today

Animator Tom Bancroft: From 'The Lion King' to the King of Kings

Tom Bancroft remembers the moment when the Disney magic began to wear off.

During his career at the studio, the veteran animator had helped create characters from some of Disney's biggest '90s hits: Mushu the dragon from “Mulan” and Simba from “The Lion King," to name a few. He was living every aspiring animator's dream.

'It hit me so strongly ... when kids pray from that point forward, this might be the Jesus they see in their heads.'

He also defended the company from critiques that it was indifferent or even hostile to Christianity, saying Disney simply stayed true to the story and followed it wherever it might go.

'Uncomfortable' truth

Then he worked on a 2000 short film called “John Henry,” a tale of U.S. slaves who endured the “peculiar institution.”

Faith, Bancroft tells Align, was “such an intrinsic part of that story,” something his storyboard animatics reflected. Disney brass disagreed.

“’This makes me feel uncomfortable,’” he recalls the president of animation saying at the time about its spiritual themes.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks," recalls Bancroft. "I didn’t see that coming. ... I’ve been telling everybody for years we were just staying true to the story ... we can have Mulan pray to her ancestors because that’s what they did in ancient China in that culture.”

“Now, we come to Christianity, and you’re not comfortable. It was the first time I said, ‘There’s another side to this story,’” he said.

“I didn’t know it then, but six months later, I [would leave] Disney ... I need[ed] to go use my talents and abilities for God more directly,” he says.

Seeing the 'Light'

Bancroft went on to work on the popular “Veggie Tales” franchise, as well as shows on the Christian Broadcasting Network. He's also written acclaimed books on animation, while co-hosting a popular animation podcast with his fellow animator — and twin brother — Tony.

Now, he’s brought his Disney skills to a 2D animated feature film that captures the life of Jesus Christ in a bold new way.

“Light of the World,” in theaters now, follows Christ’s story through the eyes of the youngest apostle, John (voiced by Benjamin Jacobson). That allows young viewers to experience Christ’s mission from a fresh, relatable perspective.

The film may not hail from the Mouse House’s iconic studio, but critics are praising both its sensitive storytelling and gorgeous animation. Bancroft was able to glean critical tips from the “nine old men,” the core Disney animators who helped bring the studio’s inimitable artistry to life.

“We get to put that emotion and that knowledge that we learned there [into the film] ... they were still passing down that wisdom to people like me and my brother [in the 1980s],” he says.

Finding Jesus

Bancroft played a role in bringing beloved Disney characters to life. Bringing Jesus to the big screen offered another, far more critical challenge.

“I honestly would wake up in the middle of the night ... it hit me so strongly ... when kids pray from that point forward, this might be the Jesus they see in their heads,” he says, adding his team created a Jesus figure with a skin tone darker than some previous screen incarnations.

The “Light of the World” Jesus posed another problem as a storyteller.

“Thematically, as a character in a film ... [Jesus] doesn’t really work. You want to have arcs to a character ... he’s going to question himself, he’s going to try, and he’s going to fail, and then he’s going to succeed later ... you don’t have that with Jesus,” he says. “Thankfully, we had that with John.”

Pixar/Disney

Bible stories on a budget

Working with Disney gave Bancroft access to money and resources that smaller, independent films can’t match.

“We had at least 10 at-bats ... we can miss a few times, maybe even nine times, and get it on the 10th at every level,” he says, meaning storyboard creation, vocal performances, and animation.

“I would do scenes over and over again until it was just right or just what the director wanted,” he says. “In an independent film, you have to get it right within the first one or two tries. You don’t get that many at-bats.”

The benefits, as he sees them, are considerable.

“You get to make the film you want to make,” he says, adding the film’s key financer, Matt McPherson, gave his team few guidelines beyond staying true to the Bible.

“I’ve never in 35 years had that freedom to make a movie,” he says. “We were off to the races and were loving every minute of it.”

Faith on the fast track

And he thinks more films like “Light of the World” are coming our way.

The faith-friendly genre has expanded in recent years, from “The Chosen” to 2024’s “Sound of Freedom.” Major streamers like Amazon Prime and Netflix have embraced spiritual stories, partly due to positive reactions from customers.

It’s show business, after all.

Another big difference, he says, is financial. Now, experienced storytellers who may have found themselves outside Hollywood’s creative bubble like Bancroft are getting back in the game on their terms.

“The money getting to the right people, honestly, has been the biggest difference. People don’t like to talk about that, but honestly, that’s how you make a change in Christian film,” he says.

Media meltdown as 'Kill Tony' breakout star Kam Patterson infiltrates liberal stronghold

One anti-woke comedian whose life was changed by Monday nights is about to try weekends on for size.

Kam Patterson, known mostly for his appearances on the viral comedy podcast "Kill Tony," has already landed roles in Kevin Hart's upcoming Netflix comedy "72 Hours" as well as the David Spade/Theo Von buddy pic "Busboys."

Turns out he'll also be trying his hand at another, more established, weekly variety show.

'Seeing people try to attack a black kid because he said he "voted for Trump" is absurd.'

"Monday nights changed my life, let's see how I do on Saturdays," Patterson wrote on Instagram, tagging his new employers, NBC.

Last week, "Saturday Night Live" revealed Patterson would be joining the cast for the 51st season, alongside four other rookies.

"Welcome to the cast!" the company wrote. Others in the media were not so sanguine about the Orlando native's new job.

Pajiba's Dustin Rowe attributed the hiring to SNL head Lorne Michaels' desire to tap into the "alt-right comedy space."

"He still uses 'gay' as a pejorative in the way it was tossed around in the ’80s," sniffed Rowe, while also noting that Patterson voted for President Trump.

Meanwhile, NPR's only note about Patterson's stand-up career was his defense of friend Tony Hinchcliffe, who dared to make a joke about Puerto Rico at an October 2024 Trump rally.

Syracuse.com took umbrage with Patterson's attacks on upstate New York, noting that the Orlando native had likened the food in Rochester, New York, to "pig slop" during one "Kill Tony" appearance, prompting Hinchcliffe to add that people in upstate New York settle down with "the first person that said they like you" before getting "stuck there, forever in eternal hell, while literally the rest of America laughs at you."

BlazeTV's Dave Landau offered a different take, however.

"Kam is a genuinely kind person and comedian that crowds really love," the comedian said. "I think 'SNL' is making the right choice with Kam because it’s about being funny, and comedy should never be about filling a quota or an agenda."

Landau continued, saying that Patterson has already won, despite what critics are saying.

"Seeing people try to attack a black kid because he said he 'voted for Trump' is absurd. I hope he hits superstardom."

On top of his many, many appearances on "Kill Tony" as an act, Patterson has also appeared on the panel at least four times ("Kill Tony" #633, #664, #700, and #710), despite outlet Pajiba claiming the reason he "hasn’t sat on a panel is because he’d overshadow everyone else."

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It's time to address America's transgender ideology problem

The Ruth Institute grieves with the community of the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. As we mourn the lives lost and the innocence shattered, our hearts are with the families, teachers, and students who will never be the same.

But our grief must not hinder us from taking a sober-minded look at the situation. A moral catastrophe of this magnitude has multiple contributing factors. Although new information continues to emerge, we can say with confidence that family breakdown, mental illness, and the transgender ideology all played a role.

Claiming that people can resolve their distress by 'transitioning' to the opposite sex masks existing mental illnesses.

I have a long history of speaking out on each of these issues. Even before I founded the Ruth Institute in 2008, I was deeply concerned about the impact of family breakdown on children.

Primal bond

My first book, Love and Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village, explained the importance of solid attachments between infants and their mothers. That primal bond contributes to the development of a conscience and self-control. A society cannot manage large numbers of people who do not care about others and who do anything they can get away with.

Since then, I've continued to study the risks associated with family breakdown. Divorce can shatter a child's understanding of their identity, with long-lasting negative effects. I have interviewed numerous people who have left a gay or lesbian identity behind; in many cases, their initial confusion stemmed from their parents' divorce. "When my parents divorced, I had no identity," one woman told me. She embraced a lesbian identity, struggled with drug addiction, and was haunted by the idea that she might want to become a man.

A broken family

As has been widely reported, Robert Westman's parents were divorced in 2013, when he was 13 years old.

Reading Westman's manifesto reveals a deeply disturbed person, consumed with hatred for others — both individuals and groups — and for himself. I have not seen reports of whether he had any kind of mental health diagnosis. But he was clearly not well, with a documented history of minor mental health-related incidents.

Too little, too late

As is too often the case, we can only discuss Westman's mental health now that it is too late. This is a persistent problem with the American approach to mental illness in general. We have yet to find a balance between respecting individual autonomy and preventing the psychologically disturbed from hurting themselves or others before they have demonstrated this potential.

As I once wrote,

We don't have facilities for people who pose a threat to others, but who haven't done anything yet. Many mentally ill people cycle between homelessness and the county jail, incarcerated for petty crimes, but receiving no long-term help. ... As many as a third of the homeless suffer from either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. But we can't make the mentally ill take their medications, even if those medications can mean the difference between a rational person who can function normally and a delusional person who is a danger to others.

That article was in response to the Virginia Tech mass shooting back in 2007. Evidently, the situation has not appreciably improved.

Sowing confusion

This brings me to the most destructive change I've seen over the years: the promotion of a transparently false ideology by political, business, media, and even medical leaders. I am speaking, of course, of transgender ideology, which claims, without the slightest hint of proof, that a person can be "born in the wrong body."

This ideology has created enormous confusion and done incalculable harm. Claiming that people can resolve their distress by "transitioning" to the opposite sex masks existing mental illnesses. Teaching young people that changing the sex of the body is even possible creates a whole new set of problems.

Backed by business and foundations, this ideology has torn families apart and corrupted the medical profession. Trump's executive order withdrawing federal support for such ideology illustrated just how deeply the U.S. government had been actively promoting it.

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

No refuge for parents

Westman's home state of Minnesota has created a particularly toxic environment. Parents of a 17-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl cannot engage a licensed therapist to help him explore his feelings and help steer him back to comfort with his body. A therapist who offered such services could lose his or her license. That's because Minnesota bans "conversion therapy," defined as efforts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

For parents who are divorced and not in agreement about their child's gender confusion, the family courts get involved. In blue states like Minnesota, family courts all too often favor the parent who wants to medicalize the child's confusion. Even more telling, Minnesota has officially declared itself a "trans refuge."

The stated aim of this legislation is to help families in states that limit their "access" to "gender-affirming care," better known as cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and surgery. However, parents who want these medical interventions for their children were already able to come to Minnesota any time they wanted. The real purpose of this and other "sanctuary laws" is to facilitate a child seeking such intervention without parental supervision and even against the wishes of the child's parents.

Pray for healing — and change

It is no exaggeration to say that the trans lobby gets what the trans lobby wants. Yet the post-Annunciation political conversation seems to be all about guns. In my opinion, this is a deflection from the weighty problem of trans-domination of state politics.

As we continue to pray for healing, we implore the public to enter into a serious conversation about these important issues in the days and weeks ahead. Let us not compound this atrocity by neglecting the opportunity to learn from it.