This is not to say that information does not exist about these organs. Instead, the problem lies in society’s adoption of what they can see or feel in an immediate, tangible way. For example, abs populate many bodies in commercials and photos. People monitor their heart rates on FitBit devices. They weigh themselves on a scale to measure performance. The organs that filter and process and regulate behind the scenes wait until they fail to increasingly degree with visible symptoms to be talked about.

The Liver Function

The liver performs over 500 different tasks yet few if any people can name two or three of its contributions to daily living. It metabolizes everything a person eats, filters toxins from blood, stores vitamins and nutrients, creates proteins for blood clotting, and manages blood sugar levels in between meals. Yet when overworked, the liver becomes unable to keep up and a person feels it in unexpected symptoms: chronic fatigue, complications with weight loss, skin flare-ups and distress, brain fog or digestive complaints.

There are many reasons why the liver becomes overworked in modern society. Processed foods, alcohol consumption, medication excess, environmental toxins, even chronic stress, means that the liver has to work overtime. Yet wellness suggestions facilitate more supplements and superfoods instead of offering concrete solutions to reduce the pressure already put on such an important organ. Resources like https://barbaraoneill.com/blogs/news/how-to-take-care-of-the-liver provide practical ways for people to learn how to help their livers without imploring complicated regimes or expensive solutions.

Supporting liver function is relatively simple from a practical standpoint. Hydration, whole foods instead of processed foods, reduced alcohol consumption, proper sleep, and minimized exposure to unnecessary chemicals can all help relieve stress placed on an overworked liver. The liver is one organ that has extraordinary regenerative properties when the opportunity arises; it just needs consistent support as opposed to observed support.

The Kidneys Function

In any given day, kidneys filter about 200 quarts of blood, removing waste and excess fluids while managing mineral and electrolyte levels through blood pressure regulation and hormone regulation for red blood cell development and bone strengthening. Yet unless a person develops kidney disease, few people discuss kidneys when it comes to wellness.

Dehydration, excess sodium consumption, an abundance of protein intake, overzealous use of over-the-counter pain medications and unregulated blood pressure all stress kidney functioning over time. Thus it’s important for people to recognize how their lifestyles stress their functioning before complications occur; unlike the liver which can experience decline and bounce back through intervention and support, kidneys do not regenerate tissue. Therefore prevention is far easier than intervention.

Natural habits that protect kidney functioning involve ensuring sufficient water intake throughout the day, moderate salt consumption, consistent blood pressure levels, cautious pain medication intake and managed blood sugar level stability. These are neither complicated measures nor dramatic ones; they just make a significant difference years down the line.

The Pancreas Function

The pancreas generates digestive enzymes and maintains blood sugar levels through natural hormonal functioning. Yet it only gets brought into the equation when diabetes comes into play. Otherwise this small organ helps stabilize blood sugar by producing insulin when glucose levels rise and generating glucagon when glucose levels dip too low. Yet when this organ becomes overworked by constant increases in blood sugar levels, thanks to insulin resistance, the person becomes at risk for metabolic dysfunction.

Dietary patterns support pancreatic function, or hurt it, in significant ways. Constant snacking, sugary foods, refined carbohydrates, anything that prompts bodywide systems to go on high alert requires repeated bursts of insulin-driven response. In time cells become less responsive to insulin so the pancreas needs to work harder; this pattern exists until something breaks down.

Eating habits that support pancreatic functioning involve not grazing between meals (better moderation between meals allows for blood stabilization) and making sure foods chosen don’t cause drastic spikes, but instead adequate protein and fiber and time between meals, for stabilization without pancreatic assistance. Every little bit helps reduce excess work demanded from this organ.

The Spleen Function

The spleen filters blood, removes old red blood cells from circulation, stores white blood cells and platelets while also helping prevent infection response through antibody creation. Very few people think of their spleen unless it’s enlarged or ruptured; meanwhile most wellness suggestions about immune health focus on vitamin C and probiotics while totally ignoring the existence of the spleen.

Like other organs working behind the scenes, this organ is best off when the immune system isn’t overworked 24/7. Chronic inflammation patterns from environmental toxins or avoidable toxins like smoking, frequent infections from exposure or autoimmune disorders force the spleen into overdrive but none of these factors are something that people can intervene with just for the sake of their spleens. However stress management supports immune health as does sleep hygiene above all else.

Building Complete Wellness Practices

How many people are guilty of misguided wellness routines that overlook these organs? They could work out three times a week with a sound diet labeled “healthy” yet feel symptoms from chronic stress on their livers or excess pain medication on their kidneys. Someone might focus solely on heart disease and wellness opportunities but still send their kidneys into disrepair through dehydration or too much caffeine.

Taking a more holistic view means recognizing how lifestyle habits affect all operating systems, and especially those systems which do not regularly get attention. They may seem like small players but they survive on minimal resources that become distributed elsewhere in a misguided attempt at improved functioning. Instead these organs have so much potential when supported through consistent habits that anyone can adopt. When they function properly, as people feel, they operate like well-oiled cogs making others feel empowered through energy levels, recovery time, stability of cognitive clarity when they best maintain independence from day-to-day responsibilities without routine acknowledgment otherwise. Learning what they do, and how to help them, truly makes wellness integrative instead of superficial changes advised for flawed execution in the first place. By giving attention to these overlooked organs through simple, consistent lifestyle habits, people create a foundation for genuine, lasting wellness that goes far beyond what’s visible on the surface.

Staff Writer; Bobby James

The change happened so quickly that even healthcare workers were caught off guard. What started as a backup option for simple stuff has turned into something people genuinely depend on for regular medical care.

When Everything Changed

The shift wasn’t gradual – it was more like a switch got flipped. Rural areas had been struggling with doctor shortages for years. People were driving hours just to get basic medical attention. Busy workers kept putting off appointments because taking time off work was such a hassle. Parents couldn’t figure out how to get kids to the doctor without turning their whole day upside down.

These weren’t small problems. They were real barriers keeping people from getting healthcare when they needed it. Lots of health issues just went ignored because seeing a doctor was too much trouble.

When telehealth started becoming more available, people discovered they could handle way more medical stuff from home than anyone expected. Places offering comprehensive Telehealth GP consultations let people get prescriptions, talk through symptoms, get medical certificates, even manage ongoing health conditions without leaving the house. For many folks, this was the difference between getting care and just hoping problems would go away on their own.

Rural Areas Got Hit Hard, Then Saved

Rural communities saw the biggest change. People who used to spend half a day traveling for a fifteen-minute appointment could suddenly talk to doctors from their kitchen table. This wasn’t just about convenience – it was about making healthcare physically possible for people with no other realistic options.

Small towns that lost their clinics found telehealth filled the gap better than anyone expected. Older folks who couldn’t drive long distances anymore stayed connected with their doctors. Parents in the middle of nowhere could get advice about sick kids without making the trek to town.

Chronic conditions became manageable again. Diabetes check-ins, blood pressure monitoring, medication adjustments – all the ongoing care that keeps people healthy could happen regularly instead of whenever someone could make the drive.

Work Life Actually Got Easier

Working people discovered telehealth solved problems they didn’t even realize they had. Taking time off for routine doctor visits had always been annoying, but people just accepted it. Telehealth changed that completely.

Suddenly appointments could happen during lunch, between meetings, early morning before work started. This meant people actually dealt with health concerns instead of putting them off until they got serious. Nobody was ignoring that weird cough for months anymore because scheduling a doctor visit was too complicated.

Companies noticed too. Fewer sick days for medical appointments, better productivity when employees weren’t stressed about fitting healthcare into impossible schedules. Some employers started including telehealth in benefits packages because it made everyone’s life easier.

Family Chaos, Solved

Parents probably benefited the most. Anyone who’s tried to get multiple kids to medical appointments knows it’s basically impossible. Telehealth lets families handle most health stuff without turning it into a major production involving childcare, time off work, and transportation logistics.

School medical requirements became simple instead of stressful. Medical certificates for sick days happened quickly. Routine check-ups could work around family schedules instead of dictating them.

Elderly family members could stay independent longer because they didn’t need rides to every doctor appointment. This kept families happier and healthier overall.

Turns Out Quality Didn’t Suffer

People worried that telehealth would mean worse medical care. That didn’t happen, at least not for most situations. Doctors could figure out what was wrong, review symptoms, make treatment decisions just fine through video calls.

Many patients actually found they communicated better with doctors from home. Less anxiety, more comfortable asking questions, more honest about symptoms. The clinical environment made some people clam up, but talking from their couch felt more natural.

Doctors liked it too. More time to actually talk with patients instead of rushing through packed clinic schedules. Appointments could run longer when needed without backing up the whole day.

The System Caught Up

Healthcare organizations realized this wasn’t going away. Hospitals expanded telehealth programs. Medical practices made virtual visits standard instead of special. Insurance started covering telehealth properly instead of treating it as experimental.

Technology got better too. Clearer video, easier scheduling, integrated prescription systems. The whole experience became smooth enough that people preferred it for many types of appointments.

What Actually Happened

Telehealth went from being a nice extra to being essential infrastructure that millions of people now rely on. Rural patients, working parents, busy professionals, elderly folks – all these groups found telehealth solved real problems that traditional healthcare couldn’t handle well.

The transformation shows how technology can fix healthcare access issues that have existed for decades. What started as a time-saving convenience became essential infrastructure that makes quality healthcare available regardless of where someone lives or how crazy their schedule is. This represents a fundamental change in how people think about accessing medical care.

Staff Writer; Lou Jacobs

The frustrating thing about scoliosis pain is how unpredictable it can be. Someone might feel fine for weeks, then wake up one morning barely able to move comfortably. Or they’ll have a stretch of manageable discomfort that suddenly ramps up for no obvious reason. This inconsistency makes it hard to know what’s helping and what isn’t. Is the pain better because of something that was done, or would it have improved anyway? This uncertainty leads people to try all sorts of approaches, some helpful and some completely useless.

Understanding Why Scoliosis Creates Pain

The curve itself isn’t always what hurts. What causes pain is usually the way the curved spine affects everything around it. Muscles on one side work harder to compensate for the imbalance. Joints get compressed unevenly. Nerves can get irritated when the curve creates pressure in certain areas. The body tries to adapt to the curvature, but those adaptations create their own problems over time.

One side of the back might be constantly tight while the other side feels stretched and weak. The ribs can sit differently, affecting how the chest expands when breathing. The hips might be uneven, which changes how someone walks and stands. All of these compensations add up to chronic discomfort that’s not coming from one specific spot but from the whole system being out of balance.

This is why general back pain treatments often don’t work well for scoliosis. The problem isn’t a pulled muscle or a simple strain. It’s a structural issue creating ongoing mechanical problems. Treating scoliosis pain requires addressing the curve’s effects on the entire spine and the muscles trying to compensate for it.

What Actually Makes a Difference Daily

Movement helps more than staying still, but the right kind of movement matters. Gentle stretching that addresses the specific imbalances from the curve can provide relief. Stretches that open up the compressed side and strengthen the overstretched side help rebalance things temporarily. This isn’t fixing the curve, but it’s managing the muscle tension and joint compression that create daily pain.

Core strengthening makes a real difference for a lot of people, but not the standard ab exercises everyone does. Scoliosis-specific core work focuses on supporting the spine from all angles and addressing the imbalances the curve creates. This takes some guidance to do properly because generic core exercises can sometimes make things worse if they reinforce existing imbalances.

Heat helps with muscle tension that builds up from compensating for the curve. A heating pad on the tight spots, a warm bath at the end of the day, these provide temporary relief that makes daily activities more manageable. It’s not treating the underlying issue, but it does help with the immediate discomfort that comes from muscles working overtime.

Professional treatment that addresses the specific mechanics of scoliosis can provide more lasting relief than self-care alone. Working with a scoliosis chiropractor who understands how spinal curvature affects the whole system means getting treatment targeted to the actual problem rather than generic adjustments that might not help or could potentially make things worse.

Movement Patterns That Help Versus Hurt

Some activities aggravate scoliosis pain while others provide relief, and it’s not always intuitive which is which. Sitting for long periods tends to make things worse because it locks the spine in one position and lets muscles get tight. Getting up and moving regularly, even just walking around for a few minutes, keeps things from seizing up.

Twisting movements can go either way depending on the person’s specific curve. Some people find gentle rotation helps loosen tight areas. Others find it increases pain because it adds stress to already compressed joints. This is very individual and requires paying attention to what the body responds to rather than following generic advice.

Carrying things unevenly, a heavy bag always on one shoulder, holding a child on the same hip, these habits make scoliosis pain worse over time. The spine is already dealing with imbalance, adding more uneven loading just increases the strain. Distributing weight evenly, using both shoulders for bags, switching sides when carrying things, these small changes reduce the daily stress on the curve.

When Pain Medication Helps and When It Doesn’t

Pain medication can take the edge off but it doesn’t address why the pain is happening. For acute flare-ups, medication might be necessary to function through the day. For chronic daily discomfort, relying on medication alone means masking symptoms without doing anything about the cause. The pain keeps returning because the mechanical problem creating it is still there.

Anti-inflammatories work better than general painkillers for scoliosis because some of the discomfort comes from inflammation around irritated joints and compressed areas. But even these are just managing symptoms. They can make someone more comfortable while doing other treatments that address the actual problem, but they’re not a solution by themselves.

The goal should be needing less medication over time, not more. If pain levels stay the same or increase despite regular medication, that’s a sign the underlying issue needs better treatment rather than just stronger pain management.

Sleep Positions and Support

How someone sleeps makes a huge difference in morning pain levels. The wrong position can leave someone waking up stiff and sore, needing an hour to loosen up before they can move normally. The right support and position can mean waking up with manageable discomfort instead of starting the day already behind.

Sleeping on the back with a pillow under the knees often works well because it supports the spine’s natural curves without adding twist or side pressure. Side sleeping can work if there’s proper support between the knees and under the waist. Stomach sleeping usually makes things worse because it adds rotation to the neck and lower back.

Mattress firmness matters too. Too soft and the spine sags into awkward positions all night. Too firm and there’s pressure on the prominent areas created by the curve. Medium-firm with strategic pillow support tends to work best, but this is individual enough that some experimentation is usually needed.

Building Routines That Stick

Consistency helps more than intensity. Doing gentle stretches and exercises daily, even briefly, provides more benefit than occasional long sessions. The body responds better to regular small inputs than sporadic big efforts. This is maintenance work, not a cure, but good maintenance keeps pain levels manageable instead of letting them build up.

Morning routines that include gentle movement before getting into the day’s activities help prevent that initial stiffness from setting the tone for everything that follows. Evening routines that release tension built up during the day prevent it from accumulating overnight. These bookend practices take maybe 10 to 15 minutes each but make a noticeable difference in daily comfort levels.

The challenge is maintaining these routines when pain is low. When things feel okay, it’s tempting to skip the maintenance work. Then pain increases again and it takes longer to get back to comfortable. Keeping up with what works even during good periods prevents the cycle of improvement and deterioration.

What Helps Long Term

Managing scoliosis pain well requires addressing both immediate symptoms and the underlying mechanical issues creating them. Self-care strategies help with daily comfort. Professional treatment that works with the spine’s structure rather than against it provides longer-lasting improvement. Combining both approaches tends to work better than either alone.

The reality is that scoliosis is a structural issue that doesn’t go away. The curve doesn’t straighten out in adults. But the pain and limitations that come from the curve can be managed effectively when treatment addresses how the curve affects the body’s mechanics. People with scoliosis can be comfortable and active with the right combination of self-management and appropriate professional care. It requires some ongoing attention, but it’s absolutely possible to live well with a curved spine rather than being constantly limited by pain.

Staff Writer; Jerry Hall

A decent trainer can count reps and make you sweat. A good trainer does things most people don’t even realize they’re paying for, and those hidden elements are usually what make the difference between someone who sees real progress and someone who spins their wheels for months while wondering why nothing’s changing.

They’re Reading Your Body Language Before You Even Start

Walk into a session and a good trainer is already picking up on things before the warmup starts. How someone moves when they walk in the door tells a story about what’s going on with their body that day. Are they favoring one side? Moving stiffly? Seems tired or stressed? All of that matters for how the session should go.

This is where experience really shows up, because it’s not something you can learn from a textbook. Someone might say they feel fine, but their shoulders are up around their ears and they’re moving like everything hurts. A trainer who knows what they’re doing will adjust the plan on the spot rather than just pushing through the scheduled workout and risking an injury.

The same goes for tracking progress that’s not obvious. Sure, weight on the bar matters, but so does how someone’s moving through the exercises compared to last month. Is their form getting cleaner? Are they recovering faster between sets? Can they hold positions longer with better control? These improvements often show up before the scale or the weights change, and recognizing them keeps people motivated when they think nothing’s happening.

Programming That Actually Makes Sense for Your Life

Anyone can throw together a list of exercises and call it a workout plan. Building a program that fits someone’s actual life, goals, and limitations while still getting results takes a lot more thought than most people realize.

A good trainer is thinking several weeks ahead, not just planning tomorrow’s session. They’re considering how much recovery time someone needs based on their age, fitness level, and what else they’re doing outside the gym. They’re building in variety so things don’t get boring but keeping enough consistency that the body actually adapts and gets stronger. They’re planning around someone’s schedule, energy levels, and any old injuries that might flare up.

Here’s where working with someone like Andy Griffiths at Expert PT makes a difference, because experienced trainers have seen what actually works long-term versus what just sounds good on paper. They know when to push harder and when to back off, when to switch things up and when to stick with what’s working. That kind of judgment comes from working with a lot of different people over time and paying attention to what produces results.

The problem is that most generic workout plans you find online don’t account for any of this. They’re designed for an imaginary average person who doesn’t exist. Real programming considers that someone might have a dodgy knee from an old football injury, works a stressful job with long hours, and can only train three days a week. Those details completely change what makes sense for their training.

They’re Teaching You Things You Don’t Know You’re Learning

A lot of what good trainers do is education that happens so naturally most people don’t realize they’re being taught. Over time, clients start understanding why certain exercises work better for their goals, how to tell if they’re working hard enough, and what proper form should feel like in their own body.

This matters because eventually most people want some independence in their training, even if they keep working with a trainer. Understanding the reasoning behind different exercises and programming choices means someone can make smarter decisions about their fitness even outside of sessions. They start to develop an instinct for what their body needs on any given day.

Good trainers are also constantly teaching proper movement patterns without making it feel like a lecture. They’re cueing form corrections in ways that make sense and helping people develop body awareness that carries over into everything they do. Learning how to properly hinge at the hips or brace your core isn’t just about doing a safer deadlift, it’s about moving better when you’re picking up groceries or playing with your kids.

The Accountability That Nobody Wants to Admit They Need

This is the part that sounds simple but makes a huge difference for a lot of people. Having a set time when someone’s expecting you to show up and work out changes the equation completely compared to relying on motivation alone. It’s way easier to skip a workout when nobody will know or care, but bailing on a session with a trainer means either paying for time you didn’t use or having an awkward conversation about why you didn’t show up.

But get this: the accountability piece goes beyond just showing up. Good trainers are tracking progress in ways that keep people honest about whether they’re actually doing the work or just going through the motions. They’re asking about nutrition, sleep, and stress levels because all of that affects results. They’re noticing when someone’s been half-hearted for a few sessions and figuring out what’s going on.

The psychological side of training gets overlooked, but it’s huge. When progress slows down or someone hits a plateau, a good trainer helps them push through that frustration rather than giving up like they might on their own. They’re there on the days when motivation is completely gone and discipline needs to carry things, which is when most people quit their fitness goals entirely.

Injury Prevention That You Hopefully Never Notice

One of the most valuable things a good trainer does is keep people from hurting themselves, but since the whole point is that injuries don’t happen, clients often don’t realize how much work goes into that prevention.

This means watching for form breakdown when someone gets tired, knowing which exercises to avoid or modify based on someone’s injury history, and understanding when pushing through discomfort is fine versus when it’s a warning sign that something’s wrong. The difference between muscle fatigue and actual pain is important, and experienced trainers know how to read those signals.

They’re also building programs that balance different movement patterns so nothing gets overworked while other areas get weak. If someone’s always pushing but never pulling, always doing quad-dominant exercises but ignoring the hamstrings, always going heavy but never working on mobility, problems will show up eventually. Good programming prevents those imbalances before they become issues.

Most people don’t see this prevention work because nothing goes wrong. They just keep training consistently without mysterious aches and pains that sideline them for weeks. That’s the goal, but it takes constant attention to movement quality and program design that most people don’t appreciate until they try training on their own and suddenly everything hurts.

What This Really Means for Getting Results

The difference between mediocre training and good training shows up in the long run. Someone can get results short-term with almost any approach if they’re working hard and eating right, but sustainable progress over months and years requires the kind of attention and expertise that quality coaching provides.

Good trainers are part coach, part teacher, part psychologist, and part injury prevention specialist all rolled into one. They’re making dozens of small decisions every session based on what they’re seeing and how someone’s responding that day. They’re thinking about the big picture of where someone’s heading while managing the details of each individual workout.

Most people don’t need someone to count their reps. They need someone who understands how to build effective programs, can teach proper movement, knows when to push and when to ease back, and will keep them consistent even when motivation tanks. That’s what actually produces results that last, and it’s worth a lot more than just having a workout buddy who shouts encouragement.

Staff Writer; Ricky Brown

In 2022, Taibleson donated to ActBlue, designated for Joe Manchin, during a time when people were pushing him to run as an alternative to Trump. That appears to be the only senate level donation she ever made. In 2024, Taibleson donated to Bridget Schoenborn in a judicial race in Wisconsin. Schoenborn was appointed by Democrat Governor Toney Evans and was endorsed by the Waukesha Co. Democrat Party while her opponent, David Maas, was endorsed by Brad Schimel, the former Republican Wisconsin Attorney General. Taibleson’s husband, Benjamin, also donated to ActBlue as well as Biden’s 2020 race against Trump, Kamala Harris’ 2015 Senate bid, and Forrest Dunbar’s congressional campaign. Adding these ActBlue donations with an almost blank record in the conservative movement, you have to ask “how could she possibly have been nominated.” But the problems even grow from here.

Taibleson intentionally interned for the Obama D.O.J. Additionally, her husband-to-be published a book review that concluded the author’s proposal of “a universal social welfare regime – especially one based on upon education for all” was reasonable and “should enjoy the luxury of a gentler standard.” While working for Biden’s Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, Taibleson served on the defense team for a case brought by the Brown County Taxpayers Association challenging Biden’s student loan forgiveness policy.

In 2008, Taibleson served as an intern for the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative, which falls under the ABA’s Center for Global Programs, which has as one of its purposes to advance gender and social inclusion. In 2009, Taibleson interned for the Obama Administration’s Department of Justice’s Office of Policy and Legislation.

Taibleson has had very little legal involvement with conservative legal positions and, beyond advocating for then-Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, no public advocacy for conservative policies.Some point to Taibleson’s clerkship for Justice Scalia as a conservative credential, but that’s no certain green flag. Scalia was known to hire a “counterclerk,” a politically liberal clerk whose predispositions were the opposite of his own. And some of Scalia’s former clerks have gone on to fight the conservative legal movement broadly and President Trump specifically.

It is true that Taibleson worked in the Solicitor General’s office from 2019 to 2020, but she decided to stay on to serve President Biden all the way through 2022.She appears to have spent more time advancing Biden’s agenda, not Trump’s. Perhaps this is why she earned liberal Senator Tammy Baldwin’s support for this current nomination. In addition, Taibleson donated to a non-profit that advocates for “social justice” and hosts and supports “a group of greater Milwaukee lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex.”

If there were no good, highly credentialed and strong conservative candidates to fill this important seat, the situation might be different, but the opposite is true. Two very strong, highly credentialed and proven conservative choices applied and were available to serve.

There is no evidence Taibleson is bold or fearless, battle tested or strong on the issues. Instead, the evidence suggests she is a weak pick in an important circuit with serious national consequences. I support and encourage opposition to her confirmation.

Columnist; Ken Blackwell

Official website; http://twitter.com/kenblackwell

That’s right: The same Supreme Court that says it’s unconstitutional to take race into account in providing educational and employment opportunities to minorities says it’s just fine to use race as a factor for detaining them. Heads you lose, tails you lose.

At least give Brett Kavanaugh credit for writing a concurrence, trying to explain the inexplicable. It doesn’t work, but how could it? Racial profiling makes statistical sense; it’s just not supposed to be how we do things.

According to Kavanaugh, “Immigration officers ‘may briefly detain’ an individual ‘for questioning’ if they have ‘a reasonable suspicion, based on specific articulable facts, that the person being questioned … is an alien illegally in the United States.'”

He said such stops are reasonable and legal based on the “totality of the circumstances. Here, those circumstances include: that there is an extremely high number and percentage of illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area; that those individuals tend to gather in certain locations to seek daily work; that those individuals often work in certain kinds of jobs, such as day labor, landscaping, agriculture, and construction, that do not require paperwork and are therefore especially attractive to illegal immigrants; and that many of those illegally in the Los Angeles area come from Mexico or Central America and do not speak much English.”

Those were exactly the same factors — race, ethnicity, the Home Depot parking lot, speaking Spanish — that the district judge and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said agents may not use as a basis for stopping someone for questioning. You need targeted suspicion based on individualized factors, not stereotypes.

The court’s three remaining liberals dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the decision “yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket. We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.”

Justice Sotomayor is right. “The Government … has all but declared that all Latinos, U.S. citizens or not, who work low wage jobs are fair game to be seized at any time, taken away from work, and held until they provide proof of their legal status to the agents’ satisfaction,” she wrote. “Immigration agents are not conducting ‘brief stops for questioning,’ as the concurrence would like to believe. They are seizing people using firearms, physical violence, and warehouse detentions,” she wrote. “Nor are undocumented immigrants the only ones harmed by the Government’s conduct. United States citizens are also being seized, taken from their jobs, and prevented from working to support themselves and their families.”

Roving patrols of masked ICE agents pouring out of rental trucks to chase people down the streets of Hispanic neighborhoods? Is this really what people were voting for when they cheered Trump’s plans to deport rapists and murderers? Clearing the Home Depot parking lots instead? This is not a targeted approach. It is an effort to meet an artificial, political goal, through the sort of race-based policing that we, in other contexts, have rightly branded as unconstitutional. Why not here?

Written by Susan Estrich

Our economy just got a report that says fewer than 75,000 new jobs were generated last month. Trump fired a woman over a weak jobs report. He picked one of his boys hoping for something more pleasing to him that would make him look good, but lo and behold, the next jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics didn’t make the point he wanted to see. In fact, the report was brutal and he can’t blame this report on a woman, an immigrant or Black people.  He especially loves blaming Black women who run circles around him when it comes to competence! He just can’t admit that he doesn’t know what it means to be President of the United States—and the job is far above his pay grade.  He knows our country would be so much better with Kamala Harris as President!

So how does he try to handle things that make him look tough?  He has his boys rush off to international waters to attack a boat that killed 11 people and there’s no proof of what was on their ship.  We have no proof they were drug smugglers. Does he really think he can just say things without proof and everybody will fall in line believing him? It’s probably just a distraction!

In addition to the horrible jobs report, the unconfirmed report about why 11 lives were brutally taken, he had to endure the loud noise about his Secretary Robert Kennedy where almost nobody showed him any love in a hearing about his job performance that endangers so many people, including children.

Oh, there was that powerful press conference where women just kept on coming telling their stories about being abused by Trump’s friend, Jeffrey Epstein, when they were as young as 14 years old!  They told us how Trump’s other friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was very prominent in molesting them when they were young. They testified that her hands were all over everything that happened to them, and questioned how she could now be living at a “country club”!

It was impressive that such a huge number of women had the courage in the midst of threats on their lives to come forward and tell the world about the crimes committed against them by the orange man’s good friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Add to that, Vladimir Putin-his good friend, was in China with Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un of North Korea and others, hugging each other, laughing and enjoying a military parade bigger than Trump’s and he wasn’t even invited!  Imagine that! He must have had a few very bad days that he couldn’t control even though he says “I am President and I can do anything I want to do!”

I wonder if the women’s press conference or the big event in China hit him hardest. It’s days like the ones he’s had lately that led him wanting to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of WAR!

As a long time peace and human rights activist, Trump’s behavior from day to day, really concerns me. I wonder what we are to do about this escalating and unhinged behavior. We can’t just do nothing. So, don’t be afraid to speak out about Trump’s efforts to destroy our history, threats to send people rummaging through the Museum of African American History and Culture, his effort to shut down Black History in schools, his treating Black women in disrespectful ways, his firing thousands of competent people for no reason….and on and on. What are we going to do?

Columnist: Dr. E. Faye Williams

Official website; http://www.efayewilliams.com/

Chief Justice John Marshall famously pronounced early in our nation’s history that “the power to tax involves the power to destroy.”

The Democrats inside the Biden IRS took that to heart. They hired thousands of new IRS agents to harass businesses, rich people and, in some cases, Republican donors. Some of the officers under infamous former IRS enforcer Lois Lerner, the woman who aimed her agency’s auditing guns at conservative groups, are still active at the tax agency.

One of the most noxious of former President Joe Biden’s leftover regulatory rules applies to partnerships — an increasingly common form of business organization and expansion. Microsoft’s revenues/profits flow down through its business partners.

Business partnerships are vital contributors to the U.S. economy. A 2024 study by Ernst and Young for the Small Business Entrepreneur Council found that that 10 million Americans work for these partnerships and generate $1.3 trillion in gross domestic product.

The IRS evidently thinks they are TOO successful.

A gang of holdovers from the Biden administration and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), are trying to administratively change the taxation of pass-throughs and partnerships, and subject these entities to “guilty until proven innocent” audits.

The changes would alter the “economic substance doctrine,” which determines how the taxes on a business’ profits are applied to the partners. If the entities are found liable for increased tax assessments, they could face a giant tax bill AND a confiscatory 60% strict liability penalty.

These partnership rules are admittedly murky and may need updated protections against potential tax evasion abuses. But this rewrite of the tax laws would be applied without congressional approval. The Trump administration promised to end this illegal rewrite of the tax laws, but because of the turmoil at the IRS — with a revolving door of IRS commissioners — the Biden-era rules still stand.

Meanwhile, Wyden has introduced legislation to codify these new rules into law. Get this: The Joint Committee on Taxation scores these IRS “reforms” as a potential $730 billion business tax increase over the next decade.

If the IRS isn’t told to cease and desist, it could be the perpetrator of the largest non-congressionally approved tax increase in American history.

The Trump administration is supposed to be easing the tax burden on our businesses and employers to make them more globally competitive, not handing them a three-quarter-trillion-dollar tax INCREASE.

Trump or Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent should fix this tax raid on business before it reverses some of the job-creating benefits of Trump’s big beautiful bill.

Columnist; Stephen Moore

Official website; http://twitter.com/stephenmoore

Now, three is not a lot of cases in the grand scheme of things, but for something that never happens, three is practically a trend. And not a good trend. Jury nullification is the last resort of a system out of sync. Are prosecutors overreaching? They have been put in a terrible position, politically speaking, enforcing policies that have been imposed from on high without the input and consent of those governed by them. It is a dangerous thing to do, because it breeds disrespect for the criminal justice system. It suggests something is wrong with the system — that there is a disconnect, or overreaching, which can only be corrected by the grand jury standing up to the prosecutor, the law be damned.

An army has been imposed on the district. President Donald Trump claims that he’s solved the crime problem; that’s debatable, but what’s not debatable is that he has created a new and different problem in the siege mentality that his takeover has provoked. The locals are not happy about what’s happening to their city. This is a top-down imposition of martial force, not a community working together. And if any more evidence is needed that it doesn’t work when you do it this way, jury nullification provides that proof.

Los Angeles prosecutors ran into similar problems last spring, when they had trouble getting indictments against those who had participated in the protests against immigration raids.

Some years ago, jury nullification in crack cases, which were punished more severely than cases involving powdered cocaine, helped contribute to the ultimate reform of the law to remove what was seen by many as a race-based enhancement. You see jury nullification only when the system is badly broken.

That’s because, in the usual case, the prosecutor controls everything the grand jury sees and hears. It’s not a balanced proceeding; it’s an investigative tool, the adversary system with only one side represented, and if you can’t win under those rules, what does it say?

It says you are doing something fundamentally wrong, which undermines respect for the rule of law.

What will happen if Trump imposes what looks and feels like martial law in Chicago?

Why would we expect it to be any different than what has happened in D.C. and L.A.?

If anything, Chicago will be worse. It is not a federal protectorate. It is not as used to the feds calling the shots as D.C. is.

What Trump is doing is wrong in so many ways. He is dragging the military into the middle of domestic politics, the last place they should be. This is not the war they signed up to fight, not the enemy they enlisted to pursue. And the only way to fight back is to nullify the law, or at least impose limits on it.

Written by Susan Estrich

Beautifully illustrated, the book follows the journey of a spunky young girl who learns to see herself as phenomenal no matter where she is in the world. Drawing from Clark’s real-life experiences of living on five continents as a Black woman, the book invites children to celebrate culture, joy, and curiosity while affirming that they belong everywhere.

“I wanted to give children a story that shows them that no matter their zip code, their voice and their light matter everywhere in the world,” said Clark!. “I AM Phenomenal Everywhere! is more than a book—it’s a movement of self-love and possibility.”

Early readers are already praising the book’s impact:

“I really, really appreciate the author of the book because she is being her authentic self. The author encourages little girls to be their authentic selves without feeling judged. Girls should embrace their authentic selves without feeling like someone out there wants them to be something else. I’m so excited about the book and look forward to reading more!” — Esther, Mother of 2

“I AM Phenomenal Everywhere! is so life-affirming for our young ones, and the illustrations are so beautiful. I loved everything about it. Your added vocabulary in the glossary was perfect, and we used it. It is definitely phenomenal!” — BJ, Teacher

“This book feels like wings. It tells our girls they are enough, they are brilliant, and they can dream beyond borders.” — Early Reader & Mom

The release of I AM Phenomenal Everywhere! comes at a pivotal moment in the school year when representation in children’s literature is essential. Studies show that children who see positive reflections of themselves in books build stronger self-esteem, perform better academically, and develop greater cultural awareness.

Available for purchase on Amazon, Clark’s book is designed for classroom adoption, school libraries, and community programs. Educators, parents, and organizations are encouraged to bring this inspiring story to their communities. Wholesale orders and virtual author visits are now available.

About the Author

Lacey C. Clark, also known as “Ms. Phenomenal Everywhere,” is an award-winning author, storyteller, and empowerment speaker who has lived on five continents over a period of 25 years. A Founders’ Scholar and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Clark! has dedicated over two decades to inspiring women and girls through books, performances, and media. Her groundbreaking solo play, Phenomenal Everywhere, gave the world its first glimpse through a Black woman’s eyes.

Clark is inspired by the legacies of Black women creatives such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Faith Ringgold, and Nikki Giovanni, whose work continues to affirm identity and expand possibility. In that same spirit, she uses storytelling as a tool for cultural pride, global imagination, and self-love. Her mission is to show girls that their voices matter, their stories belong everywhere, and their brilliance knows no borders.

Her work has been featured in Essence Magazine, Rolling Out, BET, MSNBC, Business Insider, Sheen Magazine, Radio One, and iHeartRadio. She is the creator of Phenomenal Everywhere and Phenomenally U, and the author of Celebrate HER Now! Her latest release, I AM Phenomenal Everywhere!, transforms her global journey into a children’s book that empowers young readers to embrace confidence, culture, and curiosity.

For bulk orders, virtual visits, and media inquiries, contact laceycc@sisterssanctuaryllc.com or call (913) 735-3568