Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Adopting a permanent standard time in the United States rather than changing times biannually is a healthier option for Americans, according to a Sept. 15 peer-reviewed study published in the PNAS journal.

“Seasonal changes in time policy, such as switching between Standard Time (SDT) and Daylight Saving Time (DST), have been adopted by many countries, including the United States,” the study’s authors from Stanford University said. “While transitioning between SDT and DST has notable acute negative population health impacts, the chronic impact of these time policies on health has not been well evaluated.”

Researchers looked at how SDT, DST, and biannual shifting between these two time setups affect people’s circadian rhythms and health. Circadian rhythm is a person’s innate 24-hour clock that regulates several physiological processes in their body.

The study found that continuing with biannual shifting “produces a greater burden on the circadian system” compared to adopting permanent times.

If the country were to adopt SDT as the permanent time, the prevalence of obesity would fall by 0.78 percent and stroke by 0.09 percent compared to the current biannual shifting policy, it said.

“These seemingly small percentage changes in common conditions would amount to 2.6 million fewer people with obesity and 300,000 fewer cases of stroke” per year, science writer Nina Bai from Stanford’s Office of Communications wrote in a Sept. 15 article on the study.

If DST were to be made permanent, gains would still be made, but smaller compared to permanent SDT. In such a situation, obesity dips by 0.51 percent or 1.7 million individuals, while incidents of stroke decline by 0.04 percent or 220,000 cases, said the statement.

“Our data, reflecting the impact of time policy on circadian burden and subsequent health benefits, support the cessation of [biannual shifting],” researchers wrote in the study.

Making SDT time permanent would result in more light in the mornings, while a permanent DST time gives more light in the evenings.

Jamie Zeitzer, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and senior author of the study, said that people generally require more light in the morning and less during the evening to keep their circadian rhythm well synchronized to a 24-hour day.

“When you get light in the morning, it speeds up the circadian cycle. When you get light in the evening, it slows things down,” he said.

“The more light exposure you get at the wrong times, the weaker the circadian clock. All of these things that are downstream—for example, your immune system, your energy—don’t match up quite as well.”

Despite the findings of the study, Zeitzer warned against taking these results as the final word on the issue.

Researchers did not take into account several factors, such as weather, human behavior, and geography, which could influence light exposure in real-world conditions, according to the Stanford article.

The study assumed people followed circadian-friendly light exposure habits, such as sleeping between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and getting sunlight exposure before and after work as well as weekends, it said. However, people’s actual schedules tend to be erratic.

“People’s light habits are probably much worse than what we assume in the models,” Zeitzer said. “Even in California, where the weather is great, people spend less than 5 percent of their day outside.”

The study received a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Both authors declared no competing interests that affected the study.

Changing Times

In January, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which seeks to end the biannual time change in the United States, the lawmaker’s office said in a Jan. 8 statement.

The bill aims to make Daylight Saving Time the permanent year-round time, it added.

“I hear from Americans constantly that they are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year—it’s an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than benefit to them,” Scott said.

“I’m excited to have President Trump back in the White House and fully on board to LOCK THE CLOCK so we can get this good bill passed and make this common-sense change that will simplify and benefit the lives of American families.”

During an April 10 Senate hearing, Karin Johnson, a neurologist at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine-Baystate, said that making daylight saving time permanent year-round could pose health risks.

“Our body rhythms never adjust to the later sunrises and sunsets of Daylight Saving Time. These are associated with many long-term risks, including higher rates of cancer, obesity, heart attacks, depression, suicide, and fatal car crashes,” she said.

“The negative impact of Daylight Saving Time on sleep harms the economy. Workers, especially those with early start times before 8:30 a.m., are less likely to be productive and efficient during periods of circadian misalignment.”

Johnson said that teens, adolescents, and young adults suffer the most circadian disruption from daylight saving time because “their body rhythms already run late.”

“Before sleep onset, teenagers have the strongest drive for alertness,” she said. “With more evening light during Daylight Saving Time pushing rhythms even later, most teenagers are biologically unable to get enough sleep before their morning alarms ring.”

This would result in more teenagers trying to catch up on sleep during the weekends, which is often linked to “numerous adverse health and performance outcomes,” Johnson added.

In an April 11 post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump supported making daylight saving time permanent.

“The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!” he wrote.

Daylight Saving Time in the United States ends on Nov. 2, when clocks will shift to Standard Time.

A top government official from a NATO country is calling for shooting down Russian aircraft the next time they breach an alliance member’s airspace, following several drone and border incidents this month.

“NATO’s border in the North East is being tested for a reason. We need to mean business,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė wrote on X Friday, the same day that three Russian warplanes reportedly breached neighboring Estonia’s airspace over the Gulf of Finland.

“Three Russian fighter jets over Tallinn is one more hard proof that Eastern Sentry is long due,” she stated.

The Lithuanian defense chief concluded her message by invoking an incident which makes clear she’s in favor of shooting down Russian jets.

“Türkiye set an example 10 years ago. Some food for thought,” the minister wrote.

This was in reference to the unprecedented incident in which Turkish Air Force F-16s downed a Russian Su-24 over the Turkey-Syria border area in November 2015.

Lithuania has joined Poland’s call for urgent consultations with members of the NATO alliance under its Article 4. Article 4 consultations can lead to the alliance taking action if the consensus is reached. 

Regional observer Notes from Poland says “It has previously been invoked seven times, including by Poland and seven other countries when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”

Upon Friday’s incident the Estonian foreign ministry described that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets “entered Estonian airspace without permission and remained there for a total of 12 minutes.”

Additionally, EU diplomat Kaja Kallas, who hails from the Baltic country and was the first female prime minister, blasted the incursion as “an extremely dangerous provocation”.

European leaders are using these increasing instances to push for an ‘eastern flank’ aerial defense shield protecting NATO. Just last week the two largest eastern members of NATO said that Russian drones breached their airspace.

⚡ US Prepares a Blow to Baltic and NATO Security

Reuters reports that the Pentagon has informed European diplomats it will halt part of its military assistance to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and all NATO members bordering Russia.

According to sources, Washington made it clear… pic.twitter.com/gKD8Bvae0g

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 20, 2025

The Polish instance was the most serious, given Warsaw accused Russia of intentionally sending a ‘wave’ of drones – up to 19 – which resulted in its military urgently scrambling jets to track them. Trump later seemed to downplay the incident.

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. Treasury Department and IRS on Sept. 19 released details about a provision backed by the Trump administration and Republicans, passed by Congress earlier this year, that would provide a tax break for many employees who receive cash tips.

In a document released on the Federal Register’s website, the agencies outlined what type of jobs and what type of tips are eligible under the new regulations, which were passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July.

It stipulates that people earning a tipped income can deduct as much as $25,000 per year under the measure, instructing the IRS and Treasury Department to find what jobs could qualify. Nearly 70 jobs were eligible for the tax break under guidance that was released earlier this month, while the tax deduction will apply for the tax year 2025, up to Dec. 31 of this year, according to the proposed rules.

“For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, employees and self-employed individuals may deduct qualified tips from their gross income when calculating their Federal income tax liability,” the proposal stated, adding that qualified tips refer to cash tips that were received by a person in the covered occupations “on or before December 31, 2024, as provided by the Secretary.”

On Sept. 3, the Treasury Department floated a list of jobs that will likely be eligible under the new rules.

The draft uploaded on Friday is open for comment through the Federal Register’s website. The IRS and Treasury will finalize the rules in early October, the document said, which includes the official proposed list of jobs eligible under the measure. The agencies did not specify a timeline.

The proposal noted that the official list of jobs would be roughly the same as the Treasury list that was released on Sept. 3.

Occupations include taxi drivers, rideshare drivers, valets, servers, bartenders, hosts and hostesses, chefs, cooks, dishwashers, bellhops, porters, concierges, housekeepers, hotel desk clerks, tour guides, golf caddies, movers, delivery drivers, barbers, digital content creators, casino employees, card dealers, musicians, ushers, locksmiths, repair workers, cleaners, singers, DJs, massage therapists, tattoo artists, bussers, hairstylists and others.

“The Treasury Department and the IRS consulted data from surveys conducted in years 2017, 2019, and 2023” that had inquired about tips received in recent years, the recent proposal states.

“The occupations identified as having customarily and regularly received tips based on this survey data were largely consistent with those identified by the confidential tax return data,” the agencies added.

During the 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump and some Republicans campaigned, in part, on eliminating taxes on tips. Last year, Trump told supporters in Nevada that if he were elected, he would remove taxes on tips, while his opponent from the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris, later said she would support the measure.

Under the current tax code, tips of $20 or more received by an employee in any month from one job are treated as wages subject to withholding.

Cash tips include those received directly from customers, via credit and debit card charges that are distributed to an employee, or via a tip-sharing arrangement. Employees must keep a daily record of tips received and report these to their employer.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Despite growing international pressure on the Netanyahu government, which has of late admitted it is coming under increasing global isolation due to the Gaza war, the Trump administration plans to keep the arms flows going stronger than ever.

The White House has requested congressional approval for a nearly $6 billion arms deal with Israel, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing US government sources.

The proposed package includes 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters valued at $3.8 billion, which would nearly double Israel’s current fleet, as well as 3,250 infantry fighting vehicles – at $1.9 billion.

But delivery of the weapons is expected to take two to three years, and at the current rate of destruction the Gaza Strip could likely be complete rubble by then, amid the Israeli military’s push to expel Palestinian inhabitants while fighting Hamas.

Trump is said to be deeply frustrated with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the Doha operation earlier this month, but certainly this public stance doesn’t square with promise of $6 billion more in weapons. It’s yet another example of watch what Trump does and not what he says.

“The arms would be paid for by U.S.-provided foreign military financing, according to the documents,” WSJ details. “Israel buys most of its American-made weapons using U.S. taxpayer money that comes via billions of dollars in annual military aid.”

And it’s of course arms-makers and the major defense contractors who will remain the big winners, as the tragic war approaches the two-year mark.

“At this stage, the State Department is seeking the approval of the four top Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the people familiar with the request said,” WSJ continues.

“The leaders of the two panels usually must sign off on major foreign weapons deals before the administration sends wider notification to Congress and the public,” the report adds.

The White House has presented that it is seeking a truce deal and return of the hostages, but President Trump has several times made clear that Netanyahu is the final-decision maker. Like with Ukraine, it doesn’t seem like real pressure has ever been brought to bear on this close US ally.

Authored by Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times,

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) intends to propose a rule change that would shift corporate earnings reporting from a quarterly schedule to a semiannual basis.

Paul Atkins, head of the Wall Street regulatory watchdog, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Sept. 10 that he welcomed President Donald Trump’s suggestion for the adjustment.

“In principle, I think to propose change in what our rules are now, I think would be a good way forward, and then we’ll consider that and move forward after that,” Atkins said.

Last week, in a Truth Social post, Trump stated that companies “should no longer be forced to ’report’” every three months, recommending a six-month disclosure requirement instead.

“This will save money and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies,” Trump said on his social media platform.

The current law was enacted in 1970, following the traditional semiannual practice.

If the proposal is approved, it will be left to the market to decide whether to maintain quarterly earnings reporting or transition to a six-month reporting period, Atkins noted.

“For the sake of shareholders and public companies, the market can decide what the proper cadence is,” he said.

When asked whether the change would adversely impact retail investors, Atkins noted that there is a diverse array of tools that disseminate information about businesses, stocks, and the economy. He added that investors—professional and retail—obtain information primarily from earnings calls with CEOs and CFOs.

“I think it’s a good time to look at the whole panoply of ways that people get information and how it’s disseminated and what’s fit for purpose,” the SEC chief said.

“I think that’s what we’re intending to do.”

According to Atkins, there has been a discussion on this issue for the past few years, with experts stating that quarterly reporting “emphasizes a short-term type of thinking.”

During his first term, Trump wrote on X (then Twitter) that global business leaders told him that a semiannual regimen “would make business (jobs) even better in the U.S.”

“’Stop quarterly reporting & go to a six month system’ said one,” Trump wrote in 2018.

“That would allow greater flexibility & save money. I have asked the SEC to study!”

While then-SEC Chairman Jay Clayton initiated a review shortly after the president’s comments, a report determined that quarterly requirements lead to “greater transparency of information and a lower cost of capital for companies seeking to raise funds.”

The study did note, however, that issuing guidance does tie executives to “short-term thinking.”

Anupam Satyasheel, founder and CEO of Occams Advisory, a global financial advisory firm, says it is a “welcome move” as quarterly reporting places “massive pressure” on companies.

“It doesn’t allow them time to adjust to economic cycles, and then the relentless pressure of analysts adds to business decisions and business forecasts,” Satyasheel told The Epoch Times.

The New York Stock Exchange in New York City on April 4, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Switching to semiannual reporting, he says, will reduce “the short-term focus.”

“Overall, I feel that semiannual reporting is a step in the right direction and will be welcomed by public companies,” Satyasheel added.

At the same time, there could be downside risks, such as the potential decrease in transparency, according to Marc Fandetti, portfolio strategist at Armstrong Advisory Group.

“As regulators consider reducing reporting frequency, they should weigh not just the savings but also the potential losses—losses to investors resulting from less transparency and to the economy resulting from impaired market efficiency,” Fandetti wrote for the CFA Institute.

If approved, the United States would join China, the UK, Australia, Japan, and many other countries that maintain the semiannual mandate for publicly listed companies on their stock exchanges.

President Trump’s executive order earlier this year to dismantle the Department of Education comes as the president highlighted a disturbing and inconvenient truth about Baltimore City’s Democratic Party-run “failure factory” school system: 40% of public high schools have zero students proficient in math. This damning statistic follows eight years of Fox45 investigative reporter Chris Papst’s coverage of the crime-ridden city’s education crisis. Keep in mind, the metro area is mainly controlled by leftists at City Hall, with virtually no diversity when it comes to Republicans holding positions of power.

A new report by Papst released this past week may catch the White House’s attention, highlighting yet another inconvenient truth about the stunning failure of Baltimore City Public Schools in terms of academic outcomes, proving that simply throwing more taxpayer funds at the problem is not a viable solution.

Papst spoke with Carl Stokes, a former Baltimore City Council member and charter school operator, who was visibly frustrated when asked about the fact that for the fourth consecutive year, not a single student tested proficient in math at Achievement Academy in northeast Baltimore.

Here’s the Papst–Stokes conversation, woven into the report on yet more failures from Baltimore:

“You’re shaking your head,” Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst noted of Stokes during an interview.

“Well, of course,” replied Stokes. “How long have we been talking about this?”

Stokes, for years, has been talking about the lack of education for many students in Baltimore City Public Schools.

“They do a horrible job,” Stokes remarked.

Now, Stokes is responding to what Fox45 News discovered in the recently released results for the state known as MCAP – the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program.

“That school should be closed,” stated Stokes.

Achievement Academy at Harbor City is a high school in northeast Baltimore. According to MCAP data analyzed by Project Baltimore, Achievement Academy has not had a single student test proficient in math in four years. Over the last four school years, 134 students at the school have taken the state math exams. Not one scored proficient.

“It says that the leadership is worthless, pretty much. They are failing their mission. They are failing the students,” said Stokes.

City Schools, on its website, defines Achievement Academy as an alternative placement school for students who struggle in traditional academic settings. The school’s vision, according to its website, “is to cultivate lifelong learners and productive citizens.”

And the school gets a lot of taxpayer money to achieve that vision. According to state data, in 2021, Achievement Academy received $20,014 for each one of its 372 students. By 2024, Achievement Academy had an enrollment of 202 and received $42,618 per student. In other words, over those four school years, Achievement Academy’s per student funding more than doubled and not one student, over those years, tested proficient on the state math exams.

“When you look at a school like Achievement Academy, and you look at the amount of money it’s getting and the education the students apparently aren’t getting, who do you hold accountable?” Questioned Papst.

“You start with North Avenue headquarters. You begin with that leadership. From superintendent, CEO and her cabinet. And then the local school leadership,” responded Stokes.

One Baltimore City high school has not had a single student test proficient on the state math test in 4 years. Project Baltimore digs into the numbers and talks with a former Baltimore City Councilmember who says the school needs to be closed.@chrispapst @FOXBaltimore pic.twitter.com/DwyUOszBWl

— Project Baltimore (@Project_Bmore) September 15, 2025

For nearly eight years, ZeroHedge has followed Papst’s investigative work through the trenches of school to school across Baltimore City. Papst has conducted all the investigative work through Project Baltimore, in collaboration with Fox45 News. He has spent years reporting on optically displeasing headlines that merely expose how progressive elites running the school system have effectively robbed multiple generations of children of a future for short-term gain to line their pockets and possibly funnel taxpayer funds into the Democratic Party machine, which is nothing more than corrupt unions. 

Maryland Taxpayers…

Over the past couple years, your hard work has helped INCREASE public school funding by $2 BILLION.

According to state data, education spending is up 16% over 3 years. Meanwhile, the graduation rate is up 1%.

More details coming soon. https://t.co/bhiSMdQSLg

— Chris Papst (@chrispapst) September 17, 2025

Baltimore is an easy layup for the White House to convey to the American people during the Midterm election cycle just how terribly the Democratic Party has transformed once vibrant cities across America into what the president describes as “hellholes.”

Related:

• “Failure Factory” Schools Run By Democrats Plague Baltimore And Chicago, Present Societal Crisis

. . .

Authored by Glennys Hyland via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Great leaders are quick to recognize signs and warnings that indicate a potential toxic dynamic. They don’t ignore behaviors that cause uneasy and uncomfortable feelings. Lying, controlling attitudes, self-seeking, manipulation, and blaming others instead of taking responsibility are all strong signs or warnings that need immediate correction to prevent a dangerous and painful outcome in your corporation, ministry, or business.

Here are some signs and behaviors to take seriously.

Lack of Honestly

Do not ignore a lack of honesty. Even a small, tiny lie, requires immediate correction. Exposing lies will help others understand that your organization stands and works in a deception-free zone. This approach strengthens relationships, builds trust, and instills confidence among team members.

Chaos

Organization, order, and structure are essential. A chaotic workplace, where individuals pull in different directions without a clear workflow or instructions, can drain the team’s energy. Such disorder creates anxiety and unrest, impacting both mind and body—what begins in the head eventually affects the entire self.

Effective leaders prioritize order and neatness, fostering a peaceful environment that allows their teams to thrive. They embrace a teachable spirit, consistently seeking to learn and grow. Their character goes beyond surface-level impressions, evident in their demeanor, the atmosphere they cultivate, and, most importantly, their words and actions.

Absence

Great leaders understand the value of being present. They actively identify and address harmful behaviors that create discomfort, such as manipulation, controlling attitudes, gossip that damages reputations, or unwholesome conversations.

These leaders demonstrate love for their vision and workplace through their actions—they show up on time, bring enthusiasm, express gratitude, and inspire their team members to share in that passion. By appreciating, motivating, and encouraging their teams, they cultivate a culture of commitment and shared purpose, amplifying the love for the vision.

Self-Seeking

It is crucial for leaders to remain focused and align every action with the vision. Losing focus can lead to self-serving agendas that misuse the vision and platform for personal gain.

Don’t fall into the trap of being caught in your own net. Straying from the core purpose of the organization—be it a corporation, ministry, or business—creates space for distractions to take center stage, resulting in chaos and confusion. This shift can alter the direction and undermine the purpose. Prioritize exalting the mission above the visionary to successfully achieve the vision.

Favoritism in Rules and Regulations

Know every rule, regulation, and policy—and apply them consistently, including to yourself. Stay informed about team dynamics, changes, and accommodations.

Favoritism, where rules are enforced for some members but not others, breeds inconsistency and results in a dysfunctional team. Ensure fairness by holding everyone accountable equally. Be consistent. Be prepared. Be honest. Lead by example by adhering to the rules you establish.

Accountability

Great leaders embrace accountability and transparency, taking full ownership of their actions, whether positive or negative.

They accept responsibility without shifting blame or offering excuses, even when their positions are on the line. With humility, they prioritize others above themselves, seek wise counsel, and strive to act justly. When challenges arise, they take the time to investigate thoroughly and hold everyone, including fellow leaders, accountable.

They understand that every situation has two sides and ensure both perspectives are heard. Relying solely on one person’s account—especially when that individual holds a higher position or provides a preferred narrative—can lead to devastating consequences for the organization, ministry, or business.

Truth, no matter how painful, is essential for freedom and resolution. Justice is the key to bringing closure and restoring balance in every scenario. Great leaders recognize that mistakes happen and use them as learning opportunities. They act quickly to correct injustices and make amends with all parties involved. Above all, they embody the principle: Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Bad Behaviors

Wise leaders identify and address lies, manipulation, and controlling behaviors. They reject unwholesome language and actions that make team members feel uncomfortable or intimidated by misuse of power.While things may seem fine on the surface in these cases, leaders understand that, deep down, many team members may be silently hurting, choosing to endure for the sake of their dedication to the vision. Truly great leaders prioritize the well-being of their team, fostering fairness and respect. They actively encourage honesty and genuine unity, creating an environment where everyone feels valued and heard.

Prevent Dangerous Outcomes

Addressing wrongdoing and taking immediate corrective action are essential for building a healthy, successful team.

Covering up the truth by removing the team member who felt uncomfortable is a perilous path for any organization. These behaviors cannot be ignored. Leaders must remain vigilant, as appearances can be deceiving—what seems fine from the surface or from your point of view may not reflect the reality.

Invest in fostering healthy relationships. Engage with your team, listen to their concerns, and ask thoughtful questions. Take every possible step to prevent harmful and painful outcomes for your organization, ministry, or business.

A leader without accountability—or with accountability that is too distant—is like a country without border protection: they can come and go freely, leaving those under their care vulnerable and insecure. This lack of accountability is dangerous for those within their responsibility.

Effective leaders always have someone to whom they can be accountable—someone who encourages them when they excel and gently corrects them when they fall. Accountability is essential for growth and trust. Embrace it.

The Epoch Times copyright © 2025. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.

The US operations of TikTok will be majority-owned and controlled by Americans under a deal reached this week to spin off the platform from its Chinese ownership, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Speaking on Fox News, Leavitt said Saturday that Americans would hold six of the seven board seats for TikTok and that more importantly, the app’s addictive algorithm would be US-controlled. She added the final deal would be signed in the coming days.

🚨 @PressSec @karolineleavitt with news on exactly what the TikTok deal will look like.

Saturday In America w/ Kayleigh McEnany @FoxNews ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dgweGBcEOY

— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 20, 2025

The American board members would have national security and cybersecurity credentials and the remaining board member, chosen by current owner ByteDance, will be excluded from the security committee, according to a senior White House official.

“So all of those details have already been agreed upon, now we just need this deal to be signed and that will be happening, I anticipate, in the coming days,” Leavitt said. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finalized the deal in a phone call on Friday.

Talks earlier this week between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Madrid yielded a vague framework agreement for spinning off ByteDance’s US TikTok operations, but details of that framework had yet to be made public. Today for the first time we got concrete details of the shape of the deal. Meanwhile, Trump extended the deadline for TikTok’s divestiture until Dec. 16. Congress passed a bipartisan law requiring ByteDance to divest of TikTok by January 2025.

As previously reported, the The TikTok arrangement will see current owner ByteDance hold less than 20%, with new investors including Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz and private equity firm Silver Lake Management controlling the rest.

Indeed, Oracle is emerging as the biggest winner from the deal: in addition to becoming a lead investor, the tech giant will also host and manage US user data via its cloud infrastructure, and act as TikTok’s security provider and monitor the app for safety, working with the US government. As a result, Americans’ data will be stored in the US with no access by China, which according to a White House official will allow American users to continue using the popular app “safely and securely.”

“The data and privacy will be led by one of America’s greatest tech companies, Oracle, and the algorithm will also be controlled by America as well,” Leavitt said.

Trump was once a critic of TikTok but has shifted his views of the app, crediting it with helping him make gains among young voters in last year’s election.

Authored by J. Peder Zane via RealClearWire,

A week before Charlie Kirk’s murder, some friends and I were trying to identify the seminal events that have shaped this American century. We all lead happy lives, but the incidents we listed told a story of fear and dread.

We immediately mentioned 9/11 and the economic collapse of 2008, both of which galvanized an aching sense of vulnerability. If JFK’s assassination marked the loss of American innocence, those events symbolized the withering sense of safety and security.

We agreed that the Iraq War and COVID-19 intensified the growing belief that our government was not only incompetent but dishonest.

The BLM riots of 2020 and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol suggested that the center was no longer holding, that passionate intensity was overwhelming reason.

“Don’t forget Trump,” I said. Although most of my friends support the president, they believe that our politics would not have taken such an ugly turn if he had never stepped onto that escalator. The hatred Trump inspires in his opponents, and his relish at fighting fire with fire, have amped up the discord. Acknowledging that he has helped bring out the worst in his adversaries – and, too often, in his supporters – is not to blame him for our circumstances but to recognize that he is a singularly polarizing figure.

A friend said the rise of social media may be an even more important factor, noting how it has helped create political echo chambers in a strange space of connected loneliness that makes it harder for us to relate to others. It may still be true that “no man is an island,” but we seem to be trying. Our growing mental health crisis, especially among younger Americans, is hard to explain without reference to this phenomenon.

The fear, mistrust, anger, division, and violence – it was all there. Still, it struck us that these events were more flashpoints than triggering events, which did not adequately capture how and why our nation appears to have gone off the rails. Individuals and countries can respond to what life throws at them in any number of ways – with courage or cowardice, love or hate. The question became: Why have these and many other events unleashed darkness instead of light?

We would have needed a lot more time, and wine, to begin to answer that one. But it struck me, later, that important roots of our current crisis can be found in the unsettling ideas that have taken hold in our culture for the past few decades. Although much of this thinking has come from the progressive left – developed in academia and advanced by elite media – it has been absorbed by people of all political stripes as well as those alienated from politics.

As Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay detailed in their indispensable book, “Cynical Theories,” the fall of communism in the early 1990s created a crisis for the innumerable scholars influenced by Marxism. In response to the discrediting of their worldview, they set out to “problematize” – i.e., find the fault – in other ideologies. This is not hard, because every system of human thought and action is deeply flawed, filled with tensions and inconsistencies. We don’t live in a perfect world. The observation made famous by Churchill, that “democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried,” can be applied to most of the assumptions and structures we rely on.

Emboldened by the postmodern idea that there is no truth, just versions of reality, these scholars set out to undermine every pillar of society. Pluckrose and Lindsay observed: “They are obsessed with power, language, knowledge, and the relationships between them. They interpret the world through a lens that detects power dynamics in every interaction, utterance, and cultural artifact – even when they aren’t obvious or real. This is a worldview that centers social and cultural grievances and aims to make everything into a zero-sum political struggle revolving around identity markers like race, sex, gender, sexuality; and many others.”

In fairness, there is much to say and debate about their targets, which included religion, capitalism, American history, the nuclear family, gender roles, race, and our legal system.

But the thrust of their critiques was not aimed at building a better nation but razing the one we have – of sowing doubt without offering an alternative beyond empty slogans. We live in a world of fear in large part because they have worked to strip us of certainty about everything. It is hard to calculate, for example, the irreparable harm they have done to children through the confusion they unleashed by telling them that gender is assigned at birth. Similarly, their efforts to cast America as a despicable nation with a shameful history have made it increasingly hard for many people to harbor the love of country that is essential to building a national community.

No matter how much disruption, human beings inherently crave certainty and stability; these are the bedrocks that justify our actions. This is why the left, incoherently but necessarily, still claims it is the guardian of its chief target: truth. But if there is no truth, then there is only power. If reality is just a social construct, facts and language are merely tools that can be twisted in any way to prevail.

The further down this path we have traveled, the harder it has become to sustain a functioning democracy, which hinges on the ability of disparate people to come to common understandings to forge compromises. As we have retreated into our own versions of reality, misinformation and disinformation have run rampant in part because people (and major media outlets) feel freer to assert their own results-oriented versions of truth, and in part because each side’s truth strikes the other as deceit.

The inability of half the people to talk to, much less convince, the other half foments frustration, anger, and resentment. Lacking the tools of dialogue and persuasion, ramping up rhetoric seems the only recourse. Hence, Democrats label their opponents as Nazis and fascists as they cast every issue as an existential threat. President Trump calls his adversaries scum and insists we are ever on the verge of losing our country.

Principle bows to opportunity as each side becomes enraged when the other mimics its own egregious conduct – as we are seeing right now as conservatives embrace the cancel culture they once abhorred.

If war is the failure of diplomacy – of the ability to solve problems civilly – the political violence that is engulfing our culture is no surprise. Recent polls show that young, often university-educated students in particular, accept violence as a proper response to unwelcome speech, which reflects the spread of poisonous ideas. If Charlie Kirk’s assassination is to be a wake-up call rather than a harbinger, we must reject the nihilistic thinking advanced by reckless elites.

This is a monumental task. No single atrocity is going to flip a switch. The evidence following Kirk’s murder suggests we are more likely to embrace conflict. That said, we have one towering strength that can help us keep our Republic: the truth about our country. We are lucky beyond measure to be spending our one chance at life in the freest and most prosperous land in human history. Even as we confront our problems, we must acknowledge our many blessings that were bequeathed to us by our ancestors. Reflecting on these gifts might inspire the gratitude that can once again give flight to the better angles of our nature. If we don’t, lord help us.

J. Peder Zane is a RealClearInvestigations editor and columnist. He previously worked as a book review editor and book columnist for the News & Observer (Raleigh), where his writing won several national honors. Zane has also worked at the New York Times and taught writing at Duke University and Saint Augustine’s University.

After Wednesday’s decision by Disney / ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for lying about the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the left (the architects of cancel culture) exploded with rage – saying that Kimmel’s firing was because major affiliate Nexstar needs the FCC to sign off on its $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna. 

To recap, during Kimmel’s opening monologue on Monday, he suggested that Tyler Robinson – the 22-year-old charged in the fatal shooting at Utah University – was aligned with conservatives. “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.“

By Wednesday, he was fired – leading to cries of censorship and ‘free speech’ by the left, which is hilarious.

Yet, according to an insider report by the Wall Street Journal, Kimmel’s ouster was prompted by an immediate revolt by viewers and affiliate networks including Nexstar, and concerned advertisers. 

Advertisers and affiliates soon called the network expressing concern about Kimmel’s show… –WSJ

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show.” 

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr blasted Kimmel on Wednesday, telling podcaster Benny Johnson that Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick,” and that there’s a “strong case” for legal action against both ABC and Disney (ABC is a Disney subsidiary). “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” said Carr. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

BREAKING: The FCC Chairman is threatening immediate action against Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and Disney for deliberately misleading the public by claiming Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA Conservative.

Chairman Brendan Carr calls Kimmel’s malicious lies are “truly sick” and says they… pic.twitter.com/mGhtGMPReI

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 17, 2025

Yet according to Nexstar, Carr’s comments weren’t a factor. “The decision to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ was made unilaterally by the senior executive team at Nexstar, and they had no communication with the FCC or any government agency prior to making that decision,” a Nexstar spokesman said. 

Disney executives weighed whether Kimmel should address the controversy directly on Wednesday night’s program. According to people familiar with the matter, Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, and Chief Executive Robert Iger decided his planned remarks risked inflaming the situation further.

After the conversation between Kimmel and Walden, she and other senior executives thought that the star’s approach could make the situation worse, people familiar with their conversations said. Executives also discussed staff safety, including threatening emails staff on Kimmel’s show had received after Carr’s remarks and the posting of some of their personal information online, the people said.

Walden huddled with her team and Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger before the two executives decided to temporarily take “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air, the people said. She then informed Kimmel of the decision. -WSJ

According to a person close to the show, Kimmel was planning to say that MAGA was purposefully twisting his words. So, another lie. 

Industry and Political Response

Hollywood unions and producers criticized Disney’s move, calling it corporate capitulation. Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the ABC drama Lost, said he would not want to work for a company that sidelined Kimmel. Former late-night host David Letterman described the decision as “managed media” and warned of broader consequences.

“We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media. And it’s no good,” David Letterman, the former late-night host, said at an Atlantic magazine event Thursday.

Actor Ben Stiller said (and then blocked replies) “This isn’t right,” to which Elon Musk replied “He went full retard. Never go full retard.” 

He went full retard. Never go full retard.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 19, 2025

Democratic lawmakers and former President Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of censorship, while Trump applauded the decision and urged other networks to follow. “They give me only bad press, but they’re getting a license,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Some media critics said Kimmel’s benching, coupled with CBS’s recent decision to cancel its late-night show hosted by frequent Trump critic Stephen Colbert when its season ends in May 2026, will lead shows to self-censor. 

Kimmel’s removal comes as CBS prepares to sunset Stephen Colbert’s late-night program in 2026. Media critics say the combination of events could have a chilling effect on political commentary in late-night television.

“The degree of capitulation going forward will to some extent be a function of what kind of financial cudgel the administration has to wield,” said Lee Levine, a retired media lawyer. “Whenever the cudgel has been pretty significant, sooner or later the network caved in the recent past.”

For Disney, the choice to take Kimmel off the air was the product of overlapping political pressure, regulatory risk, affiliate revolt, and advertiser anxiety – a convergence that left little room for delay. By late Wednesday afternoon, the decision was made: Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “preempted indefinitely.”

Of course, who was even watching?

HOLY SHIT

Kimmel was ONLY Getting 129,000 Viewers

hahahahah

I can post a picture of a cat and get more views than that pic.twitter.com/gUd3sUgwa7

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) September 19, 2025

Also, WTF…

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