Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

This Sunday is Easter, Resurrection Sunday, a great celebration day for Christians marking the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The Christian church bears a mandate to proclaim the truth that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and that’s an indispensable truth claim of Christianity. The resurrected Lord gave the church a sacred commission to take the gospel, the message of Christ’s victory over sin and death to all the world. So: As the Christian church gathers to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians look back in thankfulness to that empty tomb and forward to the fulfillment of Christ’s purposes in us. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the promise of our resurrection from the dead and of Christ's total victory over sin and death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the very center of the Christian gospel. The empty tomb is full of power. I hope you’ll celebrate Christ’s work on our behalf this weekend. Happy Easter. Happy Resurrection Day to all. May the joy of the resurrection be yours.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump is on the cusp of a historic achievement. If the President oversees the toppling of the ruling regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, his achievements will rank with the greatest of those of any post-World War II president. That’s just an objective fact. If you don’t understand that fact, you haven’t been paying attention for more than 40 years. Iran is as evil a regime as exists on the planet. It is run by religious fanatics with a peculiar theology, rooted in end-times eschatology and “resistance” up to and especially including martyrdom. It cannot be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction or an arsenal of conventional weapons sufficient to deter normal regimes from stopping it from obtaining WMD, especially obtaining nuclear weapons. The result needed in the war has not yet been achieved. But if President Trump delivers it, only his critics incapable of basic objectivity will deny the significance of his order to take down the regime that has bedeviled the world for almost a half century.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian calendar. But for Christians in Syria and Nigeria, it was a day marked by bloodshed and tragedy. In Syria, sectarian attacks in a Christian town damaged homes, shops and cars—as men on motorcycles from a nearby Sunni Muslim town terrorized the community into the early morning hours. In Nigeria, the violence was even more horrific. Muslim gunmen attacked a university community, killing at least 30 people and injuring many more. Yet coverage of this violence was scant. Instead, there was widespread media outrage when Israel briefly paused public prayer gatherings due to Iranian missile threats—before quickly reversing course. There’s a very clear double standard. And it raises serious questions about whether Western media outlets are intimidated by Islamism. They certainly have not shown courage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those of us of a certain age will remember America’s 200th birthday well. It was a year-long celebration with pageantry and even commercials celebrating our patriotism everywhere.  Now, months away from the date of our 250th birthday, all seems rather quiet on the Western civilizational front. Our Founders weren’t so sure we’d last anywhere near this long—and yet, here we are 250 years later.  What changed in the last 50 years?  The media and the academy, both of which have trained millions of pupils and teachers and citizens to view America as a down-market commodity.  History professors literally sneer at efforts to restore and remind about the very field they supposedly care about: teaching American history.  And a great socialist effort to undermine the exceptionalism of America, and pride in it, has taken over an entire political party. The great Czech writer Milan Kundera, put it that “The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory.”  And that’s been the progressive effort here.  We must know of it, we cannot let it prevail.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States has allies in this battle with Iran, though you’d be hard-pressed to prove it from coverage in mainstream media. Israel has fought valiantly beside us, absorbing the blows that the enemy wishes it could rain down on our country. We in America ought to at least bring their stories forward. Israel has been at war with Iran since its proxy Hamas launched the attack on October 7, 2023, and the massacre that followed. Right now: The American and Israeli militaries are methodically smashing the military that the Iranian radical regime has built up over 47 years. If it was a boxing match, the referee would stop the fight. But it’s a war, and the target list is long and it’s not done. This battle is the story of this decade, and its outcome one of those very few-and-far between hinge points of history that are obvious as they occur, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. Our legacy outlets ought to be telling the story. The whole story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We learned in recent days that Leo Radvinsky, the owner of the vast website known as OnlyFans, had died at age 43 of cancer. OnlyFans is one of the most significant purveyors of pornography in all of human history. Through Radvinsky’s leadership, the site exploded to 377 million users, bringing in more than $7.2 billion in revenue in a single year. It’s not really possible to comment on this adequately without reference to theological terms: What we see here is the power of sin, the power of human depravity matched with human ingenuity. The OnlyFans platform was—and it is—a deeply diabolical plan and strategy. And—obviously—at least in financial terms, it works. But we know: It doesn’t work. It is sin and depravity and lust coupled with manipulation and oppression and enslavement. This week’s headlines give us the opportunity to state the truth and to say that what I hope are clear and unequivocal terms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some four weeks into the war with Iran, a couple of things have become clear—and both worth highlighting. First, in undertaking this mission, President Trump fully restored the American deterrent that was forfeited by President Biden’s collapse in Afghanistan. President Trump demonstrated again the remarkable power of the American military and solidified the most important relationship with America’s most important and powerful ally — Israel. And second, with all that clarity comes one more impossible-to-deny truth: With America involved in a battle with a terrorist regime, Democrats have repeatedly chose in vote after vote to keep the Department of Homeland Security shuttered and unfunded. That is ridiculous and wildly irresponsible. The spectacle of the Democrats risking America to make talking points for MS-NOW audience should leave an enduring impression: The Republicans are the party of security at home and abroad. Democrats couldn't care less.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The essence of parenthood is the right—indeed, the duty—to raise children according to one’s deepest values. That includes teaching them religion. In Europe, that right is under attack. Since 2022, the Samson family has been fighting to regain custody of their daughters. The Swedish government took the girls, citing the family’s religious faith.  The saga began when the oldest daughter, upset about being denied makeup and a smartphone, made a false abuse claim she quickly retracted. The police found no evidence of abuse. But the state took both girls, claiming “religious extremism” because the family attended church three times a week and raised their daughters in a strict religious home. The girls want to go home but the government plans to put them up for adoption. It’s a sobering reminder: religious liberty should never be taken for granted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

.Portland, Oregon has just made itself ground zero for polyamory. Polyamory is the word that Americans are going to have to recognize more frequently. It refers to different kinds of love, different kinds of relationships. It can refer to same sex or heterosexual relationships. It can be between three, four, five. Well, you count them people. Portland has just decided to include legal protection for polyamorous relationships and what they call polyamorous families. How's that for an oxymoron? Now, I don’t think there's going to be a mad dash to polyamorous situations in most of the country. I think what you’re seeing here is the deliberate destabilization of marriage itself. This is part of a bigger strategy of those on the left who want to subvert a biblical view of marriage as central to our own civilizational project. They want to destroy any commitment to marriage as the union of a man and a woman. They want to destabilize the family. They want to do all of this, period. What starts in Portland ... It doesn't stay in Portland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suspects charged an alleged ISIS inspired attack near New York City's Gracie Mansion. Deadly Old Dominion University shooting probed as an act of terrorism. Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack had lost family and Israeli strike on Lebanon. These are just a few of the many headlines and recent stories that ought to have our attention. A clash of worldviews sometimes comes down to something just this horrifying. The Islamist agenda is so transparent in these stories, we're talking about the now undeniable links to Islamic terrorist organizations clear in these attacks. And if military intelligence is accurate, we can expect there may very well be more of these coming. This is not Iran. This is not the Middle East. We're talking about New York City, Virginia, Michigan. You wonder if Americans are even paying any attention to what's going on in our own country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writing about our nation’s last greatest Republican president, Ronald Reagan, George Will wrote: “at a turbulent moment…Reagan became the great reassurer, the steadying captain of our clipper ship. He calmed the passengers, and the sea.”  At the rate things are going, President Trump may very well outdo Reagan. Yes, Reagan ended the “long twilight struggle” against Soviet communism.  The war Iran has waged against us for 47 years has gone on longer than that long struggle. Donald Trump has decided to end that war—decisively.  He’s already taken out the communist dictator of Venezuela, and there is every reason to believe “Cuba Libre” will be more than a chant or a drink but a reality by the end of the year. Killing off regnant communism in this hemisphere, and the head of the snake of Islamism the world-over, regardless of political considerations here at home, is the kind of thing we used to call heroic statesmanship.  These ambitions and accomplishments have no equal. Trump may well be ushering us to freedom’s finest hour.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past two weeks, four terrorist attacks have struck the United States — in Texas, Michigan, Virginia, and New York.  With the war in Iran, Americans have been warned to be vigilant. So it’s astonishing that Democrats still refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Without funding, airport security is strained, and resources for thousands of federal law enforcement officers, including the U.S. Coast Guard, are cut. This weakens both border and maritime security. The shutdown is because Democrats want to block support for ICE. But refusing to fund Homeland Security sends a troubling message: that opposing immigration enforcement—and giving Trump a “loss”—matter more than protecting the American people. Political fights are inevitable, but they shouldn’t come at the expense of Americans’ safety. Our nation’s security demands seriousness, not partisan posturing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States and Israel are winning this battle with the Islamic Republic of Iran — decisively. Our Gulf allies are standing strong. The cost has already been high. With at least U.S. and IDF forces paying the ultimate price. But of course, some hard-left partisans hate the prospect of either President Donald Trump or the United States as a whole, winning an important, indeed crucial battle.  The left in America refuses to come to grips with how evil the Iranian regime is and for how long it has been so. The collapse of moral clarity among American elites on the left is complete. Democrats are defeated, appeasers, antisemitic in some cases or simply deranged by their hatred of President Trump: You keep speaking up too. We want to hear you say all these crazy things. History will record your positions. The Republican Party should boldly proclaim that, even after 250 years, our country still knows what’s right from wrong and will defend the right.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has an opportunity to go for the jugular in his war with the Iranian terror regime—and the IRGC has provided a perfect pretext for it now. During the first phase of the war, both sides kept the oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. As Iran’s other deterrents have failed, they have decided to attack shipping in the Persian Gulf to pressure Trump into retreat. A sharp rise in oil prices have panicked the media and some of our allies. Trump has instead signaled that any further interference will result in either seizure or full-scale demolition of Kharg Island. Iran exports 96% of its oil through this facility, mainly to China and India. It is their only connection to hard currency, and it continues to operate. Trump reportedly is considering an occupation of Kharg Island, now that the US has decimated its defenses. This would checkmate the regime while preserving the facilities for a successor government in Tehran. It’s time to go for the jugular.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans recently learned that Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, “liked” some vile Instagram posts. Seventy of them.  One described the New York Times’ reporting on the sexual violence during the October 7 attacks as a “mass rape” hoax the newspaper supposedly “fabricated.” Another accused Israel of a “vile land grab.” Yet another charged Israel with genocide.  Rather than denying his wife liked the posts, the mayor simply claimed she is a “private person.” But that’s not true. Rama Duwaji lives in Gracie Mansion at taxpayer expense and accompanies the mayor to ceremonial events. She recently sat for a cover story in “The Cut” – New York Magazine’s fashion and lifestyle site. When someone in her position applauds the barbarism of October 7, she helps normalize Jew hatred in a way that should repel us all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump is realigning the global order—and the consequences are massive. I’m referring most immediately, of course, to the ongoing military action in Iran. The U.S. and Israel are involve. But the Gulf States are now involved as well—and their increasingly aligned directly with the United States. Iran is an ally of both Russia and China—part of the BRICS Coalition, started out with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, now been expanded to 10 members. It’s basically an alternative to NATO. The New York Times ran an article very revealing here’s the headline, “As Trump Out-Putins Putin, Russia’s Global Influence Erodes.” In the words of the article “Mr. Putin is also grappling with the arrival of a new world of unbridled American power under President Trump, which is checking Russia’s global influence….” Notice – China’s watching, too. Trump is realigning the global order and It’s going to be very, very interesting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

School children used to be taught about the dangers of yellow journalism, a practice where the media would falsify stories to inspire support for war, as in “you furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war.” Today, the practice is back, stronger than ever—but now it’s on the side against us. When Ayatollah Khamenei was confirmed dead, the New York Times labeled him “avuncular and magnanimous,” complemented with a story picturing mourning Iranians.  This would be news to the overwhelming majority of Iranians who celebrated the end of their tyrant’s life—a mass murderer of innocents across the globe.  CNN aired a story on Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, not once mentioning the precipitating cause: Hezbollah showering rockets into Israel. Elite outlets also deliberately obfuscated just who threw IEDS into a crowd in New York City this weekend—making it look the real “bad guys” were anti-Islamist protestors when it was, in fact, American Islamists. If you get your own news from mainstream media, the simple truth is this: you’ll be misinformed and uninformed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.