Kelli Ballard: New Poll Shows Shocking Result - People Like China More Than the US

Some may find it hard to believe, but according to a new Pew Research poll, China is seen more favorably than America. Of course, there’s a good deal of politics at play, but there may also be more behind the scenes – the power of Hollywood.

America vs China

The July survey consisted of more than 42,000 people in 36 countries, and for the first time in 20 years since Pew started polling this topic, China came out on top. The US is viewed more positively than China in only six countries: India, Israel, Japan, Philippines, Poland, and South Korea. Even America’s closest neighbors, Mexico and Canada, favor China.

Kelli Ballard: Venezuelan Migrants – What Happens Now?

Maduro is gone, but not everyone thinks it’s time to go home.

Venezuelan around the world poured into the streets, cheering, crying, and filming the moment they never thought would come. Gratitude flooded social media feeds, with posts thanking President Donald Trump and the United States for ending the rule of a man many viewed as a dictator. But, now that the US forces have captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, is life going to change, or will the Latin American nation just trade one regime strongman for another? Venezuelan migrants who have waited for the day when they could go home wonder if they have just been handed their “return” tickets, or if they better wait and see.

Kelli Ballard: The Calendar Wars - How One System Became the World’s Clock

How empires, astronomers, and a few stubborn reformers shaped the year.

The world agrees on surprisingly few things. Every year on January 1, most of us reset our planners, make resolutions, and watch fireworks as if this date has always belonged to the whole world. It hasn’t. The calendar we use today, known as the Gregorian calendar, is the product of thousands of years of trial, error, astronomy, politics, religion, and occasionally even revolution. And even though it has become the global standard, at least when it comes to international affairs and business, it isn’t truly “ours” in any cultural sense. It’s simply the one that proved most practical.

Kelli Ballard: Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Journalism?

The dangers of incorporating AI into the news product.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the way of the world now. It is gaining use and popularity in just about every aspect of our lives. From medical advancements to entertainment, it is reshaping society even as it battles controversy and skepticism. For one thing, this emerging technology does not have enough oversight, and no one knows for sure what the long-term repercussions might be. For another, AI makes it easy to spread disinformation, further eroding the trust people have in the news. So, why are so many news outlets turning to artificial intelligence to deliver their information?

Kelli Ballard: China ‘Kill Switches’ Found in Solar Power Inverters

China’s infiltration of the US and other countries is nothing new, whether to spy, collect sensitive data, or steal trade secrets. The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) found 224 reported instances of Chinese espionage directed at the nation since 2000. The newest discovered threat comes in the form of “kill switches” that could potentially give the communist country the ability to cause widespread blackouts.

Kelli Ballard: Migrants Get Another Boot – No More Unemployment Benefits

The heavy hand of justice just came down a little harder on illegal immigration. The Department of Labor just warned all 50 governors to restrict migrants from getting unemployment benefits or risk losing federal grant money. “[I]t is critical that we ensure American taxpayer dollars do not go towards encouraging or rewarding illegal immigration to the United States,” Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Secretary of Labor, wrote in a letter dated April 24 as reported by Daily Caller.

Kelli Ballard: Making the Border Great Again - Terrorist Arrests Under Trump Up 655%

Is President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation efforts working? According to progressive media, they aren’t – or, rather, the administration is deporting illegals and taking children away from their families. More on that later. However, an exclusive from New York Post revealed that arrests of terrorist individuals has risen by 655%, or 219 known alleged terrorists compared to just 29 made at the same time last year under former President Joe Biden’s term. That’s nothing to sneeze about.

Kelli Ballard: US Saw a Quarter Million Births by Illegal Migrants in 2023

And the cost to America’s taxpayers was staggering.

When those in America illegally have babies, who should bear the burden? The question of birthright citizenship is a hot button issue, with persuading arguments on both sides of the dispute. While it might be easy, on the surface, to agree that anyone born here should be a citizen, there are other matters to consider. That may seem silly, until you read the preliminary report from the Center for Immigration Studies that shows a quarter million babies were born to illegal migrants in 2023 alone – and it cost the American taxpayers billions.

Kelli Ballard: Crime Doesn’t Pay, But Certainly Is Expensive

Progressive lawmakers see the error of their ways.

Crime doesn’t pay, but it certainly costs cities, states, and residents. In Oregon, for example, just one murder costs $9.1 million, “with $5.15 million coming from quality-of-life losses,” The Center Square reported. As violent crimes continue to rise, so do the prices for handling them.
Everyone Suffers the Cost of Crime

Kelli Ballard: Parenting in the Age of Fear....

Parenting in the Age of Fear: No more Free-Range Children in America

Children are becoming depressed as they lose their independence.

The time of free-range children is coming to an end. Remember when it was okay to walk alone to a friend’s house or go to a park? Now, those simple independent pleasures are considered bad parenting – potentially even criminally so. At least it was for Brittany Patterson of Georgia, who was arrested because her ten-year-old son walked less than a mile to town.