This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a far-left extremist picked by Kamala Harris to be her vice presidential candidate this year, turned up ready for the vice presidential debate with GOP candidate JD Vance on Tuesday night in New York.
And in answer to the first question, about whether Israel should take a first-strike attitude in response to Iran's terrorist attack just hours earlier, delivered a word salad.
Much like Harris has done over and over.
And he talked about state-sponsored terrorism.
And he talked about "fundamental steady" leadership.
And he talked about President Trump, "nearly 80-year-old" in the presidential debate against Harris earlier.
He talked about Vladimir Putin and North Korea.
Vance pointed out that it is up to Israel to make that decision, based on what its population feels is needed to protect themselves.
Walz also claimed that Trump left an "agreement" with Iran, apparently referring to the nuclear deal orchestrated by Barack Obama with Iran, and Trump's explanation at the time was that the deal did nothing or little to hinder Iran's nuclear plans, including its intention to destroy Israel.
The moderators, despite assurances they would not fact-check the candidates, insisted on imposing their opinion about climate change, that it is alarming.
Walz repeatedly hesitated during his delivery of his comments.
Asked about separating parents from children among illegal alien families, Vance pointed out that's already happening under Harris.
Walz also claimed that Trump left an "agreement" with Iran, apparently referring to the nuclear deal orchestrated by Barack Obama with Iran, and Trump's explanation at the time was that the deal did nothing or little to hinder Iran's nuclear plans, including its intention to destroy Israel.
The moderators, despite assurances they would not fact-check the candidates, insisted on imposing their opinion about climate change, that it is alarming.
Walz repeatedly hesitated during his delivery of his comments.
Asked about separating parents from children among illegal alien families, Vance pointed out that's already happening under Harris.
The Biden-Harris administration has, in fact, allowed him millions and millions of illegal aliens after destroying Trump's security plans.
Vance said Walz's comments don't "pass the smell test."
He noted Harris bragged about undoing Trump's security, and "now there's a record number of illegals."
"Now she says she somehow got religion and cares about a piece of legislation. All she did was undo 94 Donald Trump executive orders that addressed the problem," Vance said.
At one point, when the moderators repeatedly "fact-checked" Vance, he pointed out that they were not living up to their own agreement, and they responded by arbitrarily cutting his mike and then boasting that the audience could not hear anything from him.
On the economy, Walz, asked about the $1.2 trillion deficit that the Democrat economic plan would produce, failed to answer how that would be funded.
Except that he would insist on the "wealthiest pay their fair share."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Have hundreds of hidden biblical prophecies just been unsealed?
An explosive new book says the answer is yes, as it analyzes countless Scriptures in a fresh light to unlock "the mystery of everything."
In "Reaching God Speed," best-selling author Joe Kovacs goes on a breakthrough mission, cracking the divine code on hundreds of Bible passages – both well-known and obscure – to reveal the higher meaning of the verses, going beyond the obvious physical meaning to shine light on what God is broadcasting on the Spirit level, what he calls the incredibly quick and alive "God speed."
"The reason we're so oblivious is because we've all been operating at human speed, relying on our own physical power and our five senses. But there is something extremely important we've all been missing. It holds the key to everything good – the key to life, success, happiness, peace of mind and understanding beyond our wildest imagination. It's perhaps the best-kept secret in the history of mankind and it packs a staggering, invigorating message about our own personal lives and futures being broadcast on all frequencies. All we have to do is open our eyes and ears."
What is God speed?
Kovacs explains, "It's the template revealing the way the Creator of the universe thinks, operates and teaches, having a mind that runs above and beyond the human speed at which all of us regular folk in the flesh naturally think. It is the higher speed or spirit level at which God broadcasts to us, embedding His message in everything."
He says millions of people already understand God speed to some degree, pointing to a simple example.
"Most everyone already knows that when Jesus tells His apostle Peter to feed His sheep, He is NOT talking about a group of physical animals penned up behind His house that need to be fed.
"He's talking about providing His followers the spiritual food they need to grow toward eternal life, because the sheep actually represent PEOPLE. This same approach of listening beyond the physical and hearing things on another level, the spirit level, can be applied to the entire Bible, opening up countless Scriptures to amazing, new understanding."
One famous Bible story to help illustrate the higher level of God speed involves a woman about to be stoned after being caught in adultery, and Jesus writing something mysterious in the dust as He forgives her. It's found in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John.
"This single event features a real-life woman some 2,000 years ago being forgiven of her sin," Kovacs explains. "And when we listen at God speed, there's so much more being broadcast on the spirit level. The adulterous woman represents all of humanity, as she embodies all of us who have sinned against our true spouse, who is God Himself."
But why was Jesus writing with His finger in the dust? And what might He have been writing?
"We need to use the tools the Bible itself gives us to help us understand the spirit message being broadcast at God speed," explains Kovacs. "First of all, 'dust' is not something insignificant. In fact, it's one of the most important words in all of Scripture, because it's what we're all made of, 'the dust of the ground,' as it says in Genesis 2:7. So at God speed, dust refers to human people in the flesh."
"Then we need to ask ourselves, 'Where else in the Bible does God write something very famous with His own finger?' Here are a couple of hints. There are ten of them and they were given to Moses. Yes, the Ten Commandments, as is mentioned in Deuteronomy 9:10.
"Then connect the Creator's written law to other promises where God says He's writing something, including:
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33)
I will write on them the name of my God … . And I will also write on them my new name. (Revelation 3:12 NLT)
"So it's possible or even likely that Jesus is using this spectacular teaching moment of the forgiven adulterous woman to let us all know He's going to be writing His laws and instructions on people (the dust of the ground), etching them inside minds and hearts, with the end result of people receiving the name of God written on them. In other words, Jesus is telegraphing the future, providing us a visual preview of awesome things to come by writing on the dust with His finger."
"The Bible also says when the accusers of the adulterous woman HEARD, as in finally hearing the message of God, being convicted and corrected in their hearts, they're no longer accusing anyone. It's not only describing the physical event from 2,000 years ago, it's a prophecy for the future. Because once God writes His instructions on everyone's heart, there won't be anyone left to accuse others of wrongdoing. People will finally get with the divine program."
"God actually promises this elsewhere in Scripture, including in the Book of Ezekiel: 'And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.'" (Ezekiel 36:26 NLT)
"It's simply mind-blowing when we realize that God is always 'declaring the end from the beginning' as He said about Himself in Isaiah 46:10. He tells everyone the end result of events right from the start, so we know exactly what to expect, realizing He's the Teacher in charge of this class and the One controlling everything."
Kovacs is confident even readers with little previous knowledge of Scripture will finally know the secrets of famous Bible events, including mysteries the so-called "experts" have little clue about.
"Reaching God Speed" features a myriad of stunning biblical revelations, as the book:
Besides Scripture itself, the book also probes God's hidden messages embedded in popular movies, hit songs (from Adele and the Beatles to Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin), the stories we tell our children, everyday phrases we all say, famous commercial campaigns, historic news events, nature itself, and typical life activities such as inhaling every breath you take, sleeping, waking up and many more.
"Reaching God Speed" hit the top spot in Amazon categories such as "Musical Philosophy & Social Aspects" as well as #1 and #2 (Kindle edition) in Spiritual Self-Help, and #5 and #11 in Christian Personal Growth.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Kamala Harris openly has proposed destroying the longtime Senate precedent of a filibuster, that requirement that issues earn the support of 60 senators before they can advance.
Harris has speculated about killing that rule for a specific purpose, to establish abortion for all as the standard for the entirety of America.
But it wouldn't stop there, according to an analysis by Christopher Jacobs in the Federalist.
If she can destroy the filibuster for one of her ideologies, she can for anything, is the warning.
"Harris' announcement that she supports an 'exception' to the filibuster underscores the stakes in November's election. If Democrats gain unified control of both houses of Congress and the White House in January, Harris' statement makes clear that they would undoubtedly use their power to pass radical legislation — not just on abortion but on energy and many other topics," according to the analysis.
"At the risk of mixing metaphors during a discussion of abortion policy, one cannot be half-pregnant when it comes to the Senate filibuster. Harris' talk of an 'exception' masks what is ultimately a binary choice: You either support the legislative filibuster or you don't."
The history of Democrats' efforts to undermine that standard already is in the books.
In 2013 Democrats in the majority abolished the filibuster for presidential nominees, in executive branch offices and lower court judges.
Those were the exceptions, they decided, because they still wanted the filibuster for Supreme Court justices.
That lasted "until … the next vacancy on the Supreme Court, whereupon Republicans, who by then had retaken the Senate, abolished the Senate filibuster for presidential nominees entirely."
"When she says, 'We should eliminate the filibuster.' She doesn't just mean 'for [codifying] Roe [v. Wade],' she means for anything that gets in Democrats' way," the analysis warned.
Her plan already has been undermined by Sen. Joe Manchin, formerly a Democrat now an independent of West Virginia.
He called the filibuster the "Holy Grail of democracy."
Manchin said the danger is the filibuster is "the only thing that keeps us talking and working together" in the Senate.
Already, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has suggested twisting the rules for "voting rights, women's rights, workers' rights, common sense gun measures" and more.
The analysis warned, "Voters now should understand the stakes — and vote accordingly."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A famed Christian publication, Decision magazine, launched originally by Billy Graham, has delivered to voters a voting guide just as early voting starts for the 2024 presidential race.
It portrays this year's contest as a fight between "socialism" and "freedom," and it explains that the war is not just over politics this year; it's over the values on which the nation will move forward, the moral choices now being made over atrocities like transgenderism, abortion, and more.
Issues on which the Bible clearly states a position.
And the nation may, or may not, choose.
The simple advocacy by a Christian organization for Christian principles, of course, immediately drew an attack from an organization called the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
It boasted that it is asking the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's tax-exempt status over its "illegal campaign intervention."
It claims that CEO Franklin Graham denigrates the Democrat Party's platform.
In fact, he says, "Progressive, liberal thought and activism have so contaminated the mainstream of American life and culture that once-unthinkable abominations such as same-sex marriage, abortion on demand and transgender advocacy have become dogma in one major party's platform."
Those issues have become part of the political war being waged in America, but the fact that politicians have demanded to have their way on those points doesn't make them any less an issue of faith, on which tax-exempt organizations have a right to opine.
The FFRF claims that the publication encourages voters to choose Donald Trump, quoting Trump's statement at a Moms for Liberty event where he said, "Our enemies are waging a war on freedom and faith, on science and religion, on history and tradition, on law and democracy, on the family, on children, on America itself."
The FFRF claims the only reason to use that quote is to "encourage readers to vote for Donald Trump."
Its staff lawyer, Chris Line, claimed to the IRS the BGEA "has breached the responsibilities of its tax-exempt status by publishing an election guide that gives the clear impression that it favors one candidate over the other."
However, the publication clearly focuses on moral and faith issues, topics on which religious organizations not only are allowed, but expected, to comment.
Franklin Graham, in fact, points out, "America has drifted far from the Biblical values that once stood as our rock-solid foundation. In so many ways, we have turned our back on God, and the results have been devastating. Progressive, liberal thought and activism have so contaminated the mainstream of American life and culture that once-unthinkable abominations such as same-sex marriage, abortion on demand and transgender advocacy have become dogma in one major party's platform. Our dangerous plight reminds me of Isaiah's warning to apostate Israel, which had abandoned allegiance to Almighty God and instead adopted the godless culture of surrounding nations."
That warning, he quotes from Isaiah, was, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
He said the magazine has "carefully examined and outlined the positions of the presidential candidates and their parties on key moral issues. We also highlight the difference in the platforms of both political parties. Additionally, we examine the critical congressional and gubernatorial races, along with pivotal state contests."
He continues, "The Bible clearly teaches that governments are ordained by God to restrain evil and enable righteousness to flourish (Romans 13:3-4). That's why Christians should carefully pray and vote for candidates who best align with and stand for Biblical principles."
Sections of the publication simply recite the facts. For example, Kamala Harris has attacked the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, has lobbied to make criminal those who hold Biblical views on sexuality, wanted government to be able to order businesses to pay for abortions, and pushed federal cash to colleges "that violate the religious liberties of students."
On the other side, Donald Trump protected religious nonprofits from Barack Obama's contraceptive mandate agenda, integrated religious freedom into America's foreign diplomacy, and held a conference calling for an end to religious persecution.
On the issue of free speech, Harris demanded information from nonprofits about their donors, "which was widely seen as having a chilling effect on free speech," and criticized conservatives who objected to pornography online and in libraries for "banning books."
Trump "signed executive orders withholding federal funds from colleges that don't protect free speech on campus" and "filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop, who had declined to use his artistic talents to create a custom cake that would celebrate a same-sex wedding."
On abortion, Harris has tried to change the law to use tax dollars to pay for the wanton destruction of the unborn, tried to demand that pro-life centers promote abortion, and twice voted against protecting babies who survive abortion.
Trump defunded Planned Parenthood, appointed Supreme Court justices who overturned the faulty Roe v. Wade abortion precedent and cut U.S. funding for the United Nation's abortion agenda.
Further comparisons followed, regarding border security, education, parental rights, and more, explaining the positions Harris and Trump have adopted.
For example, Harris as a senator tried to block religious freedom for adoption providers and as California attorney general refused to defend the law when her state voted to recognized marriage as being between a man and a woman only.
Further, regarding basic Christian beliefs, an article by Tony Perkins points out how Harris' extremism even had her fighting "to overturn abortion safety standards for women."
And he explains, "As believers, we understand that this earth is not our ultimate home. However, we must engage with the culture, including politics, while standing firm on the transcendent truth of God's Word. Paul tells the Ephesians to keep standing (6:13). Will we turn this country around? We pray so, and we'll work hard toward that end. When former president John Quincy Adams was asked a cynical question about the failure to end slavery after decades of trying, he said simply, 'Duty is ours; results are God's.' Let us do our duty!"
The guide further addresses the significance of congressional votes as well as state and local races.
The guide explains, "In Virginia, voters in 2021 elected a conservative Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, to replace a liberal Democrat. One of Youngkin's campaign slogans was 'Parents Matter,' which resonated in a state embroiled in controversy over how public schools were handling LGBTQ issues and the teaching of critical race theory. In the same election, Jason Miyares, a Republican who shares Youngkin's views on those issues, was elected attorney general. Together, Youngkin and Miyares have required school boards and educators to respect parental rights, and Youngkin rewrote state guidelines for schools navigating LGBTQ issues, especially in regard to gender questions. The guidelines now say students' participation in sex-segregated sports and the use of school locker rooms and restrooms should be based on a student's biological sex. Also, school officials must call minor students by their given names in their official records, not preferred pronouns—unless a parent approves. In California, voters have a starkly different experience. Second-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has doubled down on pushing left-wing social trends in public schools. By his side has been the state attorney general, Rob Bonta, who has sued school districts that have tried to ensure parents have the right to object to radical policies or be informed if their student wishes to identify as the opposite sex."
Even ballot issues matter, as extremists have proposed putting "gay marriage" into at least three states' constitutions. Eight states will decide whether killing the unborn will be a "right" in those same state constitutions.
One article in the guide also notes that the nation got to the point of formalizing anti-biblical concepts because the Christian church has been "ignoring the outside world."
"Evil has incrementally marched into every area of our culture – our schools, out universities, our media, our government – and we have done nothing about it," wrote Rusty Guenther.
He wrote, "I believe we've gotten here by buying into the greatest lie that was ever sold to the church: that, for the sake of peace, we shouldn't talk about politics and religion. You cannot separate politics from the Bible. The Old Testament is immersed in politics; it is about God creating a nation in the midst of lostness, with kings and kingdoms and rulers, and with prophets rebuking kings. That's politics. And Jesus Christ came to Earth in the midst of one of the most dynamic political empires the world has ever known—one that had grown corrupt and divisive. If you don't think the church used its voice to impact that culture, read the Bible. Christ's followers were put to death when they wouldn't bow to Caesar or remain silent about Jesus Christ."
Included is the perspective of the late Billy Graham:
What would happen today if the Bible were the supreme authority in the United States, and if every individual in America would accept Christ as Savior and begin to live up to the terms of the Sermon on the Mount? Jesus Christ can solve the problems that the nation faces—the race problem, the crime problem, the home problem, the international problems. He can also lift the burdens that we have as individuals; He can reach the problems down in the innermost recesses of our own souls. The things I have said here about the United States are largely true in other countries as well, so those nations also need to repent if they are to be spared the judgment of God. But many of you have frustrations and difficulties on a personal level. You have a civil war raging inside of you. I want to tell you that Jesus Christ can solve that problem and lift that heavy burden. He can bring peace to your soul. My message today to the nations of the world is this—turn to God before it is too late! And that is my message to you as an individual as well. Turn to God before it is too late.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A wacky professor who held a machete to the throat of a New York Post reporter, generating outrage over her threatening actions, and who has pleaded guilty to harassment and menacing, is at it again. This time Shellyne Rodriguez has led a crowd in New York chanting about their ancestors, who, she said, "dreamed of us, slitting the master's throat."
Language warning for following video:
And constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, whose newest book, "The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage," addresses such behavior, was blunt: "She is the very face of an age of rage."
He explained, "For a person who chased reporters with a machete, it is a curious choice for a speaker against violence. However, Rodríguez is clearly revered by the crowd. The fact that she pleaded guilty to harassment and menacing charges clearly did not reduce her popularity. To the contrary, for some, it may have increased it," he said.
"This was the person that two colleges wanted on their faculties and resisted efforts to fire her, even after trashing a table in an insane diatribe against pro-life advocates. She is the person that the PSC Graduate Center declared was 'justified' in her violence against those peaceful advocates."
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported last year when Rodriguez was handed "therapy" during a plea deal to various charges.
"Shellyne Rodriguez, who was fired from her position as adjunct assistant professor at Hunter College after threatening to 'chop' up a Post reporter with her machete when he knocked on her apartment door, pleaded guilty to two counts of menacing in the second degree, court records showed. As part of the plea deal, Rodriguez's criminal record will be wiped clean if she is not rearrested for a year and attends a minimum of six months of 'behavioral modification therapy,' according to the Post," the DCNF reported.
At the time, Rodriguez wildly projected, "Right wing media organizations are weaponizing and sensationalizing this case to further their agenda, and using me as a prism through which to project their attacks on women, trans people, black people, Latinx people, migrants, and beyond."
She originally gained notoriety for vandalizing a pro-life display on a table set out by students at Hunter College. She verbally abused them because she claimed their speech was "triggering" for her students.
Eventually, she was dismissed from Hunter, later gaining employment at The Cooper Union, from which she also later was dismissed.
Turley explained he previously had commented on "the machete-wielding former Hunter College professor. Rodríguez," explaining she "is back with a large following shown in a video with protesters chanting with her about 'slitting the throats of the masters.'"
He pointed out, "Somewhere between the machete to the neck and chasing the reporters down the street, Hunter College finally decided that Rodríguez had to go," so Rodriguez condemned the school for its capitulation to "racists, white nationalists, and misogynists."
He then cited the video from journalist Andy Ngo, where Rodriguez is leading a mob of pro-Palestinians chanting, "Our ancestors … dreamed of us slitting the master's throat."
Turley noted, "The scene shows a clearly unhinged Rodríguez who is not just supported by these protesters but clearly thrilling them with her rage rhetoric."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A court has found that the public has a right to have certain information about elections and voter rolls, handing yet another defeat to a "rabidly leftist" state official in Colorado who has tried multiple times single-handedly to influence election results.
A report in the Federalist documents a federal court result, an agreement, that left Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold a loser again.
The federal court case outcome requires Griswold, a Democrat in a leftist state where the government is run, essentially, by Democrats in the governor's office, Capitol, and legislature, to release reports by the Electronic Registration Information Center that are suspected of documenting dead people on the state's voter rolls.
ERIC is a private group of leftists who handle voter registration data for states, but has been losing clients in droves because its officials demand that states keep some reports and information secret, a move which has been ruled to violate the National Voter Registration Act.
The report noted Griswold is "Colorado's rabidly leftist secretary of state who will forever be known for her anti-democratic drive to knock former President Donald Trump off the ballot."
She made that demand based on no more than her own political whims, and her wild claims that Trump is an "insurrectionist" because of the protest-turned-riot in Washington on January 6, 2021.
An insurrection, by definition, is a takedown of a government by a faction that takes over control of the nation's legislature, economy, military, foreign policy and much, much more.
The J6 events actually involved some vandalism in Washington, but the claims of insurrection were fantasy pushed by Democrats who feared Trump and wanted to use some technicality to keep him from running for president this year
The report explained Griswold's "troubling record" in Colorado includes her decision to "mistakenly" mail postcards to 30,000 foreign nationals encouraging them to vote, a violation of federal law.
The report described Griswold's work as an "election integrity fiasco."
Then came her campaign, aided and abetted by leftists in the scandal-plagued state court system, that "Trump somehow disqualified himself," a move that was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court 9-0.
That ruling essentially concluded that if Democrats were allowed to use that particular lawfare against Trump, it would open the door to other states taking similar actions against Democrats.
"Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos," the ruling said.
The latest case against Griswold had been brought by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, and communications director Lauren Bis told the Federalist, "They talk about Trump being a threat to democracy, but you never saw him trying to force his opponents off ballots. He's not the threat. People taking unprecedented actions to have people removed from the ballot so voters can't vote for their candidate of choice, that's the real threat."
In fact, leftists like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – and their supporters, have waged a continuous war against Trump by calling him a threat to democracy – a campaign that likely played a role in two recent failed assassination attempts against Trump.
The ERIC ruling "knocked down" the organization's "wall of secrecy in the voter list maintenance process," according to J. Christian Adams, chief of PILF.
"States cannot use third parties to hide election records that the public has a right to see."
Federal law requires that each state "shall maintain for at least 2 years and shall make available for public inspection … all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters."
States used their participation in the private ERIC schemes, and its demands for secrecy, to withhold public information.
"Brimmer's order marks the third time a court has demanded ERIC disclose the records. PILF has won similar legal battles in Alaska and the District of Columbia, with each victory nullifying ERIC's secrecy agreement with member states that made them immune to public scrutiny," the report said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A county in Georgia is being sued for destroying a man's home while he was in the middle of a renovation project.
The Institute for Justice said the owner, Eric Arnold, tried to convince a demolition crew to hold off, but they refused.
They had been sent by the Macon-Bibb County officials to bulldoze the structure, under the claim that the work was part of a campaign to get rid of "blight."
There had been no court proceedings, no notice and there has been no financial compensation, the IJ reported.
The county's actions "violated Eric's constitutional rights to notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. To vindicate those rights and others, Eric has teamed up with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to sue Macon-Bibb County in state court."
Lawyer Christie Hebert, who is working on the case, said, "Property rights are the bedrock of American society. To arbitrarily destroy Eric's house without even the courtesy of letting him know is wrong ethically and wrong under the law."
The IJ explained there was no reason to demolish the home.
"While he still had work to do, the yard was neat, the exterior was clean, the house was locked up, and, most importantly, it was in a vastly improved state of repair compared to when he purchased it. But the county demolished it anyway as part of its aggressive blight fight," the IJ reported.
In fact, the county has destroyed more than 800 homes in recent years.
The destruction agenda is through a "fast-tracked, secret code enforcement process that completely avoids court proceedings and deprives property owners of a meaningful chance to protect their property. In some cases, like Eric's, the county doesn't even bother to notify the owners before knocking their house down."
He had moved from New Jersey to Georgia to be closer to his family's roots, and bought a fixer-upper.
He started on repairs immediately.
"To spend all that time and money and sweat and end up with nothing but a bare piece of land, it's devastating," said Eric. "What's worse is that if I try to rebuild or buy another property, I have no guarantee this won't happen again. It's just not right."
His notification came when a neighbor called and told him demolition crews were installing a dumpster at his home.
He pleaded with county officials to wait and provided documentation regarding his repairs and upgrades.
The county's response was a squad of "armed code enforcement officers to ensure a property that was actively being restored was demolished in the name of the blight fight."
The lawsuit is to hold county officials responsible for their constitutional violations and destruction of private property.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have reached a boiling point, and analysts are warning the U.S. won't defeat China if the communists go ahead with plans to invade the island nation.
According to Brandon Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, former congressional staffer, and geopolitical analyst, China is preparing to seize control of Taiwan, and far sooner than 2027.
"For China, conquering Taiwan not only gives them economic and geopolitical advantages over their rivals, but it allows for the Chinese Communist Party under President-for-life Xi Jinping to finally declare that the dangers posed to them by Taiwan's 'splittism' have been put to bed. It would be a clear announcement to the world that, indeed, a new world order had been birthed – a world order in which the CCP stood as the dominant power in the economically dynamic Indo-Pacific," Weichert wrote in an op-ed.
Weichert noted this would allow China to claim legitimacy at home and internationally, while dealing a blow to the U.S., which has invested diplomatic and financial capital into Taiwan.
"The goal for China would be to keep the U.S. military just over the horizon long enough for the Chinese to achieve their goal: overthrowing the government of Taiwan and absorbing it into their budding co-prosperity sphere. And with China's growing A2/AD capabilities, their counter space assets and their cyberwarfare capacities, Beijing just might be able to achieve their goal. The balance of power in the Indo-Pacific has shifted away from the United States and toward China in the last decade. Should Beijing opt to hit Taiwan now with a blockade, they will be able to do so. China will likely be victorious," Weichert said.
According to TaiwanPlus News, Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo said China's increased military activity around Taiwan makes it harder to spot potential acts of war.
Koo said Taiwan needs to move closer to a "war footing," and test its capacity to respond to any sudden moves by China towards conflict. During a news conference Wednesday, Koo said China's People's Liberation Army has staged over 2,000 incursions into Taiwan's air defense zone in 2024 alone.
"The scale of activity is getting larger and larger, and so it is harder to discern when they might be shifting from training to a large exercise, and from an exercise to war," Koo said.
Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, when asked about Taiwan claiming China is not yet capable of waging a war, said the People's Liberation Army is capable of "foiling any resistance," and called the claims "ridiculous and delusional."
"China's reunification is an overwhelming trend of history that cannot be stopped by anyone or any force. The PLA has reliable means to be where we need to fight, and is capable of foiling any resistance by military elements of the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces. We will firmly defend China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wu said.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said China is attempting to gaslight the world on its aggression in the South China Sea.
In an op-ed, Krishnamoorthi said the Chinese Communist Party are blatantly encroaching within the Philippines' internationally recognized exclusive zone, blocking Philippine ships, then claiming the Philippines were "intruding" into sovereign Chinese waters. Footage captured from Philippine ships, however, show the Chinese coast guard were the aggressors – to the point the ship's engine failed.
"Unfortunately, the CCP's aggression in the South China Sea encapsulates a broader worldview, one in which might makes right and Beijing does as it pleases, including ramming ships belonging to its smaller neighbors that dare to challenge its sweeping – and illegal – sovereignty claims," Krishnamoorthi said.
Krishnamoorti further noted if anyone calls out China for its aggressive behavior, it simply gaslights them. For instance, despite footage showing Chinese coast guard ships damaging Philippine vessels, China claimed the Philippines had deliberately attacked and damaged Chinese ships.
"This gaslighting and disregard for international law is nothing new. After an international court ruled in 2016 that the CCP's so-called 'nine-dash line' sovereignty claims over almost the entire South China Sea had 'no legal basis,' Beijing infamously declared the court's ruling to be 'null and void' and amount to 'nothing more than a piece of paper,'" Krishnamoorthi said.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Krishnamoorthi said everything depends on whether China is prepared to lower its aggression economically, technologically, militarily, and with regards to the U.S. national security.
"If they continue to ratchet up tensions, such as in the South China Sea, where they're ramming Philippine ships, where they dump electric vehicles for instance, around the world in a bid to undercut their competition and destroy their competition – then we're gonna, you know, have to protect our interests, at the same time that we work with our friends, partners and allies," Krishnamoorthi said.
The dispute between China and the Philippines is centered around the Spratly Islands – composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, which lie off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam.
Spokesperson Wu said in a news conference last week, this area is "China's inherent territory" and added the U.S. is not a party of concern in regards to the conflict in the South China Sea.
"The Chinese side takes rights-protection and law-enforcement operations in relevant areas. They are completely legitimate, lawful and professional. The U.S. is not a party concerned in the South China Sea issue, and is in no position to interfere with maritime disputes between China and the Philippines, even less to undermine China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests on the pretext of bilateral treaties," Wu said.
Wu then blamed the current escalation on the Philippines, stating it has provoked China, has taken reckless actions, and accused the U.S. of provoking confrontation – while conveniently leaving out China's belligerent actions towards Philippine vessels.
"The current escalation in the South China Sea situation is caused by the Philippines who repeatedly made provocations and took reckless actions. The U.S., on the other hand, has continued to fan the flame and provoke confrontation. It needs to be emphasized that the Chinese side will take firm and effective countermeasures against anyone who stirs up troubles in the South China Sea or infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Wu said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An expert is explaining why Kamala Harris often alters her speaking, actually her speech accent, when addressing various groups.
The trait has caught people off-guard for the Democrat candidate already known as Kamala Chameleon for her flip-flopping on a long list of issues as she tries to make herself acceptable to voters this election season.
Her condition, actually, sometimes is called the "chameleon effect," according to experts cited in a report in the Daily Mail.
She's used Midwestern accents, French accents, black accents, Spanish accents and more when talking to various affinity groups.
It could because of a "confidence issue," according to psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, who owns a practice in New York and was interviewed by the publication.
In psychology circles, her condition is known as "mirroring" or "chameleon effect."
"Using a fake accent could also be a result of feeling self-conscious around a particular group and feeling like she has to make changes to her baseline voice in order to be accepted – to some extent this a natural and normal way to handle people we might perceive as different than ourselves," he said.
"There's a possibility she feels like she won't fit in, so she overcompensates by taking this whole accent thing to the extreme. I think there could be an element of Harris trying to gain acceptance across these different demographics. But again, I think it's backfiring," he said.
Reshaping her language has followed on the heels of her radically changing her views on topics from fracking to gun control to police.
"In 2020, at the height of the George Floyd protests, Harris endorsed the 'defund the police' movement in an interview with the hosts of the Ebro in the Morning show. This was a stark difference from when she ran for attorney general of California in 2010, her ad production imitated the tense proficiency of a Law and Order episode," the report explained.
Recently, she's advocated for President Donald Trump's border wall, even though she previously called it a "medieval vanity project" and a "waste of taxpayer money."
Alpert continued, "By altering her accent she might be perceived as inauthentic or manipulative and ultimately could undermine trust if the audience feels she is not genuine. Authenticity is critical in building meaningful connections with the electorate and if people perceive the accent as disingenuous, it could damage Harris's credibility."
Nan Wise, a licensed psychotherapist who has appeared on The Today Show, told the publication often such accents are used automatically.
"Human beings are very social animals, and some of this accommodation goes along with the way we're wired to connect and to unintentionally mimic aspects of our social environments," she explained.
However, a University of Pennsylvania study from just a few years ago concluded "code-switching" is a "thought-out behavior."
Alpert said that might not be working for Harris.
"By altering her accent she might be perceived as inauthentic or manipulative and ultimately could undermine trust if the audience feels she is not genuine. Authenticity is critical in building meaningful connections with the electorate and if people perceive the accent as disingenuous, it could damage Harris' credibility."
The report said Hillary Clinton did the same thing. But it said experts believe Trump "just speaks his mind and is consistent across the different speeches and audiences."
Harris has been known to flip-flop as many as four positions in a day, earning herself the "Kamala Chameleon" nickname.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
China has released an American Christian pastor who was jailed for life in 2006, according to the U.S. State Department.
David Lin, now 68, was found guilty of contract fraud by the Chinese Communist Party after he was caught fundraising for a Christian church in Beijing. Lin's release comes after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Beijing in late August.
Lin was designated as wrongfully detained by Washington for years, with U.S. officials urging the Chinese government to release him. Lin was jailed in 2009, and later had his life sentence reduce so he would be released in 2029. Several other U.S. citizens are currently still being detained by China.
"It remains a top priority to resolve the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China," Sullivan said during his meeting with Wang.
A congressional commission will be holding a hearing Wednesday to discuss U.S. citizens still imprisoned in China.
A 2022 report from the International Christian Concern titled "Chinese Conformity and Global Authoritarianism" points out the many instances where China has continually increased its efforts to silence religious groups.
"China has been increasing human rights abuses for years. Disappearances, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, organs for sale, controlled press, and surveillance of its citizens have made international news. Authoritarianism on this scale takes years to cultivate," ICC Fellow Lisa Navarrette wrote in the report.
While China is currently imprisoning over 1 million Uyghurs in concentration camps, the largest minority ethnic group in the northwestern province of Xinjiang – Christians have faced growing persecution by the Chinese government after a 2018 law was passed that restricted religious freedom, according to the report.
The persecution is not just restricted to mainland China, however. Thousands of Christians and Muslims have been murdered in Myanmar, a majority Buddhist country, while another 700,000 were forced to flee Bangladesh. India is also building camps for religious minorities within its largely Hindu population.
"People of faith supply important checks on government because they hold an allegiance to a power higher than the government. The government is a God-ordained institution, accountable to God. The function of government is to restrain evil and support and protect the sanctity of life. When the government is no longer just, it is the task of the church to expose the government and demand its officials repent. The local church is the hope of the world, and that is the case in China," Navarrette said.
Currently, there are over 100 million Christians living in China, growing from 1 million over the past 40 years.
In a new report released Friday, the ICC states the Chinese government is accelerating efforts to eradicate Christianity and other minority religious groups. CCP members are also forced to be atheists, and must not follow any God.
Christians who refuse to support socialist ideals have been arrested and imprisoned, and the Chinese government is using a tactic called sinicization, which forces churches to make socialism their top priority in their preaching. Crosses were removed from Christian churches in 2020 because "their crosses were higher than their displays of the country's flag."
Since July 2021, 32 Christians have been arrested and detained, there have been at least five raids on Christian schools, and another 20 cases of sinicization of churches. Numbers are likely to be much higher after the ICC noted the difficulty of getting accurate information from Chinese officials.
"The government's scrutiny of Christians is part of a wider effort to Sinicize the country by coercing religious groups to submit to the communist CCP ideology," the report states.
In China's official 1982 view on religion, it states religion is a "historical phenomenon" that will "eventually disappear from human history" through the "development of socialism and communism."
"Religion will eventually disappear from human history. But it will disappear naturally only through the long-term development of Socialism and Communism, when all objective requirements are met. All Party members must have a sober-minded recognition of the protracted nature of the religious question under Socialist conditions," the decree states.
The Council on Foreign Relations states China has recently softened its attitude toward Buddhism, and China's only "indigenous" religion, Taoism. However, China views Christianity as "foreign," and worries about outside influence on believers, despite Jesuit missionaries first arriving in China in 1601.
"Christianity is practiced among the Han Chinese majority, especially urban, white-collar professionals. In some ways, the CCP faces a greater challenge from Christianity because the religion is practiced among the very people the party needs to modernize the country," the report states.