This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Donald Trump is erupting on Christopher Wray after the FBI director suggested to Congress this week the former president may not have been struck by a bullet.

"Concerning former President Trump, there's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear," Wray testified.

"I don't know right now whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have landed somewhere else," he added.

Late Thursday night, Trump reacted to Gray's suggestion, posting on Truth Social:

"FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn't sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!), but he was sure that Crooked Joe Biden was physically and cognitively "uneventful" – Wrong!

"That's why he knows nothing about the terrorists and other criminals pouring into our Country at record levels. His only focus is destroying J6 Patriots, Raiding Mar-a-Lago, and saving Radical Left Lunatics, like the ones now in D.C. burning American flags and spray painting over our great National Monuments – with zero retribution.

"No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard. There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a 'bullet wound to the ear,' and that is what it was. No wonder the once-storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!"

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House physician, got vocal about the matter, saying:

"Christopher Wray was COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE and OUT OF LINE to question if President Trump was hit by a bullet. All this rhetoric does is feed the fire of ASSASSINATION DENIERS and IDIOTS like Joy Reid and Keith Olbermann!

"I examined the bullet wound hours after he was shot. It was a bullet wound with ALL the hallmark signs that accompany a wound from a high-powered rifle. Not to mention, we ALL SAW IT with our own eyes!

"It's because of IDIOTIC and POLITICALLY MOTIVATED statements like this, that we don't have ANY confidence in the supposed #1 law enforcement agency in this country. We CAN'T TRUST THEM to run this investigation into the assassination attempt!"

In the wake of comments by Jackson, the FBI Friday issued its statement to Fox News Digital: "What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject's rifle."

Colin Rugg, co-owner of Trending Politics noted: "Why to believe your own eyes when you can listen to the media spoonfeed your lies?"

At the Gateway Pundit, Jim Hoft wrote: "Chris Wray has single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the FBI, a once-respected law enforcement agency that is now the strong arm of the political left in destroying their political opponents."

He added Wray's "storied career at the FBI includes:

• Setting up innocent men in fake kidnapping plots
• Spying on Catholics at church
• Raiding the homes of peaceful pro-life activists and terrorizing J6 protesters
• Raiding the home of the former U.S. president on junk charges and allowing agents to sift through Melania Trump's underwear drawer
• Hid evidence that would have exonerated President Trump in his first bogus impeachment
• Doctoring evidence during the raid at President Trump's home
• Targeted parents at school-board meetings
• Hid evidence from the public on crackhead Hunter Biden's laptop in the run-up of the 2020 election."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

How dare he do that? How dare President Joe Biden – a "leader" who dedicated his younger years to avidly avoiding military service during the Vietnam war, five times filing waivers for asthma while still continuing to play football and serve as a lifeguard – mock a prestigious combat-award recipient of the Bronze Star, former Army Ranger and Colorado Rep. Jason Crow who is a member of Biden's own party? The congressman courageously served a total of three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What caused Biden to go off the deep end in criticizing Crow? The congressman, along with other moderate Democrats, made a zoom call to the president to express their concerns about him running for reelection due to his questionable mental state. They clearly recognized Biden serving a second term as not being in the country's best national security interests. As the call was subsequently leaked to the public, there is no dispute about Biden's subsequent rant and thus no way for Biden handlers to cover up what was said.

To the credit of these moderate Democrats, they may well have influenced Biden's decision days later not to seek reelection. But there is no excuse for what Biden put Crow through during that call.

The call reveals a president who is barely lucid as he is unable to complete sentences or his thoughts, rambling on and on while losing his train of thought. It is inconceivable this man could conduct any kind of meaningful dialogue with world leaders – or even with himself, if left alone in a room to do so. One of the participants claimed he "lost a ton of respect" for Biden during the call. The nature of the call is particularly damning when one considers not only were all participants Democrats, but even the news outlet releasing it – Puck News – is typically left-leaning.

It was after Crow mentioned the importance of national security to voters that Biden directed an attack against the Democratic congressmen. In doing so he unsurprisingly launched into a tirade of completely false claims in which he outrageously took credit for putting NATO "back together" – an odd assertion, as it had never fallen apart:

"First of all, I think you're dead wrong on national security. You saw what happened recently in terms of the meeting we had with NATO. I put NATO together. Name me a foreign leader who thinks I'm not the most effective leader in the world on foreign policy. Tell me! Tell me who the hell that is! Tell me who put NATO back together! Tell me who enlarged NATO, tell me who did the Pacific basin! Tell me who did something that you've never done with your Bronze Star like my son – and I'm proud of your leadership, but guess what, what's happening, we've got Korea and Japan working together, I put Aukus together, anyway! … Things are in chaos, and I'm bringing some order to it. And again, find me a world leader who's an ally of ours who doesn't think I'm the most respected person they've ever."

Never missing an opportunity to garner sympathy for himself due to the death of his late son Beau who died of brain cancer, Biden seems to praise the Bronze Star Beau was awarded for his army tour in Iraq as somehow being more significant than Crow's. The fact of the matter is that is absolute hogwash as just the reverse is true. While Beau received his Bronze Star for meritorious service as a lawyer safely behind friendly lines, it was not awarded for combat valor or heroism on the battlefield as was Crow's. Crow's was earned as an 82nd Airborne platoon commander during one of the largest sustained urban combat warfare operations in which it had been involved since World War II.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The Olympic Games in Paris appear to be on an agenda to return to the games' original pagan roots, where blood ceremonies highlighted the days and allegiances were sworn to various pagan gods.

Just take a look at the videos that feature a blasphemous portrayal of the Last Supper, featuring an obese woman and drag queens, a blue Smurf-type character and a decapitated head – singing no less.

Actually, there was a recent report from ABC.net.au that explained the games, from about 776 B.C., drew naked men to compete in a range of events, where women were not welcome.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

For the past seven decades, an insidious heresy has infiltrated the American Church, causing it to become greedy, idolatrous, proud, cowardly, and blind.

Dubbed "The 501(c)(3) heresy," it has spread like an engineered Chinese virus to every corner of the American Church leaving few pastors, churches, seminaries, Christian Schools, or Christian organizations untouched.

As the American Church has crumbled slowly from within and failed in its mission to be the spiritual conscience of the nation, America has crumbled as well. Now the Deuteronomy curses God warned about are being poured out in a calamitous crescendo as the nation edges closer toward destruction.

Everywhere, the corrupt fruit of "The 501(c)(3) heresy," proliferates. Prayer (Engel v. Vitale, 1962), the Bible (Abington Township v. Schempp, 1963) and the Ten Commandments (Stone v. Graham, 1980) have been removed from America's public schools. Murdering babies was legalized (Roe v. Wade, 1973) and continues in the states (Dobbs v. Jackson, 2022). Homosexual marriage was instituted (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015). Drug addiction has become an epidemic. Comprehensive sex education in schools sexualizes and perverts children. Crime, murder, pornography, rape, and child sex trafficking are running rampant – and America is now the greatest debtor nation in the history of the world.

So what exactly is "The 501(c)(3) heresy?" that has caused such destruction? Here are its chief tenets:

• The American Church should be a-political, staying completely out of the public square.
• Tax Exempt Status is to be prized over speaking the Truth, being salt and light – and all else.

But how did this doctrine of demons begin and then gain a stranglehold over most of the American Church like a mighty serpent crushing its victim to death before devouring it?

In 1954, then U.S. Senator (and future president) Lyndon Johnson snuck a small tax code amendment into the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. This amendment threatened churches (and other 501(c)(3) non-profits) with the loss of their tax-exempt status if they involved themselves in the political arena. Johnson introduced this amendment to settle a personal vendetta he had against a conservative non-profit group that opposed him politically in Texas – and to silence them.

Popularly known today as the Johnson Amendment, this 31-word addition to the 501(c)(3) non-profit tax code mandated that churches and other 501(c)(3) non-profits must "refrain from endorsing or opposing political candidates or contributing money to their campaigns." Any violation of these provisions would jeopardize a church or non-profit's tax-exempt status, according to IRS guidelines.

Here are the 31 words of the Johnson Amendment that were added to the 501(c)(3) IRS tax code: "…and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

Churches were suddenly faced with the dilemma of choosing between the Biblical mandate of speaking Truth to power (such as John the Baptist condemning Herod for taking his brother's wife) and its consequences (John the Baptist lost his head) – or remaining silent politically and protecting their cash.

For the first time in American history, churches began to pull back politically, choosing money over Truth – and the heretical "we don't talk about politics" church was born.

Soon, many compromised churches and non-profit organizations across the country began priding themselves on their skillfulness at avoiding political and cultural issues. This fine art of "apolitical moral piety" has now spread to the majority of American churches and Christian organizations.

No longer is the church the moral gyroscope of the nation that God intended. Instead, pastors and churches have chosen to hide behind their "we just talk about Jesus" religious rhetoric – and let the country go to hell.

Nowhere in scripture is the church commanded to be silent on moral or political issues. Period. Despite 501(c)(3) restrictions on religious free speech, pastors are still free to engage in every kind of political speech, as long as they are willing to risk their precious tax-exempt status – but few have been willing.

Further, there is little talk at most churches of a Christian's responsibility in the public square – and little encouragement of congregants to even register and vote their conscience in elections.

This is astounding as the IRS 501(c)(3) guidelines state: "…Activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity [at churches] if conducted in a nonpartisan manner."

Extending tax-exempt status to churches can be traced back at least as far as 457 B.C. when King Artaxerxes of Persia gave Jewish priest Ezra the order to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. In King Artaxerxes' royal decree, he stated, "You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God." (Ezra 7:24)

A vibrant church guarantees vast benefits to a righteous government, and more than pays the state back for the revenue it would have gained from taxing churches and non-profits; but tying a church's tax-exempt status to political silence is a diabolical infringement on constitutionally protected free speech.

The Johnson Amendment violates the political free speech rights of Christian pastors and non-profit organizations guaranteed under the First Amendment – and needs to be repealed by Congress or struck down by the courts. Though the constitutionality of the Johnson Amendment has never been properly tested in court, it would certainly fall if brought before the Supreme Court.

The chilling effect of the Johnson Amendment on free speech in the American Church has been profound and breathtaking. Its progeny, the 501(c)(3) heresy, has transformed the once vibrant and powerful American Church into a mostly fearful, greedy, and misguided band of heretics that have lost their saltiness – and as Jesus states in Luke 14:34 are not even fit for the dung heap.

Let the American Church corrupted by The 501(c)(3) heresy be on notice and be reformed before it's too late – or one day soon, we may be holding church services in Chinese, behind barbed wire fences!

Note: Please forward this article to every Christian pastor, Christian church, Christian school, and Christian organization you know – and help put an end to The 501(c)(3) heresy once and for all!

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Wednesday marked the fourth time that Prime Minister Netanyahu has addressed a joint session of Congress, the most of any world leader in history.

His staunchest critics have claimed that the real reason for his visit to the States was "to enlist domestic American support to keep waging the war" rather than to end the war and bring home the hostages. Others have faulted him for failing to deliver anything of substance in terms of a long-term solution, let alone making serious concessions toward the Palestinians. His supporters saw things very differently, with one headline proclaiming, "JOINT SESSION: In wartime address to Congress, Netanyahu gives 'masterclass in global diplomacy,' most powerful speech of his career – 55 standing ovations."

While the Middle East pundits parse the details, here are some of the most memorable lines from his speech. Bibi sure knows how to fire up the crowd. Indeed, the "no fewer than 55 standing ovations" marked "the most of any such speaker in Congressional history." (Note that he is more popular in America than in Israel, especially among American evangelicals.)

After his introductory greetings, these were his opening lines: "We meet today at a crossroads of history. Our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran's axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life."

After introducing several IDF soldiers who were sitting in the audience today, including "Lieutenant Yonatan, Jonathan Ben Hamo who lost a leg in Gaza and continued to fight," he said, "My friends, these are the soldiers of Israel – unbowed, undaunted, unafraid."

On the difference between good and evil: "Defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity. Clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil. Yet incredibly many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers. They stand with people who came into the kibbutzim, into a home, the parents hid the children, the two babies, in the attic, in a secret attic. They murdered the family, the parents, they found the secret latch to the hidden attic and then they murdered the babies. These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.

"They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians, between the democratic State of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas."

On the misguided protesters: "It's amazing, absolutely amazing. Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming 'Gays for Gaza.' They might as well hold up signs saying 'Chickens for KFC.'

"These protesters chant 'From the river to the sea.' But many don't have a clue what river and what sea they're talking about. They not only get an F in geography, they get an F in history. They call Israel a colonialist state. Don't they know that the Land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached, and where David and Solomon ruled?

"For nearly four thousand years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people. It's always been our home; it will always be our home."

On the misguided "justice" of the ICC: "The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has shamefully accused Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza. This is utter complete nonsense. It's a complete fabrication. Israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza. That's half a million tons of food, and that's more than 3,000 calories for every man, woman, and child in Gaza. If there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren't getting enough food, it's not because Israel is blocking it, it's because Hamas is stealing it."

On the difference between Israel and Hamas: "For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. For Hamas, it's a strategy. They want Palestinian civilians to die so that Israel will be smeared in the international media and be pressured to end the war before it's won."

On Iran's war with Israel and the world: "In the Middle East, Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing. And that should come as no surprise. When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, "We will export our revolution to the entire world. We will export the Islamic revolution to the entire world." Now, ask yourself, which country ultimately stands in the way of Iran's maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world? And the answer is clear: It's America, the guardian of Western civilization and the world's greatest power. That's why Iran sees America as its greatest enemy.

"Last month, I heard a revealing comment, ostensibly about the war in Gaza, but about something else. It came from the foreign minister of Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, and he said this: 'This is not a war with Israel. Israel,' he said, 'is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America.'"

Continuing with this theme: "That's why the mobs in Tehran chant 'Death to Israel' before they chant 'Death to America.' For Iran Israel is first, and America is next. So, when Israel fights Hamas, we're fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we're fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we're fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we're fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America.

"And one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we're not only protecting ourselves. We're protecting you.

"My friends, if you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory."

In sum, "The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders disarms, and returns all the hostages. But if they don't, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas' military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.

"That's what total victory means, and we will settle for nothing less."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Hunter Biden's legal risks are far from over. After having been convicted of gun charges, in a few weeks he'll face a trial on tax charges.

Multiple observers say they expect Joe Biden to deliver a pardon before he leaves office, but right now it's Hunter Biden's lawyers who are in jeopardy.

It's because a judge concluded they misrepresented the facts in demanding that those tax counts be dismissed.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday officers have apprehended two alleged leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most dangerous organized crime syndicates in the world.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, delivered remarks on the arrests, and stated: "Last year, I said that the Justice Department would never stop working to hold accountable those who are responsible for the fentanyl epidemic."

The cartel is largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans because of fentanyl members are smuggling over the southern border. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada allegedly ran the Sinaloa cartel's drug smuggling operation for decades and was a co-founder.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The number of Americans who blame Kamala Harris for hiding Joe Biden's now-obvious mental decline from the American public for months, even years, is a stunning, way-beyond-supermajority, figure.

Ninety-two percent.

The New York Post reports that's the result of a poll of nearly 1,200 registered voters by YouGov/Times of London.

"The July 22 to 23 survey was in the field after President Biden renounced his re-election campaign but before he offered a halting delivery of what was effectively a farewell speech Wednesday night from the Oval Office," the report said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Taiwanese workers employed in China-based multinational companies have had a warning from the Chinese Communist Party – you do not have to fear the new death penalty mandate, if you are not breaking the law.

China recently introduced new legal guidelines that will allow "die-hard" separatists to be executed, and according to the Telegraph, have been accepted as an intimidation tactic to put pressure on Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te, who China has labeled as a "dangerous separatist."

Taiwan and China have been locked in a power struggle for some time, with China attempting to claim dominion over the island nation and add it to its territory. However, Taiwan and its population have rejected this, and do not want to be unified with China.

Taiwan historically never has been part of China, and had indigenous people there as early as 3000 B.C. Modern day Taiwan is a leading high-tech nation, famous for its production of semiconductors used in a wide variety of electronics, including military grade weapons. As a result, Taiwan's economy is now known as "indispensable."

The new mandate, which came into effect early June, caused the Taiwanese government to raise its travel warning for China, while some companies are considering pulling Taiwanese employees out of China, according to the Telegraph.

A spokeswoman from China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, said in a statement that Taiwanese employees do not need to be alarmed, unless they engage in criminal acts.

"The majority of Taiwan compatriots, including Taiwanese employees working in multinational companies, can be completely at ease in the mainland, as long as they do not engage in criminal acts," Zhu said.

However, the mandate only adds on to China's 2005 anti-secession law. The guidelines say Chinese courts, prosecutors, public and state security bodies should "severely punish Taiwan independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes in accordance with the law," Xinhua news agency reported in late June. The mandates, however, bring up uncertainties around what a court would consider an offense.

Conversely, Chinese courts have no jurisdiction over Taiwan.

Tensions have been mounting for months, with China taking part in war games not long after Taiwan's president was inaugurated in January.

During an interview with Bloomberg in June, former President Donald Trump said Taiwan should be paying for defense from the U.S., noting Taiwan had taken much of America's computer chip business.

"Look, a couple of things. No. 1, Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100% of our chip business. I think Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we're no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn't give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away. It's 68 miles away from China. A slight advantage, and China's a massive piece of land, they could just bombard it. They don't even need to – I mean, they can literally just send shells. Now they don't want to do that because they don't want to lose all those chip plants," Trump told Bloomberg.

China has suspended negotiations on nuclear non-proliferation with the U.S. over its involvement with an arms deal with Taiwan. Al Jazeera reported July 18, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, said in a regular news conference the deal "seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms-control consultations."

"Consequently, the Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the U.S. on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation," Lin Jian said during a news briefing in Beijing.

Taiwan has now kicked off anti-invasion military exercises this past week.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a warning to his citizens, telling them they must prepare for "black swan" or "gray rhino" events to become more frequent, signaling China's decline into crises.

According to a report from Xinhua News Agency, Xi released a document during a third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, stating the world is accelerating toward conflict and China's development is going through a period of uncertainties.

A "gray rhino" is an event where the risk was foreseeable, but overlooked, while a "black swan" is an unexpected event that carries significant consequences.

Examples of "black swan" and "gray rhino" events include the territorial conflict with Taiwan, conflict in the South China Sea, and deteriorating relations with the Philippines. This also includes China facing economic strain, as the nation is now over $30 trillion in debt.

Other domestic issues like the current real estate slump and a rising crime rate are also causing concern to China's communist government.

After the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the odds of Trump becoming the 47th president substantially increased, forcing China to admit they could face deepening economic woes if Trump makes it back to the White House.

During his first term, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all Chinese exports coming into the U.S., and has promised to reestablish these tariffs, possibly increasing the tariffs up to 60%.

In the document, over 60 provisions and 300 reform tasks are dedicated to developing improvements to national defense security, defense technology optimization, as well as improving security through military and supply chain enhancements.

Meanwhile, researchers from Fudan University in China have found the nation's 1.4 billion population is on the precipice of a large decline, and will sustain 19 million deaths per year by 2061, according to a report from the South China Morning Post.

China's one-child policy has made the population growth come to a grinding halt, and it is close to not being able to recover. Fewer couples are willing to have children after the policy was dropped in 2015, and even fewer Chinese people want to be married.

The birth rate fell dramatically in 2021, reaching its lowest level since records began in 1949 – with only 10 births per 1,000 people. The overall global birth rate was 18 births per 1,000 people in 2021. The low birth rate was blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, but broke records again in 2022, with only 9.56 million births, and dropped even lower in 2023.