Wednesday, August 26, 2026

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Lincoln Project, Co-Founded by ‘Predator’ John Weaver, Funded ‘Bloodbath’ Hoaxsters MeidasTouch.

MeidasTouch Network, the news outlet responsible for the “bloodbath” hoax, took tens of thousands of dollars from the controversial Lincoln Project group when it was still establishing itself.

The White House-linked network received $42,000 from the Lincoln Project, a supposedly conservative organization, in 2021-22, when it was still a Democrat PAC.

The Lincoln Project was founded in 2019 by John Weaver, who worked on the presidential campaigns of John McCain and John Kasich. It styled itself as a torchbearer of traditional Republicanism, opposed to Donald Trump and his America First agenda.

It was soon mired in scandal, however, after over 20 young males, including a 14-year-old, came forward to accuse Weaver of sexually harassing or grooming them.

The Lincoln Project would eventually acknowledge its co-founder, a married man, was “a predator, a liar, and an abuser.”

Weaver also signed a $350,000 contract with Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation, to lobby against sanctions in the same year he founded the Lincoln Project.

He backed out of the contract only after reports emerged he had registered as a Foreign Agent — but the episode has not stopped the Lincoln Project from repeatedly accusing Trump of being a Russian asset.

By Popular Demand.
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President Trump Declares National Emergency to Protect U.S. Power Grid.

President Trump has declared a national emergency to protect America’s bulk-power system from foreign interference and ensure the integrity of critical infrastructure.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order on Wednesday declaring a national emergency to protect the United States’ bulk-power system from foreign threats. The order prohibits the purchase or installation of certain foreign-produced electric equipment that poses cybersecurity risks or operational vulnerabilities.
📺 DETAIL: The Executive Order highlights the risks of foreign interference in critical infrastructure, including sabotage, unauthorized access, and potential catastrophic effects on the U.S. economy and defense systems. It empowers the Secretary of Energy to set conditions for the continued operation of existing equipment and to identify equipment posing national security risks.
🎯 IMPACT: By addressing vulnerabilities in the supply chain, the order aims to secure the reliability of the U.S. electric grid, reduce dependency on foreign components, and mitigate risks to national security. It also aims to protect critical infrastructure that supports defense, emergency services, and the broader economy.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “The Order declares a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act with respect to the unusual and extraordinary foreign threat to the United States involving bulk-power systems produced abroad that may present national security vulnerabilities.” – White House statement
📺 FLASHBACK: In his first term, President Trump used orders to protect critical industries like steel and aluminum, emphasizing the importance of securing domestic production for national security.

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President Trump has declared a national emergency to protect America’s bulk-power system from foreign interference and ensure the integrity of critical infrastructure.

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By Popular Demand.
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State Dept Investigation Links Portland Antifa to Hamas and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The U.S. government has sanctioned the Italy-based A/I Collective for providing digital tools to violent far-left groups and foreign terrorist organizations, marking a significant step in combating domestic and international extremism.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The State Department has designated Italy-based technology collective Autistici/Inventati, also known as the A/I Collective, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, alleging that its digital services supported violent far-left groups and foreign terrorist organizations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the collective provided infrastructure used by violent Antifa cells to organize, recruit, communicate, and coordinate attacks while maintaining anonymity.
📺 DETAIL: According to a State Department memo, A/I Collective offers encrypted communications, email, web hosting, secure video services, and other privacy tools. The memo identifies Portland-based Rose City Antifa as a U.S. group that allegedly uses its services to share information with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Hamas, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Hezbollah. It is also alleged to have been actively encouraging supporters to target Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopters with laser pointers. It also alleges that Rose City Antifa used the infrastructure to publish personal information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel and encourage attacks against them. The State Department also accused militant abortion-rights group Jane’s Revenge of using the services to claim responsibility for attacks and encourage additional violence, including the 2022 firebombing of a Wisconsin pregnancy center. The memo further alleges that extremists in Atlanta and several European countries used A/I Collective infrastructure in attacks, sabotage operations, and the distribution of instructions for making incendiary devices.
💬 KEY QUOTE:Far-left terrorism poses a profound threat to the United States and the broader West,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We will use all the tools and authorities at our disposal to fight terrorism and protect our way of life from terrorist coercion.”
🎯 IMPACT:  The designation freezes the collective’s U.S.-jurisdiction assets and prohibits Americans and U.S. financial institutions from doing business with it.
📺 FLASHBACK: In 2025, President Trump designated Antifa a terrorist organization, marking a shift in U.S. counterterrorism strategy to include far-left domestic threats alongside traditional foreign terrorist groups.

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The U.S. government has sanctioned the Italy-based A/I Collective for providing digital tools to violent far-left groups and foreign terrorist organizations, marking a significant step in combating domestic and international extremism.

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By Popular Demand.
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Toronto’s Immigrant Mayor Backs Cutting Off U.S. Power to Punish Trump.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow backs drastic measures, including cutting electricity to the U.S., to address trade disputes with the Trump administration.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow signaled support for using Ontario’s electricity exports as leverage against the United States as tensions between Canada and the Trump administration continue to escalate. During a CNN interview, the Hong Kong-born politician said Canada should do “whatever it takes,” including raising electricity prices, to get Washington’s attention.
📰 DETAIL: Chow’s comments came after Ontario Premier Doug Ford branded Trump a “dictator” and threatened to restrict electricity exports to the U.S., although he later said he would not take such action unilaterally. Critics warn that cutting electricity supplies would hurt ordinary Americans and deprive Canadian producers of revenue, while triggering further retaliation against Canadian exporters and damaging the countries’ deeply integrated economies.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Ah, well, whatever it takes, whatever it takes. Upping the price of electricity,” Chow stated, emphasizing the need to address the ongoing uncertainty.
🎯 IMPACT: Chow’s public support for using Ontario electricity exports as leverage piles pressure on an already deteriorating U.S.-Canada trade relationship and could increase economic uncertainty for businesses and consumers on both sides of the border. With the two countries already imposing steep tariffs and threatening additional retaliation, an electricity cutoff would further disrupt cross-border energy markets and make a negotiated resolution more difficult.

Image by Olivia Chow.

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Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow backs drastic measures, including cutting electricity to the U.S., to address trade disputes with the Trump administration.

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By Popular Demand.
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WATCH: Kassam Calls Out The Times Over Stealth Edits to Fake Story.

Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, called out The Times of London for drastically altering a report on a supposed conversation between British “Conservative” leader Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, appeared on GB News on Wednesday to discuss The Times of London, Britain’s de facto newspaper of record, radically stealth-editing a report claiming Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni advised Olukemi “Kemi” Badenoch, the Nigeria-raised leader of Britain’s notionally center-right “Conservative” Party, against making a deal with Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party. Crucially, the original story was doctored post-publication with no editor’s note added and no public correction issued.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “In almost two decades of political media experience, I have never seen a situation where a major national newspaper has 50 percent cut the story in half, removed the headline, completely changed it, completely changed the material of the story, removed all the crux, and not even bothered to put out a correction, a retraction, or anything like that… If we are to trust media outlets, then they have to hold their hands up and be very honest when they do things like this. This was an 800-word story that was prominent in the newspaper, that was on their front page on their website, all day long yesterday… until it wasn’t.” – Raheem Kassam
📰 DETAIL: The Times‘ report initially suggested a significant political intervention against Farage by Meloni, which was later denied by her office. After its alteration, the article was slashed from 756 words to just 477, with the central claims removed. Speaking to GB News, Kassam demanded, “We need to know: was it Kemi Badenoch and her team lying to The Times or was it The Times lying to their readers?”
🎯 IMPACT: The incident raises questions about the integrity of The Times, with sources close to Meloni telling The National Pulse on Tuesday morning the Italian premier never spoke to Badenoch about a possible pact between the Conservatives and Reform. The Times‘ political editor, Steve Swinford, seemingly accepted the claims from the Conservative Party leader’s press team at face value, without fact-checking with the Italians or seeking corroboration from another source.

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Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, called out The Times of London for drastically altering a report on a supposed conversation between British "Conservative" leader Olukemi "Kemi" Badenoch and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

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By Popular Demand.
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Democrat States Launch Another Lawsuit Against Trump’s Mail-In Voting Reforms.

More than two dozen Democrat state attorneys general have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service over a rule implemented by President Donald J. Trump’s administration concerning mail-in ballot security.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A coalition of Democrat-controlled states has filed a federal lawsuit to block President Donald J. Trump’s executive order reforming mail-in ballots.
📺 DETAIL: The federal lawsuit was filed on Wednesday against the U.S. Postal Service. A total of 25 Democrat attorney generals filed the federal lawsuit against the Trump administration’s executive order. President Trump’s executive order mandates federal approval for the mail-in ballot process. Specifically, the U.S. Postal Service’s new rule clarifies that states must provide a list of eligible voters in order to receive mail ballots. The new rule also mandates federal approval of the design used for mail-in ballot envelopes. The White House has stated that the new rule aims to increase “the safety and security of our elections” and described the reforms as “commonsense measures that protect the security of mail-in ballots.” The U.S. Postal Service’s new rule for mail-in ballots was published on Friday.
🎯 IMPACT: This lawsuit marks the latest in a series of legal battles between Democrat states and the President over mail-in ballots since his return to office. This comes just days after the Supreme Court ruled to allow the President’s new measures to be implemented, at least provisionally. The new lawsuit represents another hurdle for the administration in establishing a State Citizenship List with federal data to ensure against non-citizen voting and other types of fraudulent voting. This represents just one of many election security initiatives pushed by the Trump administration, with other measures including a recently announced historic number of election monitors for the 2026 midterms in November.
📺 FLASHBACK: Back in April this year, a coalition of leftist organizations launched a lawfare campaign against President Trump’s executive order reforming mail-in ballots. Organizations involved included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Brennan Center for Justice, the League of Women Voters, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Image by Joe Mabel.

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More than two dozen Democrat state attorneys general have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service over a rule implemented by President Donald J. Trump's administration concerning mail-in ballot security.

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By Popular Demand.
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FBI Op Dismantles International Cybercrime Syndicates Targeting Americans.

Operation Riptide disrupted international cybercriminal networks, seizing millions in illicit funds and arresting key players in schemes that defrauded Americans and others worldwide.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has completed a 60-day crackdown on cybercrime that resulted in arrests, cryptocurrency seizures, and the disruption of criminal networks defrauding Americans and laundering millions of dollars. Operation Riptide, launched in June, targeted cybercriminals, online fraud schemes, and digital infrastructure used against victims in the United States and abroad, with Americans losing more than $20 billion to cybercrime last year.
📺 DETAIL: FBI Director Kash Patel credited artificial intelligence (AI), intelligence sharing, and international cooperation with helping authorities dismantle criminal networks more aggressively. Authorities arrested an alleged member of the pro-Russia hacktivist group Cyber Army of Russia Reborn and seized cloud infrastructure connected to subsidiaries of Cambodia-based Huione Group over alleged money-laundering activity. The FBI also worked with Google and Black Lotus Labs to dismantle Outsider, a Chinese phishing-as-a-service operation that supplied criminals with tools used to target victims in the U.S. and at least 54 other countries. The campaign also produced convictions and indictments involving cargo theft, romance scams, ATM jackpotting, and a long-running voice-over-Internet fraud scheme targeting elderly Americans.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Operation Riptide was the FBI’s historic 60-day campaign targeting cybercriminals preying on Americans here at home and around the world. We went after this criminal enterprise more aggressively than we ever have.” – Kash Patel
🎯 IMPACT: Operation Riptide demonstrates the FBI’s expanding ability to disrupt the international cybercrime networks that are increasingly using artificial intelligence and sophisticated digital infrastructure to target Americans.

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Operation Riptide disrupted international cybercriminal networks, seizing millions in illicit funds and arresting key players in schemes that defrauded Americans and others worldwide.

show more
By Popular Demand.
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Colombia’s New President Launches Immigration Crackdown, Promises Mass Deportations.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has launched immigration raids and deportations targeting illegal immigrants in the country as part of his “Colombia First” policy platform.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has ordered immigration raids and deportations targeting illegal immigrants.
📺 DETAIL: De la Espriella was inaugurated as President earlier this month after defeating his leftist rival in a presidential run-off election back in May. The Trump-aligned leader has since ordered a crackdown on illegal immigrants and visa overstayers, promising immigration raids and mass deportations. The policy prioritizes removing those committing crimes and those without legal status in the country. Operations are expected to start this week. While the President did not specify any nationality targeted for deportation, Venezuelans are expected to be particularly affected, due to being the largest non-Colombian group in the country. Approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans live in Colombia, and roughly 2.3 million Venezuelans hold temporary residence permits. This follows years of Colombia taking Venezuelan migrants due to the political, economic, and environmental instability facing the socialist-led country.
💬 KEY QUOTE:I will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from… They will have to leave and be deported. It is a political decision I am taking responsibility for… Colombians must come first, second, and third… Let the coordinated operations begin to find illegal immigrants, first those committing crimes, then those whose status is not regularized.” – President Abelardo de la Espriella
🎯 IMPACT: The policy signals a significant shift in Colombia’s immigration stance. This announcement underscores the similarities between Espriella and President Donald J. Trump, both of whom have made border security and tackling illegal immigration key components of their policy platforms. This policy demonstrates how Colombia, like much of South America generally, has shifted rightwards, prioritizing law and order candidates in recent elections.
📺 FLASHBACK: This crackdown on illegal immigration follows a request from the Colombian president to collaborate with the United States in combating narco-terrorism in the region. “Through the newly inaugurated… President El Tigre, Colombia has already requested that the Department of War join Colombia in its fight against narco-terrorism,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth earlier this month.

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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has launched immigration raids and deportations targeting illegal immigrants in the country as part of his "Colombia First" policy platform.

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By Popular Demand.
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Farage’s Reform Party Promises to Give Tax Refunds to People Kept Waiting on the Phone by Tax Office.

Reform UK has announced plans to improve service standards at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Britain’s tax-collecting authority, by reimbursing taxpayers facing long wait times on the phone with tax credits and tying senior tax officials’ pay to their performance.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has announced that taxpayers forced to wait over 30 minutes for HMRC customer service would receive a £30 (~$48) tax credit.
📺 DETAIL: Robert Jenrick, Reform’s Shadow Chancellor, announced the proposal on Wednesday. It follows a report from last year by the Public Accounts Committee, a parliamentary committee overseeing government expenditure, which criticized HMRC for cutting off nearly 44,000 customers after hour-long waits in 2024. The report warned that “HMRC’s treatment of taxpayers has damaged trust in the tax system.” The report even accused the agency of trying to “degrade its telephone service to drive taxpayers to digital channels.” Reform also proposed tying the salaries of senior HMRC officials to their performance. Reform’s plans aim to address complaints about long delays and poor service, although the party clarified that payments would be limited to two cases per tax year to prevent abuse. The party also announced plans to replace the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the European Union-designed system of information privacy still used in Britain, with a “light-touch” privacy framework modeled on New Zealand’s information privacy system, claiming the existing rules place excessive red tape on tech firms and small businesses.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “Frankly, it is offensive to working people, and I have had enough. If HMRC delay, they can repay… I’m announcing today that under a Reform government, if you spend more than half an hour waiting for HMRC to answer your call, you will get a £30 credit off your tax bill. If HMRC delay, they can repay. And to make sure that the staff actually hit their targets, we’ll tie the pay of senior HMRC officials to their customer service performance.” – Robert Jenrick.
🎯 IMPACT: If implemented, taxpayers could see direct compensation for poor HMRC service. This policy reflects widespread frustration with Britain’s equivalent of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This policy is the latest of several economic proposals by Reform, including prioritizing British citizens for social housing and ending the “international welfare state.”

Image by Owain.davies.

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Reform UK has announced plans to improve service standards at His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Britain's tax-collecting authority, by reimbursing taxpayers facing long wait times on the phone with tax credits and tying senior tax officials' pay to their performance.

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By Popular Demand.
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Meta Agrees to $16.68 Billion Settlement Over Allegations of Child Privacy Violations and Harmful Platform Design.

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms has reached a multi-billion-dollar settlement with 29 states over claims its platforms harm children and violate privacy laws, while denying wrongdoing.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Meta Platforms has agreed to a settlement of up to $16.68 billion to resolve claims from 29 states that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict children, mislead users about safety, and improperly collect children’s personal data. The settlement avoids a high-profile federal trial in California but includes commitments to implement new safety measures for teenage users, such as daily usage limits and nighttime blocks.
📺 DETAIL: The case stems from allegations that Meta violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data on children without parental consent and using it to train AI models. The settlement also addresses claims that Meta’s platform designs contributed to a youth mental health crisis. Meta has faced growing legal challenges from states, school districts, and individuals alleging harm caused by its platforms. This settlement follows a series of legal defeats for Meta, including a $375 million jury verdict in New Mexico earlier this year.
🎯 IMPACT: This settlement underscores the growing scrutiny of social media companies and their role in causing youth mental health challenges. While Meta’s stock rose 4.4 percent in pre-market trading, the company still faces thousands of lawsuits nationwide related to similar claims. The case also highlights broader concerns about data privacy and the regulation of Big Tech platforms.
📺 FLASHBACK: Earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million in damages to an individual who claimed Meta and Google were responsible for her depression and anxiety.

Image by Anthony Quintano.

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Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms has reached a multi-billion-dollar settlement with 29 states over claims its platforms harm children and violate privacy laws, while denying wrongdoing.

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By Popular Demand.
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MAHA: SNAP Restrictions Have Reduced Soda Consumption.

New research has revealed that new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) restrictions have reduced sugary drink purchases among food stamp recipients.

PULSE POINTS
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Soda purchases among SNAP recipients have declined following the Trump administration’s new restrictions on unhealthy food and drinks, according to a new study.
📺 DETAIL: The new restrictions are part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) drive, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The new restrictions allow states to redefine SNAP-eligible items. According to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University, state-level restrictions on soda purchases for SNAP recipients led to a 12.4 percent reduction in soda purchases between January and June this year. This equates to approximately 34 fewer 12-ounce cans per person annually. The study tracked 15,000 SNAP households. The study revealed that the new restrictions had an unexpectedly large impact. Researchers initially suspected that SNAP recipients would use other funds to purchase soda. “In our paper, we show that the effects are sustained over six months… [I]t’s likely that the effects will be sustained over an even longer time, but it’s possible that the effects will decrease,” said Hunt Allcott, economist at Stanford University and co-author of the study. At the time of reporting, eight states have issued bans on soda being purchased with food stamps, along with other unhealthy items, with more states expected to follow.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “A 12.4 percent decrease is larger than most researchers had predicted, and indeed larger than I had predicted,” said Hunt Allcott.
🎯 IMPACT: This represents a major victory for the MAHA movement. It also coincides with figures showing that SNAP enrollment has dropped by more than 13 percent in just one year amid a crackdown on welfare fraud. Specifically, SNAP enrollment fell from 42.2 million in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May this year. The decline in SNAP enrollment occurred much faster than predicted, further showing that the effectiveness of MAHA and anti-fraud policies continues to be underestimated. Researchers estimate that a nationwide ban on SNAP soda purchases could generate $1.2 billion annually in net benefits.

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New research has revealed that new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) restrictions have reduced sugary drink purchases among food stamp recipients.

show more
By Popular Demand.
The National Pulse Now has an on-site comments section for members. Sign up today and be part of the conversation in our community of almost 15,000.