One of my daughter’s favorite parts of the holidays was being together with our entire family. She had a way of drawing everyone in, captivating us with her stories and adventures. She loved the lights, the sounds, and the energy of the season — the warmth and joy that made the holidays feel alive.

This Christmas will my family’s first without her joy and her warmth. Her life was taken too soon by someone who shouldn’t have been here to begin with. It didn’t have to be this way, and those responsible should be held accountable.

Christmas is a time for mercy. Katie was a merciful person and was quick to forgive. But we need more than mercy to move forward.

My daughter Katie Abraham was just 20 years old on January 19, when she was killed on the streets of Urbana, Illinois, by an illegal alien. Every day since has been marked by a void that cannot be filled — a pain that deepens as we approach the first anniversary of her death.

Her life was stolen by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal alien using an alias, who fled on foot after slamming into the vehicle she was riding in at nearly 80 miles per hour.

Bol was driving drunk and had previously been deported. In federal court, through an interpreter, he stated that he had no formal education, could not read or write in any language, and did not speak English — even after years in this country.

I refuse to accept that what happened to my little girl was accidental. The factors that caused her death were deliberate, reckless, and completely avoidable. They are the direct result of extreme sanctuary policies championed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and his political allies. Illinois leaders deliberately ignore the harm these policies cause families like mine because acknowledging it would expose their recklessness.

Compassion, in Illinois, seems reserved exclusively for illegal aliens — while victims and citizens are forgotten.

Bol was eventually apprehended by U.S. marshals two days after President Trump took office, caught in south Texas while heading for the border. I am grateful to the president, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE for securing the border immediately. Had Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas remained in charge, I firmly believe Bol would have escaped into Mexico and would never have been held accountable.

Bol accepted a plea deal of 30 years, of which he will serve 85%. Still, he killed two women and injured three others. No matter how it is framed, justice feels incomplete.

My daughter’s killer shouldn’t have been here in the first place, but Pritzker and the other sanctuary politicians in Springfield did everything they could to protect him from federal law enforcement. No accountability. No protection for law-abiding citizens. They call it compassion. These officials pretend to care about everyone while actually caring about no one.

Which brings me to the question that will not leave my mind: Where is the responsibility of the state of Illinois?

Does Illinois bear no responsibility for policies that allowed someone so dangerous to live freely among us? Who in state government will step up and challenge these policies? Who will speak for Katie?

So far, not a single Illinois politician has. Our governor is silent when it comes to my daughter, even as he loudly defends those who entered our state illegally and without vetting.

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

As parents, we do everything we can to protect our children — only to watch radical leaders advance policies that put them in harm’s way. It is infuriating to have no recourse against the destructive one-party rule of what was once a great state. Politicians shield themselves with immunity while families like mine live with irreversible consequences.

I have lived in Illinois my entire life. I remember when this state had guardrails — when it would have intervened to protect its citizens, especially its children. That Illinois no longer exists.

Another word defines our current reality: exemption.

Why do some groups receive exemptions from personal responsibility while others do not? Why are repeated violations of federal and state law rewarded rather than punished? Illinois leadership seems to believe that those who break countless laws will somehow transform into model citizens once released without consequence. History tells us the opposite.

Christmas is indeed a time for mercy. Katie was a merciful person and was quick to forgive. But we need more than mercy to move forward. The theologian Thomas Aquinas famously said that “mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution,” and he was right. Forgiveness without accountability is not compassion — it is negligence.

Without that accountability and the acknowledgment of wrongdoing, the people of Illinois will continue to suffer, and sanctuary policies will just create more victims.

So I ask again: Where is Pritzker’s responsibility? Where is the responsibility of the state of Illinois?

Because families like mine are paying the price.

Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement

'It is the American kids from poorer families, who already face significant obstacles, that are trapped in failing schools that are burdened with the impossible task of addressing the educational needs of large numbers of migrants,' FAIR's Ira Mehlman said.

ROOKE: If You’re State Didn’t Receive A Failing Grade On Left-Wing Test Call Your Governor

'this isn't the test you want to pass'

Kelsey Grammer honors faith with upcoming 'Bernadette: The Musical'

It may sound like an unlikely match — an evangelical Hollywood veteran producing a musical about a teenage Catholic saint. But for "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer, the story of St. Bernadette Soubirous — a young French girl who reported multiple apparitions of the Virgin Mary between February and July 1858 at a grotto in the village of Lourdes — proved impossible to forget.

"You can't turn your back on this," said Grammer last week at Chicago's Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture, where he and some cast members previewed the American debut of "Bernadette: The Musical."

'I wanted to be part of it because the simple beauty of this young lady who told the truth and stuck to it through amazing pressure, she earned her sainthood.'

“This young girl had a ... stick-to-itiveness and tenacity that can only come from the innocence of a child," Grammer continued. Already a hit in France, the show depicts the young Bernadette persisting in her claims despite skepticism from townsfolk and the local priest.

"That energy in the face of pure innocence becomes a really interesting battle,” said Grammer.

Soubirous subsequently became a nun, dying at 35. She was canonized in 1933. The site of the visitations is now the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a popular pilgrimage site for believers seeking miraculous healings.

Simple beauty

Introducing a selection of songs from the musical, Grammer emphasized the connection he felt to the project.

“I wanted to be part of it because the simple beauty of this young lady who told the truth and stuck to it through amazing pressure, she earned her sainthood,” he said.

“Man’s search for faith on this planet is part of why we're here. Part of our understanding of being a human being is to figure out where we fit in the universe and what our relationship is like to the creator of that universe, and I'm delighted to be here to take the story further for people.”

'Jesus made a difference'

Grammer has made no secret of his Christian faith. In 2023 he starred as Pastor Chuck Smith in "Jesus Revolution" — a role he said helped him find peace with God in the face of his own past struggles, which included drug and alcohol addiction as well as the murder of his younger sister in 1975. "Jesus made a difference in my life," he told USA Today while promoting the movie. "That's not anything I'll apologize for."

Speaking alongside show director Serge Denoncourt and fellow lead producer Pierre Ferragu, Grammer recalled being introduced to "Bernadette: The Musical" by his friend Fr. Mark Haydu, former international director of the Patrons of the Arts at the Vatican Museums.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Mic drop

Grammer said he was particularly moved by the "mic drop" moment in which Bernadette finally convinces her priest of the truth of her visions.

The vision tells her, "Tell them you’re speaking to the Immaculate Conception." ... She goes to the priest, and he asks "Who is it?" She says the Immaculate Conception, and he falls to his knees and is convinced. Because in her own limited history of faith, she does not know what they would even mean.

Grammer remains one of Hollywood’s most unapologetic and outspoken conservatives. A longtime Tea Party supporter and climate change skeptic, he has repeatedly endorsed President Donald Trump and spoken proudly about his beliefs. As he told the Times earlier this year, “It’s great to have somebody who actually means what they say [in office].”

"Bernadette: The Musical" will begin its nationwide tour in February 2026 at the Athenaeum Center in Chicago and is slated to tour at least 13 major cities.

'Law enforcement isn't to prevent crime' — Jasmine Crockett makes wild claims about ICE and National Guard

Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas has some interesting ideas on how law enforcement should be utilized.

Crockett was speaking on the "Grounded" podcast when she was asked about the presence of military vehicles in cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

'They are not trained to deal with civilians in that way.'

Host Jon Tester wanted to hear Crockett's thoughts, asking the congresswoman if she thought it was good or bad to have military presence in those cities.

"I think it's terrible," the politician replied. "First of all, you know, I'm like, how is it that we have a government that is hostile towards its people? Because that's what it is. I mean, we are in the midst of a hostile government takeover, and it is our government that is, like, bringing the hostility."

Crockett prefaced her remarks, made in September but now going viral, by saying that she would need to go into "legal mode" to explain how agencies like ICE and the United States Armed Forces are being misused by the Trump administration.

It was during that portion of her statements that Crockett made the odd claim about how local law enforcement is supposed to operate:

"I want to be clear that, like, law enforcement isn't to prevent crime. Law enforcement solves crime. OK? That is what they are supposed to do. They are supposed to solve crimes, not necessarily, um, prevent them from happening per se."

In addition to those views, Crockett claimed she does not believe the "average person" understands the different types of training that various law enforcement or military agencies undergo.

"So literally ICE is not trained to go out and do what they're doing," the 44-year-old stated.

However, not only do ICE's Enforcement and Removal operations teams train for "arrest, detention, and removal of aliens," but the American Immigration Lawyers Association even called ICE agents "among the most highly trained federal law enforcement officers in the United States" in 2018.

Moreover, the St. Louis native said she worried about the U.S. military's "readiness" due to the Trump administration "not doing smart things" with its allies. She then cited "different training" and different missions as being the reasons why she believes ICE and the National Guard are being misused by Trump.

"Local law enforcement, whether it's your local municipal police, your sheriff's deputies, your state troopers, they are trained completely differently. They are the ones that are trained in investigatory work. They are the ones that are trained on how to testify in trial, how to pull a case together. Same thing with, like, your FBI, your DEA, and that kind of stuff," Crockett went on.

The congresswoman then boldly claimed that those who signed up for the military do not have the training to deal with civilians.

"We are taking those that signed up for the service in whatever capacity, and we are now putting them on the streets and having them with guns. They are not trained to deal with civilians in that way. That is not what they are trained to do. Like, when you sign up for any military, you are a trained killer. You are trained for war, not for going and policing our streets. All right?"

Not only are civilian interactions common practice in training operations for U.S. military members, per official training documents, but the District of Columbia National Guard specifically trained for civilian interactions as recently as May 2024 under the Joe Biden administration.

The training noted the D.C. National Guard as having a long history of supporting operations in D.C. and that the training would help the entity "continue to support local law enforcement agencies in the metropolitan area."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Repeat offender allegedly strikes again — this time beating up female doctor in hospital parking garage in unprovoked attack

A rampant repeat offender who reportedly was arrested a dozen times this year alone is accused of beating up a female doctor in a Chicago hospital parking garage elevator in an unprovoked attack.

According to a Sunday CWB Chicago report, prosecutors said 39-year-old Sean Popps followed a 42-year-old cardiologist into the elevator in the parking garage at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Streeterville campus just after 1:30 p.m. Nov. 2 and began repeatedly punching her in the head as she stumbled backward and covered her face with her hands.

Popps also was arrested seven times in 2024, again in almost every case mostly on or near the hospital grounds, the outlet said.

A Chicago police report said the victim suffered multiple bruises, scrapes, and hematomas to her face, head, arm, and hand, the outlet reported.

What's more, officials said she had no prior contact with Popps and that the attack was completely unprovoked, according to CWB Chicago.

Chicago school district lets children ditch class over ICE fears: Report

A school district in a Democratic-led sanctuary city has reportedly implemented an attendance policy that allows illegal immigrant students to skip school due to fears of federal immigration enforcement.

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

'CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool.'

The document, titled "Chicago Public Schools' Attendance Coding for Safety Concerns Related to Federal Representative Activity," states that the district is "fully committed" to providing children a safe learning environment, adding that it "has strong protections and protocols in place to protect our students and staff."

CPS highlighted a November 2024 resolution from the Chicago Board of Education, stating that "while these protections and procedures are related to immigration enforcement, they apply to interactions with all federal agents and representatives, including the National Guard."

The district explains that, as part of its commitment to "Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance," it does not ask about immigration status and will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Under a section labeled "Attendance Guidance," the CPS document reads, "If a parent/guardian reports an absence and attributes it to fear of federal representative-related procedures, schools CAN excuse the absence under 'concern for student health and safety.'"

When filling out an excused absence request, parents are instructed not to provide any additional information about the absence other than indicating a "concern for student health and safety" to protect the family's "confidentiality."

The district states that it does not set a time limit for how long this reason for absence may be used.

If a parent or guardian has been "impacted by federal representative-related procedures," they can appoint a short-term guardian who can request an excused absence on behalf of the student.

Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Students are similarly permitted to arrive late or leave early to "avoid official start and dismissal times wherein federal representatives may be present," the document adds.

Additionally, the district reportedly allows students one excused absence "to engage in a civic event," such as a demonstration or protest.

While the Illinois State Board of Education does not currently permit students to participate in a hybrid or remote option, CPS states that if this policy changes, it will provide updated information.

"Chicago Public Schools is effectively telling families that fear of federal law enforcement is a standing excuse to keep children out of class with no time limit and no paper trail," Kendall Tietz, an investigative reporter at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. "CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool. Instead, public schools should be focused on getting kids to school and keeping accurate records, not quietly encouraging truancy and obstructing cooperation with federal authorities. This policy undermines both student learning and the rule of law."

CPS did not respond to a request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Blue cities reject law, reject order — and reject America

Allow me to shock some of my readers by declaring my opposition to President Trump’s plan to send the National Guard into crime-ridden cities. My objection has nothing to do with constitutional authority. Having studied the matter, I believe the president does, in fact, have the power to deploy federal forces to address rising urban crime.

History also shows such interventions can work. The drop in violence in Washington, D.C., after federal forces arrived to restore order is evidence enough.

If residents wanted leaders who took crime seriously, they would vote for them. Their refusal to do so exposes their political priorities.

I also concede that a case can be made for this step in the District of Columbia. Washington is under congressional jurisdiction, and the president, operating within that framework, has made the city safer for residents, political leaders, and foreign visitors. The mayor has even expressed appreciation for the assistance, although the District’s electorate — heavily black, heavily Democratic, and deeply hostile to the administration — continues to seethe at the very idea of federal involvement.

And for the record, the president is entirely justified in directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pursue illegal aliens with criminal records. These offenders have no right to remain in the United States, and the Democratic effort to preserve them as foot soldiers for the party is as cynical as it is transparent. The administration deserves credit for removing these “high-value” assets from the Democratic client network.

Ungrateful, unwanted

My problem arises with Trump’s call for federal intervention in cities where the local government — and most of the population — passionately opposes it. Even if the president can deploy the National Guard without a governor’s approval, prudence suggests he shouldn’t.

I can think of few officials more odious than Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) or Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D). Yet both remain far more popular in their city than Trump or the GOP. Johnson’s approval is collapsing, but it is almost certain that whoever succeeds him will be another black or Hispanic Democrat who wins votes by railing against our supposedly “fascist” president.

Residents of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods express emphatic disapproval of Trump’s plan. These are people who live amid constant danger yet habitually vote for leftist mayoral candidates. The same pattern holds in Portland, Charlotte, St. Louis, and Baltimore — cities Trump proposes to “liberate” with federal intervention.

Voters chose this

I cannot imagine why Trump should insert himself where voters clearly do not want him.

If residents wanted leaders who took crime seriously, they would vote for them. Their refusal to do so exposes their political priorities. I consider those priorities misguided and even self-destructive, but it is absurd to claim “the people are demanding” help when most are vocally rejecting it.

Voters should be allowed to live under the governments they choose. If they wanted different policies, they would stop electing Democrats who call for defunding the police, eliminating bail, and condemning crime prevention as racist. Despite the Fox News narrative, minorities who vote this way are not “victims” of Democratic manipulation. That idea is as fanciful as the GOP refrain that today’s Democratic Party is simply the slaveholding party of the 1830s. Voters who elect leftist Democrats are not trapped. They are expressing, clearly, the type of society they want.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

The vote that counts most

Ben Shapiro recently said something that rattled some listeners but which I find eminently defensible: If you abhor the politics of the place where you live, move. He followed his own advice, leaving deep-blue California for increasingly red Florida. Some interpret this as a call to uproot families and abandon long-standing communities.

But what exactly is the alternative? Should the federal government override election results because a city or state radicalized itself? Should Trump nullify votes? That will not happen. Nor can we easily disenfranchise those who lawfully exercise the franchise and continue electing the mayors, prosecutors, and governors responsible for our collapsing urban order.

Those who reject the leftist agenda retain one real option: vote with their feet. This path frees citizens from majorities who have democratically chosen anarcho-tyranny — not only for themselves but for everyone else who lives under their jurisdiction.

If a community insists on preserving violent disorder, permissive prosecutors, and ideological governance, the federal government cannot save them from themselves. Only the voters can. And until they do, they deserve the government they support.

Biden turned American airports into migrant flophouses — forcing taxpayers to foot the bill

During the peak of the Biden administration’s open-border chaos, reports surfaced that foreign nationals were sleeping on airport floors around the nation, mainly due to over-capacity at local shelters.

In June 2024, more than 100 people reportedly camped out at Boston Logan International Airport. There were also reports that immigrants were sheltering at the San Diego International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

'This report exposes how the Biden Department of Transportation conspired with local leaders in New York, Boston, and Chicago to house migrants in airport facilities at taxpayer expense.'

A new report by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation found that the Biden administration played a role in this situation by directing multiple federal agencies to identify airports to serve as shelter space or processing facilities for foreign nationals, Fox News Digital reported on Monday. This action was directed to the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration.

The DOT and the FAA were reportedly instructed to “inventory available facilities,” including airports owned by the federal government and those owned locally, to “divert federal resources” to support the influx of arriving foreign nationals.

The committee found that at least 11 of the nation’s airports were pressured to allow migrants to shelter inside terminals, hangars, and auxiliary buildings, Fox News Digital reported. This pressure campaign included Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, and John F. Kennedy in New York.

Massport told Blaze News that it informed federal officials that the airport was “not designed or resourced to manage the intake of migrant populations,” warning that it “would create a host of unintended safety and security consequences.”

Jodi Hilton for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The committee highlighted an incident at the JFK Airport in 2024 in which a national from Ecuador “ran past a security post into ‘the secure area' ... toward two runways.” Security apprehended the individual, who was found in possession of a box cutter and scissors.

The report claimed that FAA officials were aware that such actions may require federal approval under grant-assurance rules, but they “ignored them most of the time when airports used their facilities to house aliens.”

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

“The Biden-Harris administration made airports and aviation less secure,” the committee’s report stated. It argued that the administration allowed and even encouraged “aliens to shelter at U.S. airports, by allowing improperly vetted aliens to fly into and throughout the United States, and by diverting needed federal air marshals to the border.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the chairman of the committee, told Fox News Digital, “This report exposes how the Biden Department of Transportation conspired with local leaders in New York, Boston, and Chicago to house migrants in airport facilities at taxpayer expense.”

“Their decisions — to transport illegal aliens through airports without identity checks, even those with felonies — shows in new detail how Biden’s open-border policy co-opted government agencies to put American citizens at risk,” Cruz said.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Trump taunts political opponents as turkey pardon goes off script: 'He's a fat slob'

To the amusement of staff and attendees, President Donald Trump once again went wildly off script during the annual turkey pardon ceremony at the White House.

Trump pardoned two turkeys on Tuesday named Gobble and Waddle, one of which was unfortunately "missing in action." During his address leading up to the pardon, the president shared several unscripted, Trumpian quips, prompting laughter from the audience.

'I don't talk about people being fat.'

Trump first set his sights on Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, who has butted heads with the administration over calls to deploy the National Guard to the crime-ridden city of Chicago. Trump taunted Pritzker for refusing to accept federal assistance in Chicago, and of course, for his weight.

"I'm not going to tell my Pritzker joke," Trump said. "They have a very cute little joke, you know. Some speechwriter wrote some joke about his weight, but I would never want to talk about his weight."

.@POTUS: "Gobble, I just want to tell you this — very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned!"

🤣🦃 pic.twitter.com/WmjvScCf6K
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 25, 2025

"I don't talk about people being fat," Trump added. "I refuse to talk about the fact that he's a fat slob. I don't mention it!"

Trump conceded that although Pritzker is "a fat slob," he himself could "lose a few pounds too."

But Trump did not stop at Pritzker. The president got back on track to talk about Gobble and Waddle's imminent presidential pardons but not before taking another jab at his two greatest opponents on Capitol Hill.

"When I first saw their pictures ... well, I shouldn't say this," Trump said.

Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy," Trump said, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "But then I realized I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people."

On the topic of pardons, Trump also joked about former President Joe Biden's autopen, questioning the validity of last year's turkey pardon.

"He used an autopen last year for the turkey's pardon," Trump said. "So I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year's turkey pardons are totally invalid as are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned other than ... where's Hunter?"

"Hunter's was good, that was the one pardon ... that was good."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Christmas without Katie — and without accountability

Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement

Kelsey Grammer honors faith with upcoming 'Bernadette: The Musical'

Simple beauty

'Jesus made a difference'

Mic drop

'Law enforcement isn't to prevent crime' — Jasmine Crockett makes wild claims about ICE and National Guard

Repeat offender allegedly strikes again — this time beating up female doctor in hospital parking garage in unprovoked attack

Chicago school district lets children ditch class over ICE fears: Report

Blue cities reject law, reject order — and reject America

Ungrateful, unwanted

Voters chose this

The vote that counts most

Biden turned American airports into migrant flophouses — forcing taxpayers to foot the bill

Trump taunts political opponents as turkey pardon goes off script: 'He's a fat slob'

'Why would somebody have such hate?' Churchgoers stunned at vandalism against Nativity display

The party that made life more expensive wants credit for noticing

Meet The Saint Who Shaped The Modern Nativity Scene

Why Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ Still Warms Our Hearts

Christian Almost Murdered Twice By Islamists Finds Home In Canada For Christmas

Secularized America Needs A Charlie Brown Christmas Now More Than Ever

It’s Your Civic Duty To Reject The ‘Nation Of Immigrants’ Propaganda You Learned In School

Simple beauty

'Jesus made a difference'

Mic drop

Ungrateful, unwanted

Voters chose this

The vote that counts most

We’ll keep you informed with top stories for conservatives who want to become informed decision makers.