This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Emily Damari, the dual British-Israeli citizen who was released – along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher – as part of the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was said to be "doing much better than any of us could have ever anticipated," according to her mother, Mandy, who released a statement via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Monday.

"Yesterday, I finally got to hug Emily, just as I had dreamed of doing for a long time," she says, thanking the public for its unwavering support over the past 15 months. "You are all an integral part of Emily's family."

"It was a great joy to catch a glimpse – along with the rest of the world – of Emily's strength, determination and charisma when she was released," she continues. "In Emily's own words – she is the happiest woman in the world; she has her life back."

Mandy Damari praised her daughter's "extraordinary resilience," although she cautioned Emily's long road to recovery was just beginning, while requesting privacy for her and the rest of the family. She also struck a note of national sadness mixed with her own elation at her daughter's return, and urged the ceasefire remain intact "until the last of the hostages return to their families."

The first images of Emily showed her with a heavily bandaged left hand and what appeared to be two missing fingers. Reports in Israeli media suggested she lost those fingers during the Oct. 7 massacre, in which she was snatched from her home on the Kfar Aza kibbutz, and after she had picked up her dog and attempted to comfort it in an effort to calm it down. The terrorists shot and killed the dog and wounded her in the hand.

She had been sheltering in a safe room with neighbor Gali Berman – who was also kidnapped along with his twin brother Ziv – and another neighbor. Before their abduction, the group managed to send a selfie, which only reached Berman's mother later that evening.

Despite the joy at the return of these three young women, there were ugly scenes at the hand-over in Gaza, as Hamas tried to manipulate the PR aspect until the very last minute. Hundreds of men, many now wearing Hamas uniforms and sporting green banners, with dozens of them also weapons, jostled the women as they were transferred from International Red Cross – an organization which like UNRWA has a lot of explaining to do – vehicles, to finally cross the border to Israeli territory.

Just as in November 2023, the last time hostages were released, Hamas cynically took advantage of its position, attempting to show a more supposedly more merciful side of hostage-taking. On exiting the van, Damari looked as though she tried to shove one of the Hamas terrorists out the way; a final "screw you" on her way to freedom.

There is joy on the streets of Israel today, but it is tempered by the dual stresses of not knowing which of the remaining 30 hostages due to be released in this first phase are alive and who is dead. While there is obviously curiosity about the fate of all of the remaining hostages – including those who may very well not see their homeland again for years – if at all – Hamas is likely to continue its psychological torture, as it toys with Israelis' emotions.

And the focus falls on the Bibas children – four-year-old Ariel, and two-year-old Kfir, who just celebrated his second birthday, both of which were in captivity. There will be joy unconfined if they are returned alive; however, the sight of tiny body bags repatriating their remains would witness an outpouring of national grief on an unimaginable scale.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Americans are joining together in unity to celebrate the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, which is ushering a new more hopeful era of peace and prosperity following his electoral landslide victory. The American people delivered Trump a mandate to follow through on his pledge to bring America back from the brink of a potential world war with Russia in response to President Joe Biden's disastrous proxy war in Ukraine. The Ukrainians have suffered over a million casualties since the war began and are hovering perilously closer on the verge of defeat in their unwinnable war against Russia.

Their only hope of preventing additional Russian territorial gains and preserving their independence is a negotiated peace settlement with Russia. However, the details as to exactly how the Trump administration intends to accomplish the president's lofty goals in ending the war remain murky. Some portions of Special Envoy Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg's peace proposal have already been rejected outright by the Russians as unacceptable, including sending thousands of NATO peacekeepers to Ukraine. President Trump has been seriously misled by his advisers to believe that ending the war in Ukraine will be complicated and arduous, that it will take at least six months. In fact, the path to peace with Russia is very straightforward and simple, and a "win-win" agreement ending the war could be achieved inside a week.

To ensure a reasonable chance a peace deal can be agreed to quickly, the U.S. should negotiate it directly with Russia without Ukraine because while Putin has been "salivating for peace," in the words of one U.S. diplomat, since March 2022, Zelensky has outlawed all peace negotiations with Moscow. Accordingly, it's not Russia but Ukraine that must be pressured by the U.S. to accept a peace deal. That said, Russia may condition any ceasefire agreement on the U.S. providing a written guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO and acceptance of continued Russian de-facto control over its annexed territories.

Both Biden Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have conceded that Russia could keep control of all its annexed territory under a peace settlement provided Ukraine be allowed to remain a U.S. client state. Also, the Biden administration has opposed Ukrainian NATO membership behind the scenes from the time Biden took office and told Zelensky that in no uncertain terms in private discussions. Accordingly, Ukraine NATO membership should be taken off the table by Trump in advance of negotiations. If not, Kellogg's alarmingly dangerous recommendation to massively increase U.S. military aid to Ukraine if Russia refuses a ceasefire could bring the U.S. even closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than we were during the Biden administration.

U.S. national security experts, notably including Kellogg himself, have demonstrated a profound misunderstanding of Russia's actual reasons for invading Ukraine. As demonstrated by the Istanbul Agreement, which mandated a full Russian military withdrawal from all of Ukraine's pre-war controlled territory as well as Putin's decision to unilaterally withdraw Russian troops from all northern Ukraine including Kyiv oblast in April 2022, Russia's decision to invade Ukraine was never about retaking control of lost territory. Rather, Russia has been fighting to restore Ukraine's pre-February 2014 Maidan coup status as a neutral buffer state separating Russia from NATO. On Jan. 7, President Trump demonstrated his clear understanding of the origins of the war in Ukraine by appearing to concede that Russia's own version of the Monroe Doctrine to ensure there are no hostile states along its borders was legitimate.

Russia has been seeking to rollback NATO's de-facto expansion into Ukraine that occurred in 2021 with the signing of two strategic partnership agreements and to negotiate mutual security agreements with the U.S. and NATO along the lines of its December 2021 proposals. Trump actually campaigned on forging a similar grand bargain with Russia. This would realize Russia's 36-year long objective of bringing Russia into the economic and security architecture of Europe and permanently end all hostilities with the West.

President Trump should utilize such a peace deal to restore a more favorable balance of power for the US that would neutralize the Sino-Russian military alliance with a new Russo-American entente. It should also establish a new security architecture that benefits all European nations under the principle of "indivisible security" with the aim of providing security to all parties instead of promoting conflict with Russia by continued NATO imperial expansion all along its western frontier. This could end the ongoing Russia-NATO security dilemma and establish a just and enduring peace.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Joe Biden, just hours before his presidency ends, announced presidential pardons for a long list of those whose antics contributed to the Democrats' lawfare against President Trump.

Included in the bunch was Anthony Fauci, the former federal health official who declared, during the COVID-19 China virus pandemic, that he WAS the "science."

And he promptly expressed his appreciation for the pardon but proclaimed his innocence.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Joe Biden, when he took office on President Donald Trump's departure in 2021, said he wouldn't use pardons like Trump.

Trump did, in fact, pardon a couple of dozen people, mostly during his last few days in office.

They included Stephen Bannon, Dinesh D'Souza and Joseph Arpaio, all longtime supporters.

The rest ranged from fraud cases to conspiracy to obstruction to bank robbery to illegal voting.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Today is the day we "right-wing" Americans have all been waiting for, the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, driving a bulldozer. For the first time since Ronald Reagan we have a Republican president devoted not to "conservatism" but to a vision of a better America that requires demolishing Marxist cultural and political infrastructure and rebuilding the constitutionalist structures the left has been systematically supplanting since the 1920s.

Most Americans are focused on the MAGA pushback against the outrages of this generation such as DEI, two-tiered justice, open borders and the near death of parental rights, but I am hoping Trump intends not just to trim the hedges of Marxism but to cut them down to the ground and dig out the roots. In order to do that he must eliminate ALL its elements, including its first principle. atheism, and its central strategy for conquest, LGBTism.

First a word about time-horizons and their importance to reformers. As my long-term readers know, I was in my teens and 20s a sometimes homeless alcoholic and drug addict who drifted around the U.S. sleeping under bridges and begging spare change to survive. My time horizon – the furthest point in the future I planned for and cared about – was about six weeks. Sometimes it was just a day or even hours. I plumbed the depths of Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs," focused totally on short-term gratification and largely unconcerned about the long-term consequences of my decisions. Through countless reckless adventures and wrong turns, it was only by the grace of God I escaped death or long-term institutionalization.

Years later as a Christian, saved and healed from my addictions through a trauma-inspired prayerful surrender of my life to Jesus Christ, I became an avid student of history – both biblical and secular – and acquired the longest possible timeline, stretching from the Creation to Eternity. In my mid-30s, with only a high school diploma under my belt, and a wife and two small children to support, I set a goal to become a lawyer, which took six years of diligence and determination. At Simon Greenleaf University (now Trinity Law School) I studied both biblical and constitutional law and graduated Magna cum Laude with a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.). I then immediately pursued and earned a Doctor of Theology degree (Th.D.)

I'm the only person I know who got through law school as a missionary, funded by a mailing list of supporters who wanted to help me gain better skills to fight the culture war. I attracted most of those supporters (some of whom are still on my list) by hawking my first book, "The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party," on talk radio shows. I self-published to retain total control of the book, sold them only by phone orders from the shows (and person-to-person at speaking events) and sent fundraising letters to the buyers.

I say all this not for self-aggrandizement – there is no good thing in me but Christ – but to establish my credentials to advise Donald Trump on culture-war fighting. I'm an accomplished academic scholar of "culture war studies" (a maverick's self-created career path) who has also been in the front-line trenches fighting this war at huge personal cost since the 1980s.

And so, with this foundation, and a far more educated and realistic perspective of how far back we need to go to "purge" Marxism than the average MAGA patriot has, I contend there are two SCOTUS rulings that must be reversed to restore authentic constitutionalism as it was intended by the founders.

Everson v. Board of Education (1947). "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12), and conversely, the Christian nation that expressly rejects him is cursed. The wicked jurist and KKK member Hugo Black wrote the majority opinion in Everson, replacing the God of the Bible with Secular Humanism on America's throne, by elevating Jefferson's metaphor "separation of church and state" to the status of binding constitutional law. Prior to Everson, God was honored in our law as the Supreme Being (as detailed in the Holy Trinity case), and the truths of the Bible were nationally revered and taught to our children in public schools. Everson set us on a new trajectory away from God toward legally enforced polytheism in the populace and Secular Humanism in the government.

While America was not perfect in the generations prior to Everson, this ruling collapsed our moral underpinnings and triggered the storm of social and cultural chaos that has ever since ravaged this nation in waves of exponentially compounding domestic and international crises. America can never be made great again within the founders understanding of greatness so long as Everson stands as the law of the land.

I've written extensively on this topic over the years, including this essay. (Search "Everson" on my website for more). And for those with an interest in demonology, my book "Dynasty of Darkness, Vol. 2," details the mind-blowing demonic activities associated with the Everson ruling and related cases and historical events. (You should also read Volume 1 for the extensive biblical support for my claims.)

Lawrence v. Texas (2003). "A man shall not lie with a man as with a woman, it is an abomination" states God Himself in His explanation to the Hebrew people justifying His policy of extermination of the Canaanites in Leviticus 18. The ancient common law on "sodomy" was based on this verse (18:22) and the following one: "You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion (18:23)." As our third president, Thomas Jefferson noted in his restatement of the law:

"Buggery is twofold. 1. With mankind, 2. With beasts. Buggery is the Genus, of which Sodomy and Bestiality, are the species. … Sodomiary is a carnal copulation against nature, to wit, of man or woman in the same sex, or of either of them with beasts. …" Of the two, Jefferson implied, homosexuality was worse, because "bestiality can never make any progress; it cannot therefore be injurious to society in any great degree, which is the true measure of criminality in foro civili, and will ever be properly and severely punished, by universal derision."

God's law against sodomy was enshrined in America's national law until Lawrence, which was the second of the four landmark rulings written by the satanically inspired Justice Anthony Kennedy establishing LGBT cultural supremacy over Christianity in America. My law partner and I were the only law firm in the country that filed a request for SCOTUS not to accept Lawrence for review, but they did. Kennedy then not only struck down the Texas sodomy laws, but reversed the most important sexual morality ruling in our national history, Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), which recognized the right of states to regulate sexual deviance in the public interest.

Kennedy's Lawrence ruling was the second and most sweeping of the four major dominos to fall (Romer v. Evans was first, Obergefell was the fourth) that eventually made DEI legally possible, and reversing it (hopefully by restoring Bowers) is the only way to truly kill DEI permanently and to push the LGBT agenda back into the closet where it belongs. I've been fighting for this my entire career and predicted in 2013 exactly what we've reaped since.

Please pray with me that Trump's vision for restoration expands to a long-enough timeline to recognize the true destructiveness of these two must-reverse SCOTUS rulings.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Joe Biden's last-second announcement from just before he left the White House to pardon a long list of family members and Democrat activists, such as his brother James Biden and now-Sen. Adam Schiff, reveals what he thought: That the recipients actually committed crimes.

Irrespective of what investigators might have concluded, and irrespective of what prosecutors might have decided, it's now on record what Biden thought, according to a new report from the Federalist.

Biden earlier had pardoned thousands of convicted criminals, including three dozen murderers on death row. And his son, Hunter, even though he had promised many times that would not happen.

Then just before leaving office, Biden also pardoned Gen. Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, and "the members and staff of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol."

The report said, "To be pardoned for a crime, there must be a crime. None of the people on this list has been charged for the awful ways they harmed people in their official capacities. In fact, Biden awarded former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican, the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the nation's highest civilian honors on Jan. 2, for 'Putting the American people over party,' or, more accurately, for leading the Jan. 6 committee like a rabid dog."

Cheney notably has been accused of working with a J6 committee witness to change her testimony in ways that would be hurtful to Trump.

"So which is it? Award-winning behavior, or a crime? She tampered with a witness and tainted the facts presented to the American people," the report noted.

"Sounds like a crime, and with this preemptive pardon, Biden proves he thinks so too — a crime vulnerable to an investigation that would lead to charges. It could be no other reason.'

The report noted Milley was chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the time of the horrific Afghanistan withdrawal, which left 13 American soldiers dead. And billions of dollars of American war machinery in the hands of terrorists.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief

Hamas captors gave released hostages bizarre parting 'gift' bag

Two of the recently released Gaza hostages, Emily Damari and Romi Gonen, who were held together in captivity, were forced by Hamas to participate in a staged ceremony where they received "gifts and souvenirs" from their captivity Israeli media reported Sunday night.

According to the Jerusalem Post. all three released hostages received a 'gift bag' which included a photo of Gaza from Hamas terrorists.

In a macabre and twisted bookend, the survivors were given "certificates of release" and made to pose and smile with them before being transferred to Red Cross custody.

The survivors called the tactic a "cynical game."

Anti-Israel Wikipedia editors face lifetime bans after spreading misinformation, hate

Multiple anti-Israel Wikipedia editors are likely to be topic-banned after spreading misinformation and hate across the site, the Anti-Defamation League recently announced, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The users have been under investigation by the Wikipedia arbitration board following 'disruptive behavior' surrounding their edits on the discussion of Israel and Palestine, the Jewish Journal reported.

Two Pro-Israel editors face being topic-banned as well, the Jewish Journal noted, adding the bans have yet to be voted on, but will likely occur within the next few days.

The ADL said it welcomed this potential decision, as the multiple users also enacted a 'bad-faith' campaign against the organization, undermining their credibility by editing their page on Wikipedia and claiming they were 'generally unreliable' when it came to the Middle East topic.

'I've come back to life': Released hostage Emily Damari says 'I am the happiest in the world – just to be'

Emily Damari, the dual British-Israeli citizen who was released – along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher – as part of the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was said to be "doing much better than any of us could have ever anticipated," according to her mother, Mandy, who released a statement via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Monday.

"Yesterday, I finally got to hug Emily, just as I had dreamed of doing for a long time," she says, thanking the public for its unwavering support over the past 15 months. "You are all an integral part of Emily's family."

"It was a great joy to catch a glimpse – along with the rest of the world – of Emily's strength, determination and charisma when she was released," she continues. "In Emily's own words – she is the happiest woman in the world; she has her life back."

Gazans who were displaced by the war began returning home on Sunday to discover the devastation brining some to express shock and extreme frustration, reported Ynet.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said 436,000 buildings were destroyed in the Strip and 276,000 were severely or partially damaged after 90% of Gazans were displaced.

"What have we achieved? I have four houses and they are all flattned," Mohammed Abu Bilal, who returned to Rafah told CNN. "Where am I? Is this my house? Is this my live?" Another resident who returned to the city said he came to see if his house was standing but found it destroyed. "We are defeated. We have no life. We will live on the streets."

Michael Waltz: Hamas will never run Gaza

Hamas will "never govern Gaza," President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Waltz, said on Sunday, ahead of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between the terrorist group and Israel, reported the Jewish News Syndicate.

"That is completely unacceptable," Waltz said during an interview with CBS about the prospect of a Hamas-run Gaza.

Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire whose first phase features the release of 33 out of 97 hostages still in Gaza in return for more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners; an Israeli redeployment in the Gaza Strip and a 42-day ceasefire. The remaining hostages are to be released in following phases whose details are yet to be negotiated.

If Hamas violates the deal, the United States will not interfere with Israeli moves to punish Hamas, Waltz indicated. "I want the Israeli people to hear me loud and clear. If Hamas reneges on this deal and Hamas backs out, moves the goalpost, what have you, we will support Israel in doing what it has to do," he said.

Hamas orchestrated crowd at hostages' release to appear bigger than in reality

Hamas critics in Gaza have been sharing on social media a photo of today's transfer of the three Israeli hostages from the terror group's fighters to the Red Cross, revealing that the crowd present was smaller than what may have appeared in Hamas's footage of the event.

According to the Times of Israel, those posting the zoomed-out photo are arguing the terrorist group is far less popular in Gaza following 15 months of war sparked by its Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught, which has left the coastal zone and its population decimated.

Only several hundred Hamas members and supporters appear to have been present at the transfer.

U.S. partially lifts arms embargo to Israel

The United States has begun lifting key restrictions from its arms embargo on Israel, with approximately 70 D9 bulldozers now cleared for shipment, according to security sources.

The bulldozers represent a portion of a comprehensive 130-vehicle acquisition agreement signed approximately ten months ago, a deal that had remained suspended under the American arms embargo. Sources familiar with the matter told Israel Hayom the authorization for the bulldozer transfer emerged from extensive negotiations with American administration officials, integrated within the broader framework of the hostage deal discussions.

Military officials emphasize the critical battlefield significance of these engineering vehicles in Gaza Strip operations. The heavy-duty bulldozers serve multiple essential functions: establishing secure movement corridors, creating access routes for combat forces, and detecting explosive devices. Their reinforced design enables them to withstand explosive impacts while maintaining operational capability.

Senior European diplomat: 'Israel has decided to attack Iran's nuclear sites in 2025'

European diplomats are scrambling to see if there is a way to minimize the risk of a military attack on Iran's nuclear program ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House.

"We believe Israel has taken the decision to attack following the developments in the Middle East over the last several months," one senior European diplomat, who, like others Al Arabiya English spoke to, said on condition of anonymity.

The diplomat did not say the attack was believed to be imminent but said several European countries have opened talks with the incoming Trump team to see if there is a chance for diplomacy or another way of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Israel frees 90 terrorists in exchange for release of 3 female hostages

In accordance with the hostage release deal, Israel freed 90 terrorists early Monday morning in exchange for the three hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity on Sunday.

78 of the terrorists will be released to the areas of Judea and Samaria, and 12 to eastern Jerusalem.

The Israel Prison Service said, "During the evening, 90 terrorists were transferred from various detention facilities across the country to the 'Ofer' prison, accompanied by personnel from the Nachshon unit of the Prison Service and with the assistance of the Israel Police. Upon completion of the reception procedures and receiving approval from the political authorities, all the terrorists were released from 'Ofer' prison and Jerusalem Detention Center."

U.K. police question Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Israel march

Former leader of Britain's Labor party Jeremy Corbyn was questioned under caution by police on Sunday over his participation in an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian/Hamas rally the previous day that developed into a clash with police.

Also questioned was former senior Labour party member John McDonnell, who, like Corbyn, is now an independent lawmaker in the House of Commons, reported the Times of Israel.

Both men voluntarily agreed to be questioned, the BBC reported.

Officers charged nine people with public order offenses after dozens were arrested at the protest in the British capital, the London Metropolitan Police said Sunday.

Cost of Gaza reconstruction estimated at $80 million

With the ceasefire agreement coming into effect, the world is looking ahead to the enormous economic effort that will be required to rebuild the Gaza Strip, Israeli outlet Globes reported.

The extensive destruction shrouds the horizon, and questions abound: at what stage will reconstruction work begin, and what will be the Israeli involvement compared with international efforts. Who will pay for it all, and how will the Palestinian Authority, which has no money, be involved while Hamas is still the governing body in the Gaza Strip? What mechanism will be in place to examine the quality and quantity of goods and raw materials that will enter the Gaza Strip and many more questions.

The UN estimates that reconstruction work in the Gaza Strip will cost $80 billion, 25 times more than after Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The particularly high cost stems from the fact that about 69% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip (more than 170,000) have been destroyed, including about 90% of the housing units.
Even before reconstruction, 42 million tons of rubble created by the bombings have to be cleared. The process alone is expected to cost $1.2 billion, with the UN assessment last April estimating that treatment of the rubble will take 14 years.

Houthis: 'Attacks on Israeli-linked ships to continue until last phase of Gaza ceasefire

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi militia has signaled that it will limit its maritime attacks in the Red Sea to only Israel-linked vessels.

The Houthis' Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center announced that the terror group was "stopping sanctions" on other vessels it has targeted since November 2023, according to the report.

For Israeli ships, the Houthis' attacks will only be stopped "upon the full implementation of all phases" of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that went into effect on Sunday, it added, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.

"In the event of any aggression … the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor state," the statement continued. "You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented."

In November 2023, the Houthis announced they would attack any ship associated with the Jewish state. The Shi'ite terrorist organization said it would target all vessels operated or owned by Israeli companies as well as other ships bearing the "flag of the Zionist entity" in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea called on all countries to withdraw their citizens working as crew members on Israeli ships, avoid working with Israeli freight carriers and steer clear of Israeli vessels.

British Airways to resume Israel flights on April 5

Aviation giant British Airways has announced it will resume flying to Israel from April 5, 2025. The airline's return to Israel will be gradual. It will at first operate one daily flight on the Tel Aviv-London route, raising the frequency to two flights daily from April 20, reported Globes.

British Airways suspended its flights to Israel after the escalation in the Swords of Iron war last August, and since then has continually extended the period of suspension.

From April to August last year, British Airways maintained its service to Israel, with a stopover in Larnaca. The airline has not yet said whether the resumption of flights will be in this format, or whether it will go back to direct flights as was normal in the past.

British Airways thus joins the Lufthansa Group, which has announced the resumption of Israel flights from February 1. Industry sources are optimistic about the prospects of more airlines following suit. Air France and Air India are due to resume service within the next two weeks, while Delta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic are due to do so on March 31.

Trump team keeps Iran policy close to the vest

The incoming administration of President Donald Trump has revealed little about their policy toward Iran, with many in Washington debating the next moves on sanctions, the nuclear issue, and Tehran's broader role in global stability, according to Iran International.

"If Iran didn't flow money to terrorist groups, there would be no sanctions," Trump's pick for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, R–Fla., said, stressing his belief that the Iranian regime prioritizes its geopolitical ambitions over the welfare of its citizens. "I see no evidence that the regime spends the money they generate for the people of Iran," he added.

When pressed on what an acceptable nuclear deal with Iran would look like, Rubio said, "We will discuss that once I'm confirmed."

Rubio's comments suggest the administration may be recalibrating its approach to diplomacy with Tehran, but the specifics remain tightly guarded.

Last week, Rep. Michael Waltz, R–Fla., highlighted the broader geopolitical stakes of Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. Waltz framed Iran's influence as extending beyond the Middle East, impacting other theaters of global conflict.

"Maximum pressure, not only will it help stability in the Middle East, but it'll help stability in the Russia-Ukraine theater as well, as Iran provides ballistic missiles and literally thousands and thousands of drones that are going into that theater," he said.

U.K. teen pleads guilty to murdering three girls at Taylor Swift-themed dance party

A U.K. teen admitted Monday to killing three girls and wounding 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer – and for possessing an al-Qaida manual, the New York Post reported.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty in the murders of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, as well as 10 counts of attempted murder for stabbing eight other children along with two adults who tried to help them at the kids' event on July 29.

He also pleaded guilty to charges related to keeping both the poison ricin and an al-Qaida manual in his home at the time of the vicious rampage.

Rudakubana faces life in prison when he is sentenced on Thursday.

The stabbings, which were carried out in the English town of Southport, triggered a week of violent rioting after the suspect was falsely identified as an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Donald J. Trump winning two non-consecutive terms is a feat only one other president has done before: Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd president after the 1884 election, and as the 24th president after the campaign of 1892.

Watching Trump become America's 47th president of the United States, I was reminded of yet another president who also wasn't expected to win but did: Ronald Reagan, America's 40th president who served two consecutive terms from 1981-1989.

I'll never forget, in 1980, when Reagan was running for his first term. Like Trump, he was not a typical politician. That is why the Democratic Party was going to do everything possible to keep him from getting to the White House.

However, the people of America, including me, felt Reagan would be a great president. We all saw him as an impressive leader, a man of honor and a man who cared for all the people. He also had a great sense of humor, which was a further attraction.

When Reagan won the presidency in 1980, the Democratic Party couldn't believe they lost, just like when President Trump won the bid for the White House in both 2016 and 2024. The Democrats regarded Reagan similarly then as they view Trump today, not exactly with fondness.

While Reagan was the president of our great country, I had the honor of meeting him and the first lady.

One day Nancy Reagan's assistant called my office. She explained that the first lady was having a tennis celebrity event at the White House, and she wanted to invite me.

My assistant said she would call me and then let her know if I would be able to make it to the event.

When my assistant called and explained Mrs. Reagan's personal invitation, I replied that I definitely wanted to go.

But then when I hung up the phone, it dawned on me that I had never played tennis in my life!

So, I hired a tennis teacher to give me 10 days of intensive lessons before I had to fly to Washington, D.C.

It was a lot of fun playing in the White House tennis event. I had a great time. I didn't play so great, but at least I didn't embarrass myself.

After the event, those participating were all invited to a special evening at the White House, during which we would have the opportunity of meeting President Reagan.

When I met him in person, I immediately knew that he was not only a fine man but also a great leader for our country.

I remember when Reagan ran for his second term in 1984. The Democratic Party leaders again were trying their best to beat him with their presidential candidate, Walter Mondale of Minnesota.

But Reagan had done an incredible job in his first four years, so people from all political persuasions – Republicans, Independents and even Democrats – reelected him. And as history recorded, he went on to be an even greater second-term president, accomplishing things like bringing down the Berlin Wall.

I was again invited a few years later to an event at the White House. This time I had the pleasure and honor to talk a little more with the president and first lady. They were the most wonderful people I had ever met.

Now, let's talk about the second president who was also not supposed to win: that's right, Donald J. Trump.

Let me tell you how I first met Trump, in 1974. Yes, 1974, when Donald was only about 28 years old, and I was only 34. Even then he was doing well as a businessman.

I had won the World Martial Arts Championship in 1968 and held the title until 1974, at which time I decided to retire from professional fighting.

When I informed the promoter of the World Championship that I was retiring, he made a huge deal out of it. I recommended Bill Wallace fight in my place. Bill fought and went on to win the world title, too.

The promoter told me that Trump was going to be in the audience to see the world championships. Even as a young man, Trump was very well-known and liked.

As I walked down from the platform, he was standing there and came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Why did you retire so soon?!"

I replied, "I am 34 years old, have held the world title for six years, and I have decided it is time to move on with my life."

Trump asked me, "What are your plans now?"

I explained that I had wanted to become an actor, and that I had filmed a movie with Bruce Lee in 1972 and really liked it.

Donald looked at me square in the eyes and said, "I have a feeling you are going to do well as an actor." Then, he simply turned around and walked off.

A decade or two later, after I filmed more than a dozen popular action movies, Trump and I encountered each other again at a professional wrestling event. In fact, someone captured the moment on video here (contrary to the title, it was not the first time I met Trump).

Over the decades, I watched Donald Trump grow as a businessman. I would read articles about him and read a few of his insightful books. I was very impressed by his optimistic and positive attitude.

I'm amazed it was 50 years ago that I first met Trump. Then and now, he hasn't changed a bit, except he's got a whole lot wealthier and serves in the most powerful role in the free world.

Though I was a little surprised when he initially ran for president, I honestly wasn't shocked when Trump won in 2016. It was time we had a real businessman deal with the mess in Washington, D.C.

He didn't come from "the establishment." He was an outsider. As everyone knows now, he's not a typical politician, not even close. Say what you will about him, anyone who has gone through what he has (including almost being assassinated twice), and is still willing to serve as president without pay a second time, has earned his place in history.

Democratic Party leaders swore that after Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980 and 1985, they would never allow a celebrity to win again. But one did.

When Trump was competing against Hillary Clinton in 2016, mainstream media and Democratic leaders unloaded on him and were absolutely convinced that Hillary would win. They were wrong.

In 2024, it was one big déjà vu. This time, not only the Republicans but Independents and tons of Democratic Americans reelected Trump when he competed against Biden and Harris. He even won all the swing states and the majority of the popular vote.

Many (if not most) thought lighting would never strike twice for Trump, especially after he stepped away from the White House in 2020 for four years. But it did, even after nearly a decade that his adversaries tried to disparage him, impeach him, imprison him and even assassinate him.

Amazingly, Trump has stayed strong and continues to fight (fight, fight) to make America great again. One thing that is difficult to deny: He definitely wants America to win.

Now, it's our turn to do our best to support and pray for him and his amazing league of Cabinet leaders, in order that America can finally experience a stronger economy, a secure border, lower crime and a better international position in the world.

America and Americans have been hurting and even in crisis for far too long, from natural disasters to economic freefall and global dominance, and it's high time we together turned that around.

In a past edition of WND's Whistleblower, recently deceased historian Dr. Lee Edwards, the author or editor of 25 books and the Former Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought at the Heritage Foundation's B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies, hit the nail on the head: "We shall come through this crisis as we have other challenges in our [248]-year history, following the example of leaders such as Reagan, who reminded us in his first inaugural address just what kind of people we are. The crisis we face, Reagan said, requires our willingness to believe in ourselves, 'to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.'"

Dr. Edwards' thoughts remind me of the revolutionary giant Thomas Paine, who might as well have been speaking to our time in his work "The American Crisis," when he wrote: "These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Supplicants are defined as a "person making a humble or earnest plea to someone in power or authority."

Or, according to Steve Bannon, a former strategist for President Trump, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.

They are the leaders of SpaceX and Twitter, Facebook's empire, and Amazon – all billionaires a hundred times over or more.

They have been given seats at today's presidential inauguration for Trump, to his second term in office, and they are now, in Bannon's description, seeking favor from the new president.

"As soon as [Mark] Zuckerberg said, 'I've been invited. I'm going,' the floodgates opened up and they were all there knocking, trying to be supplicants. So I look at this and I think most people in our movement look at this as President Trump broke the oligarchs, he broke them and they surrendered."

It was noted that, for a time, the social media companies banned Trump from being on their sites. He ended up creating the competing Truth Social at that time.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed Barack Obama's oath of office some years ago.

He rearranged the words of the oath, moving "faithfully" to a place out of order, so Obama's oath was not the correct version from the Constitution.

The two of them got together later in the day and "fixed" it by having Obama say the right words, in the right order.