Christians are under attack. Support for Israel is waning among young Americans. A self-avowed socialist is the leading candidate for New York City mayor.
The Daily Signal’s president and executive editor, Rob Bluey, tackled these topics——plus Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl selection—during CNN’s “NewsNight With Abby Phillip” Monday night.
The fatal shooting at a Catholic school Mass last month and the deadly attack on a Mormon church this past weekend has left communities shattered.
“We have seen a significant, sharp increase in attacks on Christians and churches,” Bluey said. According to the Family Research Council, there were 383 attacks on Christian churches last year alone. The Daily Signal’s Tyler O’Neil documented nine recent church attacks in 2025.
Bluey noted that this problem goes beyond a need for government intervention. The underlying causes of violence against Christians are deeply embedded within our society.
“As people have abandoned religion and faith and the belief in Jesus Christ, we have moved away from some of those very foundational principles that not only were instrumental in the creation of this great country that we live in, but have guided us for thousands of years,” Bluey said.
CNN’s show aired just hours after President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 20-point plan to bring peace to Gaza.
Bluey summarized the deal, noting three key points: a guarantee for Israel’s security, the release of the Israeli hostages, and the rejection of a Palestinian state without meeting specific criteria.
Phillip then pivoted the conversation to support for Israel and Trump’s recent statement, saying of Israel, “They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations.”
According to Pew Research Center polling, 53% of U.S. adults have an unfavorable view of Israel. The share of conservatives with an unfavorable view of Israel has jumped from 27% to 37% in the last three years.
Bluey noted that topic was a subject of debate at the National Conservativism Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier in September. The Daily Signal’s Bradley Devlin wrote about the generational divide among conservatives on Israel.
On New York City’s mayoral race, leading candidate Zohran Mamdani is unconcerned with Trump’s warnings that withholding federal funds if Mamdani follows through on his socialist promises.
In a CNN interview Monday, Mamdani cited California’s legal battles with the Trump administration and its success in those legal challenges as the approach he would embrace as mayor—litigating to fight for federal funding.
Bluey said he expects Trump and Mamdani to continue their quarrels through Election Day.
“You‘re going to see more fireworks,” Bluey said. “Mamdani has identified himself as a democratic socialist, or as conservatives would say, a communist. And so why wouldn’t they play up some of the policy proposals and the cost of those, and what it would mean in terms of the implications for the residents of New York City, were he to be elected?”
On a lighter note, next year’s Super Bowl halftime show will feature Bad Bunny, an artist who endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential campaign and has criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Bluey said conservatives’ criticism of the NFL should come as no surprise given past missteps by the league. In this case, he hopes people will not continue to politicize the game.
“Let him sing. I’m not going to watch the halftime show anyway,” Bluey said. “There are people who tune in for the Super Bowl just for the entertainment factor. There are others who tune in because they want to watch a good football game between the two best teams in the NFL. That’s probably ultimately how it‘s going to play out. Sports gives us an opportunity to take a break from politics.”
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