This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

One of the biggest political election influence operations ever, determined by a survey to probably have handed Joe Biden the White House in 2020, was schemed by the Department of Justice's FBI. The CIA helped, as did a long list of ex-intel operatives for America. And the media.

That was when the Biden family scandals were revealed during the 2020 election race in a computer Hunter Biden abandoned at a repair shop.

The FBI – falsely – told media corporations it was Russian disinformation and they should suppress it. Those intel bureaucrats said the same. And the CIA assisted.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A former Israeli ambassador to the United States is warning that a Kamala Harris presidency would cost Israel … a great deal.

Yoram Ettinger, in an interview with Israel365, said the problem is that she is taking advice from pro-Palestinian advisers.

"Kamala Harris' foreign policy team includes figures like Philip Gordon and Elan Goldenberg, who are known for their pro-Palestinian leanings and their disdain for Israeli policies," he said.

"Gordon was (Barack) Obama's top adviser on Palestinian issues, advocating for policies that undermined Israel's security," Ettinger warned.

He pointed out that Goldenberg is affiliated with J Street, a group that often criticizes Israel.

"Goldenberg's track record with J Street suggests he supports policies that would press Israel into dangerous concessions," Ettinger explained. "His influence could push Harris' administration toward policies that compromise Israel's safety and sovereignty."

And he cited another adviser, Rebecca Friedman Lissner, who "has been vocal about limiting America's global role, which could translate into diminished support for Israel on the international stage. A Harris presidency might see a significant weakening of America's commitment to Israel."

In the interview, Ettinger noted, "A Harris administration might delay or restrict military aid to Israel. This could severely impact Israel's defensive capabilities at a time when regional threats are intensifying."

The result could be that progress toward Middle East peace would be delayed.

"The Biden administration (of which Harris is a part) has been lackluster in advancing the Abraham Accords. A Harris administration is unlikely to prioritize or expand upon these important agreements, leaving Israel more isolated."

The Abraham Accords are a series of peace agreements involving Israel and its Arab neighbors. They were created and adopted during President Donald Trump's first term in office.

Ettinger said, "American voters often prioritize domestic issues, but the next president's foreign policy decisions will have profound consequences for Israel's security and its relationship with the U.S."

President Trump, on the other hand, "was unequivocally the most pro-Israel in history. He made the historic move of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocating the U.S. embassy there, defying decades of diplomatic inertia."

He also cited Trump's sanctions against Iran, which "crippled the Iranian economy and curtailed its ability to fund terrorism."

Under Biden and Harris, America has opened the channels to tens of billions of dollars going to Iran, which has been followed by a surge in terror activities.

He said, "Trump's stance on the Golan Heights and aid to the PA showcased a principled approach that unequivocally supported Israel's security and sovereignty."

The report explained the comments are a "crucial alert for pro-Israel voters. The choice between Trump, who has shown unwavering support for Israel, and Harris, who Ettinger argues could undermine the U.S.-Israel alliance, could significantly impact Israel's future."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The Internal Revenue Service is being sued for violating the freedom of speech, free exercise and equal treatment requirements of the U.S. Constitution against two churches and a couple of conservative nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status – while ignoring rules violations from leftist organizations.

It was, of course, during Barack Obama's administration that the IRS was caught scheming, and acting, against conservative organizations as Obama was seeking re-election, by delaying and rejecting their applications for tax status so that they would not be able to speak about Obama's extremist agenda during the campaign.

The result was a series of lawsuits, settlements, public admissions of misbehavior by the IRS and more scandals.

And WND reported more than a year ago that that was Lois Lerner, Part 1, when she pled the Fifth before Congress, was found in contempt and given a free pass by Obama.

That report said conservatives at that time were warning that Lois Lerner, Part 2, was coming.

It was because the IRS under Joe Biden, like the IRS under Obama, "subjected an elections nonprofit to a battery of prying questions about its policy positions, language choices and methodology for arriving at correct opinions and conclusions prior to peremptorily rejecting its application for tax-exempt status without appeal."

The first round found the feds attacking Christians and Tea Party organizations under Obama. Eventually the federal government had to pay out millions to the groups it damaged.

The second round was triggered by Washington's attack on a group called Adams, Baldwin, and Covey Foundation.

"Founder Phill Kline charged the IRS has demanded answers to questions like, 'Have you held [a] particular position or view on certain issues or topics? If you do, please detail the position or views of your organization,' and 'Do you have any policy/policies or guidance in place to avoid unsupported opinions or conclusions and inflammatory language in the activities?'"

Kline told the feds to provide the justification for such questions, and explain whether those were being directed at other organizations, too.

Kline warned at the time it was evidence of Biden's belief he can "license thought and speech."

Now a report by the Epoch Times says the new lawsuit is over the IRS actions against conservatives, even while it imposes "no repercussions" on "left-leaning" publications that support Democratic political candidates "in violation of the IRS Code."

The complaint "cites examples of nonprofit media organizations appearing to endorse President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other political figures, as well as church leaders praising Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama during services while they were candidates for president."

"Plaintiffs believe that the activity described … demonstrates ongoing, open, and obvious violations of the [law] by churches friendly to Democrat candidates," the complaint states, according to the report. "However, plaintiffs contend that all such activity is constitutionally protected. Plaintiffs only seek the freedom to engage in similar activity."

In 2020 Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia, was punished when its pastor told members to vote in line with the values in the Bible, and confirmed the Republican platform was closer than the Democrats.

Then a group called "Christians Engaged" was refused tax-exempt status because its teachings were "typically affiliated with the [Republican] party and candidates," although that decision later was overruled.

But the lawsuit said there's no evidence of any investigation, much less adverse action, against any "Democrat-affiliated nonprofit."

The case also points out since the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling all corporations organized under any section but the nonprofits' 501(c)(3) may support or oppose candidates.

The action is pending the federal court in Texas.

"The plaintiffs in the case are the National Religious Broadcasters, Sand Springs Church, the First Baptist Church Waskom, and the Intercessors for America, a national prayer group," the report said.

David Kallman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said, "We are not asking the court to restrict the rights of … churches and other liberal organizations, even though they continuously violate the Johnson Amendment without repercussions from the IRS. We just want the same standard to be applied to all churches and 501(c)(3)s."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Lawyers with the Institute for Justice have announced that they have worked with the city of Wilmington, Delaware, to install new protections for automobile owners who have parking tickets or other infractions to resolve those issues short of having their car confiscated and destroyed.

The IJ said the city has agreed to reform "predatory impound practices."

The issue was the subject of a 2021 lawsuit on behalf of Ameera Shaheed and Earl Dickerson, who lost their vehicles to private companies working at the behest of the city.

"These companies operated 'cost-free' for the city by keeping the profits off scrapping cars," the IJ said.

"I'm really proud of the work everyone put in and the system we helped create," said IJ Attorney Will Aronin. "Our goal is to make it so nobody loses their car and we were able to craft a new system that has strong protections to keep that from happening."

The settlement agreement involves Wilmington installing a new system to provide multiple notices to those with tickets, "very liberal and easy payment plans," and convenient hearings to resolve disputes.

"Most importantly, even if someone does have their car towed, they will be able to go get it back without being forced to pay, so long as they either go to the hearing or enter into the easy payment plan. Under this system, Ameera Shaheed and Earl Dickerson would not have lost their cars," the IJ said.

Under the old rules, the IJ explained, "the city repeatedly ticketed Ameera's legally parked car and then towed it because they issued so many tickets. When Ameera couldn't pay the full sum, the city let the towing contractor just keep the full value of the car."

Part of the agreement also has the city compensating the plaintiffs in the lawsuit for "well above what their cars were worth."

"I'm glad that my lawsuit is ending with meaningful change for the people of Wilmington," Ameera said in a statement released by the IJ. "It was hard when Wilmington took my vehicle even though I was parked legally. I wasn't the only one mistreated but hopefully this will never happen again in our city."

WND had reported when a federal judge declined to dismiss the case against the city.

U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly had issued a decision allowing the lawsuit to continue.

The judge said, "Wilmington can't have it both ways."

He said either the victims have an argument that taking the whole value of their car for simple parking tickets is an excessive fine, or the owners have a claim that the city is taking property from them without compensation since their tickets don't rise to the value of the cars.

The old system put Wilmington people at risk of losing their vehicles to an impound system that profits from scrapping the cars that are taken, the IJ explained.

But that violated the Fourth Amendment, it said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed more than 30 of his own officials after the country was rocked by a series of devastating floods over the summer.

According to South Korean news outlet TV Chosun, the North Korean government shot between 20 and 30 people at the end of August for failing to prevent floods that killed over 3,500 North Korean citizens.

Korean Central Television – a state-owned broadcaster in North Korea – had stated "those who caused unacceptable loss of life should be severely punished. Kim Jong Un held an emergency meeting following the flooding of the Yalu River, and fired several top officials, including the minister of social security, and the chief secretary of the party of Jagang Province.

A North Korean official confirmed the officials had been executed, including the fired Kang Bong-Hoon – the chief secretary of the Jagang Party.

"It has been determined that 20~30 cadres in the flood-affected area were shot dead at the end of last month…We are also investigating the circumstances that included Kang Bong-Hoon, the party's chief secretary of the Jagang Party, who was sacked," the official said.

TV Chosun stated the North Korean government is trying to control public sentiment by terrorizing its citizens, especially in areas close to the border. In that effort, North Korean authorities have allegedly "added charges of corruption and neglect of duty to the flood victims."

According to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, "North Korea is among the world's most repressive states, engaging in widespread and systematic human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, torture, forced abortion, arbitrary detention, and denial of the rights of expression, association, assembly, and religion."

North Korea also punishes three generations of a person's family if they commit a crime against the regime through a system called songbun. Songbun is used to classify a citizen's attitude towards the regime – this determines career prospects, food, and housing.

The law was introduced by North Korea's founder and late-leader Kim Il Sung, who believed anyone who had anti-government sentiments should be wiped out entirely, and up to three generations of their family should be punished for it.

Leaving North Korea is prohibited. If defectors are caught, they are then imprisoned within the regime's network of forced labor camps. Currently, there is an estimated 120,000 political prisoners within these camps, where they are subjected to torture, and are confined indefinitely.

A report from the Council on Foreign Relations states North Korea is entering into a rapid period of change, despite the regime being historically resistant to outside influence. This will be a challenge for Kim, as he needs to cultivate strong support from elites while successfully managing the changes to meet his goal of making North Korea prosperous.

Kim's international relationships, particularly with Western nations, continue to deteriorate due to North Korea's growing relationship with Russia, which includes Kim's export of ballistic missiles in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned Kim's actions during a summit in Seoul Wednesday. In a joint statement from Luxon's office, both sides called for the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea, and urged Kim to take up offers of international dialogue.

The Strait Times, a South Korean news outlet, reported Wednesday the North Koreans have been sending balloons across the border to the south filled with garbage, and in some instances, human waste. According to a joint statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the garbage-filled balloons were last delivered a month ago.

North Korea said the balloons were in response to South Korean activists sharing anti-propaganda materials which posed a threat to the regime. In a petty back-and-forth, South Korea has played K-Pop and other propaganda over loudspeakers since 2015.

In June, Kim played host to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which both agreed to provide military aid to each other in the event one of them is attacked. Kim has since increased his testing of ballistic missiles around the South Korean border.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A new investigation is intended to reveal whether Joe Biden and Kamala Harris engaged in a months-long election interference scheme by vastly inflating the actual number of jobs created during their tenure in the White House.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshal has announced that he's pursuing a review of their actions for lying about those numbers.

In fact, the federal government already has confirmed a revision of those numbers, taking them down by 818,000, or by about 30%.

It previously was reported there were that many jobs created, as reported by the government, between April 2023 and March 2024, which never existed.

According to the Daily Caller News Foundation, "Economists at Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo anticipated the government had overestimated job growth by at least 600,000 in that span, while economists at JPMorgan Chase had predicted a lesser decline of 360,000, according to Bloomberg. The downward revision follows a trend of the BLS overestimating the number of nonfarm payroll jobs added, with the cumulative number of new jobs reported in 2023 roughly 1.3 million less than previously thought as of February 2024."

A researcher at the Heritage Foundation's Center for the Federal Budget charged, "There's been a clear pattern of economic data being revised down (worse) in the last several years. It is very similar to the onset of the great Recession, when the BLS was struggling to keep up with rapidly deteriorating economic conditions. Assumptions built into models no longer represented reality, although they may have just a year or two prior."

A report at the Gateway Pundit said Marshall's investigation will include claims that the Biden-Harris duo "inflated job creation numbers, misleading the American public about the state of the economy."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A major New York publication has called out Colorado's leftist governor for "gaslighting" the public about a threat to lives and safety created by the takeover of apartment buildings by a gang of Venezuelan thugs, allowed into the United States under his Democrat party's open southern border policies.

Gov. Jared Polis had claimed such problems, documented by officials in the next-door city of Aurora officially, on police records and on video, were just someone's "imagination."

The New York Post, in a holiday posting by its editorial board, pointed out Polis also is an extremist on the border, having "contributed to the migrants' overrun of the state."

"He signed a sanctuary law in 2019, prohibiting probation officers from 'providing an individual's personal information to federal immigration authorities,' and in June, he signed measures making it easier for migrants to get drivers' licenses and government aid," the publication noted.

So "the gang's power-grab in Aurora is inconvenient for Polis," and that has resulted in his "don't believe your lying eyes" approach, it said.

Later, Polis took to social media, appearing to back down on his initial suppositions, to claim that "taking over buildings has no place in Colorado."

The Post charged, "Migrant gangs are turning Aurora, Colo., apartment complexes into hellholes, and the Democratic governor is turning a blind eye. It's an unhappy consequence of being a suburb of sanctuary-city Denver: Venezuelan migrants have spread from the Mile High City, with allegedly gang-affiliated ones claiming apartment buildings as their turf, terrorizing residents."

The editorial cited video evidence showing "suspected Tren de Aragua members stalking through the complex with guns. Another, from the same complex, shows two men breaking into a unit with a tire iron."

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has confirmed that at least two apartment buildings have fallen into the hands of an "organized criminal effort" that comes from "a failed policy at the southern border."

Aurora councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has been advocating for a solution for some time already, providing evidence.

Polis, however, opened the schism between the cities by flat-out denying it is happening.

A statement from his office said the invasion was "a feature of Danielle Jurinsky's imagination" and, the Post said, he then "sneered that Polis 'really hopes that the city council members in charge stop trashing their own city when they are supposed to keep it safe.'"

"This is gaslighting at its worst," the Post said.

Official reports now confirm that several of those gang members have been arrested on suspicion of criminal activity, and the Post noted, "Was it Jurinsky's 'imagination' when local ringleader Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirino and some of his thugs reportedly beat a man at one of these complexes? Or when he was involved in a shooting that wounded two men at the same complex?"

She's accused the Biden-Harris monopoly of causing "suffering" for residents and criticized officials in next-door Denver for incentivizing the criminal activity by creating free housing and other taxpayer-funded benefits for illegals.

Reports explain members of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang, have taken over buildings, and Jurinsky personally has helped some residents move out.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A Dominican national has pleaded guilty to U.S. charges of human smuggling that resulted in the death of a 3-year-old boy in Puerto Rico.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Alcibades De Paz, pleaded guilty to one count of bringing certain aliens into the U.S., and faces a possible term of life in prison if found guilty.

De Paz admitted he was a captain of a vessel illegally transporting individuals, which included the 3-year-old boy, from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. While evading authorities with his co–conspirators, De Paz accelerated his vessel towards Puerto Rico, but capsized at the shoreline, which resulted in the death of the child.

The Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force program, which focuses on human smuggling networks that present national security concerns, headed the investigation alongside the DOJ's Criminal Division and the Department of Homeland Security.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said the tragic events show the callousness of human smugglers.

"While smuggling migrants by boat to the United States, Alcibades De Paz attempted to evade law enforcement and sped toward the beach – a decision that resulted in the death of a 3-year-old child after the vessel capsized. This tragedy demonstrates human smugglers' callous disregard for human life. The Criminal Division is committed to combating human smugglers who prey upon vulnerable migrants," Argentieri said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The names of those involved in a fight over church attendance aren't being released by the American Center for Law and Justice, apparently because the dispute was resolved through discussion and negotiation.

But it does mean that a man, an ACLJ client, how is able to resume attending church services on Sundays.

The legal team earlier had complained to his employer, a major pet food company, because he was being ordered to work on Sundays.

"Our client began working as a forklift operator at the manufacturing facility in 2018. Originally, he worked the night shift from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., making a religious accommodation to attend church unnecessary. Over time, however, the night shift took its toll on our client, and he opted for the day shift," the ACLJ said.

"The schedule implemented by his employer required all forklift operators, including our client, to work a Friday–Sunday shift every other week without exception. Accordingly, our client was being forced to miss church every other Sunday without reprieve. Upon learning of his rights under Title VII to request an accommodation, our client reached out to his supervisor to make such a request."

The company, however, initially responded with orders that he continue his assignment, and he could drain his personal time off for each Sunday that he wanted to attend.

Even a company determination that he could swap Sunday shifts with others did not resolve the conflict.

"Further, our client was also punished for his religious beliefs by being forced to drain his PTO or go without pay," the legal team said.

"Title VII requires employers to accommodate an employee's religious practice unless it would pose an 'undue hardship' on the employer. EEOC guidance also makes clear that 'employers may grant these accommodations for religious reasons but still refuse to grant them for secular reasons.'"

And, the report said, the Supreme Court has specified that an undue hardship happens "only where the request substantially interferes with the operations of the employer and/or results in excessive costs. Temporary costs, voluntary shift swapping, occasional shift swapping, or administrative costs do not rise to the level of undue hardship."

The result was that the company offered the worker a new position that does not require him to work on Sundays, the ACLJ said.

Further, the client "will receive a raise in pay and will not be forced to use PTO to cover his Sundays moving forward."

"This is a great victory for our client and a testament to the many brave employees who stand up and challenge the unlawful conduct of employers who discriminate against their religious beliefs," the organization said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The problems stemming from the rampant, unlimited invasion of illegal aliens across America's southern border, a result of the Biden-Harris administration decision to trash President Donald Trump's border security efforts, make up a long list.

There are the hundreds of billions of dollars taxpayers are spending to provide food, housing, schooling and such. There are jobs for Americans lost to newcomers. There is the possibility that they could skew an election, as there are locations that register them as they get driver's licenses and such.

Then there's the death toll from drugs that are smuggled, the sex trafficking that has developed, and violent criminals, even terrorists, who have infiltrated.

One such ramification has developed in Aurora, Colorado, where several apartment buildings essentially have been taken over by members of Venezuelan gangs.

Mayor Mike Coffman recently was interviewed, and confirmed the problem is a "federal problem."

It's because of criminals at come across the border, then are released into the U.S.

"We can't afford to surrender any part of the city," he said.

Colorado's governor, a far-left Democrat, Jared Polis, however, had another perspective on the crime facing Aurora apartment building residents who are being evacuated because of the threat: The problem is just someone's "imagination."

Fox reported Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky responded to Polis after he said, in a statement from his office, "The governor has already let the mayor know that the state is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed."

But, the statement said, "According to police intelligence this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky's imagination."

Jurinski responded with, "I am so disappointed."

Local reporting explains the gang members are part of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang.

Jurinsky, in fact, has helped evacuate residents from apartment buildings where armed gangs have taken over, the report said.

"My question back to the governor is, is this also a figment of the Romeros' imagination? And the other resident that I helped to get out of there, and the other residents that I am going to continue to get out of there?" Jurinsky said.

The report cited reports that more than 40,000 migrants have arrived in the Denver area since December 2022. Denver is a so-called "sanctuary" city; Aurora is not. But they share a boundary.

"The situation is real but it also needs to be put into context so that the reputation of an entire city of over 400,000 residents is not adversely impacted by what has occurred in several isolated apartment buildings owned by the same out-of-state slum lord," Coffman told Fox News Digital.

Jurinsky added, "There are people behind this that are solely, playing politics. That is so sad to me because they're real human beings, just like the Romeros suffering on the other side of those doors, living behind four deadbolt locks and a door brace and living in fear every day in these complexes."