This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President Donald Trump is blaming his "stupid" predecessors, who agreed to a list long of trade deals with other nations around the world, for setting up the crisis America now is facing with its trade imbalance.

It's because other nations expect to have access to America's market and consumers to build their businesses and economies, yet want to tariff American goods coming onto their shores with high rates.

Trump is working to level that field and benefit Americans and their economy, by pushing for high tariffs for goods from other nations.

His goal obviously is to persuade those countries to lift their tariff agendas against the U.S., and officials confirmed on Wednesday already 75 countries have already reached out to the U.S. to negotiate, and tariffs against them now are on pause. China, which has been belligerent on the issue, now is to be assessed tariffs of 125%, per Trump's orders.

Trump said that the situation is a result of years of bad trade policies.

"This started with the World Trade Organization which was owned and paid for by China… They said they were a developing nation… I blame the people sitting at this desk… They allowed this to happen."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President Donald Trump has been a critic of Joe Biden's demolition of the nation's border security ever since it happened.

That was when the Democrat took office in 2021, after Trump's first term, in which he cracked down on the rampant flood of illegal aliens, started assembling a massive border wall, and more.

Biden went the other direction, canceling all of Trump's nation-protecting plans, even setting up special programs to facilitate illegals' access to America, and then providing them special protections after they arrived.

Evidence subsequently confirmed even terrorists took advantage of Biden's agenda.

And that scenario has prompted a harsh verdict from Trump, now in his second term and working again to secure the nation. The president spoke Tuesday at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington, D.C.

He pointed out how Democrats now are not afraid that his America-first policies will fail, but that "they'll succeed."

Trump noted his party, the Republican Party, is "going to get bigger and stronger and better," so he's looking forward to the coming midterm elections.

He said the results will show Democrats "their years of treasonous betrayal will not be forgotten."

"What they did is treason. When they allowed millions of people to pour in through open borders from all over the world, they came. To me that's treason," he said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A federal judge on Tuesday took the battle over the Gulf of America to a new level, ordering the White House to restore Associated Press access to the Oval Office and other spaces after President Donald Trump banned the news agency's reporters for their continued use of the Gulf of Mexico name instead of its new moniker, the Gulf of America.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, ordered access for the AP into the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited spaces when available to other members of the media pool.

"Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists – be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere – it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints," McFadden wrote.

"The Constitution requires no less."

However, the judge made it clear that AP is not getting "permanent access."

"The Court does not order the government to grant the AP permanent access to the Oval Office, the East Room or any other media event," he wrote.

"It does not bestow special treatment upon the AP. Indeed, the AP is not necessarily entitled to the 'first in line every time' permanent press pool access it enjoyed under the (White House Correspondents Association). But it cannot be treated worse than its peer wire service either."

"This injunction does not limit the various permissible reasons the Government may have for excluding journalists from limited-access events," McFadden added.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Decatur County, Iowa, resident Rita Audlehelm noticed that a county official repeatedly failed to attend meetings in person.

So she wrote an op-ed about it. And it was published.

And got sued for defamation.

Now the Institute for Justice has dispatched a letter to county leaders suggesting they abandon their attempt to silence Audlehelm.

The "threat to sue Rita over her factual criticisms violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, which protects Americans' ability to freely criticize the government without fear of retribution," the legal team explained in a new report about the confrontation.

Audlehelm had raised the issue about an official's "repeated failure" to be at meetings, prompting the county threat.

"Rita exemplifies what America stands for. She cares deeply about her community, she's engaged, and she expresses her concerns thoughtfully through her speech," said IJ attorney Brian Morris. "In response, the county has tried to silence Rita through baseless and frivolous threats. That's the work of kings, not elected officials."

Audlehelm explained, "Decatur County residents deserve to know what their elected officials are up to. That's why I started attending the weekly board of supervisors meetings and publishing editorials about what happened. But rather that make these meetings available online, the county wants to silence my speech and keep the public in the dark."

The IJ reported that for more than a year, Audlehelm has attended Decatur County board of supervisor meetings, and sometimes expresses her opinions about the meetings in editorial columns in the Leon Journal-Reporter and/or the Lamoni Chronicle.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A mother whose constitutional rights were violated by a Maine judge hearing a custody dispute has taken the fight to the state Supreme Court.

The case involves a radical ruling from Jennifer Nofsinger, a judge who heard a custody case, who ordered that the mother was not allowed to take her 11-year-old daughter to an evangelical Christian church.

That was based on "objections" from the child's father, who like the mother and daughter was not identified in the report from Liberty Counsel, which is working on the case.

Chairman Mat Staver said, "Calvary Chapel is not a cult. This custody order banning a mother from taking her child to a Christian church because of its biblical teachings regarding marriage and human sexuality violates the First Amendment. The custody order cannot prohibit the mother from taking her daughter to church. The implications of this order pose a serious threat to religious freedom."

The judge granted the father, who objects to the Christian teachings of the church, "the sole right to govern the girl's religious activities."

The high court is being asked to reverse the "unlawful custody order" and to restore the mother's First Amendment right to pass on her religious beliefs.

The judge adopted the ideology of a leftist teacher from California who was hired by the father. That teacher, Janja Lalich, told the judge "that cults usually have a charismatic, authoritarian leader who teaches about a 'transcendent belief system' that offers answers, and 'promises some sort of salvation.' She further testified that she had 'studied' Calvary Chapel Church and found that the church's pastor was a 'charismatic' speaker, spoke 'authoritatively' in his messages, and that he asserted his messages were objective truth.," Liberty Counsel reported.

That meant, Lalich claimed, the church was "cultic."

"Despite not being a psychologist, Dr. Lalich testified it was 'evident' that the church posed a potential for psychological harm to the girl," the report said.

However, the legal team noted that "Under the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and numerous Supreme Court precedents, unmarried parents both have the right to instill their religious beliefs into their children during their respective custodial time."

The Liberty Counsel report continued, "In addition, Judge Nofsinger interpreted the pastor's public prayer over the custody situation, which referenced spiritual warfare, as putting the father on the side of 'evil' and the mother on the side of 'good' in the daughter's eyes. Relying on both this interpretation and the 'expert' testimony, the court order states that this church is 'psychologically detrimental' to the girl."

The judge radically gave the father control of the daughter's exposure to any churches even during the mother's custodial time.

On appeal is Nofsinger's claim "without any proof" that Christianity is "psychologically harmful."

"Contending that [the mother's] religious beliefs, which include prayer, reading the Bible, attending a mainstream Christian church that teaches from the Bible, that teaches there is a path to salvation, and that believes in objective truth is psychologically harmful to a minor is, quite simply, outside the realm of judicial authority," wrote Liberty Counsel. "The order explicitly…forces the mother to remain away from church against her will, punishes the mother for professing certain religious beliefs, and punishes the mother for church attendance solely on the basis of the religious beliefs that are professed at that church."

Those unconstitutional ideological choices by the judge, simply, are not allowed by the First Amendment, the report said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Ryan Routh, suspected of a scheme to assassinate President Donald Trump while he was running for office last year, reportedly tried to buy a rocket launcher at that time.

Reports confirm that the Department of Justice has revealed Routh was trying to get "military weapons" from Ukraine at the time he allegedly was involved in the assassination scheme, which ultimately failed.

He's accused of claiming that Trump would be "bad" for Ukraine and that weapons of war get lost "all the time."

The issue over whether Ukraine knew of the scheme, and whether anyone in the United States was warned, is "absolutely massive."

According to a report at Fox News, Routh allegedly told an associate "Send me a RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] or stinger, and I will see what we can do… [Trump] is not good for Ukraine."

The details come from court documents in the case.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Elon Musk, President Donald Trump's leader of DOGE, is now going to war with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, openly speculating the New York Democrat could be the recipient of "a piece of the action" through government fraud.

It started Monday evening, as Schumer launched an online attack in which he alleged the president "has unleashed chaos" on the nation:

Trump has unleashed chaos on America

—His tariffs hit families with largest tax hike in more than 50 years
—DOGE is sabotaging Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid
—The market is having its worst 3 days since COVID

And Congressional Republicans are going along with it all so they can cut taxes for billionaires.

Early Tuesday, Musk responded by saying: "Chuck, I'm starting to think you're getting a piece of the action with the government fraud. But no, that couldn't possibly be the reason, could it? …"

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The full impact of the open borders agenda by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris may never fully be known.

But the details are starting to come out.

According to President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, it found, "that immigration gave a work authorization document to illegals just five months after they filed for asylum. That document allowed them to work while they waited to hear whether their asylum requests were being accepted or denied. So, they could work as an illegal, knowing it would take YEARS before their case was heard. The immigration department mailed them a social security number. No interview. No proof of identity, just put it in the mail… …DOGE also discovered that 1.3 million aliens are now receiving Medicaid. MILLIONS received driver's licenses, some registered to vote and DOGE said some actually did vote."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has sent a letter demanding that USA Fencing retract its policy allowing males to compete in women's fencing – this after female fencer Stephanie Turner refused to compete against a male competitor last week, instead taking a knee and forfeiting the match.

As reported by OutKick, Cruz wrote, "It has come to my attention that USA Fencing is still permitting men to compete in women's fencing in violation of federal law."

While USA Fencing is an independent organization that does not receive federal funds, it is the National Governing Body (NGB) for fencing in the U.S. According to Cruz, that means USA Fencing must comply with federal law – notably, President Donald Trump's executive order that bans transgender athletes from women's sports – or risk losing its NGB status.

"Male fencers naturally possess inherent advantages over potential female competitors. Men tend to be taller, have greater muscle mass, and more testosterone – all advantages for fencing movements like lunges, jumping, or leg power measures," the letter states.

A previous statement from USA Fencing explains: "USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces. The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based on the research available of the day. … USA Fencing will always err on the side of inclusion, and we're committed to amending the policy as more relevant evidence-based research emerges, or as policy changes take effect in the wider Olympic & Paralympic movement."

Meanwhile, as the New York Post reported, Turner, 31, has received a "courage" award from the women's rights organization XX-XY Athletics along with $5,000.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A prominent church leader in the United Kingdom is warning about a lawmaker's plan for what essentially would be a "national death service," the promotion of assisted suicide through the nation's medical community.

"Can MPs guarantee that no medical practitioner or care worker would be compelled to take part in assisted suicide? Would this mean the establishment of a 'national death service'?" asked Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. His comments came in a letter urging Catholics to contact their lawmakers, even if they already have done that, to express opposition to a bill that would promote assisted suicide.

He wrote, "In contrast to the provisions of this bill, what is needed is first-class, compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives. This is already provided to many in our society but, tragically, is in short supply and underfunded. No one should be dispatched as a burden to others. Instead, a good society would prioritize care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence."

He called Parliament's priorities "sad" in that members spent more time debating a ban on fox hunting than they did "debating bringing in assisted suicide."

"It is now clear that this measure is being rushed without proper scrutiny and without fundamental questions surrounding safeguards being answered. This is a deeply flawed bill with untold unintended consequences," he said.

The letter, being read to church congregations throughout the country, said, "Please make contact now with your MP and ask them to vote against this bill not only on grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an adequate and responsible manner."