As President Trump promised during his campaign, tackling illegal immigration should be top of mind for the transition team, but mitigating the border crisis will be difficult as long as Mexican drug cartels have a vote. And thanks to a new constitutional amendment passed by Mexico’s congress, they will.

The cartels already operate with virtual impunity. Their ability to traffic drugs and humans across the border is seemingly unfettered by the Mexican judicial system, let alone by current U.S. efforts. A recent example is the discovery of five decapitated bodies and plastic-wrapped heads in northeastern Jalisco, Mexico. The notorious Jalisco New Generation drug cartel (the CJNG) is most likely to blame. To date, no arrests have been made. Since the beginning of the year, more than a thousand people have been murdered in Jalisco.

And when it comes to influencing elections, the cartels have a history of assassinating political candidates they don’t like. In the run-up to the 2024 Mexican presidential election alone, 37 candidates have been killed. 

Now the latest judicial reforms passed by the Mexican congress allow the cartels to train their sights on would-be judges. While the cartel have long intimidated or murdered witnesses who would testify against them, the new amendment might eliminate the need to do so. Cartel members will be able to vote in judges who won’t rule against them. And if they find exercising their democratic rights doesn’t get the job done, there is no reason to think judicial candidates won’t suffer the

In the immortal words of the then-recently fired “Saturday Night Live” star Norm MacDonald, “the show has gotten really bad!” But “SNL” didn’t always used to be so unfunny and politically unhinged. A new film from director Jason Reitman tells the 1970s origin story of this once-great institution of comedy.

Reitman is known for his critically acclaimed successes with “Juno,” “Thank You for Smoking,” and “Up in the Air” which set him apart as one of the great directors of his generation, being a director who could handle comedy and drama with equal skill. While his later films like “Tully,” “Labor Day,” and “The Front Runner” lost some of that momentum, his work as the director of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and screenwriter of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” has kept him in Hollywood’s good graces (in addition to being the son of Hollywood legend Ivan Reitman).

Even when his films flounder, they still have the unique humanist and libertarian voice of his early works. Thankfully, his recent financial successes have allowed him to direct one of his best films in ages. And while that film, unfortunately, bombed at the box office — grossing $8 million on a $30 million budget — ”Saturday Night” shines as both a great work of comedy and a stressful work of drama that captures the immortal challenges of art from adversity. 

Lorne Michaels holds the rare distinction of being one of the most influential visionaries in comedy history, having the vision to

As the Catholic Church gears up for its 2025 jubilee, the Vatican has unveiled a new cartoon mascot to represent its upcoming holy year: an anime figure named Luce. According to the church, Luce is meant to engage with “the pop culture so beloved by our young people.”

In response, Catholic Twitter has imploded, and Luce — the small anime girl with blue hair, a yellow raincoat, a rosary around her neck, and a walking staff — has ignited a fierce generational divide on the internet.

Young Catholics have embraced Luce, viewing her as a symbol of militant Christian devotion. Meanwhile, older Catholics have decried her as everything from an affront to logos, to ugly, and even demonic.

Let’s start with the satanic claims. No, Luce is not intended to be short for Lucifer. “Luce” means “light” in Italian. The symbolism behind her character is actually quite beautiful. Her yellow raincoat reflects both the Vatican flag and the idea of weathering life’s storms. Her muddy boots evoke the trials of a long journey, and her staff symbolizes the pilgrimage toward eternity.

Catholic podcaster Taylor Marshall has raised concerns about Luce’s designer, Italian artist Simone Legno, whose company has promoted LGBT “pride” month. Granted, the Vatican should have chosen another artist, especially given that Catholic tithes paid for this ad campaign. As Christians, we should respond by praying for Legno.

However, Luce herself has nothing to do with “pride” month. In fact, she has become an icon of holy zeal