This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden's "puddles" agenda for water rules now is under fire from Environmental Agency chief Lee Zeldin.
It is the Waters of the United States rule that left an Idaho couple facing fines of up to $33,000 a day for starting to build a home on a residential subdivision land plot in Idaho.
The U.S. Supreme Court earlier reversed the outcome in that case, involving the Sackett family.
But Zeldin is working on a revamp of the regulation that was adopted during the Nixon administration under the Clean Water Act to control wetlands.
The Barack Obama and Biden administrations expanded the definitions of "navigable waters" to the point landowners feared the EPA "could swoop in at any moment and usurp control of their lands," according to a report at Fox News.
Zeldin explained, "When it comes to the definition of 'waters of the United States,' EPA has an important responsibility to protect water resources while setting clear and practical rules of the road that accelerate economic growth and opportunity."
Obama had grabbed vast new powers under the law, before Trump during his first term in office restored them to working definitions, the report said.
But Biden again expanded the federal government's reach.
Under his standards, low spots that collected puddles "could be found to have a 'significant nexus' to navigable water," the report said.
Zeldin said the goal now is to deliver on a Trump administration promise to make regulations clear while also protecting the nation's waterways.
The EPA said nine "listening sessions" were held and the conclusions offered were that commonsense guidelines were needed.
Now being developed are definitions for "relatively permanent" waterways, "tributary" and more.
"Wetlands" now in fact must be "wet" for a minimum time each year.
"Democrat administrations have weaponized the definition of navigable waters to seize more power from American farmers, landowners, entrepreneurs, and families," Zeldin said. "We heard from Americans across the country who want clean water and a clear rule. No longer should America's landowners be forced to spend precious money hiring an attorney or consultant just to tell them whether a Water of the United States is on their property."
WorldNetDaily reported over the years on the Sackett fight. The Supreme Court eventually gave the Idaho couple, Chantell and Mike Sackett, victory in their years-long fight with the Environmental Protection Agency.
It agents claimed their residential building land in Priest Lake was protected "wetlands" even though it wasn't wet, wasn't attached to navigable waters and was surrounded by homes on other lots.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
While the federal government cracks down on illegal aliens who obtained commercial driver's licenses from California, the state of New York has its own scandal where employees of the Department of Motor Vehicles were allegedly getting paid to take the written driving tests on behalf of trucker-wannabes.
Seven people, including DMV employees, have been charged with 51 felony counts by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office on Long Island.
"Bypassing that safeguard is far from a harmless shortcut, it is a dangerous threat to public safety," said New York Inspector General Lucy Lang last month.
WABC-TV reported: "Among those charged include Kanaisha Middleton, a supervisor at the Garden City branch of the DMV, as well as her sister, Jamie Middleton, who is accused of taking at least 10 different permit tests for no-show drivers.
"Surveillance images show Jamie Middleton wearing different disguises, even fake facial hair as she posed as a man who would be applying for a commercial driving permit, but she forgot to take off her fake nails."
"We think it's pretty, pretty poor. The finger nails kind of gave it away," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
"She's in disguise, coming in different clothing and even going so far as to wear fake mustaches, beards, glasses, masks – almost like a spy in an espionage thriller,"
according to the New York Post.
"These disguises were all about selling the scheme for the cameras," she said. "[The real applicants] never set foot in the Garden City DMV, never clicked a single button to take the required test."
Authorities say the defendants charged up to $3,000 per test, with two of the accused working the DMV counters so they could wave through the phony test taker.
Donnelly said Middleton sat for at least 10 tests, despite looking nothing like the applicants.
"One day, she actually sat twice. Came out, went back to the counter, and back in five minutes later," Donnelly said.
Charges include impairing the integrity of a government licensing examination, tampering with public records, corrupting the government and falsifying business records.
If found guilty, the accused face a maximum sentence of 2.5 to 7 years in prison.
As WorldNetDaily reported last week, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed California has issued 17,000 commercial licenses to "dangerous" foreign-born truck drivers.
"After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday.
"Now that we've exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked."
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Copies of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence used by students in the Anchorage, Alaska, school district have been slapped with a surprising disclaimer.
Now school officials are explaining it all was a "mistake."
According to a report from the Anchorage Daily News, images were posted online of a Hillsdale College handout of the Declaration and the Constitution, with the label attached that read, "The Anchorage School District does not endorse these materials or the viewpoint expressed in them."
A district official has a reason.
MJ Thim, a district official, explained in an email the stickers are meant to clarify the difference between "official district information" and materials from outside sources.
"This was our mistake. The request that came in wasn't for a flyer or poster and shouldn't have been processed through that system. We will be following up directly with the requestor to make things right," Thim said, according to ADN.
"The U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence are an important part of what students learn social studies," Thim wrote. "These founding documents are taught in every school and reflect the values we want every student to understand."
Hillsdale is a private liberal arts school in Michigan, and donates the booklets.
"Alaska's Attorney General appointee Stephen Cox is the treasurer on the board of directors for Thomas More Classical School, a Hillsdale-affiliated K-6 private school set to open in Anchorage next fall. Cox is also listed as a co-founder and past board president of the school," the report said.
Cox said on social media, said, "something has gone terribly wrong."
"A disclaimer saying the school district doesn't endorse these documents can only confuse students, by implying their own school won't stand for the first principles of our Republic. It raises important questions, and we'll get the answers," Cox said.
The College Fix said a student noticed the disclaimer, and showed it to her mom, who wrote on social media, "I was honestly stunned. These aren't controversial documents, they are the foundation of our country and what our students are supposed to be learning about. Why would a school need to distance itself from the very principles we are built on?
"I fully support transparency in education and just want to understand this policy better. Parents deserve clarity. If outside materials are being sent home, especially involving American founding documents, the messaging should be thoughtful and not confusing to families."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The fight is between two people who never married but whose daughter now is nearly a teen. And the coming decision by the Maine Supreme Court will determine if judges in that state can simply overturn the constitutional religious rights of parents.
The battle has been outlined by Liberty Counsel, which explained the judge's trial court ruling in the dispute between mother and father is well into the extreme range, or beyond.
For example, the judge ruled that the custodial mother "is a fit parent EXCEPT for the fact that she is a Christian."
The war erupted over the non-custodial father's opposition to Christianity, specifically demanding to ban his daughter's attendance at a Christian church.
But, based on the "counsel" to the court from a "Marxist former sociality professor," the judge said the daughter "cannot associate with any of her church friends or any member of Calvary Chapel Portland."
And, "If Ava meets a new friend outside of Calvary and that person begins attending Calvary, Ava must cut ties with that friend."
And, "Ava cannot attend ANY Christmas, Easter, or any other Christian event or celebration at ANY church, including any wedding, funeral, or even hospital visits with anyone associated with Calvary Chapel."
And, "Ava cannot have any contact or participation with ANY religious organization (which would include Salvation Army or a food bank, homeless shelter, or crisis pregnancy center."
And, "Ava cannot read the Bible or religious literature or be exposed to any 'religious philosophy'"
But even with that extremism, the judge wasn't done with his anti-Christian agenda, Liberty Counsel reported.
"The judge mocked Ava and Emily's faith by purposefully refusing to capitalize the word 'God' — something I have never seen," reported Liberty Counsel chief Mat Staver, who argued the little girl's case before the state Supreme Court last week.
"The judge even chastised Emily for allowing the church pastor to pray for Ava. And the judge ruled that Emily could not take Ava to ANY church unless Matt approves. And Matt has steadfastly refused to approve ANY church."
Newsweek wrote that the judge's order was "unusually sweeping."
"The state's high court must now determine whether judges can curtail a fit parent's religious practices based on findings of potential psychological harm, a question that could reshape how courts nationwide weigh parental rights, religious freedom and expert testimony in custody disputes," the report said.
Staver pointed out to the court, "There is no finding of abuse or neglect" in the record, which only shows an incident where the child experienced "anxiety."
The agenda to comply with the anti-Christian wishes of the father and his advisers violates the Constitution regarding the mother's rights, he said.
A lawyer for the father, Matthew Bradeen, claimed it is a compelling state interest to violate the rights of the mother, Emily Bickford.
Staver described the lower court's ruling as reeking of "hostility."
That decision gave Bradeen totalitarian control over religious decisions for the girl, soon to be 13.
A report from WCSH-TV said Bradeen's "expert" witness looked at Calvary Chapel's sermons and then claimed they were a "psychological risk."
At issue is the fact that courts are not allowed to sit in judgment of religious beliefs or doctrines.
Liberty Counsel explained the background: "Matt Bradeen never married Emily after she became pregnant over a dozen years ago. The relationship ended before Ava was even born. Emily had primary custody of Ava, and Matt had visitation rights. Ava and Emily had been attending Calvary Chapel, an evangelical Christian church in Portland, ME, for 3½ years. Ava informed her father last year that she was excited to be baptized. But whereas most parents would be overjoyed, Matt found an ACLU judge and flew in a Marxist former sociology professor from California to testify that Calvary Chapel (and any church that believes the Bible) are 'cults' that cause psychological harm to children."
Staver explained of the recent court hearing, "The majority of justices said the order is hostile toward religion and that it used a 'nuclear option' by taking all decision-making away from an unquestionably fit parent regarding the religious upbringing of her daughter."
A ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – After initially calling people urging the release of files on convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein "stupid" and "foolish," President Donald Trump has pulled a 180 and is now making a fresh call to make all the files public.
In a lengthy Truth Social post Sunday night, Trump said: "House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it's time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat 'Shutdown.'
"The Department of Justice has already turned over tens of thousands of pages to the Public on 'Epstein,' are looking at various Democrat operatives (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their relationship to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON'T CARE!
"All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT, which is the Economy, 'Affordability' (where we are winning BIG!), our Victory on reducing Inflation from the highest level in History to practically nothing, bringing down prices for the American People, delivering Historic Tax Cuts, gaining Trillions of Dollars of Investment into America (A RECORD!), the rebuilding of our Military, securing our Border, deporting Criminal Illegal Aliens, ending Men in Women's Sports, stopping Transgender for Everyone, and so much more! Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory.
"Some 'members' of the Republican Party are being 'used,' and we can't let that happen. Let's start talking about the Republican Party's Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein 'TRAP,' which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump's new position on the files is the exact opposite of his stance in July, when he unleashed a furious tirade against his own supporters who sought the files, saying he no longer wants their support.
"I don't want their support anymore!" Trump exclaimed on Truth Social.
"My PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullsh**,' hook, line, and sinker."
His full statement reads:
"The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again! Just like with the FAKE and fully discredited Steele Dossier, the lying 51 "Intelligence" Agents, the Laptop from Hell, which the Dems swore had come from Russia (No, it came from Hunter Biden's bathroom!), and even the Russia, Russia, Russia Scam itself, a totally fake and made up story used in order to hide Crooked Hillary Clinton's big loss in the 2016 Presidential Election, these Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at – It's all they have – They are no good at governing, no good at policy, and no good at picking winning candidates.
Also, unlike Republicans, they stick together like glue. Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this "bullsh**," hook, line, and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.
I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country's history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax. Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Trump also told reporters: "I don't understand it, why they'd be so interested. He's dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life, I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is."
"It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring. And I don't understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people including fake news want to keep something like that going. But credible information, let 'em give it. Anything that's credible, I would say let them have it."
The U.S. House Of Representatives is scheduled to vote on releasing all the Epstein files this week.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
City officials often boast of their climate, their schools, their community life, their economy, even their sports teams.
However, a new survey has been released by WalletHub that probably will not attract a lot of attention from those public relations offices responsible for touting the benefits of their locations.
It's about the nation's most sinful cities.
It is KDVR television in Denver that noted its city ranked No. 6 overall.
No. 1 was "Sin City" Las Vegas, Nevada.
"The study looked at seven areas of focus: anger & hatred, jealousy, excesses & vices, greed, lust, vanity and laziness to determine the ranking using 37 data points including things like violent crime, obesity rates and online searches for illicit behavior," the report said.
Just what a city wants to be known for: "Online searches for illicit behavior."
After No. 1 Las Vegas came Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Following No. 6 Denver were Miami, Dallas, Phoenix and New Orleans.
WalletHub's goal was to be ranking "the darkest corners of America."
Denver exceled at "anger & hatred," which to state residents isn't a surprise based on the state's long-term agenda to attack Christians and Christianity.
The state's history of anti-Christian activism dates back more than a decade already. Phillips, of Masterpiece Cakeshop, has been in the courts for that long for refusing to submit his Christian faith to the progressive LGBT agenda in which state officials believe.
That's despite the state losing at the U.S. Supreme Court in the fight.
Same thing happened with the state's demand a web designer give up her Christian faith in order to operate her business. It lost again at the Supreme Court, and taxpayers there were billed millions for state officials to waste in their legal fight.
Right now the Supreme Court is considering whether the allow the state to censor pro-Christian comments by counselors, who are urged to deliver pro-LGBT ideologies to young clients. And the state recently attempted to impose its transgender beliefs on a Christian children's camp.
Most recently, the state was sued for an anti-Christian discrimination in a program purportedly providing preschool to children.
The report said, "Data points in the anger and hatred category include violent crime rates, bullying, hate groups, gun deaths and mass shootings. In the lust category, the study looked at adult entertainment establishments, online searches for 'XXX Entertainment' and 'Tinder' and teen birth rates."
Denver was No. 2 among dozens and dozens of cities evaluated for excesses in drinking and vices.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
While many on the political left, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, have trouble defining what a woman is, now video is emerging of the head of Michigan's schools having extreme difficulty stating how many genders exist.
Footage posted by LibsofTikTok shows Michigan State Superintendent Sue Carnell being asked directly: "How many genders are there?"
LibsofTikTok notes: "She draws a complete blank then refuses to answer when asked this simple question. This is the person responsible for Michigan kids' education. Crazy as hell."
When pressed again with the same question, Carnell finally proffered a response that did not specifically answer the question, as she replied: "Different people have different beliefs on that."
Her questioner fired back: "Well you can believe all you want, but science says there's two."
The video comes as the Michigan State Board of Education last week approved a new sex-ed curriculum for K-12 "which includes radical gender ideology and teaches that kids can be born in the wrong body," according to LibsofTikTok.
The Detroit Free Press reports the sexual health topics by grade include:
Some reaction online to Carnell's evasive response includes:
"If you can't even acknowledge such a basic reality as biology, why should you be entrusted to teach kids anything more complicated? This is the bedrock foundation of thought, and kids aren't even being taught it. No wonder students are struggling so much."
"I am reading a lot into her facial expression, and I am no expert, but she seems to be telegraphing that she knows the answer is two, but she also knows she cannot say that. This is how fear works."
"She can't answer because the question is biological, and her job is purely ideological. The left has installed activists, not educators, to run our schools. Her silence isn't confusion; it's the paralysis of a cult member whose dogma just crashed into reality. She is in charge of education but is a living testament to the failure of her own radical agenda. This is the goal: to destroy truth and replace it with this exact, incoherent, crazy-as-hell nonsense."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal appeals court has shut down an attempt by city officials in Medford, Oregon, to require a private business operator to build – and pay for – a special road and bridge for the town.
The ruling in the fight between Medford officials and KOGAP Enterprises came from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and ordered the lower court to hold a hearing and enter a judgment in favor of KOGAP.
"The government cannot use the permit process to pressure private businesses or individuals to subsidize public infrastructure," explained a lawyer for Pacific Legal Foundation, which worked on behalf of KOGAP, Brian Hodges.
"The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that it is unconstitutional to single out property owners to shoulder massive costs for the public. We are thrilled that the court applied that precedent today in defense of Oregonians' property rights."
KOGAP is family owned, and has spent 20 years converting an old sawmill location into Stewart Meadows Village, a mixed use development covering some 100 acres.
For that project, it has built miles of streets, recreation trails and multiple bridges already.
But then the city demanded, in order to approve a minor revision in its previously approved development, the family must build a public road and bridge, and pay the $700,000 costs, even though its benefits would be for "future developments."
Explained the foundation, "The city's latest demand that KOGAP fund a massive building project to benefit future developers was a road too far."
The city's own lawyers had warned officials they were imposing an "unlawful exaction," an unconstitutional demand of private citizens and businesses.
But officials moved forward with the demand anyway, the PLF said.
Now the 9th Circuit has killed the demand for nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.
"[T]he record does not contain a basis upon which the district court could have held that the City demonstrated rough proportionality between the project's expected impacts and the exaction imposed. … We reverse the district court's orders granting summary judgment to the city and direct entry of summary judgment for KOGAP on remand," the ruling said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – The U.S. military on Sunday announced that American Armed Forces in the Eastern Pacific Ocean killed three suspected narco-terrorists Saturday, allegedly carrying narcotics "on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization."
"On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization," the U.S. Southern Command said on X, along with explosive video of its operation.
It did not specify the name of the designated terrorist organization.
"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," said Southern Command.
"Three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed. The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific and was struck in international waters."
This latest strike was announced the same day the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, packing more than 4,000 sailors along with F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets and long-range Tomahawk missiles, arrived in the Caribbean.
Adm. Alvin Holsey, Southcom's commander, indicated: "The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group's deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland."
At least 83 suspected narco-terrorists have been killed since early September, as the U.S. hit 21 alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific.
President Donald Trump is among those who have branded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro an "illegitimate leader," accusing him of leading an international drug-smuggling operation.
On Friday, Trump said he has "sort of made up" his mind concerning the next steps on Venezuela.
"I sort of made up my mind," the president told reporters. "I can't tell you what it would be."
Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday about Trump's potential military action in Venezuela, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said: "We have a lot of training in that part of the world. We're reactivating our jungle school in Panama. We would be ready to act on whatever the president and [secretary of] war needed."
When pressed on whether or not any orders have actually been issued, Driscoll said: "We don't talk about those kinds of things, but we would be ready, if asked."
As WorldNetDaily reported last week, in what was called an unprecedented step, the United Kingdom said it would no longer share intelligence with the U.S. about suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, as it does not wish to be complicit in the military strikes, believing them to be illegal.
CNN noted Britain's decision "marks a significant break from its closest ally and intelligence sharing partner and underscores the growing skepticism over the legality of the U.S. military's campaign around Latin America."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., released a bloody photo of himself on Saturday, revealing he had received 20 stitches from a fall earlier in the week near his Pennsylvania home.
"20 stitches later and a full recovery, I'm back home with @giselefetterman and the kids," Fetterman said on X.
"I'm overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes. Truly.
"Grateful for @UPMC for the incredible medical care that put me back together."
"THANK YOU SO MUCH. See you back in DC."
A spokesperson for Fetterman previously indicated that Fetterman on Thursday morning "sustained a fall near his home in Braddock."
"Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh," the spokesperson said.
"Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries.
"Senator Fetterman had this to say: 'If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!'
"He is doing well and receiving routine observation at the hospital. He has opted to stay so doctors can fine-tune his medication regimen.
"Senator Fetterman is grateful for the EMTs, doctors, and nurses who are providing his care."
In 2024, both Fetterman and his wife were injured when the senator crashed their car into the back of a Chevy Impala in Maryland.
A police report noted Fetterman was "at fault," as he was traveling "at a high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit" at the time of the collision.
Feterman suffered a stroke in May 2022, after which the Democrat said he had difficulty fully processing language.