This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – A clearer picture of Israel's remarkable attack on Iran in late October emerged over the last few days as the full extent of the targets struck – and their importance – to the Islamic Republic came into sharper focus.
The satellite imagery available shortly after the strikes (as in within a few hours) strongly suggested that Israel's unprecedented strike – which came in a wave of sorties and was carried out by anywhere between one-third and a half of Israel's entire air force – had caused significant damage to a number of critical Iranian sites, including those associated with its clandestine nuclear program.
In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus told CNN, "Of course the Iranian regime would want to play down the success of Israeli strikes, but there's a lot of visual and radar information, as well as reports from the ground, will confirm the damage at locations such as the nuclear site in Parchin."
It can now be confirmed Iran "was actively conducting research that would support construction of a nuclear device – a process known as weaponization – at a site the Israeli Air Force destroyed during its Oct. 25 counterstrike against the Islamic Republic, an Axios report revealed on Nov. 15. The small building, known as Taleghan 2, was located within Iran's Parchin military complex," according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
The Taleghan 2 facility in the Parchin military complex which was destroyed in the strike was used prior to 2003 for testing explosives needed to set off a nuclear device, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. Both the U.S. and Israel were deeply concerned earlier this year about what appeared to be a resumption of Iranian weaponization research activities. This included unnamed U.S. and Israeli officials expressing concern Iran was engaged in computer modeling and metallurgical research useful in building nuclear weapons. However, the reports which followed these allegations from intelligence figures neither elaborated on the nature of the research nor Iran's motivation for carrying it out.
An unclassified assessment sent to Congress in July by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said that since 2020, Iran has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so."
The ODNI assessment, meanwhile, omitted an assertion, made in its 2023 report to Congress, about Iran "not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device."
All of this serves to muddy the waters, as officially the fatwa – or religious edict – which the Islamic Republic's supposedly ailing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei imposed against the development of nuclear weapons officially remains in place. However, Iran's recent conduct would strongly suggest those pushing for the removal of the ban would seem to be winning the day.
Israel's strike against the Taleghan 2 facility is also noteworthy because of the message it sent, with arguably multiple recipients. When confirming the strike, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Biden White House the IAF had not targeted Iran's nuclear facilities. To a large extent this was true, at least not the more visible elements of it. However, Israel justified hitting Taleghan because it argued it was part of the Islamic Republic's undeclared nuclear program – and therefore, fair game.
Among a whole series of messages sent to Iran across the broad sweep of strikes dotted around the country, the targeting of Taleghan confirmed Israel had a very good idea of what was really going on – and it had the capability to not only disrupt, but severely retard the nuclear weaponization going on there. This was clearly another hit to Iran's prestige – both domestic and foreign, because it again highlighted how compromised its security apparatus is.
Targeting Taleghan also sent a more subtle message to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in particular and the wider international community in general. Israel effectively said, "We don't care what the Iranians have been telling you – and whether inspectors are permitted at Iran's official nuclear sites or not – or whether the regime is giving them the runaround – we know what's going on and where it's taking place. Not only that, we don't fully trust you to take care of this existential issue – so we are showing we have the willingness and the capability to take it on ourselves."
Despite its bellicose bluster, Iran has yet to respond – as it promised to do – to Israel's retaliation for its own Oct. 1 ballistic missile strike. Several variables have shifted – perhaps momentously – since it unleashed those 181 projectiles at the Jewish state, which might be staying its hand. Israel's strike is known to have completely taken out its most advanced air defense systems – the Russian-made S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft batteries. Images of antiquated flak guns trying to take out F-35 stealth bombers and F-15 fighter jets over the darkened skies of Tehran will linger long in the memory. Iran is effectively naked against Israel's air power. Not only do the Iranians know it, they know the Israelis know it too.
The other major – and obvious – development is the reelection of Donald J. Trump as America's 47th president. The admixture of his bombast and unpredictability, and including highly credible evidence Iran targeted him for assassination following the elimination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Qassem Soleimani, means the mullahs in Tehran are somewhat on their heels.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A parent's criticism of a school teacher's decision to spout anti-Semitic comments about Israel is protected by the Constitution as well as state law, a top-flight legal team is arguing in defense of the parent in a defamation claim by the teacher.
A report from the American Center and Law and Justice explained the fight is over comments by Michelle Bernstein, a parent in an Illinois school district, about the anti-Semitic claims from the local school theater director.
"Our Founders recognized the paramount importance of free speech and a free press when they enshrined those liberties in the First Amendment. They understood that unfettered debate on public issues is essential for self-governance and that the free exchange of ideas is the best antidote to the darkness of censorship and tyranny," the ACLJ explained in its report.
"Yet today we see troubling efforts to undermine these fundamental freedoms. Powerful interests, whether in government, business, or elsewhere, are increasingly turning to the courts in a cynical attempt to punish, bankrupt, and silence those who support Israel. By filing meritless lawsuits, they seek to exploit the time and expense of litigation to censor opposing viewpoints. This 'lawfare' tactic is a direct assault on the First Amendment. Instead of engaging in the arena of public debate, these bad actors weaponize the legal system to intimidate and oppress those who dare to challenge the status quo."
The ACLJ said the war erupted after the public employee posted a story on her personal Instagram account "that accused the Israeli military of 'crimes against humanity' and 'ethnic cleansing.'"
In response Bernstein, a parent in the district, learned about the post and commented on social media about what the play director said.
She "shared her opinion that these statements were 'slandering the IDF and Israel' and 'anti-Semitic.' In other words, Bernstein learned about this teacher's post, which was circulating the social media of the high school community and was disseminated to many students, and viewed the teacher's statements to be anti-Semitic, slanderous of Israel, and inappropriate for a public employee who is shaping the young minds of students."
The case then was brought by Britnee Kenyon, the play official.
"This case is not only important for defending free speech and stopping anti-Israel lawfare, but also for defending the right of parents to advocate for appropriate action in their local schools," the legal team said.
"Anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world. The problem is everywhere, from attacks on Jews in Amsterdam, where a mob attacked Jews with knives and bats, chasing them and shouting anti-Israel slogans, to college campuses that 'overwhelmingly failed' to address anti-Semitism on their campuses," explained the ACLJ.
The teacher brought state-law claims of defamation, false light, and tortious interference with contractual relations and the ACLJ confirmed it is defending Bernstein in federal court.
"First, our client is protected by the Illinois Citizen Participation Act (ICPA), which immunizes a citizen's acts in furtherance of the constitutional rights of speech, petition, and participation in government. Bernstein's statements on social media criticizing this post and urging the community to contact the school board fall squarely within the ICPA's protections. Further, Bernstein's statements were opinions, not statements of fact, and thus cannot be the basis for defamation liability under Illinois law," the legal team said.
Then, too, the "First Amendment bars Kenyon's claims. Bernstein's speech, which constitutes an opinion, is protected. The First Amendment prohibits liability for such expressions of opinion, even if they are 'harsh, critical, or even abusive.' Courts have routinely held that accusations of racism, fascism, or anti-Semitism are not actionable because they are inherently subjective and not provably false."
The lawyers wrote, "This case is an example of such lawfare: A lawsuit is being used as a tactic to try to stifle pro-Israeli speech."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed hackers associated with the People's Republic of China have stolen data related to lawful wiretaps, after hacking into a number of U.S. telecommunication providers.
In a joint statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency said the ongoing investigation into China's targeting of commercial telecommunications infrastructure has uncovered a significant espionage campaign.
"We have identified that PRC-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies to enable the theft of customer call records data," the statement reads.
Furthermore, the FBI said the hacking activity compromised private communications between certain individuals involved in government and politics, while other information "subject to U.S. law enforcement requests," were illegally copied.
"We expect our understanding of these compromises to grow as the investigation continues."
In late October, Politico reported then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, had been two of those people targeted by Chinese hackers.
Trump's campaign team were informed there was a potential breach, which could have given hackers access to private communications, and even location data, as Trump uses his private iPhone for social media and making calls and sending text messages.
During the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats in April, FBI Director Christopher Wray said China poses a "broad and unrelenting" threat to U.S. national and economic security, with U.S. critical infrastructure being a prime target.
"The PRC has made it clear that it considers every sector that makes our society run as fair game in its bid to dominate on the world stage, and that its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic and break America's will to resist," Wray said.
Wray noted the threat is "driven by the CCP's [Chinese Communist Party] aspiration to wealth and power," and pointed out China will "seize economic development in the areas most critical to tomorrow's economy," by any means necessary if it gives them an edge over the U.S.
One week before the Vanderbilt Summit, Wray had warned Congress about the growing danger of Chinese hackers on U.S. telecommunications and infrastructure.
In January, Wray admitted the Chinese have a huge advantage over U.S. intelligence agencies, because the amount of hackers China has vastly outpaces the number of FBI agents available to combat them.
"The PRC has a bigger hacking program than that of every major nation combined. In fact, if you took every single one of the FBI's cyber agents and intelligence analysts, and focused them exclusively on the China threat; China's hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1," Wray said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The owner of a major newspaper influencing America, the Los Angeles Times, just days ago confirmed the publication would not endorse the Democrat nominee for resident as it had in past years.
Now owner Soon-Shiong has confirmed that the publication soon will have an all-new editorial board.
The abrupt change comes as legacy media outlets across America are trying to regain some semblance of integrity after having gone fully political for the Kamala Harris campaign in recent months.
Before then, they were all in for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, sometimes amplifying political campaign talking points to deafening levels. It was legacy media that preached nonstop to America during President-elect Donald Trump's first campaign "Russia, Russia, Russia" and then concealed massive Biden family scandals revealed in Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop during Trump's second.
Now, Deadline is reporting that there had been plans for the publication to endorse Harris, but Soon-Shiong "scuttled" it.
"The billionaire Abraxane creator is now putting a whole new editorial board in place," the report said.
A report at Fox News said that soon, "all voices" will be represented in the publication.
Soon-Shiong recently confirmed his plans to try to regain "trust in media."
He said, "The American people have spoken and @latimes will take the lead to provide factual and balanced coverage as the country heals its division."
The report noted, "Soon-Shiong also retweeted a post-election clip from CNN's Scott Jennings where the commentator wrote, '3:38am – reflecting on Trump's impending victory and coming Harris concession. Trump has a mandate. The late stage mirage of Harris momentum was crushed by regular working class Americans of all races.'"
The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, also recently canned its agenda to endorse for the 2024 vote, stunning readers who had counted on it going all-in for Harris.
The L.A. Times owner promised, "I will work towards making our paper and media fair and balanced so that all voices are heard and we can respectfully exchange every American's view."
The he said, "Coming soon, a new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy."
The move, if accomplished, would follow years of expressly advocating for leftist ideologies at the paper.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Amid an exploding scandal about how much Kamala Harris spent to campaign for president, some $1 billion, and how much she still owes, millions, and what she paid those celebrities to endorse her, some, without investigating, accused singer Lee Greenwood of being paid by the Trump campaign.
It deteriorated quickly for the accuser, who was informed by none other than Lee Greenwood himself that he has been paid … exactly nothing.
"I have received $0 from the Trump Campaign or the Trump Organization to perform/appear at Trump Rallies or Events. I have supported President Trump since 2015 without any form of payment. My wife worked for him for over 20 years prior to him running for president. I am happy to have stood by him and that he has used my song since the beginning," said the singer, whose "God Bless the USA" has been featured at Trump events.
It was "MeadowShadow" who had started the fracas, stating, "Let's be fair. Find out how much Trump campaign paid 'celebrities' like @TheLeeGreenwood…"
Another commenter pointed out that, "You don't need a billion dollars to run a campaign when people actually like and support you."
Harris continues fundraising even now, apparently to pay off her campaign debt.
A comment at Twitchy explained, "It turns out Kamala Harris actually PAID those famous entertainers to perform AND endorse her, from Oprah Winfrey (who denies it BUT we've seen the receipts, Harpo) to Beyoncé and Lizzo … not to mention Cardi B. who read her endorsement from her phone. MILLIONS and millions of dollars spent on famous people because Team Harris thought that would somehow appeal to everyday Americans."
It cited then the accusation about Greenwood, which "didn't go over so hot."
"Hey, just because Kamala had to buy people, that doesn't mean Trump did as well."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A weapons package worth $15 billion soon could be purchased by Taiwan from the U.S., in order to demonstrate to President-elect Donald Trump that the island nation is serious about its defense against China.
According to a report from the Financial Times, Taiwan could purchase Patriot missiles, retired warships, Advanced Hawkeyes and F-35 fighter jets,
A former Trump administration official told FT Taiwan wants to make the purchase to "show they are serious," and noted if Taiwan goes through with the deal, "they will go to the U.S. national security advisor… and present a very aggressive package of American hardware."
FT further reported a senior Taiwanese national security official said there had been informal talks with Trump's team about an arms deal that would demonstrate how serious Taiwan is about its own defense – this only coming a few short months after China carried out "drills" around Taiwan, cutting off key port entries.
"There are quite a few big platforms and other items that our armed forces have had their eyes on for a long time but have not been able to acquire, so there's a lot to choose from," the official told FT.
However, according to Reuters, Taiwan has denied any arms deals with the U.S. in the foreseeable future, with the Taiwanese government releasing a statement saying there are no new discussions in the works.
"There has been a period of consolidation and discussion between Taiwan and the United States on military needs, but there is no new stage of discussion at this time," it said.
Reuters further reported Taiwan has complained they have not yet received the $20 billion in weapons they have ordered from the U.S.
In May, Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that Taiwan took much of the U.S. chip-making, but noted if China takes Taiwan, China could potentially turn the world "off."
"If China takes Taiwan, they will turn the world off, potentially, I mean potentially, but remember this …Taiwan took our business away, we should have stopped them, we should have taxed them, we should have tariffed them."
In late October, the Biden administration approved a $2 billion second-hand arms deal with Taiwan, which included ground-based radar systems for medium and long-range air surveillance, and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, along with other equipment.
In response, China said it would take countermeasures against Taiwan. During an interview with TaiwanPlus News, Ben Lewis, co-founder of PLATracker, an organization that tracks Chinese military activity around Taiwan, said "countermeasures" is a broad term for coercion, and the arms deal between the Biden administration and Taiwan is "significant."
"These weapons are very significant, I mean NASAMs, you know, is a power capability, it has been combat-tested in Ukraine … It's something that Taiwan needs in terms of bolstering its air defense," Lewis said, adding the best way for Taiwan to defend against China is through its air defense.
Whether the $15 billion arms deal comes to fruition or not, China will unveil its new stealth J-35 fighter jet ahead of the nation's biannual International Aviation and Aerospace Expo, according to TaiwanPlus News. The stealth aircraft has a similar shape to the U.S.'s F-35 fighter jet, and China plans to use the jets on its aircraft carriers.
American Economic Institute nonresident Senior Fellow and Tufts University professor Michael Beckley said in a keynote address to the 2024 World Knowledge Forum that China is on the decline, and is unlikely to just bow-out of its declining economic and geopolitical position. Specifically, China's economy is not just slowing down, but actually reversing.
"China's rise is not just slowing down, it's not just ending, it's starting to reverse," Beckley noted, adding the "China hangover" has begun, where many countries who have tied their economic growth to China, are now feeling the sting of China's slowdown.
"They got rich selling into the China market, they became dependent on Chinese loans, but now the slowdown in China's economy, which lifted up so many economies around the world, is gonna drag more of them back down, and already countries are starting to point the finger at China."
The slowdown is happening alongside China being put into a precarious geopolitical position, which could force it to conflict with its adversaries. Beckley believes China will not react well to the pressures.
"It's [China] a classic "Peaking Power," meaning it was once rising, but now its facing slowing growth, both in greater geopolitical push back, and what we've seen from past peaking powers in history; is that they don't just mellow-out and dial back their ambitions – they tend to crack down on dissent at home, and then expand aggressively abroad," Beckley said, adding China is already heading down that path.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A case has been brought to court in Texas by state Attorney General Ken Paxton against a doctor who is accused of handing out puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children as young as 12 – all in violation of state law.
A report in the Washington Stand documents the case being brought against Hector Granados, of El Paso.
"Granados unlawfully treated 21 patients with testosterone or puberty blockers to transition their biological sex or affirm their belief that their gender identity is inconsistent with their biological sex in violation of SB 14," according to the new court filing.
"Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, when used to transition a child's biological sex or affirm their belief that their gender identity or sex is inconsistent with their biological sex, interfere with a child's normal physical development and result in long-term harm to the child."
LGTB ideologies have permeated the U.S. since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have made promoting those ideas, especially the theory of transgenderism, a top priority for their administration.
The consequences for children given the "treatments" include "sterilization, loss of bone density, and the development of irreversible secondary opposite sex characteristics," the case charges.
Texas lawmakers in 2023 adopted a law that protects minors from harmful, life-altering medical maneuvers.
The law was allowed to take effect after a challenge that reached up to the Texas Supreme Court, which threw out constitutional concerns.
But, the report noted, "It seems that medical profiteers in Texas would not sacrifice their golden goose so readily. After Texas Children's Hospital in Houston publicly discontinued its gender transition program in 2023, it continued to secretly provide gender transition procedures to minors, according to the testimony of two independent whistleblowers. The first whistleblower now faces a politicized federal indictment, while the second was abruptly fired in August."
The report noted the state law allows the state attorney general to sue to enforce the law, and Paxton used that provision to bring the case.
The Stand noted Paxton just weeks ago brought a similar action against a physician in Dallas, May Lau, for similar behaviors.
In an announcement about the fight, Paxton said, "Texas is cracking down on doctors illegally prescribing dangerous 'gender transition' drugs to children. State law forbids prescribing these interventions to minors because they have irreversible and damaging effects. Any physician found doing so will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Granados is accused in the fight of falsely diagnosing seven minors with "precocious puberty" then "falsely" billing insurance for that circumstance "when, in fact, he was treating the patients 'for gender dysphoria,'" the report said.
The state is accusing Granados of deceptively misleading pharmacies, insurance providers, and patients "by falsifying patient medical records, prescriptions, and billing records to indicate that office visits and prescriptions written to minor patients are for precocious puberty when, in fact, they are to transition their biological sex."
Granados also is accused of treating 14 biological females" to transition the minor's biological sex…"
All of that constitutes "false, misleading, or deceptive practices," the state charges.
The Stand commented, "Cases like this underscore the importance of enforcement provisions in state laws addressing gender transition procedures for minors. Although 26 states have passed legislation that aims to protect minors from gender transition procedures, only 10 states — less than half — allow the attorney general to enforce the law through civil litigation, as Paxton did here (four more allow criminal litigation)."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
"Disgruntled" women who wanted Kamala Harris to be elected president, and who wanted Republican men to vote for her, have come up with a scheme to retaliate against those men.
They have announced a campaign for no "sex, dating, marriage and having children" with those men for four years.
It is the Telegraph that explained the idea comes from a previous stunt by Korean women.
The report said, 'Liberal women have sworn to go on sex strike over Donald Trump's election win. Mr. Trump swept to victory in Tuesday's presidential race that Democrats cast as a referendum on abortion rights and protections for women."
In fact, it was the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration that pushed its abortion-for-all, and also transgenderism for children, ideologies into all parts of American government, even foreign policy.
The report said women now are threatening to punish men for voting for Trump.
The report said it was the Korean "4B movement" that gave them the idea.
"In one video shared on TikTok, a young woman pledges to go celibate and encourages others to delete dating apps in order to 'exercise sovereignty' over their bodies," the report explained.
"As a woman, my bodily autonomy matters and this is my way to exercise sovereignty over that," she said.
The abortion and transgenderism issues proved less impactful in this year's election than the disastrous economy allowed by Biden and Harris, and the wide-open southern border that allowed in millions of illegal aliens.
Democrats and other leftists also blamed Trump for appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned the faulty Roe v. Wade opinion that created a "right" to abortion nationally.
Actually, all the decision did was move the regulation of the nation's lucrative abortion industry from the federal government to states.
Multiple women on social media promised to pursue the Korean women's agenda.
"An obscure, largely online branch of Korean feminism, the 4B Movement started in the mid 2010s, around the same time as the #MeToo movement in the U.S., in response to a wave of reports about violence towards women, and gender equality issues," the report said explaining that movement uses the ideology of no sex.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A violent octogenarian is suspected by police in Washington state of a "hate" crime after punching two supporters of President Donald Trump who were waving his political banners on a street corner during the presidential election.
The Daily Mail documented that the woman, 82, was not identified by name.
But she "was arrested on Tuesday in suburban Seattle after she allegedly approached MAGA voters Gina Powell and Mary Jennings to ask them why they would support Trump, given the color of their skin," the report said.
The suspect told police, "I approached her, and I said I want to know why you're voting for Trump. That's the only thing. And. And I said because you're brown-skinned."
The report said a judge has found probable cause for a hate crime as well as fourth-degree assault, and charges were expected.
Powell and Jennings said they were on a corner in Edmonds with other Trump supporters when the woman challenged them.
Powell explained, "I was just shocked at just the presence of mind, and she made it very clear it was my skin color. … And that's when she shoved me, pushed me back, and I said don't touch me. And then not even a second, she just popped me right in my chin."
Powell explained the attacker seemed especially upset at her shirt: "Pro-God, pro-guns, pro-life, pro-Trump."
When Jennings stepped in to separate the women, she was punched too, the report said.
"I said you have no right to touch anyone, and she goes all I did was all it was barely like this, and she punched me. … But she connected, and you know, it slammed my jaw shut."
A video shows a white-haired white woman being handcuffed and placed in a police car.
The report explained, "Powell and Jennings are part of a surge of Latino voters who got behind Trump in the 2024 election race. Trump enjoyed a 14 percent surge in Hispanic support compared to his 2020 election run."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his and his wife, Sara's, congratulations to President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, on what looks like a successful reelection bid in Tuesday's presidential race.
Netanyahu, who largely had a good working relationship with Trump when he was president between 2017-2021, despite some instances where the two countries' interests did not align, called the 45th president's reentry to the White House, "history's greatest comeback."
"Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America," he posted on X.
Israel's 11th President Isaac Herzog also congratulated Trump, calling the presumptive 47th U.S. president, "a true and dear friend of Israel, and a champion of peace and cooperation in our region."
Official opposition leader Yair Lapid also extended his felicitations to Trump, remarking he had "time and again shown himself to be a true friend of Israel."