This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

In the wake of President's Donald Trump's assertion that U.S. banks are debanking Americans with conservative political views, Congress is now investigating.

The matter was discussed on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, as she asked House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.: "Are you investigating whether or not U.S. banks are debanking conservatives?"

"Yes, we are," Comer replied. "We've heard numerous instances of conservatives being debanked.

"And what we want to know is, is this a process of the banks' ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policy? Is, or is this our government stepping in like what we found with Twitter and Facebook where the government stepped in and said they wanted certain conservatives deplatformed and censored and certain conservative content removed.

"We want to know, again, is this government involvement, another dirty trick by the Joe Biden administration, or this just bad liberal policy that discriminates against conservatives by the banks."

Bartiromo noted: "Wow. So you have evidence of some banks debanking conservatives."

"Yes," said Comer, "especially people that were involved in different energy-type businesses and things like that as well as very well-spoken or outspoken conservative activists. So there are numerous instances, enough to open an investigation.

"Again, is this ESG policy? Which is discriminatory and, ironically, the Democrats have passed all this banking legislation that prohibits discrimination. Is this discriminatory because of ESG, or is it the government, are the bank examiners, as President Trump hinted in his remarks you played earlier, are these bank examiners with a wink and a nod saying don't let this person bank at your bank?"

Bartiromo added: "Well, this is a very important question because with we know what happened with social media. One thousand people from government agencies were working with social media to censor Americans, censor conservatives, certainly. What will be the impact to these banks? What should these what should these banks expect in the coming month from your office?"

Comer responded: "Well, they're going to be asked a lot of questions, and I will say this for the banks, during the Biden influence-peddling investigation, the banks were the one entity that did cooperate with us. So I expect that the banks will cooperate with our questions. And, hopefully, we can get some answers.

"Number one, find out if our government was involved in this, if this is another side operation by the Biden administration where they were attacking conservatives. At the very least, we want to change this. We're not talking about debanking meaning they denied a loan. That happens every day in the banking world. This is just opening up saving accounts and checking accounts. I mean this is unheard of, to do this, and it's against the law. The laws, ironically, that the Democrats created against discrimination."

During a virtual appearance Thursday at the World Economic Forum, President Trump, who himself was debanked by two Florida-based financial institutions, called out Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, saying: "I hope you start opening your bank to conservatives because many conservatives complain that the banks are not allowing them to do business within the bank, and that included a place called Bank of America."

In response to Trump's allegation, Bank of America issued a statement saying it "serves more than 70 million clients and we welcome conservatives. We would never close accounts for political reasons and don't have a political litmus test."

First Lady Melania Trump indicated in an October 2024 interview that she herself had been debanked due to her political beliefs. (WATCH Melania's interview with Maria Bartiromo:)

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM –In one of the clearest examples of the law of unintended consequences, Israel notified the United Nations on Saturday that UNRWA, the agency with sole responsibility for so-called Palestinian refugees has until Jan. 30 to evacuate its personnel from all its premises in Jerusalem, in line with Knesset legislation banning the agency's operations within the Jewish state.

"Israel expects that UNRWA take all the necessary steps to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city within the stated time frame," Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A new lawsuit is challenging the blatantly racist practices of the state in Gov. Tim Walz's Minnesota.

It is from the Pacific Legal Foundation and is on behalf of Do No Harm, an association of medical professionals.

They are contesting the "racial quotas" that are imposed by the state on its Health Equity Advisory and Leadership Council.

"Public advisory boards for government agencies are common and typically help state agencies make informed decisions in implementing public policies and priorities. HEAL is no different, but there is an exception: its racial criteria," the foundation reported.

"Racial quotas deny public service opportunities to qualified professionals based solely on their race," explained Wilson Freeman, a foundation lawyer. "That's racial discrimination and it's a clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution."

The report said there's no shortage of qualified Minnesotans for the board.

But the state insists "HEAL membership must include representation from specific racial groups, including African American and African heritage communities, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, Latina/o/x communities, and American Indian communities and tribal governments," the report said.

Stanley Goldfarb, Do No Harm chief, said, "Patient care should never be sacrificed on the altar of identity politics, and state medical councils cannot properly safeguard public health when membership is based on the color of their skin over their medical expertise. This blatant racial discrimination is demeaning, patronizing, and unconstitutional. President Trump's recent DEI executive order should motivate public officials to eliminate this type of racism."

The case was filed in federal court in Minnesota in the case Do No Harm v. Cunningham.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Was it one of those moments for which U.S. President Trump is famous, thinking out-loud in front of reporters and seeing what kind of reaction he will get or was his idea of repatriating Gazan refugees in Egypt or Jordan a nod toward a change of policy?

Trump's statement about how he would like to "clean out" Gaza has set the region afire with people wondering whether the president was indeed serious, and if he was, how he would even be able to bring such a thing about.

During a 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters on Air Force One, Trump described the Gaza Strip as a "demolition site," following the Hamas-Israel war, which is still paused according to the terms of a delicate ceasefire but could potentially reignite at short notice. He said he had spoken to Jordan's King Abdullah II regarding the issue, and was set to speak to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about it Sunday.

Trump apparently told the king he'd like him to take more people, i.e. Palestinians. When reporters asked the president if he anticipated this being a temporary or long-term suggestion, he replied with a pithy, "Could be either."

"You're talking about probably a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. You know, over the centuries it's had many, many conflicts, that site. And I don't know, something has to happen," Trump said.

In a similar vein, Trump told reporters he'd like Egypt to take people too, which is sure to set pulses racing as fast in Cairo as they might in Amman. He also said he'd like to see other Arab nations get involved "and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

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JERUSALEM – Israelis were buffeted by a mixture of emotions on Saturday, as Hamas released another four female prisoners – a circus similar to the release of three female hostages a week earlier – and yet amid increasing concerns over the fate of other hostages, whose fate is still unknown.

Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag were released from their Gazan captivity, some 477 days since they were abducted from the Nahal Oz military base on Oct. 7, 2023. These were four of the five young women filmed by Hamas terrorists in their pajamas bloodied, bruised and dazed.

Agam Berger, a talented musician, who was also captured on that day from the base was reportedly held with the four who were released until a few days ago. It is said the distinctive hair braids many of the young women have sported on their return from captivity has been her doing. She is expected to be released next Saturday, although Hamas is endangering the current ceasefire for not yet having produced a list of hostages to be freed.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Religious symbols have been part of American public life, "since before the Founding," according to a new report from Becket, which was at a federal appeals court this week defending the state of Louisiana and its acknowledgement of the Ten Commandments from the Bible.

"Just after declaring independence, the Continental Congress tasked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams with designing a national seal. Though the Great Seal eventually adopted a different design, all three proposed overtly religious designs drawn from the Hebrew Bible," the report said.

"Over the centuries, many state and local governments have followed the Founders' lead by including religious elements in their flags, seals, and buildings to commemorate history and culture and to acknowledge the beliefs of their citizens. Among the most enduring of these religious symbols is the Ten Commandments, which is featured prominently on the walls of many government buildings, including the U.S. Supreme Court."

The background is because Becket was defending Louisiana in its plan to have posters with the Ten Commandments displayed in schools, specifically explaining their influence on America's law and history.

"Schools have broad flexibility in designing the displays, and no public funds are needed for their installation," the report said.

It was the ACLU that sued the state, and a federal judge temporarily put the law on hold.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Watch President Donald Trump's recorded message to March for Life marchers who assembled in Washington on Friday:

President Trump to @March_for_Life: "I know your hearts are warm and your spirits are strong because your mission is just, very, very pure: to forge a society that welcomes and protects every child as a beautiful gift from the hand of our Creator."

He described how their "mission is just."

He thanked the crowds, thousands participating, for turning out to show compassion for the unborn.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

One day after being sworn in as president and vice president, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance attended a prayer service at one of the most iconic churches in the country, Washington, D.C.'s massive National Cathedral. There they found themselves being personally insulted and vilified from the pulpit by Episcopal Bishop Marianne Budde.

According to the preacher, now that Trump is again in the White House, "gay, lesbian and transgender children … fear for their lives." Same thing with illegal aliens, who according to Budde do most of the real work in this country: They "pick our crops, and clean our office buildings," they "labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants," and "wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals." So what if they aren't "citizens or have the proper documentation," declared Budde. Don't deport them, she pleaded.

Trump and Vance pretty much maintained their composure, but could clearly be seen rolling their eyes. (Trump later referred to Budde on Truth Social as a "so-called Bishop" and "Radical Left hard line Trump hater.")

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President Donald Trump has started his second term with a flurry of actions: Getting rid of DEI, pardons for J6ers and pro-lifers, plans to revamp multiple federal agencies, plans to cut government spending and much more.

Of course the opposition from Democrats, who are not in power in the White House, Senate or House, is as high as when they were orchestrating the multiple lawfare court cases they hoped would keep him from running for president again.

But Trump also has vast support.

A report from the Washington Examiner confirms Trump's approval during his "rollicking start" to his new term is at 57%, "his highest-ever approval rating."

"As the 45th president, Trump's average approval never popped above 47%, according to RealClearPolitics President Tom Bevan in an X post uploaded before the Napolitan survey was released," the report said.

The Real Clear Politics average now has him at 53% approval.

The report cited two key points, including that 95% of Republicans approve, along with 39% of independents and even 20% of Democrats.

Further, "Seventy-three percent of evangelical or Bible-believing voters approve. So do 59% of Catholic voters and 51% of other Protestants. Among Jewish voters, 38% approve and 59% disapprove. The president's lowest ratings come from atheists, only 29% of whom approve."

The results confirm Trump's oft-repeated assertions that he has a public "mandate" for the swift and complete implementation of his agenda.

"What's more, since his election, pollster Scott Rasmussen of RMG Research, which is behind Napolitan, said that the mood of the nation has been improving," the report said.

On social media, Rasmussen explained, "Since @realDonaldTrump victory on Election Day, perceptions of the economy have improved. In the last @NapolitanNews pre-election survey, 41% of voters said their personal finances were getting worse. That's down to 31% today. That's ten-point improvement is part of an ongoing trend noticed in six surveys conducted since Election Day."

Rasmussen told the Examiner, "These results confirm the positive response we've measured to the president's flurry of executive orders. Voters strongly approve of his efforts to improve border security and to require the federal government to recognize only two sexes. Most also approve of his decision to remove national security clearance from the 51 former intelligence officials who signed a misleading statement concerning Hunter Biden's laptop."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Those of us celebrating the New Year at home – some perhaps choosing to watch another country's earlier celebration on television, wistfully resigned to the fact our older bodies would not enable us to stay up to see the New York City Times Square ball drop – were shocked to awaken to reports the next morning about two deadly vehicular attacks. The first occurred in New Orleans; the second soon thereafter in Las Vegas. For those of us with military service, we were further shocked to learn both involved fellow veterans.

News about both attacks shared similarities but overlooked a key last-second difference distinguishing the two. Observable to both attackers in the last seconds of their lives, it was a telling sign as to why entirely different motivations were responsible.

The first attack, occurring early on New Year's morning in New Orleans, was committed by Staff Sgt. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who was no longer on active duty; a few hours later, Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, 37 – still on active duty serving as a U.S. Army Green Beret who had taken leave from his base in Germany – committed the Las Vegas attack. Sadly, this veteran involvement triggered liberal press members, such as MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, to ridiculously suggest the demographic about which to be most worried now concerning domestic terrorism is the veteran community.

Both veterans served at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and also in Afghanistan, with a likely overlap, although no evidence emerged they knew each other.

Both decided to use the timing of the New Year's celebration to commit their attacks, most likely to leave a deeper footprint upon the American psyche by acting on the first day of 2025.

Both used the car-sharing platform Turo – an online app marketing privately owned vehicles for rent directly from their owners. The timing of the attacks as well as the mutual use of Turo initially caused investigators to examine whether there might be some connection between the two; however, further investigation proved none existed.

Both rented trucks for their attacks: Jabbar's was a Ford F-150, undoubtedly selected for its 6,000 pound weight to help propel it through the heavy crowd of holiday celebrants he intended to target; meanwhile, Livelsberger rented a Tesla Cybertruck, which, although a slight bit heavier, may have been considered for an entirely different reason, as discussed below.

So what is the distinguishing difference between the attacks?

Jabbar's motivation for the New Orleans attack is clearly supported by ample evidence. Seeing the jam-packed Bourbon Street crowd in the city's French Quarter and physically driving around a police car serving as a barrier, he plowedforward with murderous intent. Two blocks from the first point of crowd impact, he crashed into a crane and began shooting at police. Returning fire, the police killed him but not before Jabbar claimed 14 lives and injured more than 30 others. For those killed, the last vision they probably had was of the Islamic extremist group ISIS flag flying from the bed of Jabbar's truck.

A review of Jabbar's Facebook postings indicated he joined ISIS before the summer. The newly converted Islamic radical's initial plan was to attack family and friends; however, he then decided such would not convey the right message to the American public. He feared a family attack "would not focus on the war between the believers and disbelievers," simply being dismissed as a domestic dispute. There is no doubt Jabbar wanted to leave this world as a terrorist responsible for killing as many non-Muslims as he could, dying in a blaze of Islamist glory.

Turning to Livelsberger's Las Vegas attack, two intriguing points emerge.

First, he was an experienced Special Forces operative with 19 years service. Therefore, he clearly had knowledge about explosives and what they were capable, or not capable, of doing. He had packed his Cybertruck with firework mortars and gas cans, which caused the vehicle to explode and burst into flames just after he had pulled in front of the Trump International Hotel and shot himself. But as a video of the explosion shows, while the Cybertruck burst into flames, it remained fairly much intact, obviously attributable to the less-explosive nature of the materials he chose to use combined with the vehicle's weight.

Second is what Livelsberger saw in the seconds before the explosion. He pulled behind a truck whose driver appears to have already entered the hotel, perhaps to register. But, unlike Jabbar – to whom hundreds of pedestrians were visible as targets – video shows there was no one visible in the front entrance to the Trump hotel. While seven people received injuries, all were minor, with virtually no damage to the hotel itself. This appeared to reinforce what investigators later discovered in writings Livelsberger left behind.

Although fearing he would be labeled a terrorist, Livelsberger wrote his action was only intended as a "wake up call" for the nation's troubles with no intention to kill anyone else. There was no animosity expressed toward President Donald Trump or Elon Musk despite selecting the Trump hotel as the explosion site and using a Tesla Cybertruck as the delivery vehicle.

Evidence suggests Livelsberger, after several combat tours, was suffering from PTSD – contrary to Jabbar who suffered from hatred of non-Muslims, triggered by his conversion to Islamism. Livelsberger left a cellphone note explaining he had to "cleanse" his mind "of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took."

In a recent interview, Livelsberger's wife emphasized her husband's dedication to his country and love for his family. Looking for answers herself, she said, "I just want to make sure that people understand who my husband was. None of this makes sense. I hope at some point we will receive answers."

What motivated both Jabbar and Livelsberger to act as they did on New Year's morning was different as night and day. Jabbar saw a target-rich environment of victims; Livelsberger saw a target-poor one. Thus, the former was the violent act of a committed terrorist; the latter the unfortunate act of a veteran suffering from battle fatigue and the political division of the country for which he had made great personal sacrifices.

One loved America; one did not.