This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

After a surprising insurgent offensive by rebels last week, Syria's northern city of Aleppo was captured. The offensive marked the first attack on the city by opposition forces since 2016.

Having overtaken the central city of Hama Dec. 5, rebel forces are approximately 115 miles from Damascus, which is a serious concern to President Bashar al-Assad. Reversing an earlier claim denying that rebels had entered the city, the Syrian army says it is redeploying its forces "to preserve civilian lives and prevent urban combat." Assad may soon be forced to confront a serious threat to Syria's capitol of Damascus.

WorldNetDaily spoke to Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst at the Capital Research Center who has focused on Syria and the Middle East for over 20 years. Describing the Middle Eastern country as "a mosh pit of jihadi groups," he says distinguishing between the ruling regime and the rebels is a near-impossibility.

"There are so many different factions on each side that are fighting an external enemy, while at the same time, they are fighting with each other," he explained.

For this reason, Mauro considers it hard to speak in generalizations, but does say flatly that "the rebels that are taking territory in Syria are jihadists." At the same time, he pointed out that the Assad regime is essentially part of an Islamist Iranian regime. Considering this, he said, "you're basically trading one jihadi for the next."

From the perspective of the West and Israel, Mauro questions whether it is better to have "a stable and arguably less fanatical enemy" to the north – that is, if Assad were to prevail and reclaim land – or rebels and other terrorist organizations who will be consumed with fighting each other.

"There are pluses and minuses to each scenario," he concedes.

"If Assad wins, it would be like having Iran on your border. But if the rebels win, it would be like having Somalia on your border," he offered. With that in mind, Mauro speculates that it may actually be better for Assad to fall.

Interestingly, he speculated as to how the powers-that-be in the region could have prepared.

For stability in the region, Mauro said, "What should have been happening for a very, very long time is [their] backing the Kurdish elements to the hilt, while also backing the more secular oriented Syrian rebel elements that have been somewhat allied with the Kurds," he said. Most importantly, the process would have involved working with as many secular, democratic political forces as possible, avoiding those that are theocratic or genocidal.

The battle for control of Syria is a situation the United States has largely avoided, Mauro pointed out. "At critical junctures, the U.S. has chosen [to support] Turkey at the expense of the Syrian Democratic Forces – the Kurds, Arabs and Christian coalition – that has been our most important partner on the ground and is the only non-Islamist option in Syria right now."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Someone working inside of Jack Smith's lawfare cases against former and now President-elect Donald Trump reported "possible misconduct" going on, but an investigation into that issue, dated more than a year ago, has been stalled to date because Smith said a review would affect his investigations of Trump.

Those cases now, of course, have been ended by Trump's election to the White House in last month's vote.

So Congress is trying to get that review going again.

The revelations come from House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who confirmed the Department of Justice recently briefed the committee on an internal investigation it had opened into Smith's operations.

According to Washington Examiner, Jordan has been dissatisfied with what apparently is a campaign to block Congress from getting the information it wants, and addressed that concern in a letter to Jeffrey Ragsdale, counsel for the Office of Professional Responsibility, who was told to provide documents on the issues at hand within days.

Jordan, in the letter, pointed out the committee already had asked for documents relating to allegations Smith and his team "lied to a federal court, manipulated evidence seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during its raid of Mar-a-Lago, and improperly pressured a lawyer representing a defendant indicted by Smith." Those charges all have surfaced through various venues in recent months.

Further, there have been claims J.P. Cooney, on Smith's team, "intentionally sought to impose an 'unprecedented' and 'excessive' prison sentence upon a criminal defendant, and then spread false conspiracy theories when his supervisors overruled his recommendation."

All of this was held in abeyance because Smith insisted any revelations about misbehavior in his staff would affect the lawfare cases he was creating against Trump at the time, the letter explained.

"You stated that Smith only allowed the investigation to begin because it would now no longer 'interfere with the Special Counsel's investigation and prosecution.' It is absurd that OPR—the Department entity charged with upholding ethical conduct—would only examine allegations of prosecutorial misconduct after the subject of the allegations has approved the inquiry," Jordan wrote.

Jordan said one of the concerns was that "these attorneys" would be able "to evade internal accountability by leaving the Department."

The Examiner reported, "It is unclear what the nature of the misconduct was, but it is normal for attorneys to self-report to the DOJ's personnel office if they are aware of allegations being made about them in the media or elsewhere."

And it documented that Jordan has been trying to get records from Ragsdale since earlier this year regarding "various ethics allegations against Smith and the attorneys working for him."

For example, one allegation involves Jay Bratt and "was first raised in court by an attorney representing Walt Nauta, one of the co-defendants in the classified documents case against Trump. The attorney, Stanley Woodward, said that during a closed-door meeting, Bratt inappropriately brought up Woodward's application to become a judge while Bratt was trying to convince Woodward to comply with him in the Trump case. Smith has disputed the accusation," the Examiner explained.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A liberal media pundit, called an "extremist" in some reports this week, was responding to comments, some critical and some sarcastic, about Joe Biden's flip-flop regarding son Hunter, and his announcement of a presidential pardon for the tax- and gun-charge convicted Hunter.

Many Republicans and even some Democrats directed a harsh word or two at Joe Biden for promising many times he wouldn't pardon Hunter, and then turning around and doing exactly that.

It was Charles P. Pierce, in Esquire, who wrote, "Anybody Remember Neil Bush? Nobody defines Poppy Bush's presidency by his son's struggles or the pardons he issued on his way out of the White House. The moral: Shut the f— up about Hunter Biden, please. … [The] lucky American businessman['s]… father exercised his unlimited constitutional power of clemency to pardon the Lucky American Businessman for all that S&L business way back when. The president's name was George H.W. Bush. The Lucky American Businessman was his son, Neil."

Only, a report in RedState pointed out that, "Evidently, there were no editors around to check his claim because he doubled down."

The problem was that Neil Bush never was given a pardon by his president father, George H.W. Bush.

Constitutional expert Jonathan Turley joined the conversation:

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Not just in America, but in many nations around the world, business operators can choose the products they wish to offer consumers. If they assess the market correctly, they'll succeed. If not, they close down.

But California.

That's not what is happening in California, where authorities now are demanding consumers file reports on retailers if they don't have an adequate "gender-neutral" selection of children's toys.

A report in PJMedia accused the state of going "full Stasi," a reference to the East German ministry for state security during the decades after World War II.

The report explains, in a section dripping with sarcasm, "There's a great feeling you get when reporting on your fellow citizens to the state. It's a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing you've done the state a valuable service. There's a rush of pride when you realize that it was your action that resulted in a citizen or business being punished for a transgression."

The report explains, "Why does California Attorney General Rob Bonta want citizens to report on retail stores that aren't carrying 'enough' toys and clothes that are 'gender neutral'? A law passed in California in 2022 requires stores to carry a 'reasonable' number of gender-neutral toys and children's products in their aisles. The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times said the legislation 'represents nannyish overreach' at the time. Bonta disagrees."

Bonta's officer recently explained, "Does your department store have a gender-neutral children section? As of January 1, 2024, large retail department stores that sell childcare items or toys must maintain a gender-neutral section for these items."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A school district in Waterville, New York, has been delivered a five-page letter with instructions on how it should get rid of its "hostility" to the Bible, and comply with federal law.

The fight is over a decision by Waterville Central School District officials to refuse to recognize a student Bible club.

A student had followed all of the required processes and procedures for establishing that group, but according to the letter, the school refused to acknowledge the club "as it would any other club," because of its association with faith.

"By denying the same benefits to the Bible club that it provides to all non-curricular clubs, the school has missed the concept of 'equal' in the Equal Access Act," explained Keisha Russell, a lawyer for First Liberty Institute. "The school's actions are unconstitutional, and its justification is legally flawed. The Supreme Court has made clear that the Free Exercise Clause protects religious practices by both students and employees in public school settings."

At issue is an effort by Elijah Nelson, an eighth-grader, to establish an official Bible club.

The letter from the institute, along with C. Kevin Marshall and Michael Bradley of Jones Day, cited the school's explanation that "we cannot have a school-sponsored club associated with a religion meaning that we can't fund the club or provide an adviser."

Nelson has worked for two years already to start a Bible club.

School officials, relying on what the letter describes as incorrect advice from their layers, said the club could meet informally during lunch while a staff member supervised the students without participating in the group's activities; or the club could apply as an outside organization to use the school's facilities after hours.

The letter explains to the district that "rejecting Elijah's request because the school could not endorse a certain religion is 'anachronistic and misplaced.' The letter clarifies that while 'endorsement did once feature in the Supreme Court's Establishment Clause decisions,' it does not now. 'Today, the Establishment Clause never requires—and never allows—the government to discriminate against religious observers and organizations when granting benefits.'"

After explaining the requirements of equal access, fair treatment, and non-discrimination standards, the letter tells school officials they are violating two parts of the First Amendment, free speech and free exercise.

"The school is out of line. It has denied Elijah's request simply because of its religious nature, and it has thereby violated the Constitution, federal law, and its students' rights," the letter explains.

The letter asks for prompt notification when the Bible club is approved "on the same terms and conditions that govern official clubs."

Otherwise, the letter suggested, litigation will be coming

"Waterville needs to dispense with its 'hostility toward the religious viewpoint' and show Elijah and his fellow students some respect."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Peter Navarro, who advised President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House on trade deals and negotiations, is returning to that institution as the new senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, the president-elect has announced.

"I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarros, a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else you would like to call it, will serve as my Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing," Trump said in a social media statement.

"During my First Term, few were more effective or tenacious than Peter in enforcing my two sacred rules, Buy American, Hire America."

Trump noted that Navarro's work then included helping with renegotiations of NAFTA and more.

By being "treated horribly," Trump likely was referring to a prison term for contempt of Congress imposed by Democrats as part of their lawfare campaign against Trump himself.

It was when ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set up a partisan committee to "investigate" the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. That body now is known to have concealed evidence that benefited Trump, such as that he proposed authorizing National Guard troops to prevent violence that day, and was refused.

The committee released a report that essentially claimed Trump wanted an "insurrection" that day, even though the evidence shows it was a protest that turned violent when a few hundred people rioted.

The committee then, according to reports, destroyed the evidence it used for its report.

Navarro was caught up in that agenda against Trump.

The committee demanded he testify about Trump and events that day, and he refused, citing executive privilege. Members of Congress disputed that, had him charged and convicted, and sent to the Federal Bureau of Prisons for four months.

He was released just in time to be a speaker at last summer's Republican National Convention, at which Trump was formally nominated to his second term in the White House, which he won by a landslide in November.

Navarro was the first former White House official to go to prison following a contempt of Congress conviction. However, months later, Steve Bannon, a Trump ally who served as White House chief strategist, became the second.

His offense essentially was the same as Navarro's: refusing, based on executive privilege, to tell the Democrat-run Pelosi committee the details it demanded to use against Trump.

At the convention, Navarro warned, "I got a very simple message for you. If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump. Be careful. They will come for you."

In Navarro's trial, a judge ordered that he could not use executive privilege as a defense.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Yelp, the online social media operation that lists and reviews various business operations, is insisting it deserves an exemption from a federal court standard that precludes review there when the same people and their issues are being addressed in state court.

The fight is over Yelp's decision to attach negative information to listings for crisis pregnancy centers, those locations that offer counseling but not abortions.

Yelp created those warnings specifically for those centers after 2022 when Texas adopted abortion limits following the demise, in the U.S. Supreme Court, of the faulty Roe v. Wade opinion that created out of thin air a federal "right" to abortion.

Courthouse News explains that Yelp's fight now is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where judges heard arguments this week.

The company sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming a First Amendment dispute, when he threatened, and later did, take Yelp to state court over its warnings.

Yelp has claimed that it watches for when "consumers may be deceived" and then attaches warnings, claiming that the pregnancy counseling centers "were leading users seeking abortion care away from medical providers to anti-abortion counseling services."

A federal judge previously dismissed Yelp's complaint, citing a 1971 precedent that found federal courts can't hear civil rights tort claims when the same players and issues are in state court.

Paxton had sued Yelp about the same time Yelp sued him, and while that case was dismissed it is pending at an appeals court.

Yelp lawyer James Sigel told the judges that Yelp deserves an exemption to that precedent, claiming Paxton's case was "meritless."

He said Yelp would look for "bad faith" on the part of Paxton if the case is allowed to continue.

The report, however, said the judges appeared to doubt Yelp's claims.

"You want the federal court to enjoin the attorney general from prosecuting that case or pursuing that case," said U.S. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress, a Donald Trump appointee. "That's a difficult one. It seems to me if you win on this, we're gonna have cases filed every week in federal court saying, 'I don't like what that the attorney general is doing in that state.'"

Two other judges expressed similar doubts.

A lawyer for the state of Texas said the fight should be handled in Texas courts.

The state had charged that the Yelp "warning labels" were misleading and overbroad in that they didn't apply the same to all centers.

Paxton had said Yelp cannot lie about the centers.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Two Democrat-appointed judges have decided to "unretire" following President-elect Donald Trump's landslide victories, in both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote.

And their actions have prompted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican whose party soon will be the Senate majority, to warn about the active politicization of the judiciary.

He called the announcements by the two judges, one appointed by Bill Clinton and the other by Barack Obama, an indication of "a political finger on the scale." He said the incoming Trump administration, backed by GOP majorities in the Senate and House should "explore all available recusal options with these judges."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning B

Troops from the 99th Division's 990th Reserve Artillery Regiment eliminated many terrorists, including the Oct. 7 perpetrators, whom the army named as Abd al-Razzeq, Marzouk al-Hur, Maaz al-Hur, Abd Abu-Awad Yusri, Omar Abu-Abdallah, Ahmed Zahid and Maad Abu-Garboua.

Troops from the 99th Division's 990th Reserve Artillery Regiment eliminated many terrorists, including the Oct. 7 perpetrators, whom the army named as Abd al-Razzeq, Marzouk al-Hur, Maaz al-Hur, Abd Abu-Awad Yusri, Omar Abu-Abdallah, Ahmed Zahid and Maad Abu-Garboua.

IDF launches a wave of attacks on Lebanon following Hezbollah mortar attacks, U.S. intervention said to limit the scope of strikes

The Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on Monday evening after Hezbollah launched two mortars at the Mount Dov area for the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group took effect last week.

In a statement, the IDF said fighter jets struck Hezbollah operatives and dozens of rocket launchers and facilities belonging to the terror group across Lebanon.

Mike Huckabee gives strong support to Trump's tough stance on hostages' return

Former Arkansas Gov. and current nominee for Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee praised President-elect Trump for warning there would be serious consequences if the hostages held in Gaza are not released by Jan. 20.

"This is my President! There must be serious consequences for holding any hostage but America needs to exact severe consequences for kidnapping and murdering AMERICAN hostages," Huckabee wrote on X.

Report: PA, Hamas said to agree to form committee to run postwar Gaza at Cairo talks

The document laid out
six commitments largely designed to unite Judea and Samaria, and Gaza under one political entity.

NYT: IDF demolished Gaza buildings to build army bases

According to a report based on satellite imagery analyzed by the New York Times, Israel has significantly expanded its military footprint in central Gaza, building fortified bases and demolishing hundreds of buildings in recent months, suggesting possible plans for extended control in the region.

IDF top brass fears Syrian chemical weapons could end up in Islamist hands

The Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian rebel assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

The report says that the main concern is that rebels or Iran-backed militias could reach weapons in Syria that pose a significant threat to Israel, such as missiles or chemical weapons.

Islamist opposition forces in Syria eye key government hub of Hama

Syrian opposition factions have seized full control of the city of Aleppo and the entire Idlib province, key territories in northern Syria, following intense battles with regime forces and Iranian-backed militias. Both provinces are under aerial bombardments from Syrian regime warplanes and sporadic Russian airstrikes.

The Military Operations Directorate of the opposition announced it has also captured parts of Hama province and claimed that hundreds of regime combatants, including Iranian fighters, were killed or captured in recent operations. Aleppo International Airport, along with five other military airports, has also fallen under opposition control. These include Menagh, Taftanaz, Abu al-Duhur, Al-Nayrab and Kuweires airports.

Iranian parliament institutes draconian new 'Chastity and Hijab' law

The Islamic Republic's Parliament has officially passed the "Chastity and Hijab" law, a 74-article piece of legislation that imposes severe penalties for hijab violations. The law is set to be implemented on Dec. 13.

The law establishes a complex system of fines and restrictions targeting what it defines as improper dress for both men and women.

Under Article 49, individuals violating dress codes will face escalating financial penalties. Initial offenses will incur fines ranging from 20 million ($285) to 80 million ($1,140) tomans, while subsequent violations will attract higher fines, between 80 million and 165 million ($2,350) tomans.

The earliest known Chinese inscription in Israel discovered on Mt. Zion

The earliest known Chinese inscription in Israel was discovered on a pottery shard at an archeological dig on Mt. Zion, one of the hills upon which Jerusalem is built.

The find was revealed in the dig jointly conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Protestant Institute of Archaeology. At the dig, a rare 16th-century CE Chinese inscription was discovered on a porcelain bowl fragment, reading: "Forever we will guard the eternal spring."

'The Children of October 7' featuring Montana Tucker has its world premiere at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem

The children who became symbols of heroism and survived the events of Oct. 7 gathered at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem on Monday night, along with Montana Tucker, the international social media influencer who has been engaged in pro-Israel advocacy since the onset of the Hamas attack, for the world premiere of "The Children of October 7" documentary. The film, which prominently features Tucker, documents the stories of children who witnessed and survived the unimaginable horrors of the Hamas attack.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

There is outrage in New Jersey after a resident was booted from his local council meeting for holding up an American flag and Constitution, something local officials have banned as "props" from their gatherings.

Police escorted out Joel Bassoff, a lawyer from the Township of Edison after he displayed Old Glory as well as the nation's founding document, warning of potential legal action for the government's restriction of residents' free speech.

"I'm holding up an American flag to represent the constitutional values," Bassoff said.

"It's my constitutional right to do this," Bassoff said. "If you get sued, you will lose. My suggestion to you is that you get a second opinion from competent counsel because you are wrong."

"You are interfering with the decorum of this meeting by interfering with the right to speech of a member of the public. And it should stop now," he added, as fellow residents could be heard applauding.

Council President Nishith Patel warned Basoff about his "props" before saying: "His time is forfeited."

"Your time should be forfeited, your positions should be forfeited," Bassoff replied. "By your actions, you forfeit every right to preside over this meeting."

"He is in violation, he can be removed," Patel instructed officers.

"Shame on you!" Basoff shouted at the council.

Another resident could be heard saying: "Shame on the police for breaking their oath to the Constitution."

"To consider the American flag and the Constitution a prop when someone raises it is an insult to what the flag is, what the flag stands for, and what this country is," resident Maryann Hennessey told council members.

"For you to consider the use of the American flag a prop is disgusting."