This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Jihadis in Africa are on a campaign to burn churches, behead nuns and priests, terrorize Christians and worse, and "not a peep" is being heard from those "who have the power to speak out and help protect them."
That's according to a report at the Middle East Research Institute, where Executive Director Steven Stalinsky has called for action, with, "On Christmas, where is the outrage?"
"Sadly, this terrorizing and slaughter of Christians outside the West has gone almost unnoticed, with no real action even by those who have the power to speak out and help protect them," he said in a report. "These include the U.N., the African Union, the South African military, the Vatican and Pope Francis himself, even organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, or the NAACP. And not one word has been heard from Black Lives Matter, the Squad in Congress, scholars like Ta-Nehisi Coates, and many other imposters who say they care about human rights – but only do so selectively."
He explained almost every day, ISIS affiliates around sub-Saharan Africa have reported on their ongoing persecution of Christians.
"And, as happened during the time of the Caliphate under ISIS, the Christian world is sitting by and doing nothing."
He recalled a MEMRI study in 2023 titled, "ISIS in Africa (Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Mozambique): Targeting Christians – killing, beheading, murdering priests and nuns, burning churches, health clinics, and homes – as the world is largely silent."
He noted, "The report detailed how ISIS's branches in Africa – Islamic State Central African Province (ISCAP), Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Islamic State-Mozambique (ISMP) – have been attacking and terrorizing Christians across the continent, killing civilians, destroying churches, kidnapping Christians for ransom, forcing conversions, taking slaves, and destroying symbols and signs of Christianity."
Then they are bragging, "documenting," about their work on social media.
That report went to international bodies and legislatures, as well as religious leaders and media outlets. "Yet to date there has been little to no response or action to help the Christians being targeted, and thousands more have been killed since," he said.
A "typical day" for Christians in Africa includes visits from ISIS and "being forced to pay the Jizyah poll tax imposed on non-Muslims." And "choosing between conversion to Islam or death."
Most of the attacks, including the murders of church leaders, are by ISIS, but others are by al-Qaida and others.
"These groups' documentation and dissemination of their attacks is aimed at inspiring horror and boosting their fearsome reputation. For example, on July 11, 2024, ISIS featured, in Issue 451 of its weekly Al-Naba' newsletter, an infographic detailing its major operations in the previous Hijri calendar year, July 19, 2023-July 7, 2024. Earlier, on July 1, A'maq News Agency, the ISIS media arm, released a poster tallying ISIS attacks worldwide in the first half of 2024. Both these publications featured sections celebrating the killing during those periods of nearly 2,000 [1920] Christians and burning of 30 churches in Mozambique and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC," Stalinsky explained.
In just recent days, dozens of Christians have been murdered, homes have been burned, churches destroyed.
"Sometimes, Christians are offered the option of conversion. On August 8, 2024, the pro-ISIS Hadm Al-Aswar Foundation released a poster on its Telegram channel titled 'The Only Solution for Christians,' showing an ISIS operative removing a cross from a church roof, a hand with an index finger raised in a gesture used by ISIS to indicate Islamic monotheism, and a hand appearing to be paying the jizyah – a tax placed on non-Muslims living under Islamic rule. The poster included text from an editorial titled 'Jihad in the Congo' from Al-Naba' Issue 448, in which ISIS issued an ultimatum: Christians can 'either convert to Islam, or pay jizyah, otherwise [ISIS] will continue to execute them, burn their homes and businesses, and plunder their properties,'" the MEMRI report said.
Media outlets have been used to push the ideology that it is "ISIS" that will "save" people.
One publication said, "To the Christians, their institutions, and their community organizations searching for long-term solutions that will rid them of a life surrounded by death in every direction[:] We give them the good news that the only solution is for them is to convert to Islam, or to pay the jizyah and remain submissive. Otherwise, the invasions will continue against them, as will the killings, the burning of their homes and shops, and the seizure of their money."
The terrorists also have boasted of beheading nearly 60 Christians in just two recent attacks alone.
Stalinsky reporte, "Not a day goes by without the MEMRI JTTM team documenting jihadi reports of attacks on African Christians."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The fight is over whether employers can demand "ideological conformity" from employees, and an appeals court in Minnesota has just given it a jump-start.
Just the News reports that's the fight in a court case brought by a Filipina-American doctor with black children who charges a Minneapolis public hospital attacked her, and dismissed her.
The reason alleged? She criticized Black Lives Matter and critical race theory, called COVID-19 the "China virus" and said the protests following George Floyd's death, which inflicted billions of dollars of damage across America, were "riots."
It is the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that unanimously revived the case brought by Tara Gustilo after a lower court judge had incorrectly tossed it out.
The fight is with the Hennepin Healthcare System, and focuses on the First Amendment.
"The three-judge panel faulted U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson for usurping a jury by determining the HHS board approved Gustilo's removal as OB-GYN department chair without also adopting the Medical Executive Committee's basis for removing her: Gustilo's Facebook posts on BLM, CRT and COVID among other subjects," the report explained.
Nelson is a Barack Obama appointee, and failed to determine the "threshold question" in the case, whether the posts were protected by the First Amendment.
The appeals court decision now also will allow Gustilo to resume her complaints about illegal race discrimination and retaliation.
Gustilo's lawyer, Daniel Cragg, said in the report that the case will result in a determination of "the boundaries of free speech in professional settings and the consequences of challenging institutional ideologies."
The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism is funding the case, and the Upper Midwest Law Center is contributing to the representation.
The employer had not had problems with Gustilo, educated at Harvard, and she "created a program to reflect cultural differences in birthing practices to better serve her diverse patients," the report said. Then she revealed her opinions about race and more.
The opinion said, "Before 2020, [Gustilo] received generally positive performance reviews."
But her opinions, on social media, caused clashes with coworkers.
She challenged the board with a question about continuing discussions about systemic racism, because that "ended in the '60s," after which the board adopted an "equity" scheme to oppose "systemic racism."
Coworkers complained they feelings were hurt, by being bullied.
Officials then turned negative in their reviews of her work, and she was put on leave based on information that included her personal opinions on social media, prompting the fight over First Amendment speech rights.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
For several years already, there's been significant evidence of a Biden family influence peddling scheme.
Congressional investigators have confirmed that foreign interests paid Hunter Biden and his business associates $27 million from 2014 to 2019, when Joe Biden was vice president.
Hunter Biden used official trips with his father to facilitate some of those deals, and there's been a startling lack of evidence of any services or products provided to obtain those millions.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden repeatedly claimed he had no knowledge of Hunter's business schemes and profits, despite testimony that he was on speakerphone with Hunter's clients, attended dinners with them, and took pictures with them.
Now there's another piece of evidence that has surfaced. According to Fox News, "President Biden is seen in newly uncovered photos meeting with Hunter Biden's Chinese business associates in China while he served as vice president, bringing further scrutiny to his claim he 'never' discussed business with his son. The photos, obtained by conservative-leaning America First Legal through litigation against the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), appear to show then-Vice President Biden introducing his son to Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-Vice President Li Yuanchao. Other photos show Joe Biden posing with Hunter's business associates from BHR Partners, including Jonathan Li and Ming Xue."
In fact, America First Legal said, "These images shed light on the connections between then-Vice President Biden, Hunter and his Chinese business associates, and Chinese government officials including President Xi Jinping. Lawyers and representatives for President Biden and President Obama delayed NARA's release of these photographs, as they did with other records, until after Election Day."
But don't expect the revelations to have a significant impact, warned constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, who has both testified before Congress on the Constitution, and represented members in court.
"After years of ignoring the influence-peddling scandal, the media is not likely to suddenly pursue the story. In the meantime, Democrats have praised or rationalized Biden for pardoning his son despite the fact that it covered possible crimes that might implicate not just Hunter but his father in corruption," Turley explained.
He cited what's already been in evidence: "There were diamonds as gifts, lavish expense accounts, and a sports car, in addition to massive payments that Hunter claimed were 'loans.' There are messages like the one to a Chinese businessman openly threatening the displeasure of Joe Biden if money is not sent to them immediately. In the WhatsApp message."
In that situation, Hunter threatened his Chinese money source: "I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the Chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father."
Turley noted the "pronounced lack of interest" by media organizations in America "into the alleged multimillion dollar influence-peddling scheme."
He said those "House and conservative" groups that have pursued the story have found "overwhelming evidence that the president has repeatedly lied about his interactions with foreign clients."
The newest image "Further contradicts" Biden's claims, Turley said.
Fox reported the newly accessed images, according to America First Legal, "corroborate the House Oversight Committee's investigative findings that Hunter Biden arranged for his father to meet with Jonathan Li and other BHR executives during the 2013 China trip, where 'Mr. Li sought— and received — access to Vice President Biden's political power, including, for example, preferential access to then-U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus … a condition of Hunter Biden and his associates participating in the BHR deal.'"
Congressional investigators also have concluded the Bidens benefited from their business dealings with BHR.
Campaigning in 2019, Joe Biden claimed, "I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings."
But, Fox reported, "emails sent to and from Hunter Biden have cast doubt on that, including a 2017 email obtained by Fox News that shows Hunter requesting keys for Joe and Jill Biden, along with his uncle, Jim Biden, for space he planned to share with an 'emissary' to the chairman of a now-bankrupt Chinese energy company."
The report detailed, "In another 2017 email also obtained by Fox News, Biden wrote to the same Chinese energy company's chairman extending 'best wishes from the entire Biden family,' and urging the chairman to 'quickly' send a $10 million wire to 'properly fund and operate' the Biden joint venture with the company."
"The Biden Crime Family Christmas card just dropped," GOP Rep. Eric Burlison explained on social media.
Whatever is revealed now about that time period no longer will threaten Hunter Biden, as Joe Biden granted him a pardon for a decade-long time period covering virtually all of the circumstances that have been uncovered that raise questions.
Joe Biden claimed his son was being "unfairly" prosecuted, even though a jury convicted him of multiple gun felonies, and he pleaded guilty to several tax felonies.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A departing member of Congress says one of the reasons she's leaving is that President-election Donald Trump "tried to kill me once."
Then Annie Kuster, a Democrat from New Hampshire, tried to walk back her outlandish claim.
Kuster chose not to seek re-election in 2024 and soon will be out of Congress, according to a report at the Daily Caller.
In comments made in both Roll Call and the Boston Globe, she said she's trying to set an example for colleagues who are in their 70s and 80s, but "stick around too long."
And then there is a part of it related to Donald Trump coming back, she explained. "I was one of the last members of Congress in the gallery on Jan. 6, and as it turns out, we have the security footage that shows it was only 30 seconds from when I was able to evacuate that the insurrectionists were in that hallway hunting for us with zip ties and bear mace and who knows what else.
"I just felt like, he tried to kill me once. I'm not available for it again."
She's been in Congress for six terms already.
But, the report noted, that in an interview with the Globe, Kuster was backtracking, suggesting her comment was "tongue-in-cheek."
"I've said somewhat facetiously, he tried to kill me once, I'm not available for that again," she claimed. "What we went through on Jan. 6 and his attempt to overthrow the government took a toll. That was that was really hard, and not just personally, but on my ability to work across the aisle."
Her claim that Trump was trying to "overthrow" the government lacks evidence, too, even though Democrats have claimed for years the riot events that day were an "insurrection."
A real overthrow attempt would include not only plans to remove present leaders, but take over the economy, the foreign policy, the military, the budgetary process and more, none of which Trump, who left the White House voluntarily to allow Joe Biden to move in, attempted.
The Daily Caller report explained Kuster "has consistently been a big fan of hyperbole regarding the protests at the Capitol in 2021."
Video released by her office showed "her and a pair of House Democrats on the third floor of the U.S. Capitol and three protesters wandering down the halls shortly thereafter. It was, she claimed, evidence of 'the threat that Donald Trump poses to our democracy going forward.'"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – The IDF revealed the extensive spoils of its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon as it unveiled a massive display of the materiel it seized from the Iranian-backed proxy.
At an army base in Israel's north, the military laid out a large selection (but not all) of the 85,100 individual items captured from Hezbollah operatives, weapons caches, and tunnels. The haul included some 6,840 RPG rockets and anti-tank missiles, including 340 Russian-made Kornets, along with their launchers; 9,000 explosive devices and grenades; 2,250 unguided rockets and mortars; 2,700 assault rifles; 2,860 other guns including sniper rifles; and 60 anti-aircraft missiles.
The display also includes 20 Hezbollah vehicles captured by the IDF; 60,800 pieces of electronic equipment, communication devices, computers, and documents; and 300 pieces of surveillance equipment. The totality of this military gear is materiel, which the IDF captured during operations in dozens of villages in southern Lebanon since the expansion of the Swords of Iron war to include action across Israel's northern border in late September. Military representatives estimated the IDF had succeeded in destroying approximately 80% of Hezbollah's infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah's weaponry is mainly sourced from Russia and Iran, with a smaller proportion also locally produced. China and even North Korea also supply one of the forwardmost militias attached to the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Israeli military officials said some of the weapons – particularly mortars – were up to the IDF's standards and would be used by the army.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel with the launching of thousands of anti-tank missiles in the north at people's homes in the now mostly-deserted border towns, as well as longer-range projectiles on Oct. 8, 2023, in support of the Hamas-led so-called "Al-Aqsa Flood" of the day before.
There was a certain acceptance of the status quo for nearly a year, until a Hezbollah missile killed 12 Druze children playing soccer in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams at the end of July. Within only a few days, one of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's right hand men – Fuad Shukr – was killed in an airstrike on the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut, while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by what was thought to be an Israeli bomb in an IRGC apartment complex in Tehran.
By the end of September, Nasrallah and almost the entire top echelon of the Iranian proxy was dead, and Israeli boots on the ground were attempting to dismantle Hezbollah's war machine. While Israel's political and military leadership is not so naive to think Hezbollah has been entirely defeated, displaying the weapons haul does send a strong message about the successes, which can be enjoyed if these Islamists are stood up to.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan, Turkish strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's second-eldest son (and second-eldest among four children) is organizing a rally in Istanbul on Jan. 1 in which the NATO member allegedly will expressly outline its designs on Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem.
The so-called "protest" is being organized under the banner "Yesterday Hagia Sophia (Constantinople), today the Umayyad Mosque, tomorrow Al-Aqsa." Hagia Sophia refers to the fact Istanbul's formerly most famous church, which was in almost constant use for more than 1,000 years from A.D. 360 to 1453, was reverted to its previous use as a mosque in July 2020, and given the title Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. It had been a Muslim place of worship after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, until it became a museum in 1935. Islam has a rule that if a place of worship was ever once a mosque – even if it has not had the designation for decades or even centuries – it retains its holiness to Muslims in perpetuity. In the Old City of Jerusalem, the Mosque of Omar, which stands in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, exists for this very reason; because Caliph Omar refused to pray in the church knowing its use would one day be forced to change.
The reference by the younger Erdogan to the Umayyad Mosque is a taunt aimed at Syria to imply its larger neighbor, which now controls enormous swaths of the country, has control of Damascus. The Umayyad Caliphate or Empire, predated the Ottoman one by some 700-800 years, and whose capital was in Damascus.
The third part of the slogan clearly refers to Jerusalem, given that Al-Aqsa is the city's most famous mosque. (The golden Dome of the Rock is a shrine, not a mosque). The Ottoman Turks ruled the entire area of Syria, Lebanon and modern-day Israel, although they were part of different administrative units, and modern-day Turkey has designs on expanding its living space.
This seems a clear indication of Turkey feeling its oats, and seems to be a nod to the expansionism which has always been a part of Erdogan senior's platform. He appears to feel the loss of the Ottoman Empire more keenly than most and would like nothing more than to see its former glory restored. With the fall of Assad's Syria – and the retreat of those other imperial powers Russia and Iran – coupled with the attempts to install a new leader – Ahmed al-Sharaa – who is significantly warmer toward Turkey, even partially relying on his lightning takeover of the country on his backers in Ankara, perhaps he assesses that day is closer than even he might have allowed himself to dream.
In Caroline Glick's pithy analysis, she argues "Turkey declares war on Israel everyday." This does certainly have the ring of truth about it, as President Erdogan is constantly banging the drum for the takeover of Jerusalem – and uses his official X account to show his allegiance to Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
Without getting all Psych101, there is quite an interesting political parallel between Bilal Erdogan and Yair Netanyahu, the elder son of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahi. It appears both sons are adept at using the family name to further the messages of their more famous – some might say infamous – fathers. In his own right, Yair Netanyahu is a deeply polarizing figure for his frequently incendiary public statements and his particular choice of targets. Perhaps Bilal Erdogan is doing exactly the same thing by telegraphing and channeling his father's wishes – despite what the fallout might be.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
Bethlehem's clergy says, 'We may face extinction'
Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ, marked a subdued Christmas, overshadowed by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the devastating local economy. For the second consecutive year, the city's Christian community faced a bleak holiday season, with rising fears about the survival of one of the world's oldest Christian populations.
Friar Ibrahim Faltas, vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, told The Media Line, "This has become an open-air prison. On top of the conflict in Gaza, people here have been struggling for 15 months without income, with restricted mobility, and no change in sight."
The Christian population of Bethlehem has plummeted precipitously since the Palestinian Authority took over its administration in 1995. In the intervening 29 years, the 85% majority Christian town is now between 7-12%.
The streets of Bethlehem reflected this despair. Palestinian scouts marched silently through the streets at noon, departing from the usual raucous brass band procession. At the end of the march, Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa addressed the crowd beside a picture of two Gazan children. "Despite the current suffering you are facing on every front, we stand with you. Do not surrender, do not be afraid, because you are the light in this darkness. This has to be the last Christmas like this," he declared.
Erdogan's son organizes massive protest, threatens to take over Jerusalem
It often seems to be the way with male rulers who have been the heads of their country's government for a good deal of time – their grown-up sons, looking to fulfill their more famous father's legacies, become involved with political machinations. It has happened with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and so too, it appears to have happened with his great rival, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
His son, Bilal, organized a massive rally in Istanbul the other day, whose title was, "Yesterday Hagia Sophia, today Umayyad Mosque, tomorrow Al-Aqsa."
This call to jihad is the latest in Turkey's history of Islamist imperialism, according to the GatewayPundit. Hagia Sophia was an eastern Orthodox Church that the Turks conquered and turned into a Mosque. The Umayyad Mosque is a Mosque in Syria recently captured by Turkish-backed Islamist forces. Al Aqsa refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which apparently The Turks are threatening to conquer.
Syrian authorities say rebel groups have agreed to disband
Syria's rebel groups who fought to oust Bashar al-Assad have agreed to disband and merge into the defense ministry, according to the new administration, reported Semafor.
The groups will report to Murhaf Abu Qasra, the former military head of leading rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and will include army officers who defected from Assad's regime. Syria's leaders now face the "daunting" task of trying to avoid clashes between the different groups.
The move comes as mass protests in Damascus and elsewhere erupted Tuesday after a Christmas tree was deliberately set on fire. The demonstrators demanded that HTS protect religious freedoms, and the group said two foreign fighters were detained over the incident.
Hamas says list of hostages only possible once truce starts
The familiar story of claims and counter-claims about whether Hamas or Israel is responsible for the collapse of previous hostage negotiations is being repeated, as both sides declare the other is the impediment to a deal.
According to the Times of Israel, reports have emerged about Hamas' inability to provide a fulsome list of living hostages, because it says it is not in contact with all the groups or individuals holding them. It has stated the imposition of a truce would facilitate easier communication.
Ben Gvir prays peace of soldiers, hostages' release when he prayed on Temple Mount, Hamas calls to 'escalate clashes'
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Temple Mount on Thursday morning, the first day of Hanukkah, reported i24NEWS.
According to a statement from his office, the minister prayed for "the peace of soldiers, the return of hostages, both living and dead, and total victory in the war."
This visit, as his previous visits, immediately provoked a strong reaction from Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, who accused Ben Gvir of "desecrating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque" and trying to "drag the Arab citizens of Israel into a confrontation with the state." Abbas also slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his responsibility in authorizing the visit.
An update to the story posted under i24NEWS' X handle is that Hamas has called on Muslims to "escalate attacks" as a response to Ben Gvir's visit.
A rare ceramic oil lamp dated to the late Roman period which bears images of items used in the Second Temple was discovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.
The Antiquities Authority explained that the lamp was a "unique find" and, judging by the soot marks on its nozzle, it was probably used about 1,700 years ago, reported the Jerusalem Post.
The symbols which decorate the lamp include a depiction of the menorah used in the Second Temple, an incense shovel, and lulav (the date palm branch used in Jewish ritual during Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles).
Lost ancient village described by Josephus, Jewish sources found in Galilee
Archaeologists working in Israel's Galilee determined they have found the remnants, including a synagogue, of small town close to Sepphoris, which both Jewish-Roman historian Josephus and other Jewish sources mentioned.
According to Haaretz, the town, which was developed sometime in the second century B.C. and finally abandoned in the third century A.D. was built with the express intention of serving the pottery needs of Sepphoris (Tzipori in Hebrew), and the wider Galilee.
"Ptolemy fell upon Asochis, a city of Galilee, and took it by force on the sabbath day: and there he took about ten thousand slaves, and a great deal of other prey." – Josephus Chapter 12, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XIII.
IDF eliminates several terrorists in Samaria operation
The IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police concluded a two-day-long counterterrorism operation in the area of Tulkarem on Wednesday, which produced a number of positive results, reported Israel National News.
In a joint statement, the security forces said: "During the operation, IAF aircraft struck a number of armed terrorist cells on several different occasions. Additionally, IDF soldiers eliminated two additional terrorists during close-quarter encounters, dismantled dozens of improvised explosive devices hidden beneath roads , apprehended a number of suspects, and confiscated weapons."
Among the eliminated terrorists were: Qusai Amin Ibrahim Oqasha, a senior terrorist in the Tulkarem terrorist network, who replaced the terrorist Tarek Doush who was eliminated last week in a joint IDF and ISA aerial strike.
Invoking ancient Maccabee resistance, Netanyahu warns Houthi leaders
At a menorah-lighting ceremony on Wednesday evening in his office, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered words of warning to the Houthi chiefs.
"Today we are lighting the first candle of Chanukah to mark the victory of the Maccabees then, and also the victory of the Maccabees of today," said Netanyahu.
"Like then, we are striking at our enemies…. The Houthis will also learn what Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and others have learned, and this will also take time. This lesson will be learned across the Middle East," he added.
A day earlier, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz had delivered a similar message saying the IDF would target the Houthi leaders.
The warnings came after the Houthi fired five ballistic missiles at Israel in a seven-day period.
IDF unveils massive Hezbollah weapons cache
The IDF revealed for the first time the massive arsenal seized from Hezbollah's Radwan Forces in the border area with Lebanon, reported Ynet.
Nearly a month after the northern ceasefire began, the IDF on Wednesday showcased the significant collection of weapons and equipment Hezbollah had prepared for a large-scale invasion of Israel. The plan, described as far deadlier and more extensive than the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel, was thwarted during IDF ground operations.
IDF forces confiscated at least 85,000 weapons and intelligence items, with additional findings still being uncovered along the Lebanon border. Tens of thousands of other pieces of weaponry were destroyed in Lebanon but could not be retrieved due to logistical reasons.
Hezbollah's weapons are sourced mostly from Russia and Iran, although some are locally produced.
Will Trump's re-entrance to the WH allow IDF to 'open gates of hell' on Hamas?
An article in Thursday's IsraelHayom posits that President-elect Donald Trump's reentry into the White House might enable Israel and the IDF to remove the shackles outgoing President Joe Biden and his administration has placed on them.
Some senior Israeli officials have reportedly stated that starting Jan. 20, 2025, "it will be possible to take additional actions in Gaza." The prevailing impression in Israel is that Trump does not particularly care what measures Israel employs in the Gaza Strip. He has two clear objectives: the release of the hostages and an Israeli victory to conclude the war. The methods to achieve these aims appear irrelevant to him.
In Jerusalem, as well as in the Kirya (IDF HQ) in Tel Aviv, preparations for the Trump era are being kept under strict secrecy. When that moment arrives, if no deal has been reached by then, Israel is expected to reset the rules of engagement against Hamas.
What actions could Israel take that are currently off the table? According to a source, humanitarian aid that the outgoing administration insisted Israel deliver to Gaza will no longer matter to Trump. Reducing such aid, or taking full control over what enters the strip, could worsen Hamas's situation and increase pressure on the organization to release the hostages.
Another critical aspect is armaments. Trump has pledged to release all the weapons shipments currently delayed under Biden on his first day in office. Once the delayed bombs and shells arrive, the IDF will have the means to expand its military operations significantly.
Ministry of Health report highlights released hostages brutal treatment at hands of Hamas
A draft Ministry of Health report, which is based on testimonies from hostages who were released or rescued from Gaza, describes the horrific conditions in which their captors kept them. It also highlights the ongoing consequences, reported Ynet.
"It contains materials that tell the story of those who returned from captivity over the past year, some in the major return operation in the last week of November 2023, and some in other cases of rescue," a senior official at the Health Ministry said of the report. The Health Ministry was careful to word the information provided in the report in a way that would prevent identification of the freed hostage and there is no mention of ages or family composition.
The senior official at the Health Ministry added that the report "includes information that the returning hostages did not share in the first weeks after returning home. As time passed, they allowed themselves to share more. It describes many aspects of neglect, torture, humiliation, and physical and mental abuse."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Two-thirds of American adults, after listening to years of one-sided and coordinated media attacks on Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump, conservatives, Christians and more, say they feel the need to tune out of news.
It is the Associated Press, which often has been part of the campaigns to promote leftist ideologies, that reports it made the discovery in its survey done in conjunction with the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Those Americans specifically explained they need to limit media consumption about politics and government because of "overload," the report said.
Other percentages, smaller, also now are limiting their exposure to news of overseas conflicts, the economy, "climate change" and more.
The report explained the poll, done earlier this month, "found that about 7 in 10 Democrats say they are stepping back from political news."
For Republicans, that number was 60%.
The public's rejection of often-biased monologuing from reporters was most evident among television network audiences, the report said.
"After election night through Dec. 13, the prime-time viewership of MSNBC was an average of 620,000, down 54% from the pre-election audience this year, the Nielsen company said. For the same time comparison, CNN's average of 405,000 viewers was down 45%."
Fox, in contrast, had audiences up 13% for the time period.
"A post-election slump for fans of the losing candidate is not a new trend for networks that have become heavily identified for a partisan audience," the report said. "MSNBC had similar issues after Trump was elected in 2016. Same for Fox in 2020, although that was complicated by anger: many of its viewers were outraged then by the network's crucial election night call of Arizona for the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and sought alternatives."
The report also described how network ratings "bounce back" when the "depression" after an election disaster, like the Kamala Harris results in November, fade.
Further, the poll showed that celebrity endorsements, like Taylor Swift's promotion of the Democrat ticket in 2024, likely generate disapproval from voters, not enthusiasm.
The report quoted Kathleen Kendrick, 36, of Grand Junction, Colorado, as being concerned over reporting that's "one-sided and shallow."
"It would be nice if you could get both sides, and more research," she said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An appeals court has tossed out a "contempt" finding against former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, who not long ago was jailed for nine years for a situation in which she allegedly revealed an election systems password, for lack of evidence.
A report from Colorado Politics explains the Colorado Court of Appeals determined there simply wasn't sufficient evidence to sustain the claim by retired judge Paul Dunkelman, and the accompanying $1,500 fine.
Witnesses told Dunkelman of seeing Peters, during a court hearing, holding her iPad as if recording, and on that basis Dunkelman held Peters in contempt.
He claimed, "She was recording a proceeding. She was doing so covertly. She hid the fact when called out on it by Judge Barrett — certainly an indication to this court that Ms. Peters was aware it was not acceptable, if not a violation of a court order."
But the appeals court noted there was no finding at the lower court that were was a valid court order prohibiting recording, and whether Peters knew about it.
The appeals panel said there simply wasn't evidence in the record to support the case against Peters, a former Mesa County clerk who is serving a sentence of nine years for "attempting to influence a public servant, official misconduct and related offenses stemming from a security breach of her office's elections equipment in 2021."
The contempt claim developed from Peters' attendance at a hearing for her deputy clerk in 2022. Prosecutors claimed she was recording and she denied it.
The judge then continued the hearing, failing to have determined that Peters had been recording.
Prosecutors later brought their now-debunked claim against Peters.
Judge Stephanie Dunn, on the appeals panel, confirmed, "Peters is correct that the contempt judgment lacks several required findings, without which it cannot stand."
While Peters is serving a prison term for her actions that might have exposed an election systems password, prosecutors have given a pass to a Democrat state official in Colorado, Jenna Griswold, the secretary of state, who allowed lists of election systems passwords to be posted online and then schemed to conceal that fact.
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked her agenda with a scolding.
That report explained Griswold "played an integral role when Tina Peters, then a clerk in Mesa County, made a copy of the 2020 election results from her county and, in the course, exposed briefly an election systems password."
Prosecutors gave Griswold a pass after she leaked "current passwords for voting equipment in 34 Colorado counties, including El Paso."
Griswold has claimed there was no election security threat because two passwords are needed to access each machine.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The green ideology that has swept around the globe since activists claimed there was global cooling, then global warming and now "climate change" has generated a list of new words for everyday use, such as "carbon footprint," meaning the amount of energy from fossil fuels that a person uses.
And now a study has concluded that those carbon footprints are bigger for people who own electric vehicles to try to reduce their carbon footprint.
But it's not necessarily because of their choice of vehicle alone, it's because they are wealthy and live lives that demand more energy and more energy consumption, according to a new report at Slay News.
The report explained scientists at the University of Turku, in Finland, discovered that on average, drivers with EVs "have a larger 'carbon footprint' those drivers who own gas or diesel cars."
"Electric cars have become the ultimate status symbol for 'woke' celebrities and those claiming to be 'saving the planet' from 'climate change,'" the report said. "However, scientists now say that buying an expensive electric vehicle (EV) is actually doing more harm to the environment than helping it."
The study results, in the journal PLOS Climate, confirmed that while EV owners may have vehicles that "produce lower emissions," their "more ostentatious lifestyles mean they contribute more to 'global warming' overall." EVs typically 20%, even 40%, more than similar vehicles powered by gas or diesel.
The results came from the study done by Nils Sandman, Elisa Sahari, and Aki Koponen.
Their study found that owners of performance EVs on average contributed 10.2 tons of carbon dioxide per year to the so-called "climate change" measurements. Those with gas or diesel vehicles were contributing 8.04 tons. Even the "average" EV owners contributed 8.66 tons.
The study looked at the lives of some 4,000 residents of Finland.
"The participants also provided answers about their housing, transport, and purchasing habits which scientists used to estimate their 'carbon footprint,'" the report said.
Slay News reported, "The researchers also noticed that there was a big difference between the two types of EV owners. EV owners who said they were most concerned with the economy and reliability of their cars produced much less pollution – contributing just 7.59 tonnes per year. Owners who said they were more concerned about their car's performance on the other hand were significantly more polluting than any other group."