This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
It seems President-elect Donald Trump's influence on world events hasn't waited until he's president.
Already, Canada soon will be getting a new leader after Justin Trudeau's announcement about his departure, triggered at least partly by Trump comments that undermined his agenda, including his references to Trudeau as "governor" of what could become a state.
Now Mexico has decided, in light of Trump's warnings about the ramifications of continuing caravans of migrants that would become illegal aliens in the U.S., to divert some of that traffic.
Illegal migration has been one of the hallmarks of the Biden administration, with millions and millions crossing America's borders and entering, in violation of federal law, under his open borders agenda.
The impacts have been huge, with cities from Los Angeles to Denver to New York saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars in costs related to an exploding population of illegal aliens. Gang members have unleashed their crime waves.
Now Fox News is reporting the Mexican government "is working hard to break up migrant caravans trying to make the treacherous journey north to the U.S."
And it's coming "ahead of President-elect Trump's inauguration in less than two weeks' time."
"Faced with the prospect of massive tariffs on goods under the new administration, Mexico has been dispersing migrants throughout the country to keep them far from the U.S. border, including dropping them off at the once vibrant tourist hotspot of Acapulco, a beach resort town on Mexico's Pacific coast made famous by the jet set in the 1950s and '60s," the report explained.
The report said authorities now are dropping of busloads of migrants there "with little support and few options."
The goal reportedly is to reduce the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border.
"The migrants tell the Associated Press that they accepted an offer from immigration officials to come to the city under the premise that they could continue their journey north toward the U.S. border, but instead they have essentially been abandoned there," the report said.
"Immigration (officials) told us they were going to give us a permit to transit the country freely for 10, 15 days and it wasn't like that," Venezuelan Ender Antonio Castañeda, 28, said in an interview with AP. "They left us dumped here without any way to get out. They won't sell us (bus) tickets. They won't sell us anything."
Among Trump's plans for secured American borders once he's in office is his warning about a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico if the nation doesn't lower the number of migrants flooding into America from its territory.
Trump even has said he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Trump has said, "Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them. And we're going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers, record numbers. So we're going to make up for that by putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada, substantial tariffs."
Susie Wiles, President-elect Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff, has promised to nix the drama in the new administration, Axios reported. In an interview with Marc Caputo, Wiles told the publication she "will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama."
Later this month, the 67-year-old will become the first woman to take the White House role. As the co-manger of his campaign, Wiles is widely credited for running a better, more streamlined campaign than Trump's previous two presidential bids.
Now, she will be in charge of staffing for his new administration and bring the same disciplined approach. "I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star," Wiles told the publication.
"My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission," she added.
If the campaign is any indication, Wiles will run a tight ship when she takes the role. Her approach to Trump has always been about deference, discretion, and preventing the leaks that plagued his last administration.
Trump has praised her for this approach and rewarded her with the role in his new administration. "Susie likes to stay sort of in the back, let me tell you!" Trump said while thanking Wiles and Chris LaCivita, the co-campaign manager, in his victory speech on Election Night.
"The Ice Maiden. We call her the Ice Maiden," Trump added. Wiles' approach for the new administration will also correct mistakes of the past.
"I have every hope that the 47 administration will not have the same number of attempts to put sand in the gears. We are off to a fast start with congressional work, hiring the best people, preliminary discussion with heads of state, fine-tuning his policy agenda, and planning for the first 100 days," Wiles noted.
"I cannot stress teamwork and mutual support enough. ... It's not magic — set goals and timelines for me and the team and then work to exceed them. Simple, yes, but this worked quite nicely on the campaign," Wiles said of her philosophy.
Trump is coming into office older and wiser this time, and Wiles said he's taking a more measured approach to his staffing. "He engaged fully with hiring," Wiles told Caputo.
"He interviewed the Cabinet leadership, and made it clear his priorities for White House and agency staff. We set timelines and held ourselves accountable for the deadlines we set," Wiles later added.
"President Trump 47 will have the finest public servants available with great work ethic, a demonstrated ability to break down bureaucratic walls to help hold the bloated federal workforce accountable, have fealty to the conservative and common-sense principles that President Trump ran — and won — on, and be determined to make a difference during their time serving. We are cognizant of a turning clock — much to do," she added.
Wiles said the West Wing will be a mix of veterans and newcomers but that the key will be the ability to work together. "To my core, I believe in teamwork. Anyone who cannot be counted on to be collaborative, and focused on our shared goals, isn't working in the West Wing," Wiles noted.
America has been waiting for this change for four long years. The new Trump administration will be a force to be reckoned with, especially with Wiles in charge of staffing.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Without fanfare and almost no notifications, Joe Biden has released 11 al-Qaida-linked prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay to relative freedom in Oman, according to a Daily Mail report.
Two of them had been bodyguards for Osama Bin Laden, killed by American forces after he masterminded the 9/11 terrorism against the United States that killed thousands, and all of them were taken into custody in the aftermath of those attacks.
The Yemeni prisoners suspected of terrorism had been held in custody for years without charges.
A Defense Department statement said, "The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility."
The statement said the "detainees" went through reviews by "professionals" who determined they were eligible for transfer "consistent with the national security interests of the United States."
The report explained it was "the latest salvo – and potentially the last – in a concerted effort from the Biden administration to clear Guantanamo Bay of such prisoners."
The transfer was part of a "covert operation" to get the detainees to Oman where they will be "resettled."
The report said they were not returned to their home country, Yemen, because of its civil war.
According to the report, two suspects, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi and Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, both were accused of being bin Laden's bodyguards. And Alwi was thought to be an al-Qaida fighter.
"A separate intelligence file on al-Alwi from 2016 revealed he "has made several statements since early 2016 that suggest he maintains an extremist mindset,'" the report said.
Others given freedom were: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali al-Rammah, Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash, Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al Hajj and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah.
The report said the move leaves about 15 inmates still at Guantanamo, with cases in various stages.
The facility, set up by President George W. Bush in 2002 as part of the fight against terror, once held 800 prisoners. The inmates are not brought onto U.S. soil, where they would have access to the U.S. justice system.
Barack Obama promised to shut it down, but had two terms in office to accomplish that and failed.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
American Airlines passenger confronts flight attendant over pro-Palestinian watermelon pin
A Jewish passenger boarding an American Airlines flight in Miami encountered an unexpected situation when he noticed one of the flight attendants wearing a watermelon pin, a symbol that has become widely recognized as representing pro-Palestinian solidarity. The passenger subsequently documented the incident and shared it on his Instagram account, providing a detailed account of what transpired.
"The flight attendants became visibly upset and informed me that my act of filming them constituted a legal violation. They prevented me from disembarking and insisted that I remove the video footage, which I refused to do," according to Israel Hayom.
The situation was eventually resolved when law-enforcement officers arrived at the scene and directed the flight attendants to permit the passenger to leave the aircraft.
Unveiled Iranian woman removes cleric's turban in viral airport confrontation
A video has gone viral on social media showing a woman without a mandatory headscarf confronting a cleric at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, removing his turban and placing it on her own head like a scarf during the altercation.
She then searches for her husband, calling his name and asking, "What did you do to my husband?"
The exact date and cause of the initial confrontation remain unclear.
A media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mashregh News, reported that the incident was unrelated to hijab and claimed the woman had "psychological problems."
Israeli commission warns of real risk of outbreak of war with Turkey
Israel must prepare for a direct confrontation with Turkey, according to the Nagel Committee's latest report on the defense budget and security strategy, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The committee, established by the government, warns that Turkey's ambitions to restore its Ottoman-era influence could lead to heightened tensions with Israel, possibly escalating into conflict.
The report highlights the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Turkey, creating a new and potent threat to Israel's security.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
America is getting a new $20 billion investment in a data company that plans operations in multiple states, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.
Fox News reported Trump confirmed the $20 billion will come over a "short period of time" from DAMAC Properties, whose chief, Hussain Sajwani, confirmed plans for Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
The centers are needed to help the development of AI and cloud-based tech, he said.
Trump, who is to be inaugurated Jan. 20, said his administration would have a practice of expediting approvals for companies seeking to invest $1 billion or more in the U.S.
He cited the "quagmire" of regulations that now exist.
Under Joe Biden's presidency, Americans have suffered inflation of more than 20%, have seen millions of illegal aliens flood the southern border and end up competing with Americans for jobs, and more.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The infamous, and faulty, Roe v. Wade decision that created out of essentially nothing a federal "right" to an abortion remained the controlling standard in America for nearly five decades before it was banished to the ashcan of corrupted legal ideologies.
Campaigners are hoping that it doesn't take that long to get rid of Obergefell, the ruling from just a few years back that even Supreme Court justices admitted was unrelated to anything in the Constitution in its political campaign to promote the LGBT lifestyle choices by legitimizing same-sex "marriage."
There's already a legal case that the constitutional experts at Liberty Counsel are suggesting could be the basis for a reversal.
And now the organization MassResistance has confirmed that there are at least six state legislatures that will have the opportunity in coming months to adopt a resolution encouraging the high court to reverse itself.
The organization said it has drafted sample language and resolutions are pending in Idaho, North Dakota, Montana, Michigan, Iowa and Kansas.
For example, MassResistance volunteers in Idaho have been working with numerous lawmakers on pro-family bills in recent years, and now one state representative has offered "to spearhead this effort this year."
In North Dakota, a lawmaker who previously worked on legislation to ban the body-mutilating "sex change" procedures on children is working on filing an anti-Obergefell resolution.
The organization said its proposed text "calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its infamous and illegitimate Obergefell ruling. That 2015 decision forced the idea that the U.S. Constitution requires states to allow same-sex 'marriage.'"
There are discussions already, too, with lawmakers in multiple other states.
"The Obergefell v. Hodges ruling was passed by a slim 5-4 majority of activist Supreme Court Justices," MassResistance reported. "It has caused immense societal havoc across the country. States have been forced to ignore their legitimate laws and constitutional amendments regarding marriage. Governments, businesses, and even schoolchildren have been forced to accept same-sex 'marriage' – and by extension homosexual behavior – as normal, under pain of punishments, fines, and even imprisonment."
The problem with that ruling?
"The First Amendment guarantees free speech, freedom of assembly, religious liberty, and the right to petition government for redress of grievance. By forcing same-sex 'marriage' on the country in this way, Obergefell challenged all those rights," the group reported.
Unlike in 2015, when the Supreme Court was dominated by leftist ideologues, there now is a majority of constitutionalists on the bench, the report said.
"In order to invent a previously unknown constitutional 'right' to same-sex marriage, the 5-4 majority of activist Supreme Court Justices used a strategy concocted by the LGBT lawyers. They redefined the Fourteenth Amendment to allow them to effectively change the definition of marriage from one man and one woman to 'two people who love each other,'" the group reported.
But the 14th Amendment actually states: "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws," and does not mention marriage.
Soon-to-be First Lady Melania Trump is happy to have billionaire businessman Elon Musk hanging around Mar-A-Lago on a daily basis, according to a source that gave an exclusive to People.
“Melania is glad to have a babysitter for Donald, and she will find some kind of project to team up with him herself if he stays around,” the source said, and others agreed she hasn't minded having Musk there keeping her husband busy.
"Melania has her own life and isn't bothered by political dealings her husband has with others," the source said. "But so far, she has no issues with Musk."
She has her own stuff going on and is glad to see that her husband also does, sources agreed.
“Melania is in good spirits and does her own thing, and is not bothered one way or the other by Musk hanging around,” a social source told People.
“For the most part, she is not involved with subjects her husband is discussing with Musk or anyone else hanging around him. Right now, Trump has a lot of people wanting things from him. She is all too aware of that.”
Melania will have her own duties as First Lady, which will keep her busy along with taking care of her college-age son Barron in New York.
Musk has reportedly sat in on phone calls with world leaders and weighed in on White House staffing decisions, as well as playing golf and dining at the famous Trump resort.
Trump has used the resort as something of a political headquarters since his campaign began, and continues to do so during the transition.
Musk also spent New Year's Eve with the Trumps, which shows how close their relationship has become.
Of course, Musk has been nominated by Trump to head a new office in his administration: the Department of Government Efficiency.
Melania sees the relationship as a net positive.
After all, who else understands a billionaire like another billionaire.
The two have a shared experience only a handful of others on the globe possess, and Musk risked much to hitch his wagon to Trump's. So far, he has not crashed and burned, but knowing Trump, it still could happen.
Here we go again! In one of his last actions as president, Joe Biden is targeting natural gas water heaters - threatening to drive up energy prices for the poor and elderly in the middle of a brutally cold winter.
The new regulations would effectively ban non-condensing water heaters starting in 2029, the New York Post reported. The sweeping rule was not publicized by the administration, which has consistently targeted common home appliances in the name of climate change.
The administration notoriously ignited a public backlash with its sneaky proposal to ban gas stoves in 2023.
The water heater ban, like similar Biden climate regulations, aims to nudge a common household appliance off the market with impossible-to-meet efficiency standards.
Biden's new standards can't be met by most non-condensed tankless heaters, which are typically cheaper but less energy-efficient than condensed tankless water heaters.
The American Gas Association estimates that Biden's regulations will cost consumers $450 more on average upfront. Customers would save only $112 in heating bills over the 20-year shelf life of a condensed heater.
Traditional storage tanks are typically cheaper than tankless options, but they are less energy efficient and take up more space, making them less attractive to those living in small apartments, such as elderly residents.
“Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay far more upfront is particularly concerning. DOE’s decision to go ahead with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing,” Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy, said.
In addition to squeezing consumers on tight budgets, the new rules are set to cost jobs at a Georgia manufacturing plant.
Rinnai, the only manufacturer of tankless heaters, just opened a new factory to build non-condensed heaters.
"When the rule goes into effect, all that manufacturing will basically be irrelevant,” Frank Windsor, president of Rinnai America, told the Washington Free Beacon.
Windsor said Biden's regulations make no sense, since traditional storage tanks, which use more energy, are not impacted by the rules.
"Our point has always been—I think that the incoming administration will understand this—why would you eliminate a higher efficiency product category? It makes no sense. It makes no sense at all," Windsor said.
Biden has taken a series of 11th hour actions to hamstring President-elect Trump's energy agenda, including a sweeping ban on offshore drilling. Trump has pledged to fight Biden's ban, which could obstruct Trump's plans to ramp up fossil fuel production.
The Appliance Standard Awareness Project hailed Biden's latest appliance ban as a win for the climate.
"This is a commonsense step that will lower total household costs while reducing planet-warming emissions,” Andrew deLaski, the firm’s executive said in a statement.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – President-elect Donald Trump shared a video on Truth Social Monday evening of a man from Greenland urging the U.S. to purchase the massive territory from Denmark.
"Buy us! Buy Greenland!" the man says as he puts on a red, Make America Great Again cap.
Trump attached his own message to the video clip, indicating: "I am hearing that the people of Greenland are 'MAGA.'
"My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights.
"Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation.
"We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!"
When asked why Trump should buy Greenland, the man responded: "Because we don't want to be colonized by Danish government anymore."
"We get ripped [off] every year about our minerals from Greenland. We are the richest nation in the world, and we don't get to use it."
He also noted, "I love America."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden moved on Monday to take "revenge" on the American population, impacting the economy, national security and energy with an abrupt ban on offshore drilling.
"This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices," explained Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House press secretary.
In fact, during Biden's tenure in the White House, his extremist climate change ideology has included repeated attacks on significant sources of energy for America, and he pushed prices for home utilities higher, and triggered a price explosion for gasoline for vehicles into the range of $6 and $7 a gallon at some points.
RedState reported Biden cited the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to impose bans on drilling along both East and West coasts of the nation, the eastern Gulf of Mexica and parts of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea.
Biden claimed the drilling was "not worth the risks."
Again relying on his belief in a "climate crisis," he said since that "continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren."
His often-cited global warming beliefs insist that America stop using fossil fuels, despite the fact any changes, even dramatic alterations, in America's use of those fuels will have little impact on worldwide conditions.
Leavitt further predicted Biden's actions will mean little.
"Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill," she said.
Trump, who made America energy independent during his first term, has promised that during his second term he is making energy independence again a cornerstone of his agenda.
"As president, I will set a national goal of ensuring that America has the No. 1 lowest cost of energy of any industrial country anywhere on Earth," he explained in a video. "We will not only match China, we will be cheaper than China by a lot. And more energy will mean lower inflation that will mean more jobs."
He blasted Biden's "anti-American electricity regulations" and said the U.S. must keep pace with the world economy, which depends on fossil fuels for more than 80% of its energy.
Leavitt said Trump is expected to issue executive orders as soon as he takes office on the topic.
"He will use the power of his pen to deliver on many of the promises he made to the American people on the campaign trail to secure our southern border, to fast-track permits for fracking, for drilling, and to also take executive action to stop some of the transgender insanity that we have seen take over this country," she said.
The report said, "A recent survey by CNBC shows a majority of the American people are 'comfortable and prepared to support' Trump's agenda, including those who back drilling for more oil on federal lands and cutting taxes and regulations for business."