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This Week in Politics – Faith, Power, and False Friends

Avatar photo Stephen Kokx
September 6, 2025
8 min read
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Stephen Kokx (https://kokxnews.substack.com/)

Leaders from some of the world’s largest economies huddled in China this week to prepare for the post-American global economy.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un were on hand to strategize with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The AP described the event as “yet more evidence of a burgeoning shift away from a U.S.-dominated, Western-led world order, as President Donald Trump withdraws America from many of its historic roles and roils economic relationships with tariffs.”

In typical fashion, Trump belittled the gathering in a social media post.

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” he remarked.

My question for Trump is: Why the antagonism? Why not engage with these countries and push for a more balanced, multi-polar order? What does lashing out and clinging to the dying American empire of the 20th century accomplish? The following X posts from Glenn Diesen touched on those questions.

NatCon and Israel

The “National Conservatism” conference was held in Washington DC this week.

The group was founded in 2019 by Jewish thinker Yoram Hazony, an Israeli nationalist. It is a classic astroturf organization in that its sole purpose is to prevent the rise of a true America First grassroots movement.

As noted by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos in her piece for Responsible Statecraft, there has been mounting tension on the political right over the US’s fealty to Israel. This year’s “NatCon” meeting saw those tensions spill out into the open.

In her article, Vlahos praised Curt Mills, Executive Director of The American Conservative, for remarks he made during a debate with Max Abrahms.

“Mills first brandished a brief against Israel and ‘the Lobby’ that some would say was particularly gutsy with NatCon organizer Yoram Hazony in the room. Mills blasted away at Israel as ‘perhaps the world’s historic case of the tail wagging dog…,’” she wrote.

Vlahos then quoted Mills, whose remarks have been making the rounds on X, as having said:

“Why are these our wars? Why are Israel’s endless problems America’s liabilities? Why are we in the national conservative bloc, broadly speaking, why do we laugh out of the room this argument when it’s advanced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy but are slavish hypocrites for Benjamin Netanyahu? Why should we accept America First — asterisk Israel? And the answer is, we shouldn’t.”

Huckabee’s Zionist Crusade

But the old guard isn’t going down without a fight. Evangelical Zionist Mike Huckabee has firmly planted his flag in the camp of those who want to prevent the rise of a true America First movement.

During a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Huckabee advised Israel to “get a bunch of social media influencers” to convince Generation Z that it should embrace Zionism.

He also remarked, “you don’t stand with Israel because you agree with their government on everything. You stand with Israel because Israel is standing for a tradition of the God of Abraham.”

This sort of eschatological-driven approach to US foreign policy will only result in America going further into debt. It will also end with more of our young people dying in foreign wars. My advice to Trump? Fire this man right now.

Epstein Files Hit Capitol Hill

GOP Representatives Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Congressman Thomas Massie joined Jeffrey Epstein accusers for a press conference on Capitol Hill this week.

While Trump has been referring to the files as “a Democrat hoax” as of late, Greene, like most Americans, believes they are legitimate.

At the press conference, she said this isn’t a left vs. right issue but a moral one that demands transparency.

It is worth noting that independent journalist Michael Tracey was thrown out of the press conference, seemingly by Greene herself, for challenging the narrative that the women who spoke at it are entirely blameless in what they did for and with Epstein.

His comments on this sordid affair are worth listening to and shouldn’t be dismissed off hand. We may never know the whole truth of the matter, even if the documents are released. As Trump has said, intel agencies can doctor anything these days.

RFK Jr. vs. Big Pharma

RFK Jr. took on Big Pharma and their puppets in Congress this week. During an appearance on Capitol Hill Thursday, Kennedy pushed back against leftist Senator Elizabeth Warren, Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, and others.

“I know you’ve taken $855,000 from Pharma companies!” Kennedy shot back at one point. “We aren’t going to recommend a product for which there is no clinical data for that indication,” he added.

Among other things, Kennedy told lawmakers he is studying the dangers of the abortion pill mifepristone, which he said the Biden administration “twisted the data” on to suggest it was safer than it really was.

Kennedy further warned about the “misconduct” and “illegal behavior” of the medical industry regarding “organ harvesting of living people.”

We should pray that he will bring these diabolical practices to an end.

Florida Bans Vaccine Mandates

Speaking of health issues, the State of Florida is making some major strides.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has announced that all vaccine mandates in the Sunshine State have been banned. According to Townhall.com, “some of those vaccinations include chickenpox, tetanus, polio, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, rubella, and influenza.”

This is a huge win for homeschoolers.

Governor Ron DeSantis, who is likely gearing up for a 2028 presidential run, announced additional medical freedom reforms.

JD Vance Prays in Minneapolis

Whatever you think of JD Vance (a puppet for Big Tech meant to normalize the AI revolution?) it was refreshing to watch him pray at a rally in Minneapolis last week.

The rally was held in honor of the children who were killed at Annunciation school.

While Vance didn’t begin by saying, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” this is far better than what Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz would have done had he been in the same situation.

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Stephen Kokx

Stephen Kokx is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. A former community college instructor, he has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching, politics, and spirituality. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He is the author of two books, Navigating the Crisis in the Church: Essays in Defense of Traditional Catholicism and St. Alphonsus for the 21st Century: A Handbook for Holiness.

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Stephen Kokx

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Stephen Kokx is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. A former community college instructor, he has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching, politics, and spirituality. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He is the author of two books, Navigating the Crisis in the Church: Essays in Defense of Traditional Catholicism and St. Alphonsus for the 21st Century: A Handbook for Holiness.

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