President Joe Biden admitted that assisting the fire-devastated sections of Southern California will likely cost "tens of billions of dollars," the Times of India reported. Biden has promised the federal government's assistance on his way out of office as firefighters continue to battle blazes.
As infernos rage throughout Southern California, people are being displaced and homes destroyed. The president weighed in on the tragedy in a post to X, formerly Twitter. "Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles," he wrote.
"Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones. I am being frequently briefed on efforts to suppress these fires and have directed my team to respond promptly to any requests for additional federal firefighting assistance," Biden said in a statement to X on Monday.
Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles. Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones. We are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the unprecedented ongoing wildfires across Southern California.
I am being frequently…
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 13, 2025
Biden also held a briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Director Deanne Criswell, and Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. The outgoing president promised help for the residents to get back on their feet.
"We’re not waiting until those fires are over to start helping the victims. We’re getting them help right now, as you all know," Biden promised at the White House briefing Monday.
"People impacted by these fires are going to receive a one-time payment of $770, one-time payment, so they quickly purchase things like water, baby formula and prescriptions," he added. Biden went on to say that some 6,000 victims signed up with $5.1 million paid out.
“It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was. We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding," Biden said.
The devastating fires that began last week are not showing any signs of letting up on their own. As CBS News reported, the Santa Ana winds, which blow hot and dry, continue to fuel the spread of fire.
As of Tuesday afternoon, four wildfires were still burning in the Los Angeles area. The largest is the Palisades Fire, which has swallowed up 23,713 acres.
The blaze is only about 17% contained in the western part of Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, Northern L.A.'s Eaton Fire has consumed 14,100 acres and is only 30% contained.
In Ventura County, which borders Los Angeles, the Auto Fire broke out Monday evening and has spread to 56 acres of land. One positive note is that the Hurst Fire, which spanned 799 acres, was 97% controlled by Tuesday.
Biden is correct that the cost will be astronomical to the local, state, and federal governments. It's necessary to help with the cost after the fact, but there must be an invitation into how these fires started and spread so quickly.
One of the most popular country music superstars in America, Carrie Underwood, has said she will sing "America the Beautiful" at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Political reporter Matthew Foldi announced the development by posting a photo of the inauguration program on X, and the Trump transition team confirmed the announcement.
NEWS:@carrieunderwood performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration pic.twitter.com/pek9EdBwkm
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) January 13, 2025
Underwood will perform the song with The Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club just before Trump is sworn in.
Underwood got her start when she won American Idol in 2005, and she has become one of the top-selling artists of all time.
She has won multiple Grammy Awards and was part of a trend of country music artists crossing over into mainstream music.
Her hits have included "Jesus Take the Wheel," "Blown Away," and "Before He Cheats."
“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood told People. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
Unlike many other musicians, Underwood has kept her political views private over the years, so it is not known whether she is a Democrat or a Republican.
Underwood is one of several musicians who will perform at the inauguration.
Operatic tenor Christopher D. Macchio will sing the National Anthem and other musical selections.
Macchio performed at many of Trump's rallies and was popular with crowds there.
The U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club will perform “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Combine Choirs will also perform various musical selections.
The Village People will perform at two inaugural events, but not during the inauguration itself.
Liberal California's breakdown into anarchy has hit close to home for Kamala Harris.
As looters take advantage of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, two people have been arrested in the upscale neighborhood of Brentwood near the vice president's home.
The individuals were seen in the vicinity of Harris' residence around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, NBC News reported.
As of Monday, the largest of the fires, the Palisades fire, had been 14% contained after torching nearly 24,000 acres. The fire has reduced much of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood to ash.
Residents in neighboring Brentwood, where Harris has a $4.8 million house, have been ordered to evacuate as the flames threaten areas east of the Palisades.
Around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Los Angeles police were called about a possible burglary at the Harris residence. The police found two people and arrested them for breaking a curfew that was announced to deter looters.
Police have warned that violators will face serious consequences, including jail and $1000 in fines.
However, the individuals outside Harris' home were released as officers found no evidence they had committed a crime. Police have not said what they believe the people were doing in the area.
The fires have killed at least 24 people since January 7th. In addition to the lives lost, thousands of structures have been destroyed, including many unique and architecturally significant buildings.
“My heart goes out to all those being impacted by the devasting wildfires in Southern California,” Harris said last week. “We are deeply grateful for the heroic first responders who are risking their own safety to fight the flames and help keep communities safe.
“As a proud daughter of California, I know the damage that wildfires have on our neighbors and communities,” she added.
The fires are already estimated to be the most expensive in American history. Many of those who lost their homes were not insured, as insurers fled the area due to high risk.
At least 29 people have been arrested for looting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday. The majority of those arrested so far have been in the Pasadena/Altadena area, which has been impacted by the Eaton fire. The Eaton Fire has been 33% contained, as of Monday.
The National Guard have been deployed to help maintain law and order as the fires continue to burn.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The status of a Palestinian "state" is the core issue around which much of the violence – the repeated terrorist assaults on Israel – has revolved for years.
That's even though there are multiple Arab states just over the national boundary.
But a new treatise developed by Alan Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, emeritus, at Harvard Law School, has identified the reason that the Palestinians don't have the "state" that they demand.
It's because they have refused it. Over and over.
Dershowitz explains, at the Gatestone Institute website, that the Jews in the Middle East previously "agreed to Palestinian statehood," again and again.
"In 1937-1938, 1947-1948, 1967, 2000-2001, and 2007. In each case, it was the Palestinian leadership that refused to agree to the two-state solution," he documented.
Back in 1937, before the Jewish state was declare, he said, "the Arabs categorically rejected (the Peel partition plan), demanding that all of Palestine be placed under Arab control and that most of the Jewish population of Palestine be 'transferred' — ethnically cleansed — out of the country."
At that time, the Palestine Royal Commission Report found that because of the "general hostility and hatred of the Jews by the Muslims," sharing a land was ruled out.
"Nor could the Jews be expected to accept Muslim rule over them," since Arab leaders, at that time, were allied with Adolf Hitler.
That plan was for a Jewish majority land in several small strips by the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee, while the planned Arab state was several times larger, including the Negev, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"The Peel Commission implicitly recognized that it was not so much that the Arabs wanted self-determination as that they did not want the Jews to have self-determination or sovereignty over the land the Jews themselves had cultivated and in which they were a majority," he wrote.
After World War II, the U.N. recommended partition, again.
The Arab leaders again rejected it. "They did not want a Palestinian state. And they wanted there to be no Jewish state," he explained.
On declaring its own statehood, Israel immediately was invaded by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, with help from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Libya.
The agenda later included the "three no's." No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden did a first-class job as president of the United States for the last four years, according to Joe Biden.
His comments came Monday in a foreign policy speech.
But the reality is just a little different, according to a critique of his comments published in Red State.
He first claimed that America now is much stronger than it was four years ago. And that its adversaries are weaker.
However, Red State documented, "Since Biden took office, China has grown the size of its military and expanded its political influence across the globe, from the South China Sea to Africa and even South America. As to Russia, one could argue their military resources have been depleted fighting Ukraine, but they are still currently invading Europe with no peace deal in sight."
It pointed out that only American adversary now weaker is Iran, and that's not because of Biden's policies, but despite them.
Biden also boasted of moving America out of Afghanistan, but he forgot to mention the terrorists that have come into America across his open southern border.
The critique said, "I would hardly call a Taliban-led state where men 'marry' and rape nine-year-olds while women can't go appear in public without a male escort a success. The human cost of Biden's disastrous withdrawal is unfathomable, from those who died during it to the millions who have experienced brutal oppression in the aftermath. "
Then there are the service members killed during that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
And finally, he ignored the recent terrorism in New Orleans to claim global warming, or climate change has it's now known, is the "single greatest threat."
The critique explained, "There are far fewer deaths caused by natural disasters today than there were even a hundred years ago. The idea that 'climate change' is the 'single greatest existential threat to humanity' is simply a lie, and it becomes far more grotesque when you consider Biden is saying that to obfuscate his failures. Why take responsibility for anything when you can just blame the sky idol of 'climate change' for every policy failure?"
Biden's actual legacy? "Biden has been arguably the most destructive president in modern history, with only President Jimmy Carter giving him any competition."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden once famously said to terrorists around the world, "Don't." So, just like Joe, I am also saying to my billions of readers, "Don't." That is, when you see Joe, living back in Delaware, with a brand new corvette sitting in his garage next to thousands of boxes of classified documents, don't think that the new 'vette has anything to do with Hillary Clinton getting a Medal of Freedom award.
No way are the Clintons going to cough up a hundred-thou for a new corvette to get a medal. That new car might come from George Soros' wallet, but not from Bill and Hill.
Joe Biden was just walking in the steps of the Nobel Prize guys when he diminished the honor of the Medal of Freedom. Do you remember when Barack Obama was awarded the Peace Prize by the nitwits in Norway after only seven months of being president? That's because you probably had forgotten when the U.S., Russia, China, North Korea and whoever else had nuclear weapons got together one day and dumped all their nukes into the ocean. That was Obama's Day of Peace … that never happened. And that was also the day when Donald Trump hugged Whoopi Goldberg after a lovely lunch together. More fictional peace from the Little O.
Joe Biden still has time to award more freedom medals before he leaves office with his pockets full, along with the silverware and drapes. Look around, Joe, there are some more tempting recipients awaiting medals according to your standards of "freedom."
How about the former emperor of Rome, Nero. He got rid of those pesky Christians by turning them into live human torches. Nero was obviously a believer in environmental purity. So, to save on electricity, he read by the light of human torches. Obviously, the human torches added to their carbon footprints – but Nero didn't know about global warming back then, so give the guy a break.
Though the emperor is long gone, Joe Biden could easily send a Medal of Freedom to Nero's relatives who now operate one of Rome's finest pizza palaces. Joe could claim that Nero was an early environmental crusader saving on the usage of fossil fuels to create light.
According to Biden's standards of freedom, the former leader of China, Mao Zedong, could qualify for a Medal of Freedom. Since freedom is a rather nebulous term, Mao qualifies by freeing a lot of Chinese people from the burdens of poverty, illness and life. He was also a great environmentalist, having reduced the population of the world by about 45 million people in just a few years with the Great Leap Forward. For 45 million Chinese, the great leap ended up in the grave, but hey, the woke are determined to save the earth from the destruction brought on by human beings, and Mao helped lessen that human burden. Take a bow, Mao.
Two more suggestions for medals are Alejandro Mayorkas and Adam Schiff. Mr. Mayorkas constantly displayed freedom from the truth every time he declared that the southern border was secure. Adam Schiff qualifies for his freedom medal by being free from the truth every time he said Donald Trump colluded with the Russians to beat the honorable Hillary Clinton.
And now thousands of homes in Los Angeles have burned because of the wise leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom. My staff nominates him for displaying freedom from common sense. In order to save the smelt fish from losing some of its watery habitat in Northern California, Newsom has refused the transfer of excess water from there to Southern California.
Along with Newsom, we also nominate the geniuses who in 2022 freed L.A. of firefighting equipment and shipped it to Ukraine … to defend democracy, of course.
Is there any doubt that the Apostle Paul was right when he told us, "we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places"?
Joe Biden, or whoever his puppet-masters are, has made the truth of that scripture perfectly clear.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A parental rights watchdog has filed a new legal action against an Illinois school district that stands accused of discrimination, illegally, against those who are NOT "black, biracial or African American."
The civil rights complaint comes from Parents Defending Education and names the Community Unit School District 308 in Oswego.
The Washington Examiner said the allegations are that the school has used race to determine students' participation in an affinity group that has special benefits.
"It is ridiculous and, frankly, unconscionable that schools like Community Unit School District 308 are creating mentorship and educational opportunities for students based solely on their race," charged Caroline Moore, in an interview with the publication.
She is the vice president of the parents' group.
"Creating situations where students are separated in public schools by race at such a young age perpetuates race biases and discrimination that has no place in public schools in 2025," she explained.
"I look forward to OCR investigating and discontinuing such discriminatory practices that pit kids against each other."
Among the allegations is that the school produced a promotion for an affinity group called Black Students Alliance Buddies, "promoting programming facilitated by a subset of the district's Equity and Engagement Department called the 'Teachers on Special Assignment Division,'" the report said.
Under "Who can Attend" there is a requirement for students to qualify by identifying as "black, biracial, or African American."
The parents' organization said that's a clear violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the equal protection clause in the Constitution's 14th Amendment because the school is offering benefits "on the basis of race."
The report explained, "The watchdog group cited a 2015 case in which the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights found a school district in violation after holding a 'Black Lives Matter' assembly for 'African American students only.' Just holding a race-exclusive assembly violated Title VI and the equal protection clause, according to OCR, which is why PDE is confident that offering race-exclusive educational benefits presents a similar if not more egregious civil rights violation."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
On Jan. 15, 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of a Baptist minister. Most students are taught that.
Most are also taught about King's nonviolent civil disobedience and protests to fight racism.
What most students aren't taught was that King believed in Americans' right to bear arms, as outlined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. King even once possessed "an arsenal," posted armed guards in front of his home and applied for a concealed weapons permit.
Before admitting to King bearing arms, a lot of people love to throw out the disclaimer that his gun possession was before he was committed to the principle of passive nonviolent resistance. But that's not exactly true. Let me explain.
In the mid-1950s, King applied for a firearm permit and amassed guns and guards in order to protect himself and his family. He rejected violence but also understood the realities of self-defense. He believed in self-defense as a moral and legal right, but he also believed in nonviolence as a means for social change.
In 1959, King wrote that the principle of self-defense "has never been condemned, even by Gandhi," indicating that even Mahatma Gandhi, a staunch advocate for nonviolence, recognized the legitimacy of self-defense in certain situations.
Back in 1955, several Montgomery, Alabama, churches were bombed and set ablaze. Rosa Parks was arrested for violating laws that mandated racial segregation on buses. And in neighboring Mississippi, the Rev. George Lee was fatally shot after attempting to register to vote, and voting rights activist Lamar Smith was also murdered.
On Jan. 30, 1956, in retaliation for the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Martin Luther King's house was bombed by segregationists. King was at a meeting, but his wife and 7-week-old daughter were at home though uninjured.
King came home to 300 angry people outside his home, many of whom were his congregants, ready to avenge him.
However, King said to them, "If you have weapons, take them home; if you do not have them, please do not seek them. We cannot solve this problem through violence. We must meet violence with nonviolence. [Quoting Jesus, he said,] Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, [and] pray for them that despitefully use you."
Interestingly, at the very same time, King protected his own home and family not only with guns but also with armed guards.
Dr. Adam Winkler, a professor of Constitutional Law at UCLA and author of "Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America," explained, "Most people think King would be the last person to own a gun. Yet in the mid-1950s, as the civil rights movement heated up, King kept firearms for self-protection. In fact, he even applied for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. A recipient of constant death threats, King had armed supporters take turns guarding his home and family."
Dr. Winkler added, "William Worthy, a journalist who covered the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, reported that once, during a visit to King's parsonage, he went to sit down on an armchair in the living room and, to his surprise, almost sat on a loaded gun. Glenn Smiley, an adviser to King, described King's home as 'an arsenal.'"
Notice King balanced and drew a distinction between what he knew would bring success to his civil rights movement (non-violent resistance and love) and what would protect him and his home (violent resistance and guns). He was more concerned as a family man than a civil leader, and carried out the success and protection of each differently.
That is why Dr. Winkler gleaned, "One lesson the gun advocates took from the early King and his more aggressive followers: If the police can't (or won't) protect you, a gun may be your last line of defense."
King did not acquire his concealed carry permit because it was rejected for prejudicial reasons, but that didn't stop him from trying and applying.
While Rosa Parks was pushing the bounds of buses, King was pushing the borders of bullets by requesting state authorities grant him a firearm permit because his life was threatened daily, clearly meeting the law's requirements.
(Interestingly to note, in addition to the First Amendment's "right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances," the Second Amendment also provided what, in 1787, framer of the U.S. Constitution Luther Martin [unrelated to King] described as the "last coup de grace" that would enable states "to thwart and oppose the general government," if run awry. That aligns with the tough language in the latter part of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.)
After the assassinations of King, JFK and RFK, the first major federal gun control since the 1930s, the Gun Control Act of 1968, was passed. From that point onward, progressives have used civil rights sentiment as a weapon to dismantle rather than justify Americans' Second Amendment rights.
Again, while people love to show how King altered some of his self-defense views later in life, the facts are what they are.
When it came to self-defense, as a man of the cloth in the 1950s, King, so to speak, held the Bible in one hand and a gun in the other.
Even Jesus, while encouraging followers to refrain from personal retaliation, still believed in self-defense as he told his disciples: "Whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one" (Luke 22:36).
So, maybe the answer isn't "either or" but "both and," when it comes to balancing faith and self-defense.
As the Good Book also prescribes: "But we prayed to our God and because of [our enemies] we set up a guard against them day and night" (Nehemiah 4:9).
It is not a coincidence that our Founders erected the First and Second Amendments in the chief positions they are: the freedom of religion and the right to bear arms, side by side, protecting each other.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Raging wildfires in and around Los Angeles that still are far from controlled have left behind still-untabulated deaths and damages: 24 lives lost already and billions of dollars in burned-up homes and businesses.
But the lawmakers in California have picked a different situation to address in a special legislative session on which they have just worked: Fighting President Trump.
They've adopted a plan to spend $50 million fighting to have their state and the nation go in a different direction from what Trump has chosen.
Washington Examiner reports the Democrat-majority legislature met in a special session just days ago.
They came out with the $50 million spending package "to resist" Trump.
"The state legislature is in a session aimed at combatting the incoming Trump administration's proposed policies regarding illegal immigration, among other issues," the report explained.
The spending allows $25 million for the state to pursue legal complaints against the federal government and another $25 million to defend against the deportation of illegal aliens.
Scott Wiener, a Democrat state senator, explained the lawmakers have cemented "California's readiness to serve as a bulwark against Trump's extremist agenda."
This is even though Trump's "extremist agenda" has been adopted by a vast majority of American voters, who chose him over the Democrat party's presidential nominee in November.
Republicans in California pointed out Democrats made their "slush fund" a priority when Los Angeles, literally, is burning up.
"At a time when California should be laser-focused on responding to the devastating wildfires in LA, Democrat lawmakers' priority is creating a $50 million slush fund to hire government lawyers for hypothetical fights against the federal government and to defend criminal illegal immigrants from being returned to their home countries," said a social media comment from Rep. James Gallagher, a Republican in the state assembly.
"The disconnect between what Californians need and what Democrats are focused on is astounding."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – The United States House of Representatives recently overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to sanction the International Criminal Court, primarily for the issuance of arrest warrants for Israel's current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
Lawmakers voted 243 to 140 in favor of the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act," which would urge sanctions on any ICC official or entities backing The Hague who advance "any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies."
Reps. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and Chip Roy, R-Texas led the bill, which is a top priority for Republicans. It is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate in the near future.
The sanctions include blocking or revoking visas and prohibiting U.S. property transactions.
Officially the ICC based in The Hague has no jurisdiction over either Israel or the United States for that matter, as neither is a signatory of the Rome Statute, which established the court. It is likely for reasons precisely such as these neither country did so. However, the waters have been significantly muddied by the court asserting jurisdiction after it accepted "the State of Palestine" as a signatory in 2015, despite there being no such state recognized under international law.
The bill passed easily, with 198 House Republicans voting in favor and zero against; Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the only one to not support the bill, merely voting "present." Forty-five Democrats supported the bill; which produced very similar numbers to another one sanctioning the ICC, which was passed in the house last year.
This earlier vote failed to advance in the Senate. Although newly appointed Republican majority leader John Thume has promised swift consideration of the act so President-elect Donald Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office, it is not at all clear whether this year's proposed bill will have an easier time of passing than the 2024 failed version.
The U.N. agency with responsibility for all the other refugees in the world – other than the Palestinians – published an article on its website, which suggested U.N. experts – including Francesca Albanese, the disgraced special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967 [sic] – urged the U.S. Senate to oppose the bill. "It is shocking to see a country that considers itself a champion of the rule of law trying to stymie the actions of an independent and impartial tribunal set up by the international community, to thwart accountability," the experts said.
"Threats against the ICC promote a culture of impunity. They make a mockery of the decades-long quest to place law above force and atrocity," the experts added.
"I don't care if you are a terrorist in a cave or a lawyer at The Hague, if you get in the way of bringing American hostages home, then you will be given no quarter and you damn well shouldn't expect to be welcomed on American soil with open arms," Mast, the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.
Roy, in a House floor speech, blasted the ICC's "unprecedented action" and emphasized that it has no jurisdiction over U.S. or Israeli personnel, "yet is extending into the people of Israel's business in defending their interests against violent attack by Hamas, which we define as a terrorist entity."
The charges against the Israeli leaders allege they committed the war crimes of directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza and of using starvation as a method of warfare by hindering the supply of international aid to Gaza.
Meanwhile, chief prosecutor Karim Khan also alleged they committed the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts as a result of the restrictions they allegedly placed on the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israel has vociferously rejected the substance of the allegations, pointing to the fact millions of tons of aid has been delivered to the Strip. It has argued problems associated with distribution of that aid to the Palestinian civilian population are due to inefficiencies with the aid agencies on the ground, the ongoing conflict, as well as the widespread problem of Hamas looting and storing the aid as a way of controlling the supply.