This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Pam Bondi: 'Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more. Please pray for the families of the sheriff's deputies killed'
Three sheriff's deputies reportedly have died in a massive explosion at a training facility for the Los Angeles County sheriff's department.
A statement from the agency said multiple deputies died in the explosion Friday at the East Los Angeles site used for training operations.
The explosion was at about 7:25 a.m. local time at the Biscailuz Training Center.
"Sources said it appears an accident occurred when deputies were moving ordnances on the training facility property," Fox News reported.
Fox News cited Attorney General Pam Bondi's social media statement where she said she spoke with Bill Essayli, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, regarding the "horrific incident."
"I just spoke to @USAttyEssayli about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles," Bondi wrote. "Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more. Please pray for the families of the sheriff's deputies killed."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Alteration may include a potential 'weighted selection process' for foreign applicants to replace lottery system
The often-controversial H-1B visa foreign-worker program may be getting updated under President Trump's Homeland Security Department.
The program was meant to provide American firms more options to hire qualified workers, including those from foreign countries. However, as WND has covered extensively, the H-1B system has been used countless times to replace Americans with less expensive immigrants.
For example, while U.S.-based Microsoft workers have faced multiple waves of layoffs, including a recent round targeting the Xbox division, the company has already cut more than 10,000 employees across various divisions, including 6,000 in May alone, and hundreds more in June.
Between May and June, Microsoft laid off 2,300 employees in Washington alone, including 817 software engineers, according to official WARN Act filings. But during the same period, Microsoft submitted 6,327 H-1B visa requests for software engineer roles matching the same job titles and location as those affected by the layoffs.
As reported at the National Pulse, Thursday DHS filed a notice of a possible change in H-1B requirements with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
According to the report, the proposal includes a "weighted selection process" for applicants under the capped portion of the program. The filing, however, provides no further details as to how the new system would function. The statutory cap for H-1B visas is set at 85,000 per year.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, prominent supporters of Donald Trump publicly disagreed about the value of the H-1B program, with both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy expressing support. Opinion polls on the program, however, have shown that a majority of Americans disapprove of the visa program.
Trump had previously argued that H-1B visas are "unfair" to American workers, saying in 2016, "I know the H-1B very well. And it's something that I frankly use, and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it."
As the National Pulse points out, critics of the program argue that the current lottery system disproportionately benefits larger companies such as Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, and leaves American workers at a disadvantage, having to compete with cheap foreign labor.
A weighted system could potentially replace the random lottery system as a means to prioritize better qualified visa applicants.
Steve Bannon says Rupert Murdoch's fingerprints are all over the Wall Street Journal's decision to publish a birthday greeting President Donald Trump supposedly wrote to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the UK Daily Mail reported. Bannon believes the Murdochs are out to get the president and will stop at nothing.
"Last night, we saw it in all its ugliness. The Murdochs hate Trump," the media mogul and former White House adviser said during his War Room podcast Friday.
Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch, the Wall Street Journal, and other reporters who broke the story. Bannon said this will be Trump's opportunity to strike at the media mogul who owns the paper through his News Corporation conglomerate.
🔥Amazing job connecting ALL THE DOTS. Bannon has Jack Posobiec on War Room to discuss the "Birthday Card" and where it emanates from.
Bannon says they tried to destroy president Trump last night & believes it is Rupert Murdoch himself. Steve reminds everyone of when in… pic.twitter.com/lV51T6S8jL— Johnny St.Pete (@JohnMcCloy) July 18, 2025
On Thursday, the Journal printed the contents of a "bawdy" birthday card Trump allegedly sent to Epstein for his 5oth birthday. "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret," the typed message said before Trump's purported handwritten signature.
Trump has vehemently denied writing the letter to the disgraced financier and initiated the lawsuit to prove it. Bannon thinks this is an orchestrated attack on Trump after years of back-and-forth attacks.
"The Murdochs want to take down Trump. And this is why on this Epstein and everything, including the rest of the going at the deep state, we have to be on offense all the time," Bannon said.
Bannon believes that Murdoch, who also owns The New York Post and Fox News, is the one who mobilized against Trump. "They used the New York Post as more of a populist entity. And of course, Fox News is for RINOs," Bannon continued.
"But the Wall Street Journal is the neoliberal neocon sharp end of the stick that they come after Trump. And last night they tried to actually destroy him with what looks like a phony and fake letter," he added.
Bannon believes the Murdochs put out the "kill shot on President Trump because he had the stones to stand up to" them. He believes Trump is now well-positioned to turn that around on them, thanks to the lawsuit.
'In fact, we made the recommendations that are the best for President Trump in this movement, which is President Trump is best when it’s attack, attack, attack. He can’t wait to get Rupert Murdoch on the stand," Bannon said.
"You know, Murdoch swore us, you know, squirmed out of having to do the Dominion thing because of the emails that Rupert Murdoch said were going to make Trump a non-person, a non-person, but he ain’t going to get out of this one," Bannon added. The Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit came from claims Trump made that the 2020 election was rigged, which Murdoch's networks repeated.
Trump's legal team has already filed the case that could corner Murdoch now. "This historic legal action is being brought against the so-called authors of this defamation, the now fully disgraced WSJ, as well as its corporate owners and affiliates, with Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson (whatever his role is!) at the top of the list," Trump wrote Friday on his Truth Social.
This latest attempt to get Trump is clearly problematic, but the lawsuit will address that. Whether it's Murdoch or one of Trump's other enemies, it's clear that they will pull whatever dirty trick they think will work as Trump outsmarts them all.
Secret Service field operations assistant director Michael Centrella confirmed that a top Secret Service official was the victim of a "swatting" incident on July 4, Newsmax reported. A caller dialed into the 911 emergency system, sending law enforcement into the official's community.
During a San Francisco cybersecurity event on Thursday, Centrella made the shocking admission. The event was a Deepfake Resilience symposium, and the story is relevant as it seems the caller in the case used the emerging technology to create convincing fakes.
The Independence Day incident occurred after someone called 911 and provided the name and home address of the official and said that someone wielding a gun was in the house. The caller claimed it was the official's daughter who had the gun.
However, that fact tipped off local law enforcement that it may be a fake since the man doesn't have a daughter. Had they not known, it may have become a dangerous situation for the Secret Service official and the special weapons and tactics team responding.
These incidents have become part of a growing trend that wastes resources and puts lives in danger as a misunderstanding could cause a shooting. FBI Director Kash Patel promised to work on the problem in a post to X, formerly Twitter, in March.
"I want to address the alarming rise in ‘Swatting’ incidents targeting media figures. The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable," Patel wrote.
"This isn’t about politics—weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers. That will not be tolerated," Patel said.
"We are fully committed to working with local law enforcement to crack down on these crimes. More updates to come," he added. According to Fox News at the time, this came after a swatting at Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s residence resulted in a deadly car accident with police.
I want to address the alarming rise in ‘Swatting’ incidents targeting media figures. The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
This isn’t about politics—weaponizing law enforcement…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 14, 2025
The House of Representatives introduced a bill in January to address the problem through legislation. "Having spent over 40 years in law enforcement, I've seen firsthand how swatting is a reckless and dangerous action that not only puts innocent lives at risk but wastes critical resources," Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS) said while introducing the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act.
"Local and state law enforcement agencies are forced to divert their time, energy, and taxpayer dollars to respond to these false calls, taking them away from real emergencies. As someone who has been on the front lines, I understand the toll this takes on our officers and communities," Ezell added.
The law has not yet been passed, but it's clear that it's a necessary step, as these are not isolated incidents. According to the Associated Press just last month, Romanian citizen Thomasz Szabo, 26, allegedly initiated over 100 of these incidents with the help of Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia.
Szabo pleaded guilty to "engaging in a plot to use 'swatting' calls and bomb threats to intimidate and threaten dozens of people with bogus police emergencies, including a former U.S. president and several members of Congress," the AP noted. None of the intended victims were named, but these calls can be initiated from virtually anywhere to anywhere.
Unfortunately, some individuals have chosen to involve law enforcement in their dangerous games or schemes. Technology has made it simple to initiate, and that makes the trend all the more dangerous.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz confirmed that there is no incriminating information against President Donald Trump in the case files related to the late billionaire child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dershowitz, a onetime attorney of the late sex trafficker, told Friday's "Newsline" that the Epstein case files are very light on bombshell information and will be a massive disappointment for Americans who have waited years to get information on Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
Dershowitz stated, "There's nothing incriminating about Donald Trump, nothing incriminating about Bill Clinton, nothing incriminating about me, nothing incriminating about other people. But there are accusations, and there are some women who collected a lot of money based on these accusations, but a lot of the money was collected even after Epstein died."
This interview from Dershowitz came after the Wall Street Journal's story claiming that Trump and Dershowitz sent Epstein 50th birthday letters years before he was exposed as a sex trafficker.
Trump has already filed a lawsuit for defamation, as the story appears to be completely fabricated or at least based entirely on speculation instead of any real evidence. The WSJ has reportedly refused to release the alleged letters to either Dershowitz or Trump.
Ever since Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the infamous Epstein 'client list' didn't exist, despite claiming she had it on her desk previously, the nation has been in an uproar and Americans want full transparency.
When Epstein died in prison in 2019 under suspicious circumstances, Americans quickly seized on the situation, with it becoming commonly accepted that Epstein had been murdered and did not commit suicide as the official narrative claimed.
Presumably, Epstein was killed to protect the rich and powerful people that he had compromising evidence on that he could have presented had he gone to trial for his sex trafficking charges.
Trump promised during his campaign to release all the information on Epstein and his criminal enterprises, and yet, Bondi's announcement came as a shock to Trump supporters. Now, the drama with Epstein refuses to die down, and it's a nightmare for the Trump administration.
However, claims that Trump is covering up the Epstein files because of his own involvement have quickly collapsed. Dershowitz's claims that Trump is not criminally involved are backed up by Trump's falling out with Epstein over twenty years ago.
It's becoming increasingly likely that the supposed client list didn't exist, at least in the form that many wanted, or that information on Epstein has been destroyed since his death over six years ago.
Trump himself has ordered the release of information on the Epstein files after uproar over Bondi's announcement. Alongside that, Trump is bringing hell down on the Wall Street Journal for their sensational story that sought to defame Trump using the uproar and attention on the Epstein story.
Dershowitz will likely be heavily involved with Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, as he is experienced in winning defamation cases.
Both Dershowitz and Trump had relationships with Epstein prior to his being outed as a child trafficker, but that won't be enough to save the Wall Street Journal from justice, seeing as they clearly didn't learn from Paramount.
In a major political development, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries refrained from endorsing socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani after their Brooklyn meeting, the New York Post reported.
Despite having a "constructive" one-hour discussion on several societal issues, Jeffries did not extend his endorsement to Mamdani, a leading mayoral hopeful.
The key issues discussed during their meeting involved housing affordability, public safety, rising antisemitism, and the impacts of gentrification—a common concern among New Yorkers.
Justin Chermol, spokesperson for Jeffries, remarked, "The conversation was direct and community-centered, particularly emphasizing the urgency of addressing affordability in housing." He noted that the discussions were broad and included plans on regaining Democratic control of the House in 2026.
Perhaps indicative of the complex dynamics within the Democratic party, Jeffries, although supportive of Mamdani's resistance against harsh criticisms from figures like President Trump, has urged Mamdani to clarify his position on the contentious phrase "Globalizing the Intifada."
Mamdani has shown an intention to distance himself from past controversies to focus more on pressing city-wide issues, according to Chermol's narrative.
Plans for a subsequent meeting have been set, aiming to include a wider circle of New York City's congressional delegation and several high-profile community leaders, indicating a broader discussion platform in the near future.
Senior Democratic figures like Senator Chuck Schumer and Governor Kathy Hochul have maintained silence on the endorsement front, aligning with a cautious approach amidst the evolving political discourse in the city.
It is anticipated that Schumer will engage with Mamdani soon, although no definite date has been established, maintaining a veil of uncertainty in the political endorsement arena.
Not all have held back; Mamdani has garnered support from influential progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, symbolizing a potentially shifting paradigm within parts of the Democratic party towards more progressive stances.
This progressive endorsement could play a pivotal role in shaping the public's perception and potentially influencing more endorsements as the mayoral race progresses.
The upcoming elections will likely spotlight this dynamic, as Mamdani continues to navigate the complex waters of New York City politics with a progressive yet controversial platform.
The absence of an explicit endorsement from Jeffries could be seen as a strategic hold-back, given the politically charged environment surrounding New York City's upcoming mayoral race.
The discussions between Jeffries and Mamdani might pave the way for future alignment or divergence within the Democratic party, highlighting a careful political balancing act in the face of diverse electorates.
As momentum builds, the political endorsements and stances from figures like Jeffries, Schumer, and Hochul will be intensely scrutinized, potentially influencing broader political outcomes not just in New York City but nationally.
President Donald Trump's promise to end birthright citizenship has experienced multiple court challenges, only to be blocked once again by the federal judiciary.
According to the Associated Press, the effect of a federal judge's order blocking the Trump administration from ending the program kicked in on Friday, with another judge eyeing a similar outcome.
U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante, a New Hampshire-based federal judge, "had paused his own decision to allow for the Trump administration to appeal, but with no appeal filed in the last week his order went into effect," the outlet noted.
According to the report, the judge's decision could still be appealed by the Trump administration, or it could ask the court to narrow the judge's order. Neither have happened as of yet.
Cody Wofsy, the ACLU attorney representing children who would be affected by Trump’s restrictions under his plan to end birthright citizenship, released a statement.
“The judge’s order protects every single child whose citizenship was called into question by this illegal executive order,” Wofsy said. “The government has not appealed and has not sought emergency relief so this injunction is now in effect everywhere in the country.”
On the same topic but another legal front, about a dozen states have reportedly taken action against the administration, with a Boston-based federal judge hearing arguments that the plan to dismantle the program is "blatantly unconstitutional."
Because of the multiple federal battles, the issue is expected to "quickly" move back to the hands of the Supreme Court, though it's not clear when that might happen.
The AP noted:
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin was asked to consider either keeping in place the nationwide injunction he granted earlier or consider a request from the government either to narrow the scope of that order or stay it altogether. Sorokin, located in Boston, did not immediately rule but seemed to be receptive to arguments from states to keep the injunction in place.
The legal actions come in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that federal courts can't really issue nationwide injunctions.
The high court "didn’t rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects, including in class-action lawsuits and those brought by states" in its most recent order.
The language of the ruling is clearly being taken advantage of by the activist federal judiciary.
Trump and his administration have battled federal judges since Day One of his second term in the White House.
Only time will tell if they're able to overcome the latest legal hurdle.
While most of us knew it already, or at least assumed it based on what's happened over the past nearly 10 years, new evidence was released this week that suggested President Barack Obama's administration manufactured and politicized evidence to push the Russia hoax theory.
According to Breitbart, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard released a trove of documents showing further proof that the Russia hoax was especially intricate and insane.
Gabbard's document dump, in her opinion, will mean that “Americans will finally learn the truth" about how far the Obama administration went in pushing the Russia hoax.
The documents show that the former administration perpetrated essentially "what was essentially a years-long coup."
DNI Gabbard, in a series of X posts, released multiple reports regarding the situation
🧵 Americans will finally learn the truth about how in 2016, intelligence was politicized and weaponized by the most powerful people in the Obama Administration to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President @realDonaldTrump, subverting the… pic.twitter.com/UQKKZ5c4Op
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 18, 2025
She added, "For months preceding the 2016 election, the Intelligence Community shared a consensus view: Russia lacked the intent and capability to hack U.S. elections. But weeks after President Trump’s historic 2016 victory defeating Hillary Clinton, everything changed."
She included graphics to accompany the information, many of which showed screenshots of texts by former Obama officials behind the Russia hoax.
Breitbart noted:
Despite the intelligence community’s consensus that Russia “lacked the intent and capability to hack U.S. elections” prior to Trump’s 2016 win over Hillary Clinton, Gabbard said Obama’s officials changed their tune soon after the president won, ignoring the evidence.
One of the assessments read, "We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure."
Many weighed in on the document dump, with some taking issue as it was at the same time that the Jeffrey Epstein situation boiled over after many in the Trump administration seemingly downplayed it.
"I see all this, and not one single person being charged with anything. If no one is held accountable it doesn't matter," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Oh my goodness Tulsi, we've so needed this. Thank you so much for what you're doing!!"
Only time will tell if anything comes of the documents or if any Obama officials are held accountable.
President Donald Trump, in recent photos, has shown some bruising and swelling in his hands and legs, prompting a medical checkup that cleared him for duty.
However, according to Fox News, the clear bill of health hasn't stopped doctors and other experts from weighing in on what they believe could be a potential cause for his age-related conditions, which are normal and nothing to be alarmed about.
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in an "effort of transparency," shared a note from President Trump's doctor after the president was given a "comprehensive examination" by the White House's medical staff.
The note proved that Trump has some normal, age-related conditions that cause swelling in his legs and hand, with the doctor adding that part of the reason for the hand bruising is due to the amount of hands Trump shakes.
Trump's conditions were described as "common" during a White House press briefing this week.
Fox News noted:
During a press briefing, Leavitt stated that Trump’s swollen legs were part of a "benign and common condition" called "chronic venous insufficiency" that can affect older individuals. (The president is 79.)
The White House press secretary pointed out that the physician's note proved, "Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease."
Leavitt added, "This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen."
"This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy, and the president remains in excellent health," she continued.
In several media interviews, a number of doctors confirmed that Trump's conditions are completely normal for his age.
"Leg swelling is a common condition, particularly among older adults. As a practicing vascular surgeon, I see patients for this issue more frequently than almost any other complaint," Scott A. Sundick, M.D. said.
The symptoms Trump is experiencing, while mild in his case, can be rooted in something more serious, like Deep Vein Thrombosis.
That and other serious conditions were ruled out by Trump's White House doctors.
"In the president’s case, these more concerning causes were appropriately ruled out through a combination of diagnostic testing, including a venous Doppler ultrasound, echocardiogram and laboratory evaluations respectively," Sundick said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Stops law that would have forced Catholic priests to choose fines and jail or excommunication
A federal court ruling has blocked a scheme by leftists to do violence to the church confessional practice.
The new law in Washington state would have forced Catholic priests to choose fines and jail time or excommunication from their faith.
The law, set to take effect in just a week, "threatened to impose penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and potential civil liability on priests who uphold the seal of confession and obey God's command."
The church has confirmed that priests who violate the secrecy of the confessional can be excommunicated.
That secrecy has been allowed for generations in order to allow people who have committed crimes to reconcile with God, through the church, without being reported to police.
"Although the state claims the law was designed to protect minors, it still permits attorneys and others to maintain confidentiality when given identical information," according to a statement from Becket, which has worked on the case.
The Catholic Church in the state already has strengthened protections of children with required reporting of suspected abuse and more.
However, the exception for the sacrament of confession has been maintained.
"This ruling confirms what has always been true: In America, government officials have no business prying into the confessional," said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket. "By protecting the seal of confession, the court has also safeguarded the basic principle that people of all faiths should be free to practice their beliefs without government interference."
"The First Amendment did its work today in protecting the confessional, and I am proud of the Church for its continued support of the reporting law's application outside of that context," noted Hiram Sasser of First Liberty Institute, which also has worked on the case.
Following a hearing just days ago on the fight, the court ruled the state was unable "to explain why the language … of the bill doubled down on singling out clergy."
First Liberty explained, "For centuries, the Catholic Church has upheld the belief that confession is holy and must stay private. This principle—known as the seal of confession or sacramental seal—requires absolute secrecy from priests about anything said while administering the sacrament. A priest has a sacred obligation to keep everything he hears during the sacrament of confession completely confidential. The seal is so vital to the Catholic faith that any priest who violates it faces automatic excommunication.
"Over the centuries, priests have been imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for upholding the seal. Penitents today need the same assurance that their participation in a holy sacrament will remain free from government interference."
"For centuries, Catholic faithful around the world have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession," said Jean Hill of the Washington State Catholic Conference. "This ruling protects that sacred space and ensures that Washingtonians of all religious stripes can live out their beliefs in peace."