Category: News
How Andrew Jackson Freed America From Central Bank Control… And Why It Matters Now
How Andrew Jackson Freed America From Central Bank Control… And Why It Matters Now
Authored by Nick Giambruno via InternationalMan.com,
It’s hard to believe the United States government was ever debt-free.
But it happened once—in 1835—thanks to President Andrew Jackson. He was the first and only president to pay off the national debt completely.
One biographer says the former president viewed debt as a “moral failing,” a sort of “black magic.”
When he became president, Jackson was determined to rid the US of its national debt. After all, debt enslaves you to your creditors.
Jackson knew that being debt-free was essential to independence. This outlook resonated with many Americans back then.
With that in mind, Jackson attacked the institutions and powerful people who promoted and enabled the federal debt. This included the banking elites and the Second Bank of the United States, the country’s central bank at the time and precursor to today’s insidious Federal Reserve system.
While campaigning against the evils of national debt and central banking, Jackson miraculously survived an assassination attempt when an assassin’s two pistols both misfired. Shadowy interests tied to the central bank were almost certainly behind the effort.
However, Jackson survived and went on to “End the Fed” of his days. He successfully bested the central bank—and the powerful interests behind it—and shut down the Second Bank of the United States.
He also repaid the federal debt in full, which was no easy task.
Jackson couldn’t squeeze the American people with a federal income tax to repay the debt. It didn’t exist at the time and would have been unconstitutional.
He also couldn’t simply print currency to pay off the debt. Perpetuating such an insane fraud—which the Fed does on a massive scale today—likely never entered his mind.
Instead, Jackson had to rely on tax revenue from other sources, mainly import tariffs and excise taxes, to pay down the debt. He also drastically cut federal spending and frequently vetoed spending bills.
Jackson’s determination worked. By January 1835, the US was debt-free for the first time.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last much more than a year. After that, the US would never again be debt-free—not even close.
Revenge of the Central Bankers
After Jackson succeeded in ending the Second Bank of the United States, anything associated with a central bank became deeply unpopular with the American public. So, central bank advocates tried a new branding strategy.
Rather than call their new central bank the “Third Bank of the United States,” they went for a vague and boring name. They called it “the Federal Reserve” and managed to hide it from the average person in plain sight. As a result, over 100 years since its founding, most Americans have no idea what the Federal Reserve is or what it actually does.
Ironically, Jackson’s face has been on the $20 “Federal Reserve Note” since 1928. So in a sense, this symbolic move is central banking advocates giving the middle finger to one of their most steadfast opponents.
After all, the Fed is really the “Third Bank of the United States.” No doubt, Jackson would have been disturbed at having his face on its fake confetti money.
In any case, most Americans today have no idea who Jackson is, what he did, or why he did it.
To the extent he is ever mentioned, the media, academia, and the rest of the establishment unjustly besmirch him as—you guessed it—a “racist.”
That’s exactly what the Deep State—the permanently entrenched bureaucracy—wants. It doesn’t want the average citizen to understand why Jackson shut down the central bank and (temporarily) freed Americans from national debt bondage. Doing the same thing today would be a mortal threat to their power.
This is one of the reasons the establishment will try in the coming years to replace Jackson on the $20 bill with the more politically-correct Harriet Tubman… pushing Jackson further down the memory hole.
Trillions and Trillions
You often hear the media, politicians, and financial analysts casually toss around the word “trillion” without appreciating what it means.
A trillion is a massive, almost unfathomable number.
The human brain has trouble understanding something so huge. So let me try to put it into perspective.
Suppose you had a job that paid you $1 per second, or $3,600 per hour.
That amounts to $86,400 per day and about $32 million per year.
With that job, it would take you 31.5 years to earn a billion dollars.
With that job, it would take you over 31,688 YEARS to earn a trillion dollars.
So that’s how enormous a trillion is.
When politicians carelessly spend and print money measured in the trillions, you are in dangerous territory.
And that is precisely what the Federal Reserve and the central banking system has enabled the US government to do.
It took 146 years after Jackson fully paid off the debt in 1835—or until 1981—for the US government to rack up its first trillion in debt. The second trillion only took four years. After that, the next trillions came in increasingly shorter intervals.
Today, Congress has normalized multi-trillion dollar federal spending deficits. It’s politically impossible to even slow the federal spending growth rate, let alone cut it.
As a result, the US federal debt has gone parabolic.
The US federal government has the largest debt in the history of the world. And it’s continuing to grow at a rapid, unstoppable pace.
The debt will keep piling up as the US government continues to pay for political promises regardless of who sits in the White House. It’s virtually inevitable.
The federal debt also represents an outrageous crime inflicted on the next generation. They are the ones who will be stuck with this massive unpaid bill from today’s spending, and it will turn them into indentured serfs.
It’s doubtful Congress considers this even for a second. They are always eager to send billions to faraway foreign lands or the latest boondoggle.
Of course, this is not a groundbreaking revelation. People like Ron Paul have warned Americans about the dangers of the federal debt for a long time.
It’s just that nobody has heeded these warnings. And no one has taken serious political action to address the problem. Nor is anyone likely to.
The interest expense on the federal debt is now larger than defense spending and is about to exceed Social Security to become the BIGGEST expenditure in the federal budget. And it won’t stop there.
In short, the US government is approaching the financial endgame and can no longer disguise its bankruptcy.
If we step back and zoom out, the Big Picture is clear.
We are likely on the cusp of a historic shift… and what’s coming next could change everything.
That’s precisely why I just released an urgent report on where this is all headed and what you can do about it… including three strategies everyone needs today. Click here to download the PDF it now.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/22/2025 – 11:40
Ataques israelíes contra Gaza ponen la tregua en jaque; hospitales reportan 20 muertos
Por WAFAA SHURAFA
DEIR AL-BALAH, Franja de Gaza (AP) — El ejército de Israel lanzó ataques aéreos el sábado contra milicianos de Hamás en Gaza, en la más reciente violación del alto el fuego que comenzó el 10 de octubre. Autoridades de salud en Gaza reportaron al menos 24 muertos y 54 heridos, incluyendo niños.
Los ataques israelíes se registran en un momento en que toma fuerza un impulso internacional sobre Gaza, en el que destaca la aprobación el lunes de parte del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU de un plan de Estados Unidos para asegurar y gobernar el territorio. Este plan autoriza el despliegue de una fuerza internacional de estabilización para proporcionar seguridad, aprueba un gobierno transitorio que será supervisado por el presidente Donald Trump y contempla un posible camino futuro hacia un Estado palestino independiente.
Israel ha perpetrado previamente una serie de ofensivas similares tras reportes de ataques contra sus fuerzas. Al menos 33 palestinos fueron asesinados durante un período de 12 horas entre miércoles y jueves, en su mayoría mujeres y niños, de acuerdo con autoridades sanitarias de Gaza.
Uno de los ataques del sábado tuvo como objetivo un vehículo, matando a 11 palestinos e hiriendo a más de 20 en el barrio de Rimal en Ciudad de Gaza, afirmó Rami Mhanna, director gerente del Hospital Shifa, a donde fueron trasladadas las víctimas. La mayoría de los heridos eran niños, señaló el director Mohamed Abu Selmiya. Un video de The Associated Press mostró a niños y otras personas inspeccionando el vehículo atacado, ya sin techo.
Otro ataque que tuvo como objetivo una casa cerca del Hospital Al-Awda, en el centro de Gaza, mató al menos a tres personas e hirió a otras 11, según el hospital. Se informó que un ataque a una casa en el campamento de Nuseirat en el centro de Gaza dejó al menos siete muertos, entre ellos un niño, y 16 heridos.
Y un ataque contra una casa en Deir al-Balah en el centro de Gaza mató a tres personas, incluida una mujer, de acuerdo con el Hospital Al-Aqsa.
“De repente, escuché una fuerte explosión. Miré hacia afuera y vi humo cubriendo todo. No podía ver nada. Me tapé los oídos y comencé a gritar a los demás en la tienda para que corrieran”, dijo Khalil Abu Hatab en Deir al-Balah. “Cuando me asomé de nuevo, me di cuenta de que el piso superior de la casa de mi vecino había desaparecido”.
“Es un alto el fuego frágil”, añadió. “Así no se puede vivir. No hay lugar seguro”.
El ejército de Israel informó en un comunicado que lanzó ataques contra Hamás después que un “terrorista armado” cruzó a un área controlada por Israel y disparó a las tropas en el sur de Gaza. Afirmó que ningún soldado resultó herido. El ejército agregó que la persona había utilizado una carretera por la que ingresa ayuda humanitaria al territorio, y lo calificó como una “violación extrema” del alto el fuego.
En declaraciones separadas, el ejército indicó que los soldados mataron a cinco “terroristas” en el área de Rafah, y a otros dos luego de disparar contra cuatro personas que cruzaron a áreas controladas por Israel en el norte de Gaza y avanzaron hacia los soldados en dos incidentes separados.
La guerra comenzó con el ataque liderado por Hamás en el sur de Israel el 7 de octubre de 2023, que mató a unas 1.200 personas y tomó a más de 250 como rehenes. Casi todos los rehenes o sus restos han sido devueltos en altos el fuego u otros acuerdos.
El Ministerio de Salud de Gaza dice que 69.733 palestinos han sido asesinados y 170.863 heridos en la ofensiva de represalia de Israel. El número ha aumentado durante el alto el fuego tanto por nuevos ataques israelíes como por la recuperación e identificación de cadáveres de personas asesinadas anteriormente en la guerra.
El Ministerio no distingue entre civiles y combatientes en sus cifras, pero ha dicho que las mujeres y los niños constituyen la mayoría de los muertos. El Ministerio, parte del gobierno dirigido por Hamás y compuesto por profesionales médicos, mantiene registros detallados que son considerados generalmente confiables por expertos independientes.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Trump Ends TPS For Somalis In Minnesota After Explosive Report Reveals Welfare Fraud Network Funding Overseas Terror
Trump Ends TPS For Somalis In Minnesota After Explosive Report Reveals Welfare Fraud Network Funding Overseas Terror
President Trump announced Friday night that he is ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Democrat-run Minnesota, following a bombshell report published in the City Journal that revealed large-scale welfare fraud tied to parts of Minnesota’s Somali community that funneled money overseas, including to a terrorist organization.
“Minnesota, under Governor Waltz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He continued, “I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota. Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER! President DJT.”
Investigative journalists Ryan Thorpe and Christopher F. Rufo’s report in the City Journal revealed that billions in taxpayer funds were stolen through Medicaid programs, childcare-meal reimbursements, and autism-services schemes by Minnesota’s Somali community. These funds then ultimately ended up in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab.
🚨BREAKING: “The Minnesota tax payers are funneling money through FRAUDULENT autism claims back to Somalia where that money lands in the accounts of Al-Shabaab.”
Al-Shabaab is “an Al-Qaeda linked Islamic terror group.”
Deport every single one of them & arrest anyone who helped. pic.twitter.com/PXFiJ0s76S
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) November 21, 2025
“This is a third-rail conversation, but the largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer,” a source told the journalists, adding, “There is an issue here that is real, and if there is ever an event that is traceable back to these funds, or to people from this area, then this situation will take on a whole new set of optics.”
Just shocking.
BREAKING – It has been revealed that Somalians in Minnesota have been using fraudulent autism Medicare claims to fund the Somali terror group Al-Shabaab, with claims rising from $3 million in 2018 to $399 million in 2023, effectively making Minnesota taxpayers the group’s largest… pic.twitter.com/SXOqi7VJ1m
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) November 20, 2025
Rufo’s report has unleashed a massive burst of nationwide media attention on the corruption over the last several days. This suggests that much greater reforms are coming, likely in the name of national security (cc Rubio). It’s also possible that the Manhattan Institute already has an executive-order framework queued up for the White House.
Meanwhile, the anti-American, anti-capitalist Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is furious with the Trump administration. She wrote on X:
I am a citizen and so are majority of Somalis in America. Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay
I am a citizen and so are majority of Somalis in America. Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay 💁🏽♀️ https://t.co/JHSO3PKL6O
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 22, 2025
“It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject,” Gov. Tim Walz wrote on X. Like many Democrats pushing back on Trump, leftist Walz notably failed to mention Rufo’s report.
It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject.https://t.co/pv8OJWUxR1
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) November 22, 2025
Rufo’s report created the outage in the news cycle. What comes next is usually reforms. The Democratic Party’s suicidal empathy has resulted in Minnesota taxpayers becoming the largest funders of the Al-Shabaab terror group. This is insane and also nation-killing.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/22/2025 – 11:05
En caso inédito para pontífice, León XIV acepta renuncia de obispo español acusado de abuso sexual
Por NICOLE WINFIELD
ROMA (AP) — El papa León XIV aceptó el sábado la renuncia de un obispo español enfermo que está bajo investigación de la Iglesia por presuntamente haber abusado sexualmente de un joven seminarista en la década de 1990, primera vez que el nuevo pontífice destituye a un obispo acusado de abuso.
En un comunicado de una sola línea, el Vaticano indicó que León XIV había aceptado la renuncia del obispo de Cádiz, Rafael Zornoza, de 76 años. No se especificó el motivo, pero Zornoza presentó su renuncia al papa el año pasado al cumplir 75 años, la edad normal de jubilación para los obispos.
Sin embargo, no había sido aceptada hasta que el periódico El País publicó a principios de este mes que Zornoza ha sido investigado recientemente por un tribunal eclesiástico. El diario, que desde 2018 ha expuesto décadas de abuso y encubrimiento en la Iglesia católica española, indicó que Zornoza fue acusado de abusar de un joven exseminarista cuando era un joven sacerdote y dirigía el seminario diocesano en Getafe.
El artículo, citando una carta que el exseminarista escribió al Vaticano durante el verano, señalaba que Zornoza lo manoseó y dormía regularmente con él desde que tenía 14 años hasta los 21. La carta del exseminarista agregó que Zornoza escuchó su confesión y lo persuadió para que viera a un psiquiatra para “curar” su homosexualidad.
La diócesis de Cádiz negó las acusaciones contra Zornoza pero confirmó que la investigación es llevada a cabo por el tribunal eclesiástico en Madrid conocido como la Rota. En un comunicado del 10 de noviembre, la diócesis informó que Zornoza estaba cooperando con la investigación y había suspendido “temporalmente su agenda para el esclarecimiento de los hechos y para atender el tratamiento de un cáncer agresivo que está recibiendo”..
“Las acusaciones que se hacen, referidas a hechos que tuvieron lugar hace casi treinta años, son muy graves y además falsas”, decía el comunicado.
Se cree que es el primer caso conocido públicamente de un obispo retirado y sometido a investigación por presunto abuso sexual desde que la Iglesia española comenzó a enfrentar en los últimos años un legado de décadas de abuso y encubrimiento que ha sacudido a la otrora firmemente católica España.
León XIV no ha nombrado por el momento a un líder temporal para la diócesis.
En 2023, la primera pesquisa oficial de abuso en España reveló que el número de víctimas podría ascender a cientos de miles, basándose en una encuesta que formó parte de un informe de la oficina del Defensor del Pueblo de España. El Defensor del Pueblo realizó una investigación independiente de 18 meses sobre 487 casos que involucraban a presuntas víctimas que hablaron con el equipo de ese órgano constitucional.
Los obispos católicos de España ofrecieron disculpas pero desestimaron las interpretaciones del informe del Defensor del Pueblo como una “mentira”, argumentando que muchas más personas habían sido abusadas fuera de la Iglesia.
La jerarquía católica española luego hizo su propio informe, afirmando en 2024 que había encontrado evidencia de 728 abusadores sexuales dentro de la Iglesia desde 1945. Luego lanzó un plan para compensar a las víctimas, después que el gobierno de España aprobara un plan para obligar a la Iglesia a pagar reparaciones económicas.
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La cobertura de religión de The Associated Press recibe apoyo a través de la colaboración de la AP con The Conversation US, con financiación de Lilly Endowment Inc. La AP es la única responsable de este contenido.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
“Poor Guy… They Made Him Stay In That Castle!” – Rogan Roasts Prince Andrew’s “Punishment”
“Poor Guy… They Made Him Stay In That Castle!” – Rogan Roasts Prince Andrew’s “Punishment”
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
Joe Rogan has hilariously mocked Prince Andrew’s ‘downfall’, highlighting how the disgraced royal—stripped of titles for Epstein ties—still lives like a king in a lavish estate, exposing the elite’s fake accountability while victims like Virginia Giuffre faced horrors.
Rogan ridiculed Andrew’s “exile” to Royal Lodge: “Poor guy. That’s so sad. They made him stay in that castle. Look how beautiful that place is.”
He doubled down: “Bro, look at the gardener’s house. Show him the gardener’s house. That’s where the gardener lives. That f*cking place is beautiful.”
“Prince Andrew has been stripped of his royal titles and roles and will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” Rogan said referring to a news report on the development.
“In addition to being relocated to a beautiful estate in the countryside, he will continue to receive financial support from the king,” he further noted.
Joe Rogan can’t believe the house Prince Andrew gets to live in after being kicked out of the Royal Family.
“Poor guy. That’s so sad. They made him stay in that castle. Look how beautiful that place is.”
“Bro, look at the gardener’s house. Show him the gardener’s house. That’s… pic.twitter.com/ub010Puv1L
— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) November 20, 2025
Andrew’s ‘punishment’ stems from his Epstein friendship—visiting the pedophile post-conviction, flying on his jet, and hosting him at Balmoral.
In 2022, he settled a lawsuit with Giuffre for millions over allegations he raped her at 17, leading to Queen Elizabeth stripping his HRH title, military roles, and patronages.
King Charles “excommunicated” him from family events, evicting him from Royal Lodge—but Andrew clings to the 30-room mansion with private funding, still enjoying security and staff.
Giuffre accused Andrew of three assaults in 2001, including at Epstein’s island—claims he denied but settled.
U.S. lawmakers have questioned her “suicide” in Australia, with her father also demanding an investigation, stating “My daughter was a fighter… I don’t buy it.”
Another victim, Juliette Bryant has warned of the “Clinton body count” noting suspicious Epstein victim deaths—fearing for her life amid elite cover-ups.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/22/2025 – 10:30
Chelsea vence 2-0 a Burnley y recorta distancia con el Arsenal, líder de la Liga Premier
Por JAMES ROBSON
Chelsea redujo la diferencia con el Arsenal, líder de la Liga Premier, a tres puntos al vencer el sábado 2-0 al Burnley.
Pedro Neto y Enzo Fernández anotaron en Turf Moor y el Chelsea se movió provisionalmente al segundo lugar.
Arsenal enfrenta el domingo al Tottenham y el Manchester City puede recuperar el segundo puesto cuando juegue más tarde contra el Newcastle.
Neto adelantó a Chelsea a los 37 minutos con su segundo gol en el mismo número de partidos y su cuarto de la temporada.
Fernández aseguró la victoria al 88 con un disparo a ras desde dentro del área.
Burnley se mantuvo un lugar por encima de la zona de descenso en el puesto 17, pero podría ser arrastrado a los últimos tres dependiendo de los resultados del resto de la jornada.
West Ham, en el puesto 18, enfrenta más tarde al Bournemouth, y Nottingham Forest, en el puesto 19, visitará el campo del campeón defensor Liverpool.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Fire Breaks Out On Container Ship Moored At Los Angeles Port
Fire Breaks Out On Container Ship Moored At Los Angeles Port
Dramatic footage posted on X overnight shows a fire erupting on the container ship One Henry Hudson while it was berthed at the Yusen Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported the 1,100-foot container ship experienced an “electrical fire” that started below deck and spread to “several levels” of the ship by late Friday evening.
BREAKING: New exclusive video shows a large fire burning aboard the One Henry Hudson container ship at the Port of Los Angeles.
The vessel recently arrived from Tokyo. More than 100 LAFD firefighters — along with LA City and Long Beach fire boats — are attacking the blaze. Port… pic.twitter.com/h18SU75iiq
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) November 22, 2025
More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze, which prompted a multi-agency emergency response involving the LAFD, Long Beach Fire, Port Police, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
All crew members are safe and no injuries have been reported, but four of the port’s seven terminals have halted operations.
Ship-tracking data from Bloomberg shows the One Henry Hudson departed Tokyo before heading to the Port of Los Angeles.
There are no further details on what caused the electrical fire, or whether lithium batteries may have sparked it.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/22/2025 – 09:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/blaze-breaks-out-container-ship-moored-los-angeles-port
Trucks are catching fire due to improper recycling. Here’s how to do it right.
Seven recycling trucks were destroyed by fire last year when residents made the mistake of putting lithium-ion batteries and other dangerous materials into their curbside recycling containers for pickup, a recycling company official revealed at a recent event in Glenview.
Javier Erazo, district manager of Groot Industries/Waste Connections told a room of more than 60 people gathered at the Glenview Library for an Oct. 27 program on proper recycling, “We probably deal with fires on a daily basis during certain seasons.
“Sometimes we’ll have a fire, we’ll extinguish it and then, within that same area, the second shift will come in hours later and something else will ignite.”
Co-sponsored by Greener Glenview, “Recycling: Myth vs. Reality,” included representatives from the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) and Groot/Waste Connections, who explained how the suburban recycling system works, outlined materials that are acceptable for curbside recycling and at drop-off sites, shared new initiatives that are set to launch and answered audience questions.
Glenview residents, like a number of other suburban communities, receive waste hauling services and collection of recyclables from Groot, which was acquired by Waste Connections in 2017.
Glenview is also a member of SWANCC, an intergovernmental agency that disposes of collected waste, while also offering special services for proper disposal of items that cannot be recycled but should also stay out of landfills.
When garbage is collected, it is taken to SWANCC’s Glenview Transfer Station where it is loaded into semi-trucks and hauled to the Winnebago Landfill south of Rockford, explained Theresa Greinig, education coordinator for SWANCC.
The 23 communities that are members of SWANCC generate about 250,000 tons of garbage for the landfill each year, Greinig said.
When recycled materials are collected from within the village, they are taken to material recovery facilities where they are sorted and prepared for recycling, Erazo said.
Items that are improperly placed in recycling carts, like batteries, hypodermic needles and diapers, can endanger workers who manually sort materials that enter the material recovery facilities, he noted.
According to SWANCC, items that are acceptable for curbside recycling carts include:
• Glass bottles and jars
• Metal, steel and aluminum cans and containers
• Paper, magazines, cartons and flattened boxes
• Plastic bottles and jugs with their caps on
All materials should be clean and not placed in bags, according to SWANCC officials.
The following items should not be recycled:
• Batteries
• Electronics
• Hypodermic needles
• Plastic bags and wrap
• Diapers and tissues
• Food and liquid
• Shredded paper
• Clothing and shoes
• Hoses, wires, cords and hangers
Glenview residents with questions of “what goes where” can use the village’s Recycle Coach search at https://www.glenview.il.us/sustainability. Garbage and recycling schedules are also available.
More information about curbside recycling guidelines can be found at www.swancc.org.
SWANCC also offers special one-day events for disposal of electronics and document destruction, with dates available on the agency’s website.
Beginning in December, SWANCC will begin collecting latex paint, said Christina Seibert, executive director, Details of how the program will work are forthcoming, she added.
In January, drop-off sites for batteries—lithium, alkaline and rechargeable—will also be available at certain retail locations, Seibert said.
Recently, SWANCC launched the Feed the Cart campaign to encourage recycling of proper materials and raise awareness. Ads featuring Loop, the “friendly recycling cart,” will appear on billboards, transit ads, and social media, Seibert said.
“We really are looking at this as the most funding we’ve had for recycling education in a very long time,” she noted.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/22/trucks-catching-fire-due-to-improper-recycling/
‘Are we going to lose what we have built?’: Residents blow whistle on ICE in NWI
When children began coming to his shop by themselves holding their family’s grocery lists, bakery owner Francisco Cuadra knew “things are getting bad.”
As Operation Midway Blitz’s trail bled from Illinois into Northwest Indiana neighborhoods, Cuadra, owner of Santa Maria’s Bakery in Hammond, said some of his customers became too afraid to go out and get bread and basic necessities, regardless of their citizenship status.
Whistles began being used in Chicago suburbs as a community-powered warning system. (Anna Ortiz/Post-Tribune)
“Once it started showing up on Facebook on the Hammond pages, people taking photos of ICE out on Columbia Avenue, I noticed business drop down a lot,” Cuadra said. “Just like how once the rumors began in Chicago, they saw their business drop. Our customers have had to send their kids to pick up products, because the parents are afraid to come out. It’s really sad to hear that. When kids are picking up the groceries and bread, because their families are afraid to come out — that’s horrible.”
Cuadra has owned the bakery since 2010 but rising costs and dwindling customers have made him feel like the business is a “ticking time bomb.” Despite this, he keeps grocery and bread prices affordable and donates what he can.
When news of an ICE arrest at East Chicago’s La Rancherita bakery reached him, Cuadra knew his customers would feel even less safe patronizing his shop.
“(ICE agents) are not respecting people,” Cuadra said. “If you’re Mexican, they treat you like someone here illegally, it doesn’t matter if you’re here legally. They’re even snatching American citizens if they don’t have a ‘REAL ID.’ Which a lot of people don’t have yet because they’re waiting for their license to expire to get a new one. But the government is saying if it’s not a REAL ID, and they’ll detain you, because there’s no star in the corner. They say you have to have the star in the corner of it, or they’ll basically claim it’s not real, it’s a fake.”
Cuadra came to America from Mexico as a 14-year-old to do migrant work with his brothers at farms and fishing in Alaska. As an adult, he went back to Mexico and got married, then came back to the U.S. to become a legal citizen and work.
“I am a very patriotic person,” Cuadra said of his U.S. citizenship. For years, he painted portraits of fallen military members and sent them anonymously as gifts to their families; now, his paintings are on display at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting.
“I feel sorry for everybody for what’s happening,” Cuadra said. “What can I do? It’s bad for business, it’s bad for our people. Like me, these people are coming to be a part of the American dream, but unfortunately, the dream is escaping. And for those people who have come over and were able to make their dream happen, we are afraid. Are we going to lose what we have built? I am a baker, who is to say there will be no customers, and that’s where it ends.”
Spiritual leaders advocate for compassion
Churches are also seeing the ramifications, including empty pews. There’s been a noticeable decline in attendance at churches with predominantly Hispanic members, with a corresponding increase in the need for assistance from food pantries, according to the Diocese of Gary Bishop, the Most Rev. Robert J. McClory.
About one-third of the churches in Diocese’s four counties — Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Starke — have active Hispanic community ministries.
“The first comment that I would make is that, because largely these recent enforcement actions seem to be targeted at our Hispanic and Latino brothers and sisters, is that they are valued members of our communities, of our churches, of our schools, of our workplaces, of our neighborhoods and their contributions are a gift to us,” McClory said. “There is certainly an immigration enforcement aspect to this, but even for those who do have documents and who are here legally, we are experiencing a palpable fear among our brothers and sisters. And it has to be said that that fear is based, not just on their immigrant status, but on their ethnic identity.
“We need to let our Hispanic brothers and sisters know how much we value them, how much we love them, and how important they are to the fabric of Northwest Indiana. We would not be the same community without them.”
The Diocese of Gary has a longstanding Migrant Ministry, where congregation members donate food and supplies and host religious services for those working on farms throughout Northwest Indiana. Currently, several parishes are working to collect food for immigrant families in need, and partners such as The Catholic Legal Immigration Network provide legal assistance and representation to immigrants.
In February, McClory published a statement in solidarity with Pope Francis and Pope Leo, calling people to treat one another with respect, dignity and kindness “as if we are encountering Christ” regardless of immigration status.
Weeks ago, Pope Leo openly condemned the mistreatment of immigrants and roughly 1,000 Roman Catholics traveled to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois last month to send clergy into the facility to distribute Holy Communion. They were denied entry by Homeland Security but still sang worship songs in hopes their voices would reach those inside.
“That encouragement to live that love is rooted in the welcoming of the stranger, which the gospel calls us to,” McClory said. “And we need to live that out here in Northwest Indiana. So both Pope Francis and Pope Leo have given us a very clear, a very clear vision: That we’re called to love without regard to immigration status. And so that remains our opportunity, our call, our challenge here today. We’re not going to solve the immigration problem overnight, but the behaviors that we’re seeing don’t seem to be providing a long-term solution, which is really what we need.”
“…I’m not a policy expert, but the fact of the matter is that we all acknowledge that our immigration system is broken. But just because the system is broken doesn’t mean that we need to break the lives of the people that are here already,” McClory concluded.
Spreading awareness
Kevin Mejia founded East Chicago Indiana News, an online community news initiative, in September 2020 to cover local politics, spotlight businesses and encourage community service.
His days now are filled with an endless stream of photos, videos and rumors of masked agents on interstates and streets. The majority of videos and photos are from residents filming through windows or from cars to warn others.
“You hear that someone has been taken, and then you go out to the location to check it out — and boom, a car would be abandoned,” Mejia said.
Mejia said people recording video and taking photos of ICE activity has been an effective way to help those targeted in their communities.
“The biggest message is to stay calm and when you see something like that happening, record,” he said. “Make sure to capture what’s happening, what’s being done, and what’s happening that’s wrong — Somebody is going to be held accountable in some way. Recording is an answer without promoting violence. When people don’t talk about it, then it gets swept under the rug. ”
After watching ICE agents take an elderly Hispanic man on Calumet Avenue in Hammond, an East Chicago resident recorded a video of the abandoned vehicle with personal belongings inside in an attempt to seek out the man’s family. In the comments, a tow truck business owner offered to tow it to the man’s family for free, and hours later, another commenter posted that the vehicle was eventually taken to the man’s children.
Among the comments were also sentiments celebrating the arrest, with statements such as “What I voted for,” “Deport, deport, deport,” and the phone number for an ICE tip line to report individuals to the Department of Homeland Security.
“I would say the experience has been very unsettling, seeing all these posts come into my approval list of ICE being spotted, people having fear. I’m at the forefront of everything. I see the comments of people for it, people against it. I do have mixed feelings about everything. I feel it’s really been hectic last month because with the whole ICE situation, I want to be spreading awareness rather than spreading fear. If I see a photo, it could spread very fast. Do I post it? Do I put it through to everyone?” Mejia said. “I can honestly say, psychologically, the community is impacted, not only the immigrants, but the whole community.”
Whistle blowers unite
Several groups are distributing kits that include cards in English and Spanish that outline one’s Constitutional 5th Amendment and 4th Amendment rights if approached by ICE. Each kit also contains a resource list, such as a 24-Hour emergency hotline for immigrants and families at 1-855-435-7693 and how immigrants in Illinois and Indiana can obtain free or low-cost legal consultations and representation from the National Immigration Justice Center.
In addition, the kits include what has become a new symbol of resistance: a whistle.
Whistles began being used in Chicago suburbs as a community-powered warning system. Each whistle typically comes with a universal code to communicate to anyone in ear shot. For example, if ICE is detaining someone, the whistle code calls for a continuous, steady rhythm.
“Form a Crowd. Stay Loud. Stay Nonviolent. Don’t Stay Silent,” the instructions state.
“It really resonates with the community,” said Tracie Martin, founder of group NWI Takes Action. “It gives people a voice when they feel like they don’t have one. And it’s a stand in solidarity, first in Chicago and now here. I think part of it is that there’s resonance to it, because it is so old school. And again, it’s analog … It’s small but yet it’s mighty.”
East Chicago Councilman Robert Garcia, D-5th District, is working with groups in East Chicago and beyond to create more whistle kits and distribute them across the area, as well as collect food and provisions for families in need.
Garcia, a lifelong East Chicago resident and a council member since 2003, said when Operation Midway Blitz was announced in September, he knew it was only a matter of time that ICE would spread into city limits. Since then, he has seen his community transform within the span of a month.
“It reminds me of the Civil Rights movement when I was a kid, you know, seeing the marches, people coming together — it reminds me of this right now,” Garcia said. “But it’s a time where you have to take a stand. There’s no due process for the people that’s getting taken in. It’s like getting kidnapped off the street and getting slammed to the floor. Which to me, is unconstitutional. I served in the U.S. military and it really pisses me off at how these people are getting treated. The United States was built on the backs of immigrants, and this is how they treat them.”
At an East Chicago Council meeting on Oct. 22, Garcia introduced a resolution that would have called for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to be blocked from city property. It only had two votes in favor, from Garcia and the resolution’s sponsor, East Chicago Councilman Kenny Monroe, so it didn’t make it on the council agenda.
Garcia said the resolution closely mirrors the one passed unanimously in Hammond on Oct. 14 barring ICE’s use of city property.
“We all need to watch out for each other,” Garcia said. “We’re roughly 60% Hispanic in East Chicago. We’re probably the most Hispanic city in the state of Indiana and we should be letting our neighbors know that we are there to protect them, to help them as much as we can.”
Mayors in most of northern Lake County communities have taken to public statements, social media and resolutions to decry ICE’s presence in their cities.
East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland said his resolve was tested when ICE made an arrest at La Rancherita bakery without any prior notification from the agency. The agents were staged in the publicly accessible portion of the city police station’s parking lot.
“We want to be clear: The East Chicago Police Department is not involved in any operations with ICE,” Copeland said. “We have not coordinated, supported, or participated in any immigration enforcement actions, and no information has been shared with ICE regarding such matters. Our department’s parking facility is open to the public and may occasionally be used by other law enforcement entities. However, their presence does not indicate cooperation or endorsement.”
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton also issued a public statement, informing residents: “Unless agents show you a warrant signed by a judge with your name and address, you are not required to open your door to federal agents.”
“The presence of federal ICE agents in our region is unsettling and causes significant concern within our community,” Melton said. “I want to be unequivocally clear: my administration does not support the efforts or condone the actions of ICE raids that target our friends, family, and neighbors because of their race and ethnicity.”
Officials have repeatedly stated that local police departments are limited on the ways they can interact with ICE. In October, Hammond city officials stopped ICE agents from using the parking lot of the Hammond Police Department.
“Let me be clear: Hammond does not have any agreements or partnerships with ICE that authorize them to use our city’s facilities or property for their operations,” Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said in a statement. “It is deeply concerning that federal agents would enter and use Hammond’s property without permission — especially when the Federal Courthouse is located just one block west of our police headquarters.”
Activism creates community
Motivated by the fear that’s spread in his community, Fortuno Cruz stood with his wife and children in the Crown Point Square during the October 18 “No Kings” protest holding a sign that said, “Fight ignorance, not immigrants.”
The Hammond resident said he has seen the ripple effect in his neighborhood, from people being afraid to go to medical appointments to shuttered businesses.
“We have people in Hammond and in East Chicago and Crown Point being taken,” Cruz said. “We talk to people in our neighborhoods, they have empty restaurants. When ICE comes into these communities, you see places shut down. People are afraid. They don’t feel safe to go outside.”
Cruz was two years old when he was brought to America from Mexico with his family. His family was made up of migrant workers who eventually began working at the steel mills in East Chicago. As an adult, Cruz sought citizenship and he was sworn in with 300 other people in Hammond’s federal court building. But that doesn’t exempt him from fear, he said.
“Everyone’s afraid to be honest, people are trying to stay inside,” Cruz said. “I don’t really go anywhere, either. It doesn’t matter if you’re a legal citizen anymore to them. If you’re going to the bank or the store or the doctor, your head is on a swivel. You go to restaurants and you see less and less people. On top of that, people can’t afford to go out like they used to… I just want to have a good life and own a business,” Cruz said. “I don’t want my kids to go through this.”
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune
Parents Accuse BBC Of Harming Kids Through Pro-Trans Bias In Children’s Programming
Parents Accuse BBC Of Harming Kids Through Pro-Trans Bias In Children’s Programming
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
In a mounting controversy, 650 families have accused the BBC of saturating children’s programming with pro-transgender ideology, claiming it has led vulnerable young people toward social and irreversible medical transitions.
The allegations, detailed in a letter from the Bayswater Support Group (BSG) to broadcasting regulator Ofcom, highlight a “constant drip-feed” of biased content that parents say has caused lasting harm. This comes amid broader scrutiny of the BBC’s impartiality.
The BSG, representing parents of primary school-aged children and teenagers who identify as trans, argues that the BBC’s coverage over nearly a decade has promoted trans lifestyles without balance, objectivity, or adequate safeguarding.
🔵 Hundreds of parents have accused the BBC of harming their children through a “constant drip-feed” of pro-trans content
They are now calling on Ofcom to investigate the alleged bias. We break down the broadcaster’s latest controversy below 👇https://t.co/AbrjKJEH75 pic.twitter.com/UwEBDUDiN7
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 19, 2025
A spokesman for the group stated: “For the past decade, the constant stream of propaganda about gender and trans activism the BBC has transmitted has played a significant role in creating a dangerous culture for children.”
The spokesman continued, “Specifically, non-conforming children who have been led to believe simplistic identity labels and extreme medical interventions can resolve complex feelings of adolescent and neurodevelopmental distress. The end result of this is a generation of teens and young adults who have come to severe harm, frequently self-diagnosed and self-medicated, estranged from families.”
Parents claim the BBC ignored their warnings about narratives linking gender questioning to suicide and self-harm, and even smeared concerned families as the problem.
The letter to Ofcom, sent by solicitors Conrathe Gardner, asserts: “Regrettably [we] have faced consistent resistance from the BBC in their unwillingness to amend stories which promote a one-sided perspective on trans issues and incorporate a more critical perspective on promoting transition (social and biological) based on the lived experiences of parents. The BBC has consistently failed to engage with safeguarding concerns raised by Bayswater as to the risk of harm caused by prolific reporting on the alleged connection between gender questioning and suicide/self-harm.”
Specific examples cited include children’s shows and dramas that allegedly push activist perspectives. In the cartoon series Hey Duggee, aimed at five-year-olds, a character named Wren is referred to with “they/them” pronouns, suggesting non-binary identity—though the BBC has denied intent.
An episode of Doctors portrayed a mother recognizing her six-year-old as transgender because she played with mud and had a boy as a best friend, while depicting the skeptical father negatively.
In Casualty, a transgender medic preparing for a double mastectomy says: “I’m just happy that I’ll look like the person I feel on the inside.”
Other complaints involve a 2021 documentary Transitioning Teens for insufficiently covering regrets among those who detransition, and radio segments describing children as “small adults trapped in bodies.”
The group also points to news reports, such as a December 2020 piece on a High Court ruling restricting puberty blockers for under-16s, which they say was biased.
Despite complaints to senior figures like Jonathan Munro (now head of news), Richard Burgess, and Tim Davie, parents report dismissive responses. A parent who flagged a May 2021 article linking trans sports policies to suicidal thoughts received no reply, expressing concern that it “promoted suicide and made an unevidenced connection between this policy and suicidal ideation.”
Solicitor Paul Conrathe, who has previously influenced NHS policies on puberty blockers, argues that many BBC programs breach Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code on impartiality, accuracy, and child protection.
The BSG’s spokesman added: “The lack of action by the regulatory authorities has been in dereliction of their primary duty. Tragically, we can’t undo the damage this has done to our children, but hope this complaint will cause Ofcom to address the years of failure to regulate the grossly irresponsible and politically motivated coverage of the BBC.”
Ofcom has confirmed receipt of the letter and is considering it.
In response, a BBC spokesman defended their approach: “BBC News has taken a number of actions relating to our reporting of sex and gender including updating the news style guide and sharing new guidance, making our social affairs editor responsible for this coverage, and where there have been concerns about particular stories, we have addressed them. We continually review our coverage to reflect developments such as the recent Supreme Court ruling.”
They noted changes following complaints and emphasized representing a range of views, with Burgess recently stating: “Have we got everything right on it? No, I don’t think any of us would say that, but I am also pleased with the progress we have made in terms of covering that story.”
This scandal echoes earlier criticisms, including from gender-critical campaigners like Transgender Trend, who accuse the BBC of uncritically presenting trans activism in flagship shows like Waterloo Road. It also aligns with a whistleblower’s internal memo, exposed by The Telegraph, alleging widespread bias at the corporation.
🔴 The Telegraph publishes the dossier that has plunged BBC into crisis
Read it below ⬇️https://t.co/zDj2bg9N18 pic.twitter.com/d7BD5InLnG
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 6, 2025
The BBC is also currently under fire for distorting Trump’s speech on the January 6 Capitol attack, with reports of misleading edits in a Panorama documentary leading to threats of a $1 billion lawsuit from Trump and resignations among BBC leaders.
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Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/22/2025 – 09:20
