This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Department of Education has flip-flopped, and announced it now will enforce Title IX on the basis of its historic understanding, that "sex" actually means "sex," that is male or female, and not some politically correct idea of "gender."
And while that's good, the fight actually isn't all over.
Kristen Waggoner, head of the ADF, which has fought the White House campaign under both Barack Obama and Joe Biden to redefine English words to take on a political twist, said, "President Trump has spent his first days in office undoing some of the most harmful policies of his predecessor.
"Today, his Department of Education continued that good work by abandoning the Biden-era Title IX rule: an unlawful attempt to redefine 'sex' to include gender identity. As the basis for its action, the DOE cited a recent court ruling that struck down the rule in a case litigated by ADF and a coalition of states led by Tennessee."
She said, "This restoration of Title IX is a victory for student safety, privacy, and free speech. But above all, it's a win for women and girls—especially those who stood up to defend their sports and private spaces."
Under Joe Biden's ideology, boys should be allowed in girls locker rooms and showers and on girls sports teams. Likewise with men in women's facilities.
His agenda was problematic in that it ignored the historical perspectives of male and female, set women up for abuse and injury, and blatantly violated religious rights protected by the Constitution.
It was the Department of Education that recently issued a "Dear Colleague" letter that now rejects Biden's "unlawful attempt" to change the meaning of "sex" in the federal law, which was written to create equal opportunities for women in education and athletics.
"Our client Adaleia is one of those courageous young women," Waggoner explained. "When she was in 7th grade, school officials allowed a boy identifying as a girl to join the girls' team and share the girls' locker room. This male athlete subjected Adaleia to verbal abuse and sexual harassment. But she refused to stay silent. With ADF's help, she told her story and joined a lawsuit defending Title IX—the same case that led to today's victory."
She said, "Now, the fight continues. ADF is currently representing female athletes in two cases defending Title IX's original meaning from lawsuits by activist groups. We hope the Supreme Court will agree to take up this issue and fully restore the law to its proper foundation: biological reality."
The letter went to K-12 schools and institutes of higher education.
Biden had simply rewritten the law to provide special protections for people with "gender identity" issues. His move was ruled unlawful by a federal court in Kentucky
"The Biden Administration's failed attempt to rewrite Title IX was an unlawful abuse of regulatory power and an egregious slight to women and girls," acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said. "Under the Trump Administration, the Education Department will champion equal opportunity for all Americans, including women and girls, by protecting their right to safe and separate facilities and activities in schools, colleges, and universities."
The federal agency said returning to the old precedent also eliminated a threat to campus free speech.
Trump, on his first day in office, ordered all departments in the executive branch to enforce "sex-protective laws to promote [the] reality" of two sexes, "male and female."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is two for two in recent claims, getting publicly corrected on one topic and "community noted" on another.
The Post Millennial documented her insistence that all of those extreme crimes, or at least almost all, are done by "white supremacists."
Commenting on President Donald Trump's agenda to find and arrest – and deport – illegal alien criminals, she said, "And honestly, I don't know how else to describe this, other than evil. It's evil that is literally sitting in the highest seat in the world."
She said, "I know there's a lot of propaganda that's out there, but one of the things that I made clear is that it's not immigrants that are committing all the crimes. You can go out and find any random criminal of any race, I just want to be clear, but going out and finding one terrible situation and then taking a paintbrush and saying this applies to all of them is wrong. Let me make sure y'all got the facts, most extreme crimes that take place in this country are committed by white supremacists. 80% of extreme crimes are committed by white supremacists in this country. Do you know who went up there on January 6? White supremacists. This ain't me just telling you, you can Google this if you don't believe me, but it was the Oath Keepers. It was the Neo Nazis. It was the Proud Boys. They are all white supremacists."
The report noted, "Of the 7,964 arrests for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in 2019, the latest Crime in the United States report available by the FBI, 4,078, or 51%, were black suspects, while 3,650, or 47 percent, were white suspects. An additional 125 were American Indian or Alaska Native, 83 were Asian, and 28 were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander."
She then gave her version of the facts regarding Wednesday night's midair collision between a passenger jet traveling from Wichita, Kan., to Washington, and its collision with a military helicopter, a tragedy that left all 67 people presumed dead.
Twitchy, citing Crockett's claim that President Trump froze hiring for air traffic controllers, explained, "What did Rep. Crockett know for sure? Something incorrect: Community Notes, do your stuff!"
Linked was an Office of Management and Budget memo that stated that exemptions to the hiring freeze included, "Positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Brendan Carr, recently promoted by President Donald Trump from a seat on the Federal Communications Commission to be its chair, has notified the tax-funded National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting System their acceptance of paid advertisements is going to be reviewed.
Carr previously was the agency's general counsel, and was on the commission from 2017. He's been a critic of TikTok, on national security grounds, opposes content "moderation" or censorship on digital platforms and has urged the dismantling of the "censorship cartel" that appeared under Joe Biden's administration.
Now a report from RedState says he has put PBS and NPR "on notice that he has ordered an investigation into those outlets for violating federal law by airing paid advertisements."
NPR and PBS both, in fact, have turned to the extreme left politically in America, and have been criticized for failing to present neutral reporting. Instead they support far-left ideologies and attack conservative thought.
Carr, in fact, openly wondered about their existence.
"For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967," he said.
The dispute over advertisements is because as tax-funded organizations they are not allowed to accept pay for ordinary ads.
They are allowed to provide acknowledgement for financial support.
"I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials. In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements," he said in a letter.
RedState explained, "NPR and PBS have for decades aired sponsorships under rules set forth by the government. While public broadcasters are restricted by law from accepting traditional commercials, the F.C.C. has become more permissive over the years about what public stations are allowed to air. The F.C.C.'s evolving stance on the issue has gradually allowed public radio stations to become less dependent on government funding."
Eric Nuzum, of production company Magnificent Noise, said in a commercial, the sponsor owns the time and can say what it wants. In an underwriting acknowledgement, "the station provides an acknowledgment of who's providing the funding, along with basic information about the underwriter."
Carr said the problem is that broadcasters "cross the line into advertisement when they 'promote the contributor's products, services, or businesses.'" Further, they are not allowed to include "inducements" to buy.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Members on a list of leading FBI executives have been ordered to retire, resign, or be fired as early as Monday, according to reports.
CNN confirmed that the notifications extend "a purge that began last week at the Justice Department across the street."
It reported the officials "are at the executive assistant director level or special agent in charge level and include those who oversee cyber, national security and criminal investigations."
At DiscernReport was the explanation that the "significant shakeup" includes a "clear intent by the Trump administration to reshape the leadership of these key law enforcement agencies."
Officials overseeing the transition to the new administration of President Donald Trump have been positive about their plans to address those who were promoted by ex-FBI chief Christopher Wray.
Already, the lawyers in the Department of Justice who worked on special counsel Jack Smith's lawfare cases against Trump and been relieved of their duties, and FBI agents who worked on those cases now also are concerned and "are on edge."
Those cases included federal charges against Trump because of his opinions about the 2020 election process and his possession of presidential papers after he left office.
Smith and his team assembled a long list of felonies to sling against Trump, when in fact the same DOJ found Joe Biden had held government papers to which he was not entitled after his vice presidency, but gave him a pass on the offenses.
The changes already had begun before the latest development, the report said.
It said with the departure of the FBI's top chiefs, "Tom Ferguson, a former agent and aide to Rep. Jim Jordan, known for his critical stance against the FBI, has recently joined the FBI headquarters as a policy adviser, further illustrating the administration's direction."
Fox News said the notice apparently was given "to senior employees promoted under … Wray."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Congress is aiming to install new election integrity requirements in American voting law … before the 2026 vote.
Those plans include at least a bill to bar noncitizen residents of Washington, D.C., from voting in local elections, a bill to block noncitizens from helping administer elections and a constitutional amendment that would prevent noncitizens from voting at all.
It is Fox News that has documented the package of security plans being offered by the GOP majority in the House.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the chief of the Republican Study Committee, has introduced the bills and other members have signed on as cosponsors.
Right now, it's already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. And no state, at this point, allows their votes legally.
But some areas do allow them to vote in local elections.
Pfluger told Fox, "Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, which is why protecting them from noncitizen influence is essential to our nation's sovereignty and will ensure America has a flourishing democracy for decades to come.
"These bills are three commonsense steps we can take to ensure noncitizens are not influencing our elections by voting in them or administering them. We must safeguard the integrity of our electoral system, and these bills will work to do just that."
House Republicans earlier adopted their Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act to require proof of citizenship for voter registration, a move that triggered complaints from Democrats that Republicans were trying to "spread doubt" about elections by citing something that already mostly was illegal.
The report said Democrats also objected to the GOP's moves toward election security just before the 2024 vote, so Republicans are launching their efforts now – in preparation for the voting two years from now.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's special Middle East envoy, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in Jerusalem to discuss the implementation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Witkoff landed in Tel Aviv on a direct private flight from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to reports in Israeli media.
Witkoff has also requested to meet with the seven Israeli hostages who have been released by Hamas since the ceasefire went into effect on Jan. 19, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Following his arrival in Israel, the U.S. envoy first traveled to the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern Gaza from the south, together with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
Israeli officials told the Axios and Kan News outlets Witkoff and Dermer reviewed the implementation of the truce deal and inspected Palestinian vehicles driving northward on the Netzarim Corridor.
Israel pauses Palestinian security prisoner release after chaotic Gaza scenes at earlier hostage repatriation
Israel has halted the release of Palestinian security prisoners set to be freed after the return on Israeli hostages in protests against the scenes of chaos surrounding the release of Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai nationals Channel 12 reported, according to the Times of Israel.
The report said the prisoners were on the buses ready to be released when they ordered off.
Red Cross says it has no control over Hamas conduct at hostage handover
The International Committee of the Red Cross says it does not have any control over how Hamas conducts itself during the handover process, in light of Hamas' questionable conduct during previous releases, reported the Times of Israel.
"The ICRC is in contact with all sides regarding the terms of the release of hostages and detainees," organization spokesman Gilad Grossman said in response to a query from ToI. "While we bring up our concerns, we are not the ones who determine these terms."
During the release on January 19 of Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen, and Emily Damari, the hostages were surrounded by an unruly crowd. When IDF soldiers Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, and Karina Ariev were freed on Saturday, they were paraded on a stage in fake military uniforms while holding Hamas documentation. A Red Cross official also signed documents while sitting on the Hamas stage.
Al-Jazeera journalist reportedly produced Hamas' propaganda videos documenting terrorist group's release of Israeli hostages
A journalist with the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera news network reportedly produced videos for Hamas documenting its recent release of Israeli hostages. The reporter, Tamer Almisshal, is said to have orchestrated elaborate propaganda ceremonies on the terror group's behalf, according to Israel's i24 News.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Five major American universities are being called on to release information about their part in Joe Biden's "censorship regime."
The Alliance Defending Freedom said it has sent public records requests to the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, the University of North Carolina and the University of California-Los Angeles.
Those institutions have created "misinformation" centers, or tools intended to single out and target speech that the federal government disfavors.
While President Donald Trump has signed executive orders halting federal government censorship efforts, those campaigns were in full force during the administration of Joe Biden, who actually embedded censorship offices in multiple federal bureaucracies.
"Free speech is essential to a free society," explained ADF lawyer Phil Sechler.
"The American people have a right to know if their tax dollars were used to suppress certain voices and how involved state actors were—and are—in social media censorship," he said.
The Biden administration often pressured private organizations, especially social media corporations, to censor ideas Biden disliked. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, parent of Facebook, testified to Congress about the pressure Biden appointees put on his company, including that White House employees shouted and screamed at his employees to enforce their censorship demands.
The ADF is asking for records and communications with federal government officials, social media companies, and foundations responsible for granting funds to censorship schemes.
Sechler said the government should be defending First Amendment speech rights, not be "its greatest threat."
He said, "The American people have a right to know if their tax dollars were used to suppress certain voices and how involved state actors were—and are—in social media censorship."
Some of the university targets already have been linked to Biden's campaigns, as a report by the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government found that University of Michigan officials pitched the idea of an artificial intelligence tool called WiseDex to the National Science Foundation for "externalizing the difficult responsibility of censorship.'"
Fox News explained the censorship was operated under the guise of "'combating 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' and 'malinformation.'"
The report said the goal of the requests is to identify "certain censorship red flags," like the words "cancel," "First Amendment" or "throttle" that could make pursuing details about the schemes faster.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A radio station that is owned by radical leftist and open borders advocate George Soros reportedly has doxed federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who were hunting for criminals in a region of San Jose, California, known for its violent gangs.
Such doxing – the public identification of vehicles or individuals – could allow gang member suspects to evade arrest, or even turn on the officers and injure them.
The report from the Post Millennial said the Bay Area station "reported live the vehicle descriptions of three alleged undercover vehicles in east San Jose, an area with violent Latino migrant gang activity."
The report warned, "The information put the law enforcement officers at serious risk while an operation was ongoing targeting violent, criminal foreign nationals."
The situation developed just days ago, on Jan. 26, "KCBS 740 AM radio host Bret Burkhart described the unmarked vehicles being used by ICE and the exact locations where ICE agents had been operating."
The report explained Burkhart was using information that appeared on social media from a leftist group called the Rapid Response Network, which fights deportation for illegal aliens.
"Here's what's happening," Burkhart said. "San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and head councilmember Peter Ortiz confirmed today that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are currently carrying out an operation on the east side of town. The Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, which is a community defense projecting system for immigrant communities against deportation threats, first reported the activity on its platforms."
Then followed the identification of three vehicles and their locations.
The apparent attempt to foil law enforcement comes, the report said, "as federal authorities are currently carrying out mass deportation operations across the United States at the direction of President Trump, targeting violent illegal immigrants convicted and/or charged with serious crimes, including murder, child rape, and assault with deadly weapons."
Soros last year bought Audacity, the parent company for KCBS.
On the website for Soros' Open Society Foundation he brags that it supports those groups working on issues for "migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – The release of Agam Berger at around 10:00 a.m. local time Thursday seemed almost disciplined in comparison with the dumpster fire of chaos that surrounded the moment Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes and five Thai nationals were transferred to Red Cross vehicles in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad rather than Hamas held Yehoud and Mozes for the 482 days they were in captivity, although both their fighters and Hamas terrorists swarmed the ICRC vehicles awaiting the almost former hostages, ironically not far from the remains of the house in which Yahya Sinwar was killed. The Red Cross vehicles in which they were originally brought to the site could not be moved because of the violent chaos in the crowd.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his outrage at the scenes labeling it "additional proof of the inconceivable brutality of the Hamas terrorist organization." Further, he demanded from the mediators to "make certain such terrible scenes do not recur, and guarantee the safety of our hostages." Prior to this latest batch of releases, entreaties were made to the International Red Cross, which it should be remembered never visited the hostages even once nor ensured delivery of medicines or medical treatment, to do their utmost to prevent the terrible imagery of previous handovers. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, those requests fell on deaf ears as the Palestinian terrorist groups do their utmost to crank up the psychological trauma yet further; Arbel Yehoud looked genuinely petrified, just as she drew near to the end of her unimaginable ordeal.
The usually more placid Israeli President Isaac Herzog joined the chorus denouncing the chaos at the handover, saying "While the scenes of abuse and terror toward the hostages as they were transferred to the Red Cross were horrifying, we are moved to tears by the return from captivity of Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, along with five Thai citizens released today."
The five Thai civilians, who were kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, while working as agricultural laborers, are named as Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak, according to the prime minister's office. A sixth Thai, Pinta Nattapong is considered by Israel to be alive and still in captivity, while Sudthisak Rinthalak and Sonthaya Oakkharasri have been declared dead with their bodies still held hostage. In the November 2023 hostage release, some 23 Thai nationals were freed.
Meanwhile, Israel's health ministry said medical teams at the Rabin Medical Center are "fully prepared" to receive Agam Berger and provide her with "comprehensive medical care, including psychological support."
President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters in Tel Aviv an American hostage was slated to be released "tomorrow." He said about the efforts to ensure the U.S. hostages are returned, "we're on top of it all – one is coming out tomorrow."
It isn't clear if he misspoke, because according to the hostage release schedule, the next cohort of three captives due for release is on Saturday, not Friday. It had been hoped American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel was going to be freed Thursday along with Berger and Yehoud, but Mozes was released instead of him.
The other hostages with U.S. citizenship who are believed to still be alive are Edan Alexander from New Jersey – who is not slated for release in the first stage – and Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is expected to be freed in the coming weeks. Dekel-Chen has yet to meet his youngest child, a daughter, who was born while he has been in captivity.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
High school sports team cannot be for boys or girls, under the leftist ideologies demanded by Joe Biden while he was in office, ideas that President Donald Trump now is purging from the government. They had to be "equitable."
So had to be hiring practices even for jobs that demand extraordinary skills, such as military positions.
Federal grants, likewise. Literally everything had to be "equitable."
So with Los Angeles facing a massive rebuilding program after wildfires destroyed an estimated 12,000 buildings, mostly homes, the mayor's priority is to be "equitable."
"The owners of Palisades better get those recall petitions ready," explained one social media post about the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of mega-fancy homes and properties, as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a longtime leftist, "plans to hire an outside consultant to rebuild Palisades 'in a more equitable and environmentally sustainable way.'"
Elon Musk warned, "The mayor of LA is going full communist," while citing reports of her intention to rebuild through an "outside consultant."
"Recall her before it is too late," he warned.
Others cited evidence of her mismanagement.
A report from the Independent Sentinel noted she's made her decision "without any consultant with the residents."
It explained, "The firm will represent the city's interests in the wildfire recovery process, including performing damage assessments, monitoring air and water quality, interacting with various federal agencies, and ensuring that the city gets as much federal reimbursement as possible, according to chief recovery officer Steve Soboroff."
Soboroff also hinted that the city would control any federal money allocated, the report said.
President Donald Trump recently, visiting the stricken zones, said people needed to be allowed to get to their properties and start work as they wish, more or less immediately.
A commentary at HotAir explained that the city's response to the catastrophe has been so bad that its mostly leftist residents are revolting.
In fact, the report cited a polling that said 43% of residents now would consider Republican leadership in the city. While still 46% said no, the support for the GOP is at the highest level in years.
"Rather than follow predictable partisan patterns, voters in LA are fed up with failure and are demanding more competence from their elected officials," said Madison McQueen, of Owen Brennan. "Clearly there is an opportunity for new leadership, new ideas, and new direction for Los Angeles. Across LA County, most voters say fire hydrants running dry should be cause for political leaders to lose their jobs. Voters also blamed one-party rule for the lack of sufficient water storage."