This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
After two years in brutal captivity under Hamas, Israeli hostages are expected to begin to get released today. But when, specifically, will that release begin?
Appearing on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, Vice President JD Vance gave the latest update. "It's hard to say [when the release will begin] because obviously this is a war zone," he said. "They have to locate the hostages, they have to gather them up, they have to take them to a safe place and then transport them, so it's a little bit unpredictable. But we've been told to expect them by tomorrow, Israel time, which of course will be early morning here in the United States. We'll see what happens, but the president is extremely confident these hostages are going to come home. He's actually flying to the Middle East later today so he can welcome them in person."
Vance pointed out how the corporate media continuously criticizes the president's leadership and diplomatic style. However, whatever the criticism, the president actually gets results. "It's an amazing thing, but I think that it shows the power of President Trump's non-conventional leadership style, and that's why we're here," said Vance. "I think the whole country — we should just be proud. We should be proud of this negotiating team, we should be proud of our country, because these hostages are going to live their lives thanks to what the United States of America did."
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East, Trump said the 20 hostages may be released "a little bit early."
"So, they have the hostages — I understand all 20 — and we may get them out a little bit early," Trump said. "Getting them was amazing, actually, because we were involved, and they were in places you don't want to know about."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Letitia James, the New York attorney general whose vast civil fraud case against President Donald Trump collapsed in an appeals court decision that her punishment of $500 million was unconstitutional, was herself indicted on mortgage fraud this week.
And she had, likely injudiciously, commented on social media about her agenda against Trump, who she promised to "get" when she was campaigning for office.
She had said, "When powerful people cheat to get better loans, it comes at the expense of hardworking people. Everyday Americans cannot lie to a bank to get a mortgage, and if they did, our government would throw the book at them. There simply cannot be different rules for different people."
That was in February 2024 when she was attacking Trump on a regular basis on social media.
But now she's indicted on allegations she falsely claimed a home she bought in Virginia was for her personal residence, in order to obtain a better mortgage interest rate, but then she leased it as a rental, confirming both claims in government records.
Online, people were lined up to remind her of her comments, which have "aged like milk," according to Kelly Currie.
And the Federalist's Sean Davis cited her words, "When powerful people cheat to get better loans."
Commentator and political analyst Brit Hume said, "Worth remembering."
And commenter Greg Price, added, "So true."
State Freedom Caucus leader Adam Morgan noted, "Couldn't have said it better myself."
And Red State contributor Bonchie said, "So true, queen."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Dominion Voting Systems was a company at the center of election manipulation concerns during the 2020 elections. It defended the accuracy of its machines, its own integrity, and sued multiple defendants for defamation when they criticized.
It obtained a settlement in the range of $700 million from Fox News over the issue, and in the past few weeks frantically has been settling other cases, mostly for hidden terms.
On Thursday, the company was sold.
"As of today, Dominion is gone," said a statement from Liberty Vote, the new owner, which claimed its purchase was "a bold and historic move to transform and improve election integrity in America."
The buyer, known formerly as Knowink, was founded by Scott Leiendecker.
Reports revealed Leiendecker founded his company in 2011 with the creation of the Poll Pad – tech that provides check-in and voter verification procedures.
It has grown to the point it employs more than 150 people with some $55 million in annual revenue.
Leiendecker's team also recently acquired Election Administrators, another election tech company.
The company said it prioritizes paper ballots, but the exact future for Dominion Voting Systems vote-counting machines remained uncertain, likely the subject of a future announcement by Liberty Vote.
Leiendecker previously had been an election director for the city of St. Louis, where he worked to reform a series of outdated procedures to provide the city when a smoother election process.
A legacy wire service report explained, "Conservatives and other Trump supporters blamed the company, one of the nation's top voting machine makers, for the Republican's loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Many alleged, without evidence, that its systems were easily manipulated. Dominion had provided voting machines for the state of Georgia, a critical battleground that Biden won and which flipped control of the U.S. Senate. The web of conspiracy theories following the 2020 election not only caused headaches for Dominion but also undermined public confidence in U.S. elections, led to calls to ban voting machines and triggered death threats against elections officials."
ABC reported Dominion systems were used in 27 states in 2024.
The terms of the sale also were not made public right away, but Dominion's website immediately redirected to Liberty Vote.
A report at UPI revealed Leiendecker said, "Liberty Vote signals a new chapter for American elections — one where trust is built from the ground up. Liberty Vote is committed to delivering election technology that prioritizes paper-based transparency, security, and simplicity so that voters can be assured that every ballot is filled-in accurately and fairly counted."
President Donald Trump also has called for restoration of paper ballots across the country, in addition to requiring voter ID at polling locations, restricted mail-in ballots and more.
"This announcement raises a lot of questions, questions that I'm sure a lot of states with current Dominion contracts are going to want answers to," said David Becker, of the Center for Election Innovation & Research.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
One day after the two year anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against Israel, President Donald Trump announced a peace deal to free the remaining hostages has finally been accepted.
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump said on Truth Social.
"This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!
"This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"
The measure is reportedly set for signing at noon Thursday in Israel.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "With God's help we will bring them all home."
"If Donald Trump doesn't get the Nobel Peace Prize, the committee should disband," said Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham on the development.
"This is a historic achievement," Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief of Breitbart News told Ingraham. "He has taken away all of Hamas' leverage over Israel. It's gone now. The hostages were the leverage.
"If they're coming home now, we're gonna have a celebration, but it also could be the end of Hamas as a military power in the region. This could be the beginning of lasting peace in the region, God willing."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before a Senate hearing on Tuesday, a hearing that multiple media outlets considered "combative."
And leftists online were critical of her presence, her behavior, and her answers, in a situation that appeared to leave Democrats triggered when Bondi refused to allow them to pursue trick questions.
For example, Sen. Dick Blumenthal, D-Conn., suggestively questioned her about her conversations about a certain legal dispute involving a merger.
She responded with heat.
"Sen. Blumenthal, I cannot believe you would accuse me of impropriety, when you lied about your military service…. You admitted you lied … to be elected…. You lied. How dare you. I'm a career prosecutor. Don't you ever challenge my integrity," She tossed back.
Then there was Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who seemed to suggest that there was something inappropriate about the use of National Guard members to crack down on rampant crime in American cities.
Bondi said, "Yeah, Chairman, as you shut down the government, and you're sitting here. Our law enforcement officers aren't being paid. … They're out there working to protect you. I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump. And currently, the National Guard are on the way to Chicago. If you're not going to protect your citizens, President Trump will."
An online commenter explained, "Admittedly she did well, but it really was a battle of wits against an unarmed opponent."
Even leftists trying to portray her as failing, who posted a video of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, came up short.
He kept insisting that she explained the details of an FBI case and claims against Tom Homan, the border security chief, that involved a supposed cash payment.
He wanted to know where the cash ended up.
She explained, over and over, the FBI investigated the case fully and found "no credible evidence" of wrongdoing.
She invited him to talk to the FBI about the status of any cash involved.
After she answered his questions, he complained she was incapable of answering simple questions.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In 2020, the Census Bureau undercounted the population in five mostly Republican states: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.
And it overcounted in six mostly Democrat states: Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island.
It also undercounted Democrat Illinois and overcounted Republican Utah and Ohio.
But the bottom line, according to a letter from Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is that "the political infrastructure determined by the census — the Electoral College, congressional districts, and congressional seat apportionment — are built on inaccurate information. We are stuck using these faulty census results until the 2030 Census because, even if we had another census now, U.S. Code mandates that mid-decade census results 'Shall not be used for apportionment of representatives in Congress … nor shall such information be used in prescribing congressional districts,'" explains a report at the Federalist.
Among the results is that that count "wrongly" gave "six congressional seats and Electoral College votes to the Democrat party."
Banks' letter to the Census Bureau charged, "The reports may have also miscounted the population in a number of voting districts. And the reports definitively included illegal aliens without tracking those aliens' citizenship status. If left uncorrected, these errors will continue diluting the political power of American citizens."
The Federalist explained we know about the overcounts and undercounts because the Census admitted that.
Banks now wants "information that will make it possible to review the accuracy of the 2020 Census and to assure an accurate count in 2030."
Banks charges that the Census Bureau "published census data using a new methodology that intentionally miscounted the population and masked demographic data. The methodology, differential privacy, injects noise into individual voting districts."
"Differential privacy," the report explains, "is a method of collecting data that is supposed to protect privacy by adding random data into the mix so no one can be sure if the data they are looking at is accurate or the added fake data. From there, algorithms are applied that get the data in the ballpark, but never a precise count."
Banks warned that the results of the Biden administration's intervention in the census is that the results gave "disproportionate political power to Democrats and illegal aliens."
The real numbers, collected before they were manipulated through Biden's "treatment," have remained secret, he said.
"It is crucial that the Census Bureau republishes the 2020 Census using the raw data," Banks said.
The report explained, "Before the 2020 census, the Trump administration requested citizenship status be included in the questions, but the request was challenged and the Supreme Court stopped the inclusion of that question. But, according to Banks' letter, it was a procedural decision and did not address whether illegal aliens could be excluded from the census. "
He charged it is "crucial" that the 2030 Census "does not allocate political power to illegal aliens. Counting illegal aliens as part of a state's population means that states with more illegal aliens get more government funding and more voting power. States with sanctuary cities benefit the most."
Adam Kincaid, of the American Redistricting Project, told the Federalist the wrongful counts impact the nation's greatest decisions – picking a president.
"Electoral College votes are determined by the total number of House and Senate seats a state has. For example, sparsely populated Wyoming has one representative seat and two senators for a total of three Electoral College votes," the report said.
Kincaid said, "We are living in a malapportioned country right now… The Electoral College should be about six seats, redder — six votes, redder than it is. And a proper apportionment likely means that Republicans this decade would be able to win the White House without winning a single Rust Belt state. So, we are electing the [Republican] president right now with a handicap of six votes."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The chances that there soon will be a less violent Middle East rose on Friday, when Hamas apparently agreed to release hostages, dead and alive.
The movement from the terrorist organization that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, slaughtering some 1,200 Israelis and taking others hostage, came just hours after the White House set a deadline for a response to a peace proposal.
The Daily Signal said Hamas reportedly agreed to the hostage release and to give up power to a Palestinian body.
"Hamas has signaled it is ready to begin negotiations to determine the details of the deal," the report said.
""Hamas says it has agreed to release all Israeli hostages and signaled its readiness to enter negotiations to work out the details. Don't get too excited – it's the 'details' that could be the dealbreaker," author and pro-Israel activist Aviva Klompas wrote on X Friday.
The Daily Caller News Foundation said Hamas' agreement was tentative.
It assumes there is "Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support."
The report said, "The agreement marks a major breakthrough in negotiations that have dragged on for years, but it remains unclear how Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will react to a partial agreement."
Trump's deadline had been set at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Sunday.
"If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas," Trump wrote.
The report explained, "Palestinian residents have been chafing under Hamas leadership, begging the group to sign the peace deal to bring some semblance of stability and hope for the destitute region. Over 33,000 Palestinians have been displaced as a result of Israeli campaigns, while nearly one in four Gazans face famine as an average of eight mass casualty incidents occur daily, according to United Nations (UN) data."
Trump's plan is for release of hostages, control passing to an "international stabilization force," withdrawal of Israel's troops, creation of a security buffer between Gaza and Israel and more.
President Trump posted to his Truth Social account Friday evening a statement from Hamas:
Later Trump posted this statement about the developments:
"Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it's far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Under Barack Obama's regime, the Internal Revenue Service was weaponized to delay and deny required governmental permissions for conservative charitable organizations that wanted to sound off on his re-election campaign, which he won, to operate.
They were grilled over their donors, their beliefs, their prayers and much more. Applications were lost and required a second submission. Free speech was under fire.
That treatment was unlike other groups that promoted a liberal agend
Eventually, the IRS was forced to confess, and it even settled a number of lawsuits over its actions.
But now a federal court has ruled that one of the components that appeared in that agenda is unconstitutional.
A report at the Washington Examiner points to a ruling from Washington, D.C., judge Jia Cobb.
The court found that a test used by the IRS, involving "facts and circumstances," was unconstitutionally vague.
The ruling said an organization called Freedom Path could not be rejected by the IRS for its requested tax standing because of the failing in the federal process.
But it continued the case, as neither side, Freedom Path nor the IRS, had suggested a standard that could be imposed.
The judge said the IRS violated constitutional protections by denying the tax-exempt status the organization requested.
"The ruling held that the agency's 'facts and circumstances' framework, an 11-part analysis derived from a 2004 IRS revenue ruling, fails to survive the heightened scrutiny required when government rules implicate First Amendment speech rights," the report said.
Freedom Path, founded in Texas in during 2011, when Obama remained in control of the IRS, sought tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(4). Years later, the IRS denied the request.
The group then sued, explaining the test was so unclear it gave bureaucrats total discretion to punish political speech.
They are right, Cobb said. "The Treasury regulation and IRS Revenue Ruling that the IRS applied in denying Freedom Path's application transgress the heightened vagueness standard applicable to civil regulations… that affect speech covered by the First Amendment."
The report said Lex Politica represented Freedom Path and CEO Chris Gober explained the ruling vindicates concerns IRS rules have been used to "silence disfavored viewpoints."
"This ruling is a victory not just for Freedom Path, but for every American who believes government bureaucrats shouldn't be able to bully citizens into silence," Gober said on social media.
During that time period, when the IRS targeted "right-leaning" groups, IRS official Lois Lerner publicly confessed the agency had been targeting any groups with names like "Tea Party" and "Patriot."
Gober has explained a lot of those IRS officials still are in office, and still are using their schemes.
"In Freedom Path's case, the IRS demanded donor information and evaluated the group's advertisements and mailers under the disputed test. Ultimately, it found that more than half of the organization's spending amounted to political campaign intervention and denied its exemption, a determination the court has now rejected as constitutionally flawed," the report said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The transgender radicalism in the state of Minnesota, run by Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, has landed the state in violation of federal law.
Officials there have been given 10 days by the Department of Education to comply with the federal Title IX statute or face a Department of Justice referral.
It's because the state's transgender agenda that infringes on the rights of girls has allowed a boy to be on a girls' high school softball team.
The violation notice also confirmed that the state has let males into girls' alpine skiing, girls' Nordic skiing, girls' lacrosse, girls' track and field and girls' volleyball teams.
"For too many years, Minnesota's political leadership has found itself on the wrong side of justice, common sense, and the American people. Now the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League find themselves on the wrong side of Title IX by allowing males to compete in women's sports," explained Craig Trainor, the DOE acting assistant secretary of civil rights.
"The Trump Administration will not allow Minnesota or any other state to sacrifice the safety, fair treatment, and dignity of its female students to appease the false idols of radical gender ideology. Once an education program or entity takes federal funds, Title IX compliance becomes mandatory. And the federal government will hold Minnesota accountable until it recognizes that fact."
The state was allowed 10 days to change its policies to comply with federal law.
A report from Fox News said it also must comply with President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" order.
The determination of violation came from both the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.
"President Donald Trump's administration found the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) in violation of Title IX after two months-long investigation into state policies and a transgender pitcher leading a girls' high school softball team to a state championship," Fox reported.
Specifically, the report charged the "male pitcher" in question "overpowered female athletes during five consecutive matches, only giving up one earned run over the source of 35 innings and striking out 27 female batters."
The state has been told to change any provisions letting males compete in girls' sports, and ensure that interscholastic programs in the state comply with the federal law.
They also must adopt biology-based definitions of "male" and "female."
Further, the state must restore to female athletes all records and titles misappropriated by males and apologize.
The threat includes a referral to the DOJ, which already has sued Maine and California over the same misbehavior.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump on Monday released an outline of what he hopes to see develop for Gaza, that parcel of land adjacent to Israel that for years has been controlled by Hamas terrorists who on that fateful Oct. 7, in 2023, invaded Israel, slaughtered some 1,200 citizens and kidnapped hundreds more.
Stunningly, it includes amnesty for Hamas members who are committed to "peaceful co-existence" and who decommission their weapons.
Trump has been pledging to end the war the erupted following that invasion since before he was elected, and has been working on it since he took office.
On Monday, Trump released his agenda for the zone, under which Gaza would be "a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors."
It would be "redeveloped" for the benefit of residents.
His plan would have the war end immediately with Israeli forces withdrawing to an agreed upon line, and while preparations are made for the release of all hostages, dead and alive, military ops would halt.
Once all the hostages are returned, Israel would release 250 life sentence prisoners plus another 1,700 Gazans who have been detained.
"Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty," he proposes.
Aid, including equipment needed to rehab the infrastructure, hospitals and more, would follow soon.
Trump said Israel has accepted the multi-point plan, and the requirement still needed is acceptance by Hamas.
"We're at a minimum, very, very close," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I believe that today we're taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East."
Officials for Hamas said the leaders had not yet been fully briefed.
Trump confirmed that if Hamas rejects the latest plan, Israeli would have America's full support to "finish" the war.
"Bibi, you'd have our full backing to do what you would have to do."
The plan would have Gaza governed "under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee." It would include qualified Palestinians and international experts.
An economic development plan would come from a panel of experts, and a special economic zone would be set up to produce tariff and access rates.
No one would be forced to leave Gaza, nor would anyone who wants to leave be prevented.
"Regional partners" would provide a guarantee that Hamas will comply with its obligations.
An international force would provide security and police protection until a new force is trained.
Israel would not annex Gaza and its defense forces would withdraw.
"While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people," the guidelines note. "The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence."