The disgraced televangelist built his career on an undeniable talent. His downfall contributed to a major shift in how Americans viewed religious leaders.
THE DEATH THIS WEEK OF JIMMY SWAGGART at the age of 90 brings to an end one of the most controversial and remarkable careers in recent American religious life. For younger Americans, Swaggart’s name might not mean anything; others might recall blurry footage of a weeping preacher confessing, “I have sinned.” And sin he did, but in a time when Americans have become accustomed to seeing headlines about sex scandals involving religious leaders, it’s hard to convey just how consequential his indiscretions seemed when they were first reported.
The story broke in 1988 and caused an immediate media earthquake. The ground shook because Swaggart had fallen from a great height: He was, for a time, one of the most powerful religious voices in America, commanding a global television ministry, shaping conservative politics, and presenting himself as a moral compass to millions.
One of the challenges when it comes to properly evaluating Swaggart as a public figure is that nowadays we are not inclined to imagine a televangelist as a figure inherently worthy of any real respect. But the man’s own scandals are one of the reasons for that. When Swaggart’s resonant voice first started being heard in living rooms across the country, TV preachers occupied a very different place in the American imagination than they do today.
Swaggart emerged from the rural Pentecostal world of midcentury Louisiana, where fervent faith and musical flair often went hand in hand. His family background offered intimations of his later path: His cousins, rock-and-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey Gilley, both had the signature family blend of raw talent and unruly impulse. But while they chased fame across beer-soaked honky-tonk stages, Swaggart was drawn to a different kind of spectacle: revivals.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has signed a waiver for the rapid construction of around 17 miles of waterborne barrier in Texas. The barrier will be built in the Rio Grande River in Cameron County, Texas, within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, to help combat human and drug traffickers.
Addressing a capability gap in waterways along the Southwest border, CBP has identified the need for waterborne barriers to combat drug smuggling, human trafficking, and other illegal activities. These barriers are also intended to create safer conditions for patrolling agents and deter illegal crossings through hazardous waterways.
The Secretary’s waiver authority, granted under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, allows DHS to bypass certain legal requirements, including environmental laws, to expedite the construction of these physical barriers and roads.
Polls today show a majority of Americans want all illegal aliens deported quickly. For decades, polls have shown the vast majority of Americans want no illegal immigration and also less legal immigration. ABN
Group said to want stronger guarantees of permanent end to war as Netanyahu prepares to meet Trump in US
Hamas said it had responded on Friday in “a positive spirit” to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.
US president Donald Trump earlier announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in coming hours.
On Friday evening Hamas wrote on its official website: “The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”
For at least six decades, neuroscientists have been arguing over a big, foundational question: Do adult brains make new neurons? This process of “neurogenesis” had been shown in other adult animals, but its evidence in humans was circumstantial—until now. Using a new technique, scientists have found newly formed neurons in the brains of adults as old as age 78—and, for the first time, have identified the other brain cells that birthed them.
The results, published on Thursday in Science, are the first signs that cells with the capacity to turn into neurons, called neural precursor cells, exist in adult human brains. “Now we have very strong evidence that the whole process is there in humans, from the precursor cells to the immature neurons,” says Gerd Kempermann, a neurobiologist at the Dresden University of Technology, who was not involved in the study.
It was reported last night that President Trump held a quiet meeting with Saudi Arabia Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in the White House Thursday. This meeting is reported to cover discussions around de-escalation with Iran, the conflict in Gaza and what comes next.
The meeting also comes on the heels of President Trump having a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and work throughout the middle-east region by President Trump Emissary Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
(Via Fox News) Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman secretly met with President Donald Trump and other key officials in the White House on Thursday to discuss de-escalation efforts with Iran, multiple sources confirmed with Fox News.
Khalid, also known as KBS, is the younger brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
[…] The talks were also reportedly about ending the war in Gaza and negotiating the release of the remaining hostages – whether dead or alive – and about working toward peace in the Middle East. (more)
Previously it was reported by Israeli media that President Trump was working on a comprehensive solution to Gaza that would encompass peace in the middle-east by normalizing ties with Israel, isolating Iran and giving them fewer options for regional instability. Expanding the Abraham Accords provides the diplomatic vehicle for this approach.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on Monday, July 7th.
It is strongly rumored that Syria and Lebanon would soon join the Abraham Accords, with the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining thereafter. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) is a key figure hoping to bring a new era to the middle east absent of conflict and focused on prosperity.
These negotiations are likely to bear huge fruits. There are significant general parallels between Trump’s work in the Middle East and with Russia. The talks in both regions are larger than just the wars in either region; in both regions Trump has aimed at peaceful accords at the highest levels. In a sense, he has gone above the fray and focused on long-term solutions. By going over the heads of Europe and Israel, Trump has wrestled the crux of these regional dynamics from them. And just as importantly, he appears to have largely seized control of American warmongers overtly and covertly involved in both regions. Neocon RINOs are quiet as are American Jewish Supremists, or at least Trump and most others are not listening to them. ABN
The union was the first to announce the buyout, calling it an ‘illegal violation’ of the national contract in which UPS committed to create 22,500 jobs.
‘Our members cannot be bought off and we will not allow them to be sold out. UPS needs to live up to the existing contract. They must honor their commitments,’ said Sean O’Brien, general president of the union.
The company concluded that its profit margins from Amazon deliveries profit were too small, and it wanted to focus on other markets like healthcare and international deliveries.
‘The world has not been faced with such enormous potential impacts to trade in more than 100 years,’ said CEO Carol Tomé. Deliveries for Amazon make up around 12 percent of UPS’s revenue.
Many doctors have shared remarkable cancer results from DMSO Ivermectin pastes with me. This is because DMSO makes cancer therapies much more potent and possible for low (non-toxic) doses to be administered locally rather than large toxic systemic doses.🧵
DMSO transports medications through the skin and throughout the body. As I show here, this has many remarkable uses throughout medicine, such as treating resistant cancer and infections that don’t respond to conventional therapies.
You want to cut the Gordian knot, change the geopolitical world, create a strategic alignment; but to do that you need Putin to accept you do not view him as the enemy. You also need to prove you have control over the apparatus he views as a threat.
How do you prove you have control over the agency?
Trump instructs the CIA to send one public message. A message that: 1) outlines the CIA’s dual targeting of Trump and Putin; 2) that simultaneously proves your control over the CIA silo.
Was this the motive for the timing of the message from CIA Director John Ratcliffe?
It does look like Trump is trying to do this. This is a deep KOBK (Kill-Or-Be-Killed) move, though instead of ‘killing’ Putin/ Russia, Trump is proving to them that he does not want to ‘kill’ them. He wants cooperation and a solid alliance, which both leaders apparently deeply understand will be the greatest foreign policy outcome of this Century if they can achieve it. And it’s looking good, in my opinion. This is a very exciting interpretation about a super important strategy both leaders appear to be working toward. ABN
…Jewish Supremists, duh. Obviously he knows this. The Overton Toilet is so full it’s overflowing. Tucker has a strong hand but also can read the bathroom. ABN
One of Poland’s most influential military thinkers and president of Academy24, General (ret.) Jaroslaw Gromadzinski, has advocated a major shift in the country’s defence posture aimed specifically at preparing for war with Russia.
His statement reflect a broader consensus in Warsaw, which has invested particularly heavily in expanding its military capabilities with large scale equipment orders from South Korea and the United States. Gromadzinski argued that Poland needed to embrace an “active defence,” and be ready to operate “across the full operational depth of the opponent” by preparing to launch attacks across Russian territory.
He also stressed the need to create a million man reserve force, advocating a system modelled on that of Switzerland under which reservists would remain in active reserve units for years and periodically update their skills. “No one will convince me that in a country of 38 million, we cannot build a reserve of one million people,” he stated regarding the country’s potential to achieve these goals.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Trump administration has formally updated the safety labeling on all mRNA COVID-19 vaccines due to studies showing a disturbingly high risk of myocarditis—particularly in young men—and the possibility of long-term, irreversible heart damage.
The revised warnings apply to both Pfizer’s Comirnaty and Moderna’s Spikevax vaccines and follow months of mounting pressure over transparency and accountability regarding the true risks of these experimental injections.
The update stems from new studies and data showing persistent cardiac abnormalities months after vaccination—especially among males aged 12 to 24.
During a presentation of the new FDA safety data on Tuesday, Dr. Vinay Prasad, Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, walked the public through the harrowing evidence behind the label change.
American Buddhist Net 