This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Archaeologists in Jerusalem revealed an exciting find Thursday, as the Israel Antiquities Authority published images of a dig on the Mount of Olives in which a 4th century A.D oil lamp with intricate decorations was found.
The images delicately "pressed into limestone moulds," according to IAA research archaeologist, Benjamin Storchan, include the Temple menorah, an incense shovel, as well as a lulav or palm frond, waved during the Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles holiday.
"This unique find, which, judging by the soot marks on its nozzle, was used for lighting about 1,700 years ago, provides a fascinating glimpse into Jewish cultural and religious life during this period," a statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority read.
Michael Chernin, excavation director on behalf of the IAA, said the "exquisite artistic workmanship of the lamp, which was found complete, makes it an outstanding and extremely rare example. The menorah, incense shovel and lulav are symbols associated with the Jewish connection to the Temple. This finding is particularly surprising, since, we have very little evidence of the existence of a Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem from this period. After the Roman emperor Hadrian suppressed the Bar Kochba rebellion in 135 CE, Jews were expelled from the city. The Mount of Olives lamp is one of the few material traces of a Jewish presence around Jerusalem in the 3rd-5th centuries CE."
The Romans infamously destroyed the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., following a several-year rebellion during the first Jewish-Roman war. Jews were expelled from Jerusalem, which Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Aelia Capitolina, sparking the second Jewish revolt against the Romans. Therefore, "the Mount of Olives lamp is one of the few material traces of a Jewish presence around Jerusalem in the 3rd-5th centuries CE," Chernin said.
"This unique oil lamp, which in an exciting manner bears the symbols of the Temple, connects the lights of the past with the Chanukah holiday of today, and expresses the deep and long-standing connection of the nation of Israel to its heritage and to the Temple's memory," Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu said in a statement.
For those familiar with the Hanukkah story, one of the best-known parts of it is the miracle of the olive oil used to light the menorah in the Temple lasting for eight days of use, when it appeared its volume was only enough for one.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
What could go wrong with a public vote to change a state law, and ban slavery within its borders?
Colorado could explain. Officials now are in a legal fight over their practices that force prison inmates to work, because of the law change.
A report from Westword explains two Colorado inmates brought the case in 2022 after voters approved Amendment A, a 2018 ballot measure that eliminated a provision in the state constitution allowing "slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime … in all circumstances."
They argued that prevents the state from forcing prisoners to work under threat of losing privileges, being placed in isolation or adding time to their sentence, and now those allegations are part of a class action case against the state.
That ruling was from Denver District Court Judge Sarah B. Wallace, who said the case launched by Richard Lilgerose and Harold Mortis will continue.
Wallce approved class-action status for the case, which means that any number of additional plaintiff-class individuals could benefit. That class includes "all people incarcerated by the State of Colorado who are now, or will in the future be subjected to mandatory work policies and practices of the Colorado Department of Corrections."
Valerie Collins, a lawyer working on the case, said, "It's huge. The lawsuit itself is the first in this kind of procedural case where a state has gotten rid of the exemption clause."
She noted other states have adopted language similar to Colorado's: Alabama, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Tennessee and Vermont.
Democrat Gov. Jared Polis has shown no inclination to back down.
"The state and the Polis administration have continued to fight against this case for years," explained David Seligman, a spokesman for Towards Justice. "That's why the court certifying the class action represents a really important step for the litigation."
The change had been pushed by a group called Abolish Slavery Colorado, and organizer Jumoke Emery said, "However we feel about the criminal justice system, whether we feel like it's doing a great job or a bad job, we don't want our criminal justice system to be slavery."
The amendment itself said it was not intended to "withdraw legitimate opportunities to work for individuals who have been convicted," but that it was instead to "prohibit compulsory labor from such individuals."
The report explains Mortis, recovering from COVID-19, was ordered to start working eight-hour shifts in a prison kitchen, and was told he could be removed from the "incentive-living program" if he didn't comply. Eventually he did.
Lilgerose, also still was recovering from COVID when he was ordered into a food-services job. He lost earned time when he stopped working.
Wallace pointed out that inmates were "being held in their cells more than twenty hours a day for failing to work" and noted state rules that confirm inmates can be "moved to a higher security prison or higher security area within their current facility because he or she refuses to work."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
George Mason University freshman's terrorism plot alarms Virginia lawmakers
Lawmakers in Virginia raised varying degrees of concern about the safety of Jews in the state in statements to Jewish Insider after a George Mason University freshman was charged on Thursday evening with plotting a mass casualty attack at Israel's consulate in New York.
The state's Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, told Jewish Insider the thwarted terrorist attack "serves as yet another wake-up call that anti-Semitism and the threat to Jewish students and the Jewish community in Virginia, and across America, is very real."
"We must remain vigilant against hatred and violence in all its forms," Youngkin said. "My administration has been fully committed to safeguarding the safety of every Virginian, and we will continue working hand in hand with law enforcement to combat extremism wherever it appears."
'An absolute mockery': Soros-backed news organization awards U.N. Persons of the Year to Israel's fiercest anti-Semitic critics
At its end of year awards, the PassBlue news organization acknowledged the efforts of three United Nations employees, whom it assesses have had the most impact over the last 12 months. The three chosen, Francesca Albanese, Philippe Lazzarini, and Antonio Guterres also happen to be the most strident critics of Israel.
As WorldNetDaily reported, PassBlue, which on its website describes itself as "an independent, women-led nonprofit multimedia news company that closely covers the U.S.-U.N. relationship, women's issues, human rights, peacekeeping and other urgent global matters playing out in the world body," says its mission is to hold the powerful people and the 193-member countries of the United Nations to account. It also happens to receive funding from the deep pockets of George and Alex Soros via the Open Society Foundations.
Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO of the International Legal Forum and a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security, said the award "makes an absolute mockery of everything PassBlue is meant to stand for."
"The organization claims to be a 'women-led non-profit' that covers the U.N., women's issues and human rights," he added. "To honor this group of U.N. individuals who have peddled in relentless Jew-hatred, rape denial and justification of Hamas crimes, is obscene, unconscionable and just inexcusable. They may as well have given the award posthumously to Yahya Sinwar."
Islamists in Syria burn Christmas tree in Christian-majority town
In Syria, thousands of Christians took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the burning of a Christmas tree in a predominantly Christian town in the center of the country, reported Ynet.
The incident, allegedly carried out by foreign jihadist rebels, has intensified fears among Christians and other minorities about the new leadership under the jihadist rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham or HTS. Despite their attempts to project a moderate image and promises to safeguard all minorities, the attack has raised serious concerns about what the future holds under their rule.
The attack, which enraged Syria's Christian minority – already significantly reduced during the country's brutal civil war – took place in the town of al-Suqaylabiyah in Hama province, where the majority of residents are Christians. Video footage of the incident shows masked gunmen pouring flammable liquid on a large Christmas tree in the town square before setting it ablaze.
IDF intercepts 4th Houthi ballistic missile fired at central Israel in last week
A ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthis was intercepted by Israeli air defenses early Wednesday morning, the military said, marking the second night in a row – and the fourth in less than a week – that the Iran-backed terror group has fired at the country's center in what has recently become a near-nightly occurrence, reported the Times of Israel.
The incoming missile set off sirens over a wide swath of central Israel, sending millions of people scrambling to reach bomb shelters. The sirens were activated as a precaution against falling fragments from the interception.
The alerts were issued in a wider area than usual as part of a new policy implemented by the Home Front Command, following delayed alerts in a previous attack.
Hamas refuses to hand over list of names as hostage deal loses some momentum
Recent optimism surrounding the hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas has given way to mounting frustration as Israeli officials reveal significant obstacles in their dealings with the terrorist group – specifically, Mohammed Sinwar, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
Sources close to the talks paint a picture of deliberate obstruction, describing how slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's brother has consistently misled mediators over weeks, stonewalling requests for hostage lists and withdrawing from previously reached agreements. Security and political officials have expressed deep concern over Sinwar's handling of the negotiations.
Two critical roadblocks persist: Hamas' continued refusal to provide a list of hostages for initial release, and disagreements over the Palestinian prisoner exchange ratio and deportation terms.
Defense Ministry signs multi-billion shekel deal for more Arrow-3 interceptor missiles as Houthi threat grows
Israel's Defense Ministry and Israel Aerospace Industries, or IAI, signed a major production contract Wednesday to expand the supply of Arrow-3 missile defense interceptors for the Israeli military.
The deal, valued at billions of shekels, marks a significant boost to Israel's air defense capabilities. The agreement, led by the Israel Missile Defense Organization within the Directorate of Defense Research and Development, will provide the Israel Defense Force with a large number of Arrow-3 interceptors.
U.N. Security Council to hold emergency session on Houthi attacks
At Israel's urgent request, the United Nations Security Council will convene next Monday, following the Houthi missile launch toward Israeli territory overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to Israel Hayom, Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the U.N., expressed satisfaction with the scheduled council meeting: "The Houthis appear not to have grasped the consequences that await those who attempt to attack Israel. The Security Council must stand with Israel and condemn these attacks. I urge the council to uphold international law and establish Iran's accountability in this matter."
Biden's commuting 37 out of 40 death row sentences doesn't include Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooter
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities.
It means just three federal inmates are still facing execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
Amsterdam court hands out lenient sentences to five participants of pogrom
A Dutch court on Tuesday passed the first five sentences over last month's attacks against Israelis in Amsterdam, prescribing punishments critics said were inappropriately mild, according to the New York Post.
The sentences, the heaviest of which was six months in prison, prompted indignation from Dutch Jews, who were shocked by the coordinated mass assaults by dozens of Arabs and Muslims on fans of Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv team who were in Amsterdam for a match.
Herman Loonstein, a prominent lawyer and Jewish community activist, said the prosecution bore some of the responsibility for the sentences, which he found excessively lenient.
"The prosecution rushed this but at the expense of their preparedness." "A better preparation could have led to an attempted homicide indictment," which did not happen.
RFK Jr. wants the U.S. to stop fluoridating its water, Israel has lessons to offer
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and harsh critic of government health agencies, has cast a spotlight on debates over the role the government should play in public health – and over the degree to which mounting distrust in science should guide policy-making.
According to Israel National News, fluoridation offers a case study in those debates. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoridation in water has been shown to reduce cavities in children and adults by about 25% over a lifetime, with the organization dubbing it "one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."
Those same debates lay at the root of the decision in 2013 by Israel's health minister to end water fluoridation. Now, Israel's policy change could act as a case study for how defluoridation could affect Americans. And the discourse is ongoing, with Israeli public health experts and some parents agitating for fluoride to be reinserted in the water – citing worsening dental outcomes for children – at the very moment when the United States may move in the opposite direction.
U.S. ambassador to Israel slams Washington-funded report claiming Gaza famine
The Jewish News Syndicate reported the U.S. government-funded network released a "Gaza Strip food security alert" on Monday, in which it claimed that Israel had enforced (a near-total blockade of humanitarian and commercial food supplies" for nearly 80 days in areas of northern Gaza. The report no longer appears on the network's website.
After JNS published, a USAID spokesperson said the "decision support team" at FEWS NET decided to take the Dec. 23 Gaza alert down "until further notice," "to address inaccuracies in the population data set."
Several Syrians wounded in Quneitra skirmish, following protest at IDF presence in buffer zone
Five Syrians protesting Israel's operation over the buffer zone were wounded by IDF fire in Quneitra, according to Syrian reports on Wednesday.
In addition, a Syrian man in his 20s, identified as Khalil al-Aref, was taken into Israeli custody from the town of Abdeen and brought to Israeli territory, reported i24NEWS.
Since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the IDF has been operating in the buffer zone and beyond, responding to the prospect of advanced and dangerous weapons arriving in the hands of Islamists who swept to power in the country.
Despite Israeli attempts at explaining the operations, some Syrians have expressed anger at what they perceive to be a violation of their sovereignty.
Turkey's Erdogan warns Kurdish fighters in Syria they'll be 'buried' if they don't lay down arms
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried," amid hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad this month.
"The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in Parliament, and reported in the Times of Israel.
He also says Turkey would soon open its consulate in Aleppo, and adds Ankara expects an increase in traffic at its borders in the summer of next year, as some of the millions of Syrian migrants it hosts begin returning.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – At its end of year awards, the PassBlue news organization acknowledged the efforts of three United Nations employees, whom it assesses have had the most impact over the last 12 months. The three chosen, Francesca Albanese, Philippe Lazzarini, and Antonio Guterres also happen to be the most strident critics of Israel.
PassBlue, which on its website describes itself as "an independent, women-led nonprofit multimedia news company that closely covers the U.S.-U.N. relationship, women's issues, human rights, peacekeeping and other urgent global matters playing out in the world body," says its mission is to hold the powerful people and the 193-member countries of the United Nations to account. It also happens to receive funding from the deep pockets of George and Alex Soros via the Open Society Foundations.
In its description of why the awards were granted to these three individuals – not forgetting their acknowledgement of Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of Palestine to the U.N. as the Diplomat of the Year – PassBlue wrote, "The tragedy of Gaza has had an overwhelming impact on the U.N. this year, including 258 staffers killed in the war."
It seems to have escaped their notice that a number of these so-called "U.N. staffers" were also Hamas terrorists who abuse their dual identity as working for an international aid NGO to actually carry out atrocities. Somehow, they didn't mention that.
PassBlue said of Albanese, whom the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories in 2022, that "her reports and speeches have consistently highlighted grave human rights violations perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians, detailing widespread abuses such as forced displacement, unlawful killings and the denial of basic rights."
That isn't all she's said, however. And some of her statements have crossed the line from legitimate criticism of Israel into the murky area of outright anti-Semitism – and not connected to the remit of her role at all.
Indeed, the Anti Defamation League has an entire page devoted to Albanese "in her own words," showing she has a flagrant disregard for the code of conduct, in which a special rapporteur is expected to show "moderation."
A selection of her missives include claims about Israel's actions being comparable or akin to the Nazi persecution of Jews during the Holocaust; calling Gaza a 21st century "concentration camp;" Israel committing genocide; comparing Israel to the Taliban; denying or minimizing the rapes and sexual assaults which took place on Oct. 7, 2023; and accusing the "Israel lobby" of controlling Congress, including both political parties.
Considering this news organization sees part of its remit is to hold people of power to account, it seems a bit bizarre it failed to mention the chiding even the Biden administration managed, to admonish Albanese's outrageous conduct. Prior to the special rapporteur's arrival in New York as part of a North American speaking tour, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield chided Albanese saying she was "unfit for her role."
Having stumped for Albanese as "Person of the Year," it seems as obvious as night following day to select Lazzrini and Guterres as first and second runners-up in the category.
Lazzarini, who is Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, has had a difficult 12 months to say the least. The organization for which he is the head has been accused – with verifiable proof to back up the claim – of employing people who took part in the Oct. 7 massacres. Even he does not deny this obvious fact; yet he, and the second runner-up, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claim it is an indispensable part of the so-called humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
The situation regarding UNRWA has become so severe that Israel's parliament – the Knesset – passed a law in late October making the organization's activities "illegal on Israel's sovereign territory." This includes a potential ejection from its Jerusalem HQ. In addition, several countries, most recently Sweden, have decided to withdraw funding from the U.N. body, with the usually taciturn Swedes citing a "crisis of confidence."
Guterres too has meted out harsh criticism toward Israel since it began its ground invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 blood-letting. He along with the other two has sought to minimize Hamas' actions – victim-blaming the Jews for being attacked, but hitting a note of understanding for the plight of the Palestinians.
He infamously remarked, "Oct. 7 didn't occur in a vacuum." When you have Ha'aretz, Israel's most avowedly-left-wing major newspaper calling for your resignation, it is as good a sign as any, however much he might have tried to contextualize his comments, that Guterres overstepped the mark.
The "award" is not really a surprise, it is yet more evidence of the direction of travel of the international development community and the NGOs – implacably opposed to Israel – which dominate the discourse.
Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO of the International Legal Forum and a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security, said the award "makes an absolute mockery of everything PassBlue is meant to stand for."
"The organization claims to be a 'women-led non-profit' that covers the U.N., women's issues and human rights," he added.
"To honor this group of U.N. individuals who have peddled in relentless Jew-hatred, rape denial and justification of Hamas crimes, is obscene, unconscionable and just inexcusable.
"They may as well have given the award posthumously to Yahya Sinwar," Ostrovsky concluded.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The headlines this week have included the case of William and Zachary Zulock of Georgia, two homosexuals who adopted two sons and were convicted of sexually abusing them, using them for child porn, and more.
It was the Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney's office that announced the penalties for the two, life without parole.
"William Zulock pleaded guilty to six counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of incest and two counts of sexual exploitation of children. His husband, Zachary Zulock, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of incest, two counts of sodomy, three counts of sexual exploitation of children and two counts of pandering to a person under 18," Fox News revealed.
The prosecutor accused the two of creating a "house of horrors."
Evidence included confirmation from surveillance cameras insider their home "showing multiple instances of the defendants 'committing sexual abuse in different parts of the house,'" the report said.
Libs of TikTok posted online a comment about the case, in that, "They adopted 2 kids, used them to product child p**n," and more.
Then the social media page expressed the opinion that 100 years in prison is "not harsh enough."
But that "not harsh enough" was among the mildest of opinions concerning the two convicts.
Among the sentiments expressed on social media:
"Pedo lives don't matter."
"Quick trial-Quick EXECUTION."
"No death penalty?"
"A bridge/overpass and a couple long ropes seem appropriate."
"Drawn and quartered needs to be brought back…"
"If dogs are put to sleep for attacking children, why aren't we doing the same to pedophiles?"
"Absolutely sickening.'
And, "What's deserved: Locked in a room with no light that's too small to stand up in & too short to lay down in."
"Real castration not chemical."
Then there also was one just showing the picture of a bullet.
"Kingdeath2006" explained what likely is the bloodiest idea of all, "Forget the wood chipper, I have a better idea," atop an image of multiple human bodies mounted on long spears, similar to the Roman death penalty of crucifixion.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A report that Democrats insisted be released on former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who resigned from Congress when President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general, but actually was re-elected, tries to tarnish the flamboyant former and potentially future member of Congress.
But the allegations, investigative reporter Mollie Hemingway confirmed, come from a woman who already is in prison for making similar, and false, claims about another person.
The report from the House Ethics Committee claims Gaetz was involved with multiple women over recent years, and even gave some of them money.
However, Joe Biden's "corrupt" Department of Justice reviewed the evidence and found there was no substance on which to charge Gaetz with anything.
A majority of Republicans on the committee dissented from releasing the report, stating, "Representative Gaetz resigned from Congress, withdrew from consideration to serve in the next administration, and declared that he would not seek to be seated in the 119th Congress. The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committee's long-standing practice opens the Committee to undue criticism, and will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Committee's process."
They wrote, "We believe that operating outside the jurisdictional bounds set forth by House Rules and Committee standards, especially when making public disclosures, is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences."
The report alleges Gaetz paid women for sexual favors or illicit drugs, including a 17-year-old girl.
Only two Republicans on the panel sided with Democrats to release the report.
Gaetz has rejected the report's claims. And he pointed out, "The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes. I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me."
Hemingway reported that the witness used by the committee as the basis for the report was found by the "corrupt DOJ" to be lacking "any credibility whatsoever."
She added, "Sometimes I feel like I was the only reporter to look into the details of the Gaetz allegations. That's how I learned the accuser is in prison for making the same false sex-with-minors accusation against someone else."
A commentary at Twitchy said, "Whether or not you like a person should not impact or influence their innocence or guilt. Even if you dislike Gaetz, the fact they released this report the day before Christmas Eve, a report Biden's own corrupt DOJ considered a nothing-burger, tells us all this was sneaky, dirty, and likely all too personal. To Hemingway's point, it's INSANE that they'd take seriously any sort of testimony from a witness who is currently in prison for making the same false sex-with-minors accusations against someone else. While we're certainly not experts, this sounds like a red flag."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Trump Derangement Syndrome, although it may not be officially recognized among the anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance-related disorders and other afflictions including schizophrenia, it is none-the-less a very real factor in America today.
It was the impetus behind the wildly untrue claims about Donald Trump and "Russia, Russia, Russia" and many more. It triggered literal meltdowns by leftists behind cameras and holding microphones. It did the same for Democrats in the halls of Congress.
It simply was the unsupported and unreasoning fear that Donald Trump, the 45th president soon to be inaugurated as the 47th president, was destroying America.
Online commenters have said it's "a pejorative term, usually for criticism or negative reactions to President-elect Donald Trump that are perceived to be irrational and to have little regard towards Trump's actual policy positions, or actions undertaken by his administration."
One online dictionary says it's "a mental condition in which a person has been driven effectively insane due to their dislike of Donald Trump, to the point at which they will abandon all logic and reason."
A columnist said the "first stage" is when "victims lose all sense of proportion. The president-elect's every tweet provokes a firestorm, as if 140 characters were all it took to change the world."
Ultimately, its sufferers "lose the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality."
As CNN explained, at one point, "If Trump announced he was donating every dollar he's ever made, TDS sufferers would suggest he was up to something nefarious, according to the logic of TDS. There's nothing – not. one. thing. – that Trump could do or say that would be received positively by TDSers."
It's also spreading morphing into something that targets more than Trump, according to a column at National Review.
Now, the report said, it centers on Trump supporter and billionaire Elon Musk, as an "Elon Musk Derangement Syndrome."
"Democratic lawmakers and pundits are increasingly peddling a conspiracy that Musk is the 'shadow' president. (The hypocrisy of accusing Trump of having a shadow president after four years of President Biden's 'leadership' is lost on them, apparently.)" the report said. "The narrative picked up speed last week after Musk, the incoming co-chair of the newly-created 'Department of Government Efficiency,' was a vocal leader of efforts to trim the fat from a 1,500-page spending bill to avoid a government shutdown."
MSNBC panicked, with Chris Hayes claiming, "Elon Musk, the guy who really runs things. He's not just Trump's co-president. I think that's way too low a title. He's the head dude in charge and House Republicans certainly know who they are taking their marching orders from."
Then Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary turned MSNBC anchor, said, "Elon Musk is around Trump all the time. He was in that picture that you referenced, that was at the Army-Navy game, creepily kind of right over his shoulder. He seems to be living at Mar-a-Lago. I don't know how Trump feels about that. Maybe he's enjoying it currently. Will he still? And he's also getting credit for having power over Congress, over Trump. How does that sit with Trump? We know from history, typically doesn't sit well."
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon discussed Elon Musk as a presidential character with a man on the street, and it backfired spectacularly.
Willie Geist, of the Morning Joe program, claimed Republicans are talking about Trump as the vice president, and Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, said Trump is Musk's "errand boy."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., identified Musk as the "shadow president."
The report said, "Former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, meanwhile, was apparently incensed that Musk waded into the battle over the continuing resolution," writing in offensive language on social media that Musk also "sucks at politics," to which Musk said, "You elevate Tourette's to poetry."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Pope Francis and Israel's Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli entered into a war of words over the weekend as the lawmaker bristled publicly at certain insinuations emanating from the pontiff.
For the second time in as many days, the pope condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza as "cruelty," while Israel accused him of "double standards."
"And with pain, I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty," the pope said after his weekly Angelus prayer.
It was unclear if the pope was responding to a specific incident, but the IDF has long-claimed it targets terrorists, who do not wear identifying uniforms hiding among the civilian population. It also belies Hamas' own stated aim of engendering as much misery as possible among the populace it governs, precisely to garner support of the West and global figures, such as the pope.
The pope's stances proved too much for Chikli, who was particularly irked by the picture of Francis in a wheelchair seated next to a Nativity scene, where the baby Jesus is swaddled in a keffiyeh – a clear reference to the modern ahistorical nonsense of his being a "Palestinian." Chikli posted an open letter to the pope, in which he outlined some historical truths.
"Shalom, It is a well-known fact that Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem, as described in Chapter 2 of the Gospel according to Matthew: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king … "
Bethlehem is the same city where Rachel, our matriarch, died giving birth to Benjamin," Chikli wrote.
"It is also the same city in the northern part of the territory of the Tribe of Judah, where David, son of Jesse from Bethlehem, was born.
"David became the King of Israel, making Jerusalem its capital and building the altar on Mount Moriah, upon which Solomon, his son, later built the Temple," he added.
Chikli mentioned more history, such as the Bar Kochba Revolt between A.D. 132-135, which the Romans brutally put down. He said, "Hadrian was not satisfied with the physical destruction of the Jewish settlement; he anticipated the future, to the day when the Jews would seek to return to Judea. Therefore, he renamed the province of Judea to "Syria Palaestina," after the Philistines, the arch-enemy of Israel. The name of Jerusalem was also changed to "Aelia Capitolina," removing the ancient, historical name of the Jewish people. And, Jews were prohibited from visiting or settling in their holiest city."
The Israeli lawmaker had another zinger in store when he reminded the pontiff that on the Arch of Titus, but a few minutes walk from St. Peter's, there is a famous engraving of Roman soldiers carrying the spoils of war – including the menorah which stood in the Temple – back to Rome after the sack of Jerusalem.
Despite his criticism of the pope, Chikli ended his missive with an acknowledgement of how far inter Catholic-Jewish relations had come since the Second Vatican Council, and the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate.
"We know you are a close friend of the Jewish people; Just this past year, you met with families of hostages, injured soldiers, rabbis, and Jewish leaders from around the world. We appreciate these efforts and seek to deepen the relationship between the Vatican and the State of Israel as well as between the Christian and Jewish People. Your guidance, actions, and leadership have tremendous influence across the world. This is why I kindly ask you to clarify your stand regarding the genocide blood libel against the Jewish state."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Despite Donald Trump's stunning re-election victory, America remains engaged in what amounts to an ongoing civilizational war. A war not merely political in nature, but cultural, ideological, psychological and ultimately spiritual – a long-term struggle between forces of decency, morality and sanity on one side and astonishing deception and evil on the other.
And to jump right down to the bottom line: It is the Christian church in America that will either win or lose this war. After all, while their numbers have somewhat declined in recent years – casualties of the ongoing war – fully two out of every three Americans today, 68%, identify themselves as Christians.
But that statistic itself forces troubling questions:
If the overwhelming majority of Americans are Bible-believing followers of Jesus, how then can it be legal in such a de facto Christian nation to amputate the breasts and sexual organs of literally thousands of confused children who are being encouraged, from many directions, to believe they're "trapped in the wrong body"? How can it be legal to butcher thousands of beautiful, sacred, fully formed, pain-feeling human babies only weeks before they would have been born? How can "After School Satan Clubs," sponsored by an explicitly satanic organization, be permitted within public schools across the land? How can the nation's toddlers be subjected to "drag queen story hour" events at public libraries, during which they're required to sit at the feet of demonically possessed men dressed as women – and sometimes dressed as demons – who seduce and corrupt these innocents by regaling them with exciting tales of heroic homosexual and transgender youths?
While Christians are winning a few crucial battles – most critically, the life-or-death re-election of Donald Trump – they are losing most others. In truth, many Christians are either entirely absent from the battlefield, or worse, have sided with the enemy.
In her recent book, "Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda," journalist Megan Basham documents how many of today's churches – both leaders and congregations – have been seduced and bought off by leftist forces in the ongoing battle over America's future. Chapter by chapter, Basham reveals how leftwing nonprofits pretending to carry the Christian torch have persuaded many evangelicals to embrace a radical climate change agenda under the seductive banner of "Creation Care," to support suicidal illegal immigration policies by repackaging and gift-wrapping them with Bible verses as "Welcoming the Stranger," to champion Marxist critical race theory by vowing to "decolonize discipleship from whiteness." Even to adopt the radical and blatantly unbiblical LGBTQ agenda under the pretext of "challenging the promotion of narrow or hateful interpretations of religious doctrine." And so on – essentially conning Christians into embracing every major leftwing ideological and moral attack on Western civilization and Christianity itself.
This seduction of the church, however, is not an entirely new phenomenon. Far from it.
Four decades ago, shortly before he died, theologian and author Francis Schaeffer, widely regarded as one of the most influential evangelical thinkers of the 20th century, published a book with the spine-straightening title, "The Great Evangelical Disaster." In it, he reflected on the culture wars raging across America – and why Christians were so absent from the struggle.
"Most of the evangelical world has not been active in the battle," Schaeffer lamented, "or even been able to see that we are in a battle. And when it comes to the issues of the day, the evangelical world most often has said nothing; or worse, has said nothing different from what the world would say."
Concluded Schaeffer: "Here is the great evangelical disaster – the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth as truth. There is only one word for this – namely accommodation: the evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of the age."
And remember, Schaeffer was writing about evangelicals, who generally are more conservative, as opposed to so-called "mainline" Protestants who tend to be more liberal-left.
Regarding the latter, some of the flat-out Marxist influences on mainline denominations are explored in "The Marketing of Evil" by WND Managing Editor David Kupelian:
"Many churchgoing Christians scratch their heads and wonder why America's mainline denominations so frequently seem to support leftist organizations. It's because many of these mainline churches, at least at the leadership level, have virtually become leftist organizations! Front and center is the notoriously radical umbrella group, the National Council of Churches, which represents three dozen denominations, including the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Episcopal Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
"How can an organization supposedly championing the interests of tens of millions of Bible-believing Christians be so passionately, obviously – indeed, almost comically – supportive of hardcore leftist causes? Writer Jacob Laksin explains in 'The Church of the Latter-Day Leftists':
Founded in 1950, the New York City-based NCC has, for more than half a century, remained faithful to the legacy of its forerunner, the Communist front-group known as the Federal Council of Churches. At one time an unabashed apostle of the Communist cause, the NCC has today recast itself as a leading representative of the so-called religious Left.
Adhering to what it has described as "liberation theology" – that is, Marxist ideology disguised as Christianity – the NCC lays claim to a membership of 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox Christian denominations, and some 50 million members in over 140,000 congregations.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the NCC has soft-pedaled its radical message, dressing up its demands for global collectivization and its rejection of democratic capitalism in the garb of religious teachings. Yet the organization's history suggests that it was – and remains – a devout backer of a gallery of socialist governments.
So egregious has been the faint-heartedness and "accommodation" documented by these and other authors that Eric Metaxas' recent bestseller "Letter to the American Church" likens the Christian church in today's America with that of 1930s Germany when Hitler's Third Reich was rising. With the exception of a relatively few courageous souls like Lutheran theologian Deitrich Bonhoeffer, most German church leaders did and said little or nothing about the rise of Nazism, until eventually the overwhelming evil – from the death camps and crematoria to Hitler's military invasions of surrounding nations – became far too massive for them to effectively oppose.
Yet Metaxas says the American church of today is eerily reminiscent of most churches and pastors in Germany during Hitler's steady rise to total power and the unspeakable evil that resulted from their failure to stand for truth.
What's really going on?
Those on the "far left" – a euphemism for straight-up Marxists – have long been obsessed with subverting and radically transforming Christianity, not merely because they are at war with pretty much everything the God of the Bible actually demands, from biblical sexual morality to the rest of His commandments. But also because, politically, they simply must undermine and redefine Christians' biblical value system as a means of redirecting their huge voting influence, or else the left will lose every election.
If claiming the left is "at war" with the commandments of God sounds wrong or over-stated, consider that the Democratic Party's top priorities today are: unrestricted abortion ("Thou shalt not kill"), total sexual freedom ("Thou shalt not commit adultery"), redistributing wealth ("Thou shalt not steal"), lying nonstop about their opponents ("Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor") and forever plotting new ways to appropriate other people's wealth, freedom and success ("Thou shalt not covet"). Winston Churchill encapsulated all this by describing socialism as "the gospel of envy."
It should be clear, then, that Donald Trump was absolutely right when he claimed to supporters throughout the campaign season, "In the end, they're not coming after me. They're coming after you – and I'm just standing in their way."
Truly, the real enemy of the far left is Christian America.
And that's tragic, because the Christian religion has been hands-down the most powerful, consequential and benevolent force in human history – not only for the salvation of souls, but for the well-being of entire societies. America was founded almost entirely by serious Christians – indeed, the original settlers came to these shores for the very purpose of being able to practice their Christian faith without being persecuted for it. The United States of America's eventual system of government and founding documents, from the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution, were based implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) on biblical principles. Indeed, the entire Western concept of freedom, dignity, equality and "God-given individual rights" is rooted entirely in the conviction that man, as affirmed in the Book of Genesis, is created "in the image of God."
Yet today, America's huge Christian population finds itself at a historic crossroads. Consider Billy Graham's assessment, made a few decades ago:
As in the last days of Rome, Christianity to many people today has faded into mere form, lost its relevance to life and holds no central allegiance in our lives. When a nation loses its faith, it loses its character. When it loses its character, it loses its purpose for living. And when it loses its purpose for living, it loses its will to survive.
I am convinced that America stands at the crossroads of her national destiny. One road leads to destruction, and the other leads to prosperity and security. Most are going down the broad road that leads to destruction. We are going the way of Rome rather than the way of the cross.
Many will blame the Republicans or the Democrats. But it is the American people as individuals that should take the blame. We backslide as individuals before we begin to decay as a nation.
So, what about the 224 million Christians currently populating America (millions of whom do not even bother to vote)? It's a staggering number of people that claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Some so-called believers are obviously fake – "mere form" as Billy Graham put it – with the label "Christian" just serving as the necessary social garb they must wear to get what they want. For example, most American politicians, even the most corrupt or deranged, claim to be serious Christians, from Barack Obama to Nancy Pelosi to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. President Joe Biden, who defends abortion up to the very moment of birth, claims to be a "devout Catholic."
But for the millions of sincere Christian believers who make up most of the American population, it turns out – at least during today's ongoing culture war playing out on a thousand different battlefields across the nation – that attending church and listening to sermons and praying and singing hymns and fellowshipping and living a moral personal life (and perhaps even evangelizing) is not enough. That's likely what all the good church folk did in 1930s Germany. The problem is that, with few exceptions, their church leaders insisted that they and their flock "stay in their lane" (to use today's vernacular) and preach the Gospel, and not "pollute" themselves with politics and other "worldly" affairs. After all, they affirmed to each other, they're citizens of Heaven, not of this transient, broken world. We're only here for a short time. Don't get involved in the evils that play out in this life; instead focus on the eternal world to come.
And that's how they got Hitler.
As Eric Metaxas writes at the outset of his "Letter to the American Church": "… I am convinced the American Church is at an impossibly – and almost unbearably – important inflection point. The parallels to where the German Church was in the 1930s are unavoidable and grim. So the only question … is whether we might understand those parallels, and thereby avoid the fatal mistakes the German Church made during that time, and their superlatively catastrophic results. …
"The German Church of the 1930s was silent in the face of evil; but can there be any question whether the American Church of our own time is guilty of the same silence? Because of this, I am compelled to speak out … to make plain where we find ourselves at this moment, at our own unavoidably crucial crossroads in history."
Exploring this "crucial crossroads" in America's history, which will determine whether the greatest nation in history is reborn thanks to widespread spiritual and civic revival – or continues down the path of cultural, spiritual and moral insanity that has increased exponentially during recent decades – is the focus of December's Whistleblower Special Report, published monthly by WorldNetDaily.
It's headlined "CHRISTIAN AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS: Will the freest nation on earth embrace spiritual revival … or death?"
Issue highlights include:
* "Christian America at the crossroads" by David Kupelian
* "Letter to the American Church: 'Bonhoeffer' author warns of haunting similarities between today's American church and the German church of the 1930s. Echoing Deitrich Bonhoeffer's prophetic call, Eric Metaxas exhorts his fellow Christians to repent of their silence in the face of evil before it is too late" by Eric Metaxas
* "Pope Francis condemns those who 'repel' migrants as guilty of a 'grave sin': Sides with open-border globalists over sovereign nations" by Jim Hoft
* "Absence of Christian worldview responsible for massive level of 'mental illness,' says top researcher: 'Adults who consistently adopt liberal or progressive positions on current issues are more likely to endure bouts of anxiety, depression and fear than are those who consistently adopt conservative positions'
* "Religious belief at the polls: Who voted which way? 'Voters unaffiliated with any religion are by far the largest number who support Democrats' by Laura Hollis
* "Why an estimated 32 million Christians didn't vote in November's election"
*" Young evangelical Christians are increasingly abandoning Israel: 'One of the biggest reasons Jewish people do not believe in Jesus is the conduct of the Church, which at times offered Jews baptism or death, among other horrors'" by David Kupelian
* "Top 10 biblical prophecies of Jesus's nativity and Israel's restoration: Bible passages reveal amazing details about Messiah's birth" by Joseph Farah
* "Will recent campus revivals spill over to the nation? 'We are clearly in great need of national revival. America was born in part through the revival that swept through the colonies. We call it now the First Great Awakening'" by Jerry Newcombe
* "'Sign of great hope': Religious leaders see a 'fourth Great Awakening' as Americans flock to Christianity: November 5 election 'was a repudiation of the ersatz civic religion that Democrats had used to re-found the country'" by Jaryn Crouson
* "It's revival and awakening … or America dies: 'Do we really think that the right political candidate or the latest social program will solve our problems and cure our ills? Not a chance'" by Dr. Michael Brown
* "Good News! Bible sales are increasing: 'The question – what is the purpose of life? – can only be answered by the Author of life'" by Jerry Newcombe
* "Jesus' fearlessness defined modern free speech: 'It is simply impossible to exaggerate the importance of Christianity's liberating power'" by Hanne Nabintu Herland
* "Rejoice always? Really? Maintaining personal peace even when the world is spinning out of control" by Greg Laurie
* "Messiahs false and true: A wild ride through outer and inner space in search of the Savior of mankind" by David Kupelian.
"Many good Americans might be tempted to just kick back and relax, now that Trump has been re-elected president, thinking they can simply watch in awe and wonder as he expertly defeats every political, cultural, ideological, and spiritual attack on America. Unfortunately, they're dreaming," said bestselling author and Whistleblower Editor David Kupelian. "With the Nov. 5 election, God graciously granted us a reprieve. But the battles will continue to rage, and every right-thinking, God-fearing American needs to stand for truth with courage and dignity – to do their part to make America once again 'a shining city on a hill,' as President Ronald Reagan liked to put it."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An illegal immigrant from Guatemala is now charged with murder in the horrific burning-alive death of a woman sleeping Sunday on a New York City subway.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is charged with first- and second-degree murder and arson.
He had already been deported once before during President Donald Trump's first term in office.
Zapeta was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol on June 1, 2018, after he crossed illegally into Sonoita, Arizona, and was deported by the Trump administration just days later on June 7, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Marie Ferguson told Fox News.
She noted Zapeta then re-entered the U.S. illegally "on an unknown date and location," and added that after Zapeta is charged and details of where he is being held are released, Enforcement and Removal Operations "will lodge an immigration detainer with the NYPD location where he is being held."
Police say the woman was burned alive while sleeping on an F train at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station. Officials have not publicly named her, but social media speculation claims the victim is Amelia Carter, 29.
Officers there smelled smoke and observed the woman standing inside the subway car, engulfed in flames. Along with a transit worker, they used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames, but the woman died at the scene.
"Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, and the body worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday evening. "Three high school age New Yorkers called 9-1-1 to say that they recognize the suspect. They saw something and they said something, and they did something."
"The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice. This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
"Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case."
Ironically, just hours after the subway fire murder occurred, Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., posted a message online praising her efforts to keeping the city's subway safe.