+
More

The Supreme Court won't admit the 'travel ban' is really a Muslim ban.

It is a sad week for religious liberty.

On Tuesday, June 26, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision upheld President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban nationals from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, North Korea, and Venezuela from entering the U.S.

In his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president has the right to bar entry to aliens to prevent any harm to the country’s national security. He also asserted the ban does not target, or discriminate, based on religion or race, and it just so happens to be coincidental that six of the countries banned are of a Muslim-majority.


But make no mistake: The “travel ban” is a Muslim ban.

Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images.

This shouldn't come as a surprise as the president himself has a long historyof making disparaginganti-Muslim remarks under the guise of protecting national security.

And justices, politicians, celebrities, and American citizens are using their platforms to call the ban what it is: religious discrimination.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented that it is clearly evident that Trump’s ban was driven by his Islamophobic beliefs.

“Taking all the relevant evidence together, a reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus, rather than by the government’s asserted national-security justifications,” Sotomayor wrote.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, also refers to this immigration policy as a “Muslim ban. “I call it a Muslim ban, because Trump called it a Muslim ban.”

Several other public officials joined Ellison’s sentiments and in his word choice. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) also expressed disappointment in the SCOTUS ruling.

The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert used humor to point out SCOTUS’ obliviousness.

SCOTUS failed to honestly, justly address Trump's Islamophobia.

It not only goes against true American values, but it diminishes the detrimental conditions this policy puts on people.

Referring to this policy as a “travel ban” merely suggests that the country are just barring tourists from entering the country. This ban is stripping families apart, in some cases, leaving relatives stranded in homes destroyed by airstrikes, or sometimes, to die in countries ravaged by war. And as the evidence shows, most of these countries are devastated by wars and armed conflict the U.S. has either initiated or been involved in.

Words matter. And even if SCOTUS will allow it, American won't let this slide.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

Keep ReadingShow less

YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Dad gives his young daughter a 'spa day' while mom and sister are out and people are gushing

"This healed a part of me. Thank you for doing this with your daughter."

Mason Smith pampered his baby girl during her "spa day."

Raising kids is no small feat. Just the basic logistics of caring for a human being from their helpless newborn stage to the full-fledged adult stage is a lot, much less doing the countless other things that will actually help that human thrive.

Parents who go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment and build strong core memories with their kids are inspiring examples for us all, and one dad's spa day with his daughter has people positively gushing.

Mason Smith (@thedadsocial) shared a video of a special spa day he gave his young daughter when her mom and older sister were having their own pampered outing. "Mom and sister went to the salon so I couldn't have her feeling left out," he wrote.

Keep ReadingShow less

Jennifer Reardon shares her question that gets her the job everytime.

Job interviews are one of the most stressful situations people go through. A recent poll of over 2,000 people found that job interviews are the fifth most stressful experience a person can have, right after health and financial problems, family issues and running late.

That’s why it is vital to be prepared to handle any questions you have to field during the interview. You’ll be less nervous and make a better candidate. However, many people never think to have a question prepared for their potential employer at the end of the interview when they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Communications director and consultant Jennifer Reardon, who goes by the name @notjenneeree on TikTok, says that she has the perfect question to ask at that pivotal moment at the end of the interview. And she claims that she got the job every time she’s asked the question.

Keep ReadingShow less