A group of pro-Tibetan activists who were peacefully demonstrating against Chinese dictator Xi Jinping when he arrived in Washington, DC, were attacked by pro-communist protesters on Thursday.

The post Chinese Communists Attack Tibetans Protesting Against Xi Jinping in D.C. appeared first on Breitbart.

HSBC downgraded Netflix stock from a buy to a hold this week, citing troubling trends in user engagement and YouTube's rising influence on television viewing.

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California's Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is pushing back and denying claims he forced the state's AG to drop his lawsuit against Paramount and its merger with Warner Bros Discovery.

The post Watch: Gavin Newsom Snaps at Reporter Amid Blowback from Left-Wing Critics Accusing Him of Forcing Paramount Settlement appeared first on Breitbart.

Disney has announced that it is raising is prices for its ad-free streaming service Disney+ once again, effective immediately.

The post Users Crush Disney, Hulu for Raising Prices Again: ‘Producing Dogs**t Content and Making You Pay Double for It’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Danny Tommo has been arrested in the United Kingdom after he livestreamed himself slashing the inflatable hull of a migrant boat.

The post British Anti-Mass-Migration Activist Arrested After Migrant Boat Deflated in English Channel appeared first on Breitbart.

Burbidge, who leads the Diocese of Arlington, announced on the latest episode of his “Walk Humbly” podcast that he is asking Catholics throughout October to fast on Fridays as part of a monthlong effort focused on defeating what he has described as dangerous ballot initiatives.

October is recognized by the Catholic Church as Respect Life Month, an annual observance dedicated to protecting unborn life and supporting those affected by abortion. Fridays also hold special significance in Catholic tradition as days of prayer and penance commemorating Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.

Campaign Targets Ballot Amendments

Burbidge has emerged as one of the leading opponents of the ballot questions through the Diocese of Arlington’s “Catholics Vote No” campaign.

Question 1 would amend Virginia’s constitution to expand abortion access throughout pregnancy and eliminate the need for parental consent, while Question 2 would replace the current constitutional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman with language guaranteeing the right of two adults to marry regardless of sex. Supporters say the amendments would protect abortion rights and same-sex marriage in Virginia.

>>> A RARE MOVE BY A VIRGINIA BISHOP AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

Earlier this month, Burbidge took the unprecedented step of directing priests in all 70 parishes across the diocese to read a letter during Masses on Sept. 12-13 urging Catholics to vote against the amendments. It was the first time in his decade as bishop that he had asked priests to read such a letter during their homily.

“There’s just so much at stake, and we have to be a unified voice,” Burbidge said on his podcast. “I’m so grateful to my brother priests who are rallying around with one voice and echoing that voice to their parishioners, explaining what is at stake and how essential it is that they allow their voice to be heard and their vote to count.”

Letter Draws Praise and Criticism

Across Northern Virginia, parishioners heard Burbidge warn that the amendments threaten both unborn life and the traditional definition of marriage. The effort built upon an earlier joint letter from Burbidge and Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout that described the abortion amendment as “extreme, dangerous, radical, and horrific.”

>>> CATHOLIC BISHOPS SOUND ALARM AHEAD OF NOVEMBER VOTE

On his latest podcast, Burbidge said the response to his letter and accompanying video message has been overwhelmingly positive. On X, the video has more than 825,000 impressions.

“Many have said this is the first time they were learning about these proposed amendments,” he said. “Sometimes we think we get it out there, but repetition is the best teacher, and we can’t tire of getting this message out.”

The bishop acknowledged, however, that the campaign has also generated criticism. He said some Catholics intentionally attended Mass outside the Diocese of Arlington during the Sept. 12-13 weekend rather than hear the letter read in their parishes.

“We expect that,” Burbidge said. “We expect that there’s going to be opposition, and sometimes the opposition is just based on a lack of information, a lack of clear understanding.”

He also referenced negative reactions shared by his nephew from social media, noting that family members are often the first to bring criticism to his attention.

Rather than responding defensively, Burbidge said priests have reached out to concerned parishioners and invited them to discuss the issues in person.

“Let’s have a conversation,” he said, describing the approach taken by Catholic priests. “Don’t be afraid to engage those who may disagree as well. But we also always do so respectfully. We always tell the truth. We don’t compromise that.”

Final Push Before Election Day

Last week, Burbidge led a holy hour at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington dedicated to prayer about the constitutional amendments.

The bishop is also encouraging Virginians to cast ballots early.

“We can’t allow anything to stop us from casting our vote,” Burbidge said. “Why not get out early and vote? It encourages others to do so.”

He expressed hope that young adults and college students will become engaged in the effort.

“We have to get the vote out,” Burbidge said. “That includes our young adults, our students eligible to vote on college campuses, and people of every age.”

Burbidge said he remains optimistic that Virginia voters can reject the amendments.

“I have hope here that with the grace of God and with our continued efforts, that Virginia could pull off something miraculous here and defeat these dangerous amendments,” he said.

Early voting began Sept. 18 and will continue through Election Day on Nov. 3. Virginia voters will decide all three constitutional amendments after they received approval in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly, as required under state law.

Today, the beloved American Catholic evangelist and TV host Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) gets one step closer to becoming a saint. He will be beatified in St. Louis this afternoon, the penultimate stage in the journey toward Catholic sainthood (also known as canonization).

Sheen, who was a great theologian and philosopher in addition to his other talents, lived a life defined by unparalleled energy and deep commitment to prayer. He spent every moment working for the glory of God. He displayed this in everything from his commitment to study and the countless retreats he offered to his world travels preaching and raising money for the poor. This was a man who loved God and was motivated to proclaim His truth and goodness.

But what does it mean to say that Sheen has been “beatified”?

When the Catholic Church beatifies someone, it means, first, that rigorous investigation has shown the person to have lived a good and holy life, and that the person has been responsible for one miracle.

Sheen’s miracle was the unexplained recovery of a young boy, James Fulton Engstrom, who was born without a heartbeat. The boy’s mother prayed fervently, asking Fulton Sheen to beg God to heal her son. Sixty-one minutes later, the boy’s heart began to beat, and he had no medical ailments.

In order to be declared a saint, the Vatican will need to verify a second miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession.

Over the course of his life, Sheen provided millions of people with words of guidance in public preaching and writing. These can guide us in growing closer to God as well.

“Prayer,” Sheen said, “begins by talking to God, but it ends by listening to Him. In the face of Absolute Truth, silence is the soul’s language.”

The archbishop famously made a daily commitment to one hour of prayer each day in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. At the end of each retreat or conference he gave, he would mention this commitment to all those present in hopes that they, too, would make similar vows. Countless people took inspiration from this, and their lives were changed.

The secret to Sheen’s energetic existence was not adherence to any kind of fad. It was not following a hip diet or self-help guru. Instead, his energy was rooted in a daily commitment to prayer and silence. It was here that he was inspired to powerfully preach. It was here that he was given the strength to go above and beyond in serving God and the Church. Without a consistent prayer life, we can too easily become devoted to things that are not of God.

Sheen wrote: “If you do not worship God, you worship something, and nine times out of ten it will be yourself. You have a duty to worship God, not because He will be imperfect and unhappy if you do not, but because you will be imperfect and unhappy.”

Daily prayer orients our lives toward the only One who can fulfill us. Too often, without a commitment to prayer, we can convince ourselves that we are the center of the universe—that our wishes and desires are more important than anyone else’s. It is easy to place our worth in passing things such as comfort and attention, but worshiping God means being obedient to His commands, even when doing so is painful.

The more that we pray and place God at the center of our lives, the more that we become like Sheen and experience the love of God as he did.

“God does not love us because we are valuable,” he said. “We are valuable because God loves us.”

We are not special or unique because of what we have accomplished. Our value comes from the fact that we belong to God. He made us, and His Son gave His life for us. The cross of Jesus Christ reveals what every single human being’s life is “worth.” We are now worth the life of the Son of God. God died for us, even though it was our sin and selfishness that did the killing. Despite all of this, He was beaten and put to death for you and for me.

It was this love that Sheen experienced each day in prayer, and it was this unfathomable love that he sought to communicate to a hurting world. On (and after) Sheen’s beatification day, may we accept his challenge to pray more consistently, and may we be energized to bring others into contact with the heart of God as well.

Holiness requires it.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits slipped by 1,000 to 197,000 in the week ended September 19, data from the Labor Department showed Thursday.

The post Jobless Claims Dip To 197,000, Year-to-Date Lowest Since 1969 appeared first on Breitbart.

Malcolm Gladwell argues that modern trauma medicine is keeping America’s homicide statistics far below where they would have been with 1960-level care. The research behind his 75,000 figure is real—but the original estimate was lower.

The post Gladwell Says Better Trauma Care Masks America’s Homicide Toll appeared first on The Truth About Guns.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, urging them to discuss with Chinese leader Xi Jinping the release of worshippers and American citizens who remain imprisoned in China.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., penned the letter after he held two hearings in late September on the detainees, including media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, Christian worshippers, Uyghur Muslims activists, Falun Gong, and American citizens detained for minor crimes.

“They are people—sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters—whose families have spent years waiting and pleading for their loved ones to come home,” the letter, exclusively obtained by the Daily Signal, reads. “I respectfully ask that you raise the following cases directly with President Xi and press for their release, including through medical or humanitarian transfer where appropriate.”

“At this critical moment, I ask that you make the freedom and humanitarian treatment of these individuals a priority in your discussions with Beijing,” the letter adds. “Several of these prisoners face serious medical conditions that warrant immediate consideration for medical or humanitarian release or transfer.”

During the first summit between the second Trump administration and the Chinese Communist Party earlier this year, Trump raised the issue of releasing Pastor Ezra Jin, who was imprisoned for operating a non-state-approved church in China, which eventually led to his release from a Chinese prison.

In his letter to the president and the secretary of state, Smith urged them “to bring that same commitment directly to the table with President Xi.”

Among the prisoners are eight leaders of Zion Church, who were originally imprisoned with Jin, as well as three Light of Zion Church leaders—Pastor Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, and Tang Bingyi—who are still in confinement after refusing to register their house churches and submit to Communist Party monitoring.

Lai, who has already served six years of his 20-year sentence for running a non-state-sponsored media outlet, now faces serious health concerns and has just received notice that his eldest daughter is undergoing cancer treatment in the United Kingdom.

The two American prisoners detained in China, Dawn Michelle Hunt and Nelson Wells Jr., have been imprisoned for more than a decade, “following procedures that raise serious due process concerns,” the letter adds.

Trump and Xi first met later Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, before continuing meetings at the White House.