Catholic Family News
CFN Blog

This Week in Politics – America at War with Reality

Avatar photo Stephen Kokx
August 30, 2025
6 min read
PDF Button

Stephen Kokx

There is “a whole lot of hate that’s being directed at our trans community,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey unironically said during a press conference just hours after Catholic school children were shot dead during Mass.

“Anybody that is going to use this to villainize our trans community … has lost touch with a common humanity,” he claimed.

As if to say “hold my beer,” former Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki declared on X, “prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”

The Spiritual Reality Behind Westman’s Attack

Contrary to Frey’s asinine allegations, no one has been “villainizing” the “trans community.”

What Catholics and others have been doing is simply drawing attention to the fact Robert “Robin” Westman was a gender-confused man who should have received help to overcome his dysphoria. They are also pointing out the spiritual side of all this.

Indeed, Westman was seemingly possessed. In his manifesto, he wrote, “I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself.” 

Notably, the media is refusing to call “Robin” Robert and is hesitant to identify him as “transgender.”

At root, liberals are incapable of understanding the true nature of this attack. They just think “affirming” people like Westman with “gender-affirming care” will result in them being a happy and normal member of society. In reality, they couldn’t hate such persons more.

Why is that? Because apart from Jesus Christ you can’t have true happiness. Nor can a country have lasting peace until its citizens follow the one true Catholic faith.

Westman was obviously not attending Mass or going to confession. Grace was not active in his life. He was not only living apart from God but in complete opposition to Him. The bizarre phrases he wrote on his gun and the strange, Catholic-themed images he drew in his diary plainly show the devil’s tentacles were deeply embedded in his soul.

The left doesn’t understand this. Minnesota’s Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar responded to the tragedy by calling for “better laws” to regulate “assault weapons.” Others have defended the state’s “trans refuge” laws. Hint: none of this will stop these sorts of shootings.

Evil has many faces and liberals are incapable not only of recognizing it but of knowing how to properly combat it.

Early Signs of the 2028 Presidential Battlefield

2028 is not quite around the corner but polling for that year’s presidential race is starting to come in.

Early indications are that California Governor Gavin Newsom has a commanding lead on the Democratic field.

Whatever you think of the lanky liberal (Newsom stands 6 feet 3 inches tall) he will be a major player in the future of American politics.

My prediction is that Newsom will be the nominee, though Pete Buttigieg and Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez will put up a strong fight. Perhaps one of them will be his running mate.

On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance seems to be garnering support. Technocrat Elon Musk is apparently reconsidering his decision to start a third party and back Vance instead.

Trump has likewise sung Vance’s praises.

Vance “would be probably favorite at this point” Trump said earlier this month while adding, “I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form.”

If that happens, we may well see a Vance-Rubio ticket take on Newsom-Cortez three years from now.

Kennedy Cleans House at the CDC

HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that Susan Monarez has been ousted as head of the Centers for Disease Control.

“There’s a lot of trouble at CDC, and it’s going to require getting rid of some people,” Kennedy said during a press conference.

He also said that the CDC lists on its website “that among the top 10 greatest medical accomplishments in history was abortion, because it keeps small families, fluoridation — giving kids a toxin — and vaccines.”

This should be viewed as good news given that Monarez previously said that mRNA vaccines are “perfectly safe for your kids.”

Kennedy canceled $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccines earlier this month.

The battle now begins for who will succeed Monarez. Kennedy’s former running mate, Nicole Shanahan, has suggested Dr. Dave Weldon.

Is America Moving Away from the Woke Agenda?

Cracker Barrel has caved. It apparently won’t being “going woke.”

Multiple memes were created to mock the direction the company was about to head in. Some compared it to Vatican II. I find them to be hilarious.

Pop star Taylor Swift is getting married to NFL player Travis Kelce. Some people think this will inspire other women across America to get married. One hopes it will — and that Swift will give up her celebrity life and become a stay at home mom.

Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan has reinstalled an “art” display that mocked the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The image was taken down last year due to outcry from local Catholics, students, and lawmakers. It seems the school thought it could get away with this stunt without being noticed. Not on our watch.

Click below to see my interview with Grand Valley senior Noah Mullins, who has been leading the fight to have the display removed for good.

Avatar photo

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.

View all posts

You may also like

Stephen Kokx

Avatar photo

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.

View all posts