This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Kari Lake, a former newscaster and candidate for Arizona governor and U.S. Senate, to be the new chief of Voice of America, the government-funded worldwide news agency.
And leftists are melting down over the appointment of the longtime Trump supporter.
Just the News noted that Trump's announcement said Lake will work alongside the next leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who has not yet been nominated.
Lake was a candidate for Arizona governor in 2022 and the U.S. Senate in 2024, and lost both races by narrow margins.
"I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America," Trump explained in a posting on Truth Social. "She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon, to ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media."
It was the Daily Mail that described the Democrats' "meltdown" over the appointment.
The report said, "A BlueSky account run by the Get More Smarter podcast, a show about Colorado politics hosted by Democrat operatives Jason Bane and Ian Silverii, wrote: 'He's really gonna make Kari Lake chief international propaganda minister holy s***.'"
And an ex-official for the Brooklyn Democratic party, David Schwartz, said on the same alternative social media site, "Putting Kari Lake in charge to monitor fake news is like putting a cat to watch over mice."
And there was social media speculation about removing the current chief, Michael Abramowitz.
Lake's own response: "I am honored … Voice of America is a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth. … Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America's achievements worldwide."
VOA has about 1,000 employees and its 2023 budge was in the range of $260 million.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A warning has been issued in a column in the Federalist that the United Nations has a scheme to make criminals out of people who believe in science, who say men and women are different.
It is Stefano Gennarini, a vice president for legal studies at the Center for Family and Human Rights who has noted the looming U.N. treaty "that weaponizes international criminal law against opposition to transgender policy."
He describes it as a "parting gift" from Joe Biden to the U.S. and the world as the aging Democrat has agreed to advance the ideology that it is a "crime against humanity," or "a "gender-based persecution" for politicians who deliberately "misgender" someone.
Misgendering is when someone calls a man a man, when the man wants to be called a woman.
The U.N. General Assembly recently set up a timeline for a plan already condemned by the Vatican to finalize those criminal prosecutions as early as 2029.
The Rome Statute now defines gender as "the two sexes, male and female, within the context of society," but the report said "Western countries" are getting closer to their goal of simply avoiding that, by using domestic courts "to prosecute citizens who commit crimes against humanity … ."
The new scheme drops the definition of gender, a move which, the report said, includes the "legal effect" of enshrining "an open definition of gender as a social construct in international criminal law."
It would advance the ideology already being used in the European Union and various U.N. agencies to use "gender persecution" for categories including LGBT issues, misgendering, abortion and more.
"With the new treaty, Western leftists want to label anyone who publicly opposes gender ideology as an international criminal — an enemy of humanity. They want the crime of gender persecution to include things such as denying children cross-sex hormones and surgeries, not recognizing same-sex marriage or adoption, laws against LGBT propaganda in schools, women-only sports, and even denial of abortion," the report said.
Such actions already are being pursued by prosecutors of the International Criminal Court, the report said.
"Even more troubling, the Biden administration has already praised the weaponization of gender persecution in order to promote social engineering on LGBT issues," it said.
The report noted U.N. staffer Emily Kenney has claimed the greatest obstacle to that gender-based persecution is that it is nearly invisible, and the result is "introducing gender ideology in the crimes against humanity framework calls into question every aspect of social, political, and economic life as a potential crime against humanity, to the point that even victims can't tell they are victims."
That, the warning said, could result in "the arbitrary exercise of police power and is a license for the kind of political persecution of opponents seen in totalitarian regimes."
The article noted, "The woke ruling regime in the West is building a web to control people's lives and actions — and even their thoughts. They have done it through censorship and propaganda on social and traditional media around the world. In the United Kingdom, they are arresting people for expressing the wrong kinds of opinions about sexuality, including protesting silently outside abortion clinics and preaching what the Bible says about sexual morality.
"Now they want to use international criminal law to police the way everyone thinks."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A sheriff whose department several years ago implemented a program to predict crime, a move that resulted in the harassment of individuals in the county, has conceded its failure, its violation of the Constitution, and promised it will never return.
The decisions are the result of a lawsuit brought by the Institute for Justice over the schemes by the sheriff in Pasco County, Florida.
According to a report from the IJ, "For more than three years, the Pasco County, Fla., sheriff vigorously resisted a federal lawsuit brought by the Institute for Justice (IJ) challenging a controversial policing program that resulted in repeated harassment of children and their families. Today, on the eve of trial, the sheriff capitulated—admitting that the program resulted in repeated constitutional violations and pledging that it will never resume. "
The legal team explained the challenged program "has been compared to a real-life version of 'Minority Report.' Using a crude computer algorithm, designed to predict who would commit future crimes, the Pasco sheriff's office identified a list of 'prolific offenders.'"
Without evidence, people, many under 18, were placed on the list and their families "were subjected to 'prolific offender checks,' during which deputies looked to cite them for issues like having grass that was too long, missing house numbers, unvaccinated pets, and excessive window tint on parked cars."
It's now gone, the IJ confirmed.
"For years, the Pasco sheriff ran an unconstitutional program, harassing kids and their parents because a glorified Excel spreadsheet predicted they would commit future crimes," charged IJ lawyer Rob Johnson, "Today the sheriff acknowledged that dystopian program violated the Constitution and agreed never to bring it back."
In the agreement settling the dispute, the sheriff confirmed his program violated the Fourth Amendment because while law enforcement has an "implied license" to knock on any resident's door, the scheme involved officers who "exceeded" that by repeatedly confronting their targets.
"Second, the sheriff admitted that the program violated the First Amendment, which protects people from being punished for their 'intimate associations,' like with their family members," the IJ said.
Finally, the program violated the due process requirements of the 14th Amendment because the program interfered with the targets' "liberty interests."
The agreement also includes a "six-figure settlement for the plaintiffs," the IJ reported.
"For years, the Pasco sheriff's office treated me like it could do anything it wanted," Darlene Deegan said. "But today proves that when ordinary people stand up for themselves, the Constitution still means what it says."
Evidence uncovered during the development of the case found that one deputy stated as his agenda against one target, "The goal is to get them to move away or go to prison."
Another deputy bragged about getting his targets evicted from their homes.
The institute also confirmed it found "hundreds of hours of body camera footage, vividly depicting the harassment of plaintiffs and their families. In one video, deputies walk around the back of a plaintiff's house late at night and knock on his window, telling him to come out of the house so they can write him a code citation. In another video, a deputy expressly tells a plaintiff that they are writing her citations because her son was on their offender list. In another, one deputy tells another they are going to 'keep on harassing them, every single day.'"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A union official for the organization representing U.S. Capitol Police has blasted the special treatment given by the government to the officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the protest-turned-riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
That was the day hundreds of people mostly walked into the Capitol and looked around in their protest of what they saw as Joe Biden's illicit presidential race victory, a race that was under significant undue influences such as the FBI's interference.
Among those protesters, a few rioted, vandalizing the building.
Just the News reports that a statement it obtained from U.S. Capitol Police union chairman Gus Papathanasiou said the special treatment for Michael Byrd was wrong.
"What a slap in the face to the rank and file officers of the USCP, especially all who were on duty on J6," he said.
The publication earlier had reported that House Democrats had pushed the police department to give special benefits to Byrd, including a $37,000 retention bonus, help with $160,000 in fundraising, housing, and a promotion from lieutenant to captain.
All that surpassed the help given other officers who were at the Capitol that day.
The report said Papathanasiou demanded that Byrd be forced to repay the benefits that were more than what other officers got.
"Not sure what makes Mike Byrd so special that he thinks he needed to be 'taken care of' by the Department. USCP should give every officer a $37k bonus or have Mike Byrd pay it all back," he said.
Byrd's lawyer and Capitol Police officials didn't return messages seeking comment.
The publication said it reviewed internal emails and found Byrd was unhappy with all the benefits and was dealing with at least one Democrat in the administration to get even more.
"We play the game as you request and then once we're in compliance You guys change the rules on us," he wrote to Thomas DiBiase, general counsel for the Capitol Police, after he was told he couldn't access cash from a memorial fund right away.
Byrd also has been a controversial figure over his extensive record of rules infractions, including firing a gun at a stolen vehicle in a residential neighborhood while off duty and leaving his gun unattended in a public restroom.
The report explained Rep. Barry Loudermilk of the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee confirmed there were at least three other referrals to the Office of Professional Responsibility, but those records now are missing.
In an interview on the "Just the News, No Noise," TV show, Loudermilk explained the political pressure on Capitol Police to provide Byrd benefits was "highly inappropriate."
Papathanasiou said an investigation by the incoming Congress would be appropriate.
"I'm curious, what else is the USCP covering up? I truly hope the new Congress comes in to conduct a deep dive investigation into all of this and the top brass of the USCP, to include the IG office and OGC," he said.
A separate wrongful death case has been filed against the government on behalf of Babbitt's family by Judicial Watch.
Spokesman Tom Fitton told Just the news Byrd never should have had a firearm in the first place.
Byrd has claimed Babbitt, trying to climb through a broken window, was a "threat" to the House of Representatives.
He also admitted he didn't know whether she was armed or unarmed. She was unarmed.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – Chad Chronister, the Tampa-area sheriff nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to head the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, bowed out of consideration Tuesday evening after pressure from conservatives for his arrest of a Christian pastor during lockdowns amid the COVID pandemic.
The sheriff of Hillsbourough County said on X: "To have been nominated by President-Elect @realDonaldTrump to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime. Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I've concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration.
"There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling. I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County."
On Saturday, Trump nominated Chronister, saying he would work with his attorney general pick, Pam Bondi, "to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border."
As reported Sunday, in March 2020, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released a press statement revealing that they had arrested local Tampa Bay church pastor Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne on two second-degree misdemeanors for unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules. In a post on X from the Libertarian Party of Mississippi, the group called out Chronister's decision to arrest Howard-Browne, leading Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie to respond as well.
"I'm going to call 'em like I see 'em. Trump's nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns," Massie wrote on X.
Conservative podcasters the Hodge Twins and journalist Mike Cernovich also called out Trump's choice on X, highlighting Chronister's COVID-19 stances at the time of the incident.
Media personality John Cardillo wrote on X that he had deleted his original post praising the Florida Sheriff after remembering that he is a "COVIDian Sheriff who arrested a pastor during services because 'COVID' to be prosecuted by Andrew Warren, the Soros funded prosecutor DeSantis removed from Office."
While Chronister had taken to social media to publicly thank Trump for the nomination and stated that he is "deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation," podcaster Tim Pool instead called for him to serve prison time.
At the time of Howard-Browne's arrest, Chronister stated that while faith is important and authorities "would never impede on someone's ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort," those practicing their beliefs must do so "safely."
"His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger," Chronister said. "The River at Tampa Bay has an advantage over most places of worship, because they have access to technology that allows them to live stream their services over the internet and broadcast television for the more than 4,000 members to watch from the safety of their homes."
In addition to the local pastor's arrest, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released 164 inmates in March 2020 to help slow the spread of COVID-19 at the county jail.
"We want to protect our employees here. We want to protect the remainder of the jail population. We also feel these low-level, non-violent offenders will be better served at home with their families," Chronister said at the time.
However, only a day after their release, one of the inmates, 26-year-old Joseph Edwards Williams, was arrested again on charges of second-degree murder in connection to a homicide along with charges of felony firearm possession, heroin possession and resisting arrest.
"There is no question Joseph Williams took advantage of this health emergency to commit crimes while he was out of jail awaiting resolution of a low-level, non-violent offense," Chronister said after the incident. "As a result, I call on the State Attorney to prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A town has been ordered by a "human rights" court to pay an LGBT activist group $10,000, including $5,000 from the mayor's personal bank account, for not celebrating the alternative lifestyle choices being promoted.
A report at Not the Bee identified the town that offended the LGBT promoters as Emo, Ontario, Canada.
The report explained the LGBT members of Borderland Pride had told the city to proclaim June 2020 as "Pride Month" and fly a rainbow flag for a week.
The town council and mayor did not, however, take up the campaign.
So the organization complained to the Ontario Human Rights Council that members were injured by the town's lack of cooperation.
"The tribunal, whose rulings are legally binding, has determined that the township must pay Borderland Pride $10,000 and Emo Mayor Harold McQuaker has to provide the group with $5,000 from his personal finances," the report said.
The report continued, "Ontario's Human Rights Tribunal (an Orwellian sounding group if there ever was one) believes that LGBT people have the human right to a whole month celebrating their sex lives, and if a tiny town doesn't agree they have to pay a fine to an LGBT rights group and extort their mayor to pay half."
The LGBT activists claimed the town's action was discriminatory.
Members demanded that, "We're entitled to treatment without discrimination when we try to seek services from our local government."
Town officials also were ordered into an LGBT indoctrination course.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Denver is a far-left city in a far-left state, so its mayor, Mike Johnston, is a far-left politician.
As such he routinely makes his far-left opinions known, including on national matters.
But he may have threatened a little too much with his recent announcement that he's essentially at war with President-elect Donald Trump's plans to secure the national border and deport some, maybe many, of the illegal aliens essentially invited into the country under the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris regime in Washington.
It could even be that if he acts on his threats, charges could follow.
It is lawyer Mike Davis, who formerly worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who pointed out Johnston's plans could make him liable for allegations of conspiracy, obstruction and even assault on federal officers.
A report in Denverite explained that Denver has many programs, and a reputation, for being "where new immigrants can find legal help and maybe even a job without contact fear of authorities."
So will that change when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, and begins cracking down on illegal aliens, deporting some and punishing cities that protect their criminal status?
Johnston said, "The short answer is, we won't change that, because those are one of our core values. And we're not going to sell out those values to anyone. We're not going to be bullied into changing them."
He made a commitment: "I think we are gonna continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city that's gonna stand by our values."
He also said his administration is identifying budget items that could be impacted by Trump's promise to defund sanctuary cities, those locations that protect illegal aliens.
He advocated for procedures that would ignore a person's illegal alien status should police notice "a busted taillight" and such, the report said.
But there probably will be a fight over work authorization, a category that the city has helped immigrants negotiate requirements.
The report explained, "But Trump has said he plans to take away work authorization from people who illegally entered the country. Blocking new immigrants from the right to work would 'cripple the American economy,' Johnston said. Without work authorization, Johnston said, people would have to rely on public support to get by."
And will Denver help with enforcing immigration laws?
"Absolutely not. We won't do it," Johnston said.
He said he doubts federal forces would raid Colorado seeking illegal aliens.
"I do not believe that our governor is going to let them use our [Colorado] National Guard at the state level. Unless they were planning on bringing national guards mobilized from Texas or Alabama to come invade Colorado, I don't know where they would find the forces to begin to do that."
Johnston continued, "And that seems to me like a very, very bad idea from start to finish that no reasonable American would support."
He said not only would his administration, but the people of Denver, would resist deportation procedures by federal forces.
"More than us having (Denver police) stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there. It's like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You'd have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them," he said.
Meanwhile, he's counting on Republicans in Congress and the White House for handouts to help with his plans for housing affordability.
"We'd love to look at a partnership for how they can help provide resources and support for us to bring on more housing that workers are going to need all over the state," Johnston said.
It was the Gateway Pundit that pointed to some of the holes in Johnston's plans.
"Mayor Johnston has made it clear that he will go as far as using city police and local volunteers to physically prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants, including those with potential gang affiliations," the report said.
The report accused Johnston of having plans to turn Denver "into a fortress of resistance against immigration enforcement."
The report said, "Johnston's approach, which includes using Denver's police force and even mobilizing citizens to obstruct federal operations, has drawn comparisons to lawless sanctuary cities. He boldly claimed that Denverites themselves would rise up to form a human barricade against federal authorities, invoking imagery of the infamous Tiananmen Square protests."
The report cited Davis' comments, explaining, "Johnston's defiance is not without potential consequences."
Trump already has picked former border enforcement agent Tom Homan as the "border czar" and he already has responded to a governor, JB Pritzker of Illinois, who threatened, "If you come for my people, you come through me."
Homan's response?
"Game on. We've got no problem going through him. I've got 20,000 men and women in ICE who are going to do their job with no apology. Congress has enacted a law that protects this country. People need to understand… entering this country illegally is a crime."
He added, "Every illegal alien in this country committed a crime to get here. So they're all criminals. We're gonna enforce the law without apology… and if any governor wants to stand in the way, go ahead and do it. We'll see what happens. We're not gonna be intimidated."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation summit over the weekend, lame duck U.S. President Joe Biden was cautioned by China's President Xi to not cross certain unnegotiable "red lines" that could strain U.S.-China relations if not respected.
Xi said during his meeting with Biden that decoupling from China or disrupting supply chains is not a solution to conflict, and touted "mutual beneficial cooperation" as the only thing that can lead to productivity between the world's two largest economies.
"Small yard, high fence, is not what a major country should pursue. Only openness and sharing can improve the well-being of humanity," Xi said.
According to the Independent, Xi outlined four red lines that the U.S. must not cross – China's political and economic systems, its development interests, its record on human rights and democracy, and Taiwan.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory in its entirety. The democratically run nation was founded by China's Nationalists – officially named the Republic of China – when they fled mainland China to Taiwan after Mao Zedong's Communist army defeated them during China's civil war in 1949. China has repeatedly said it would not rule out the use of force to claim back Taiwan.
"The Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, China's path and system, and China's development right are four red lines for China," Xi reportedly told Biden, "They must not be challenged. These are the most important guardrails and safety nets for China-U.S. relations."
Xi further warned against the U.S. trying to hold back China's ambitions, even over Taiwan.
"A new Cold War should not be fought and cannot be won. Containing China is unwise, unacceptable and bound to fail," Xi said, adding the U.S. should handle the "Taiwan question with extra prudence."
Xi did, however, reach out to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, and said the two nations can expand cooperation and "inject more certainty and positive energy into the turbulent world."
"China is ready to work with a new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation, and manage differences, so as to strive for a steady transition of the China-U.S. relationship for the benefit of the two peoples," Xi said.
According to a read out of the meeting published by the White House, Biden reiterated the U.S. position on the One China policy, calling for China to stop destabilizing military actions around Taiwan.
"On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States' one China policy remains unchanged, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances," the White House statement reads.
"He [Biden] reiterated that the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side, that we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, and that the world has an interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
American journalist, lawyer, political commentator, and writer Gordan Chang wrote in an op-ed for Newsweek on Monday that South America had "disrespected" the U.S. and Biden at the APEC summit, and was in stark contrast to how Xi was welcomed.
"Peru gave Xi Jinping a warm welcome last week when he arrived for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima," Chang said, adding, "The Chinese leader was even accorded the honor of a state visit. Joe Biden, in contrast, got a bare-bones greeting as Air Force One landed."
"Peru then proceeded to treat the American president as if he were from a backwater state, even making sure the humiliation was seen in public. For instance, in the group photo of leaders attending the summit, Xi was standing in the place of honor, to the right of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in the front row. Biden was placed in the back in the corner."
Chang then noted in the midst of the disrespect from South American nations toward the U.S., often seen as America's "backyard," China is trading and investing into nations like Peru to bolster its "dominance of the region."
Chang was also critical of Xi's rhetoric of peace, a move he says began prior to the elections, as an attempt by Xi to paint Trump as a bad guy.
During the summit, Biden further expressed concern over China's support for Russia's war against Ukraine, and reconfirmed the U.S. commitment on "upholding international law and freedom of navigation, overflight, and peace and stability in the South China Sea and East China Sea."
China is currently at odds with several nations within the South China Sea, which China also claims almost in its entirety using its highly contested nine-dash line maps. One of those nations is the Philippines, a U.S. ally.
Recent months have seen clashes between the Philippine Coast Guard and Chinese Coast Guard vessels, with China aggressively ramming Philippine ships and damaging hulls, as well as attacking Filipino Coast Guard officers with spears and axes.
Conflict has been escalating over the ownership of Spratly Islands and its shoals, rich fishing grounds with recently discovered oil and gas reserves situated within the economic exclusion zone of the Philippines.
Despite the repeated attacks against Philippine vessels, China took offense to the Philippines' intention to purchase weapons from the U.S., which would include anti-missile and intermediate-range missile systems.
China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said Thursday the move by the Philippines is "provocative" and "dangerous."
"Let me stress again that the Philippines, by bringing in this offensive strategic weapon, is enabling a country outside the region to fuel tensions and antagonism in this region, and incite geopolitical confrontation and arms race," Lin said.
Lin noted this is an "extremely irresponsible choice" by the Philippines and threatens regional security.
"What the region needs is peace and prosperity, not the missile system or confrontation. We once again urge the Philippines to heed the call from regional countries and their peoples, correct its wrongdoings as soon as possible, quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, and stop going further down the wrong path," Lin said.
On Monday when asked about the Philippine military and U.S. intelligence exchanging information, Lin stated the only way to uphold peace in the region was to maintain "good-neighborliness."
"No military agreement, or defense and security cooperation, in whatever form, should target any third party or harm the interests of any third party. Nor should it undermine regional peace or exacerbate regional tensions. The only right choice for safeguarding national security and regional peace and stability is to uphold good-neighborliness and friendship and maintain strategic independence," Lin said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
X ablaze with unconfirmed rumors Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei either died or is in a coma
Several social media posts emerged on Saturday alleging that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei slipped into a coma. As was to be expected, there was no official confirmation of a worsening of the supreme leader's health.
Report: Israel destroyed top secret Iranian nuclear testing site
The Israeli airstrikes on Iran last month destroyed a secret nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, 19 miles southeast of Tehran, Axios reported on Friday.
"This is equipment the Iranians would need in the future if they want to make progress toward a nuclear bomb. Now they don't have it anymore, and it is not trivial. They will need to find another solution, and we will see it," an Israeli official stated.
Hezbollah media relations chief eliminated in IAF airstrike on Beirut
An IAF strike on a densely populated district of Beirut on Sunday killed Hezbollah's media relations chief Mohammad Afif, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Hezbollah rocket strikes Haifa synagogue causing extensive damage
A synagogue in the northern port city of Haifa was heavily damaged by a Hezbollah rocket strike this evening. The building is part of the Avot Ubanim synagogue complex in Haifa's Carmel quarter.
88 Congressional Democrats call for sanctions on Smotrich, Ben Gvir
The letter calls for sanctions under a new executive order by the Biden administration earlier this year for individuals and groups responsible for "inciting violence" in Judea and Samaria. The lawmakers' letter calling for the aggressive move against the Israeli officials was sent at the end of October, but was not released publicly until Thursday, after the Biden administration declined to withhold additional weaponry from Israel, as some progressive Democrats had demanded.
Wikipedia editors who recently added Gaza to list of 'genocides,' found to be colluding within Israel-Palestine topic area
After heated debate, Wikipedia editors rename 'Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Israeli attack on Gaza' to 'Gaza genocide'; discussion's bias against Israel and disregard for opposing views highlight issues of political agendas on platform.
South Africa's 'genocide' case against Israel in ICJ has Iran, Qatar's fingerprints all over it
South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), brought its case against Israel on Dec. 29, 2023, just three months after Hamas's terror spree left more than 1,200 dead and hundreds more kidnapped. The suit alleges Israel is committing mass genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip but offers little evidence to support this claim. Nevertheless, more than a dozen countries have joined the suit over the last year, elevating international pressure on Israel as the Jewish state fights to survive.
Report: IDF removes northern border roadblocks as potential for residents to return home increases
The IDF has reportedly removed roadblocks on the northern border which were to prevent civilians from driving on roads that were exposed to anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon.
According to a report by Army Radio, all of the military roadblocks on the Lebanon border were removed in recent days, ahead of a possible return of the displaced residents of the north to their homes.
Canadian city cancels Sinwar vigil, whom the organizing group labeled 'our Mandela'
The anti-Israel organization 'Canadian Defenders for Human Rights' announced the cancellation of a conference in memory of the eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that was scheduled to take place in Mississauga, west of Toronto on Nov. 26.
Azerbaijan claims Israel president's non-appearance at climate confab down to Ankara's refusal to allow jet to use Turkish airspace
A news website from Azerbaijan, which is considered the government mouthpiece claims the real reason President Isaac Herzog canceled his visit to the climate conference in Baku – which officially was put down to 'security concerns' is actually because of Ankara's refusal to allow Herzog's plane – Wings of Zion – to fly across Turkish airspace on its way to the meeting.
Flares fired at Netanyahus' private Caesarea residence
For the second time in a month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private home in Caesarea has been attacked; this time following the firing of a few flares and by domestic citizens rather than a drone fired by Hezbollah. The PM and his family were not present at the time.
Pope calls for probe into whether Israel is committing 'genocide' in Gaza
Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff's jubilee year.
It's the first time that Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. In September, he said Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been "immoral" and disproportionate, and that its military has gone beyond the rules of war.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Congressional committees already have determined that the FBI "improperly interfered in presidential elections in coordination with social media companies," and now U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, chief of the Judiciary Committee, wants to know what the bureau still is doing to monitor Americans' social media posts in order to "censor lawful speech."
Jordan has dispatched a letter to the FBI's Christopher Wray, instructing the FBI to provide a "briefing" on the work of the bureau's Foreign Influence Task Force to use "software" and other means to violate "the civil liberties of citizens of the United States."
Jordan explained the committee already has heard testimony that under Wray's leadership, the FBI "played a key role in prebunking a true story concerning the Biden family's influence peddling ahead of the 2020 presidential election. We have also learned that the FITF continues to coordinate efforts with social media companies leading up to the 2024 election to monitor and flag social media posts, by both American citizens and foreign actors, 'indicative of potential criminal conduct,'" Jordan wrote.
That testimony, coming from an analyst, explained the FBI then uses the name and content of the posting to insist that social media companies censor it.
"Although the analyst testified that the FBI uses this tool to pursue 'criminal conduct,' when questioned about the nature of the software tool and the scope of the FBI's use of it, agency counsel repeatedly prevented the analyst from fully answering the committee's questions. Therefore, we write to obtain additional information in order to understand whether the FBI has or could use this software tool to censor or infringe upon lawful speech, particularly Americans' political speech."
A report from Just the News noted the briefing is requested before a Nov. 26 deadline.
The Biden influence operations long have been a massive scandal that reportedly netted the family members millions of dollars, but has yet to be fully explored or explained.
Apparently it was that family members, specifically Hunter Biden, would be paid for their ability to interact with the then-vice president regarding various U.S. policies and actions.
In fact, one of the controversies involved Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, paying Hunter Biden $1 million a year to be on its board, even though he had no expertise in the industry.
One issue was that Burisma was under investigation in Ukraine at the time for corruption. Joe Biden, on a trip there, threatened Ukraine with the loss of American aid if they did not fire the prosecutor immediately.
They did, and he returned to the United States to brag about his influence.
Congress earlier reported the deals apparently netted the Biden family tens of millions of dollars.