This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump has been dispatching National Guard troops strategically to various cities with significant crime problems in recent weeks.
And the results in Memphis, Tennessee, have been startling.
Authorities there have made more than 1,000 arrests, taking 100 gang members off the streets and have found dozens and dozens of missing children.
"From arresting more than 100 gang members to locating more than 70 missing children, our brave federal agents and local authorities are doing incredible work to protect the good people of Memphis," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Tolerating crime is a choice: under President Trump, we refuse to accept the victimization of innocent American citizens and will continue making our cities safe again."
White House statistics revealed there have been 1,309 total arrests since last month, when the help was delivered.
That includes nine cases involving homicide, 52 for sex offenses, 527 for warrants and 132 for firearm offenses.
Before, the city routinely ranked as among the nation's most dangerous, reporting more than 40 homicides per 100,000 people just last year.
Trump's Memphis Safe Task Force was launched Sept. 15, authorizing National Guard help.
Gov. Bill Lee, supporting the effort, said the new campaign will be "forever."
Fox reported that an official "provided Fox News Digital with a snapshot of arrests on the night of Oct. 21, including one man who was arrested on a warrant for aggravated rape of a child; the arrest of a known Grape Street Crip gang member on a warrant for kidnapping, aggravated assault, theft, domestic assault and parole violation; and the arrest of a known Bloods gang member on a warrant for harassment."
Explained, Gadyaces S. Serralta, of the U.S. Marshals Service, in a statement to Fox, "Our priorities in Memphis are removing violent criminals, eliminating drug trafficking, and executing warrants for criminals within the communities."
Democrats have objected to enforcing the law.
Charged Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, "We are not a training ground or target practice."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A Detroit pastor is coming under heavy fire after a viral video appears to show him scolding a church member who was making a $1,200 donation instead of the $2,000 he had requested during a fundraiser.
Bishop Marvin Winans of Perfecting Church is shown to be seemingly offended as the worshiper, Roberta McCoy, made her donation on Sunday.
"I, Roberta McCoy, give in faith, and stand in unity with the vision of Perfecting Church with sowing this seed of $1,000, plus $235 in receiving the blessings to come to all that participate," McCoy read aloud to the church.
The pastor had asked members to give $1,000 as well as raise $1,000 toward the completion of a new cathedral for the church.
He interrupted McCoy, saying, "That's only $1,200," adding, "y'all not listening to what I'm saying."
"If you have a thousand plus a thousand," he explained.
"OK, I'm gonna work on the other $800," McCoy replied.
"That ain't what I asked you to do," Winans concluded.
The live-streamed event has since gone viral, collecting millions of views.
"People need to understand that men like this are exactly who Jesus warned us about," said journalist Collin Rugg.
"He's totally taking advantage of them. This woman is giving what she has, and he is scolding her for it. Shameful."
"The woman is clearly giving all she has. In Jesus' eyes, she gave more than everyone in the room."
Another commenter noted: "I hope he goes viral and everyone leaves his church. This has no place in the Christian world."
Winans told ABC7 Detroit his actions during the event were meant to maintain order and ensure elderly members wouldn't have to stand for long periods.
"I was calling because the whole church was giving, and it was our day of giving, and the whole church was coming, and we didn't want people standing, the mothers and all that, so I was calling them by increments," Winans said.
"And we had someone that had given out of before, and I corrected it, and I told everybody to listen and come when you call, and that's all that was."
McCoy actually holds herself responsible, telling the station: "He absolutely did not rebuke me. Now there's a difference. There was a correction because let me clearly state that pastor gave instruction on the lines to get into."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Hamas is not yet done with Gaza, despite the beginnings of President Donald Trump's multi-point peace plan in which the last of the Israelis taken hostage in the terror organization's war against its neighbor that it launched on Oct. 7, 2023, who still are living were released.
As proof, Hamas just days ago executed some of its political opponents, claiming they had colluded with Israel. Factions also have made statements that they will continue their war against Israel.
But it could be that Gaza now is done with Hamas.
In a telling statement, Khader Mehjez, an academic in Gaza, slammed Hamas.
It was in an interview with Al-Arabiya Network from Saudi Arabia that Mehjez commented, suggesting the terror group's war with Israel is over.
"I don't think that it will continue," he explained. "I believe that Hamas, as a political and military force in Gaza, is finished. It will not continue to exist. Nobody here wants Hamas."
A report from the Middle East Media Research Institute revealed that he also "accused Hamas of profiting from the war, plundering humanitarian aid and selling it in the market for several hundred times the price."
"He said that he saw images of Hamas leaders smiling and added that they were happy they had profited from the war they had started," the report said.
Mehjez called Ismail Haniyeh a "crazy man," described the Oct. 7 attack as an "act of madness," and said that the decision to carry it out was made by Yahya Sinwar, "who everybody knows was not normal."
His comments continued, "If you ask anyone here in Gaza – now that they are released from the terrorism of Hamas – you will get the same answer. Hamas brought this war upon us, and then benefited financially from the war. They would plunder all the [humanitarian] aid. They would sell it in the market for several hundred times its price – not just double or triple the price. People don't have money. They don't have cash to buy anything. The people suffered from real hunger. Things were getting worse, and these [Hamas members] did not feel the suffering of the people."
And, he said, "How can I begin to describe people who brought the war on us and made money off of it? I am angry at these people, whom I see smiling at the camera, as if the people who are being massacred are not their own people, as if this war was not their doing, as if it came out of the blue… They [smile] as if they are happy about this war. I could see the happy smiles on their faces. I interpreted this as happiness for their profits. People die and they are making profit…"
MEMRI also reported that more and more, the "Arab press" was offering criticism of Hamas for its decision to slaughter 1,200 Israelis on that October day, and take hundreds hostage.
MEMRI noted, "The writers, from across the Arab world, accused Hamas of carrying out a horrific massacre, including against women, children and innocent civilians, and of embarking on an irrational and reckless 'military adventure.' The movement, they said, chose to carry out this attack despite knowing it would lead to war and have grave consequences for the people of the Gaza Strip: vast destruction, enormous damage to infrastructure, and the death of tens of thousands."
For instance, 'Saudi journalist Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed slammed Hamas in a column he published in the Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on October 7, 2025, the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack.
His comment: "Hamas is to blame for the collapses and tragedies. First, its attacks were a massacre of massive scale by Palestinian standards, with children, women, and civilians among the targets. It is also to blame for prolonging the tragedy, since it could have made the same concessions more than a year earlier, sparing the blood of tens of thousands of Gaza residents who have perished because of Hamas… To this day, we still cannot understand why Hamas carried out such a large-scale attack – one that was entirely predictable to provoke an Israeli frenzy and the destruction of Hamas and everyone who stood with it…"
Al-Rashed later blasted Hamas for claiming victory.
"So when the cannons fall silent, these groups [i.e., Hamas and the other Palestinian terror factions] will resort to self-aggrandizing propaganda. There is a particular kind of language that has no connection to reality or truth. After every military defeat, instead of reconciling with the wounded society and moving forward, they prepare the lexicon of defeat: they collect phrases of justification and moral reasoning for what happened, legitimize the decision to start the war, rewrite history to present themselves as the victors and promise more [war]."
MEMRI wrote, "In his column in the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Palestinian journalist and political analyst Ramzi Odeh likewise criticized Hamas for carrying out the October 7 attack and called to hold it to account."
He said, "There are three questions that remain to be answered… [and] answering them is essential to strengthening the ability of the Palestinian people and its institutions to hold accountable those responsible for what happened on October 7… The first question is: Why did Hamas carry out the October 7 attack when it knew the extent of the damage this would cause to the Palestinian people and to [Hamas] itself? It should be stressed that Hamas was fully aware of the extent of the damage that could result from the October 7 adventure, as it had already been through five wars, one of them [following] the abduction of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, which led to about 2,000 Palestinians being killed and around a quarter of the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip being destroyed… Despite this, Hamas continued to plan the [October 7] attack for about two years, which indicates that its leadership is influenced by two main factors: First, regional pressures from forces that wanted to use Hamas to strengthen their role in the region, even at the expense of the Palestinian interest, and second, a mistaken gamble that additional fronts against Israel would be opened. This indeed happened, but [only] partially, not to the extent [Hamas] was counting on… What Hamas did on October 7 lacked political rationality and was not backed by sufficient military power to achieve any real gain."
The second question, the writer said, "What goals did Hamas achieve through this reckless military adventure?…" and third is, "Why did Hamas insist throughout the period of aggression [i.e., the war] on sidelining the PLO, despite the urgent need for Palestinian unity?… Hamas made the decision to launch the [October 7] attack on its own, and insisted on managing the campaign far from [any involvement] by Ramallah. It turned a deaf ear to the popular demands and to the regional and international pressures that called for national unity… When it was [eventually] forced to agree to the decision of the Arab summit in Cairo regarding the establishment of a technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip, it objected to placing this committee under the authority of the PA. This makes it clear that Hamas fears the PA more than it fears the occupation, because the occupation lacks legitimacy, whereas the PA is the legitimate representative of the Palestinians…"
Another commentary relegated Hamas to a "thing of the past," and yet another noted the costs of Hamas' recklessness, "paid" by thousands of innocent people.
"Hamas committed a crime against Gaza and its people: it brought about the destruction of the Strip and caused its people to lose their homes. Will anyone ever hold Hamas to account, or will [this] crime be glossed over, just like all the previous ones, including the crime of deepening the Palestinian schism between the West Bank and Gaza and the crime of turning Gaza into an Iranian missile base following Israel's withdrawal from the Strip in the summer of 2005? There is a need for a clear Arab initiative regarding Gaza. The Strip cannot be left at the mercy of Hamas and its calculations… In the end, the Palestinian reality cannot be repaired without accountability. If the party responsible for the Gaza tragedy isn't held to account, the disaster may repeat itself…," wrote Lebanese journalist Khairallah Khairallah.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A settlement agreement has been approved by council members in Castle Hills, Texas, and the vote brings to an end a years-long fight over the retaliatory arrest of a former councilwoman.
According to the Institute for Justice, the vote follows a landmark free speech victory at the Supreme Court by Sylvia Gonzalez in 2024.
That decision revived her First Amendment retaliation claim and sent the case back to federal district court. With this vote, the case is over and Sylvia's victory against the city is now final, explained the IJ.
"The council's vote closes one chapter for Castle Hills and opens a new chapter for free speech," said Anya Bidwell, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice who argued Sylvia's case before the Supreme Court. "The First Amendment doesn't come with handcuffs. This outcome sends a message to officials everywhere: if you retaliate against critics, you can be held to account."
The deal involves city payment of about a half a million dollars and also a commitment from officials to work with the Texas Municipal League to offer a statewide training on First Amendment retaliation.
Reportedly up to 1,100 cities will learn the lessons of the fight.
"It's been more than five years, and today I can finally breathe," Gonzalez said, in a statement. "I never wanted to end up in a Supreme Court fight, but I kept going because what happened to me shouldn't happen to anyone. Those who went after me have been held accountable. I didn't do this just for myself. I'm proud that this win will make it easier for ordinary people to stand up when officials try to punish them for speaking out."
The attacks on her began after she was elected the first Hispanic councilwoman and helped spearhead a citizen petition calling for the removal of the city manager.
During a heated council meeting, Sylvia was accused of briefly and inadvertently having the petition among her papers – an allegation the city used to orchestrate her arrest under a rarely used law.
Prosecutors dismissed the charge but not before the authorities confined her to jail for a day.
She then charged retaliation in her arrest – for her criticism of city officials.
The Supreme Court agreed.
"Now as always, retaliation by government officials is a clear threat to our constitutional rights," said Will Aronin, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice. "By sticking her neck out and fighting back, Sylvia paved the way for countless others to hold power to account. This settlement closes the chapter on her story, but it will live on as binding precedent—and as a testament to Sylvia's courage."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A stunning statement from the British royal family on Friday revealed that Andrew, the younger son of Queen Elizabeth, is giving up any and all use of any and all of his royal titles or honors.
The statement left unclear whether the honors were being stripped from him, or whether he was just relinquishing using them.
According to reports he will give up using Duke of York and the Order of the Garter, after the scandal over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revived.
The statement said, "In discussion with the king, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of his majesty and the royal family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
His connections to Epstein, who died in jail several years ago while awaiting further sex charges, erupted into the headlines when Virginia Giuffre in 2014 alleged that, as a 17-year-old, she was sex trafficked to him.
The scandal's staying power prompted him to resign from public roles in May 2020, and his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages were removed by the Queen Elizabeth in 2022.
Giuffre sued, and settled out of court for millions.
His nephew, the other "bad boy" of the royal family, Harry, gave up all his family duties when he and his actress wife moved to California years ago.
His titles, reports have suggested, are in jeopardy when his older brother, William, eventually assumes the crown.
Charles, Andrew's older brother, now holds that position.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A stunning charge has come from Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is giving "criminal illegal aliens badges and guns."
Actually, her comment was, "J.B. Pritzker doesn't just allow violent illegal aliens to terrorize Illinois's communities — he allows illegal aliens to work as sworn police officers. Radule Bojovic violated our nation's laws and was living illegally in the United States for 10 years. What kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns?"
The comment came after Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal alien who was operating as an active Illinois police officer.
A report from Fox News said Bojovic "overstayed" his tourist visa by a decade and recently has been working as a police officer. He was "approved" for a pension in January.
The Department of Homeland Security said Bojovic was an illegal immigrant from Montenegro who was working as a sworn police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department.
He was taken into custody during Operation Midway Blitz, targeting illegal immigrants living in Illinois.
McLaughlin added, "It's a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm — a law enforcement officer who is actively breaking the law. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is restoring law and order. Criminal illegal aliens have no place in our communities, especially on our police forces."
The report said his 2025 earnings so far were $205,707.
Pritzker has been actively fighting Trump's border security measures, and recently sued to block National Guard action in Illinois.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump has turned the focus to the trigger behind extremism in America.
And it's the devil.
America has been beset by leftist violence, such as the hundreds of billions of dollars in damages in the Black Lives Matter riots a few years ago, radical terrorism, such as shooting children while they are praying in a Catholic school, and extremists, including those who insist on trying to surgically change boys into girls.
Trump, during a ceremony that honored the late Charlie Kirk, identified the issue;
"We watched legions of far-left radicals resort to desperate acts of violence and terror because they know that their ideas and arguments are persuading no one," he said. "They know that they're failing. They have the devil's ideology."
The video clip was reposted dozens and dozens of times from those who noticed the message.
Some endorsed his criticisms.
And others were revealed to have been delivering the same message for some time already.
TikTok star RigoStaRR delivered a sermon on the devil's messaging and goals (Be forewarned about language in video):
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Ex-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who held that office under Joe Biden, is giving credit for President Donald Trump's success in creating a peace plan for the Middle East and bringing a stop to the war Hamas launched against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to himself and Joe Biden.
And he's getting blasted online for his wild claims.
Online, he said, "It starts with a clear and comprehensive post conflict plan for Gaza. It's good that President Trump adopted and built on the plan the Biden Administration developed after months of discussion with Arab partners, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It centers on temporary, transitional authorities for Gaza's governance, security, humanitarian assistance, and rebuilding, led by Arab and international partners alongside Palestinians, backed by the United States, and ultimately handed over to full Palestinian control."
Trump responded, "Everybody knows that's a joke. They did such a bad job. This should've never happened. This wouldn't have even happened. That was weak leadership same thing with Russia – Russia and Ukraine."
He continued, "Just a decent president – not a great president, like me … if a decent president was in, no Russia-Ukraine. And this is even more so. It was bad policy by Biden and Obama."
Responding to Trump's statement, online commenters unleashed:
"Magoo led the ground work??? Bwahahahahahaha."
And, "They all lie through their teeth!!"
And, "The leftist mouthpieces think they can still cast a spell on the whole country."
A report at the Gateway Pundit explained, "President Trump absolutely lit up Biden's worthless Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a gaggle aboard Air Force One on Sunday. Trump departed the White House en route to the Middle East after he secured a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is releasing the 20 living hostages, and Israel will withdraw to an agreed-upon line, thanks to President Trump's courage and diplomacy. Meanwhile, Antony Blinken is giving Joe Biden credit for President Trump's historic ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas."
Those hostages were, in fact, released early Monday.
But Trump wasn't the only one pointing to Blinken's "pathetic" claim.
"How pathetic, from this inept failure as Secretary of State, who only got the job because he sucked up to Joe Biden for years and did favors for his crackhead son. This is the ineffectual toady who sat mute as Chinese officials yelled at him and disrespected America, who covered up his boss's obvious cognitive decline, who simped with Europeans in the hope they would accept him as one of them, who presided over the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, who helped his boss make every conflict in the world worse, who installed his childhood friend from their Parisian school, Robert Malley, as "Iran special envoy" only to see the guy stripped of his security clearance, suspended, and investigated for "mishandling" classified information — a mystery which still has not been explained. So, sure, try to take credit for what Trump achieved in eight months after your four years of humiliation on the world stage. No one buys it," charged commentator Miranda Devine.
Other social media comments had lower levels of praise for Blinken.
Trump had made clear his concerns months ago:
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Forfeiture schemes abound across America. Government agents have been known to see money in a traveler's luggage, take it and keep it.
But it could be that the tide is turning, with the latest ruling from the Texas First Court of Appeals that reversed a civil-forfeiture judgment in Harris County.
The decision ordered the state to return to Ameal and Jordan Davis a total of $41,680.
The ruling confirmed, "Harris County's evidence was legally insufficient to prove the cash was intended to be used to purchase a controlled substance—confirming that private property, including cash, cannot be taken on mere suspicion."
"Cash is not a crime," said Arif Panju, managing attorney of the Institute for Justice's Texas office. "Today the First Court of Appeals entered judgment for Ameal and Jordan and ordered their life savings returned. That's a decisive win for due process and a sharp rebuke to civil forfeiture based on hunches."
The fight dates to 2019 when the Davises decided to pursue the dream of owning their own trucking business. They saved money from jobs, tax refunds, and by keeping expenses low—eventually accumulating more than $40,000, enough for Ameal to rise from truck driver to truck owner, the IJ said.
When Ameal was ready to buy his truck, driving from Natchez, Mississippi, toward Houston, he was stopped by police officers in Harris County. They took his cash and released him.
"Although the government's forfeiture case involved no drugs or drug dealers whatsoever, and Ameal was never charged with any crime, the county nevertheless pursued civil forfeiture. After a six-day trial, a jury found the money was intended to be used to possess a controlled substance at some point in the future; the trial court entered judgment for forfeiture," the IJ said.
However, the appeals ruling said the state's evidence failed.
There was no evidence of any "substantial connection" between the money and the alleged and undefined "drug offense."
"This ruling makes clear that the government can't take people's property without evidence of a crime," said James Knight, attorney at the Institute for Justice. "Ameal and Jordan fought back, and today's decision restores what was theirs and strengthens protections for everyone who carries cash."
A class action lawsuit over Harris County's practices of taking citizens' money remains pending.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump on Thursday honored famed explorer Christopher Columbus, recognizing him as a "the original American hero," after years of leftists and activists trying to destroy his significance in history and his October holiday.
"Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage," Trump wrote. "Before our very eyes, left-wing radicals toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces. Under my leadership, those days are finally over — and our Nation will now abide by a simple truth: Christopher Columbus was a true American hero, and every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination."
Leftists have objected to Columbus in terms similar to what they also apply to Christians, Republicans, and conservatives, like "racist," "white supremacist" and more.
Some leftist factions have insisted that America drop "Columbus Day" and replace it with a holiday honoring various other ideologies, most often "Indigenous Peoples Day."
"Today our Nation honors the legendary Christopher Columbus — the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the earth," Trump wrote. "This Columbus Day, we honor his life with reverence and gratitude, and we pledge to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name and dishonor his memory."
He continued, "Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451, Columbus quickly emerged as a titan of the Age of Exploration. On August 3, 1492, following years of intense study, preparation, and petitioning, Christopher Columbus secured funding from the Spanish Crown to set out on a daring expedition that most believed to be impossible. Commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, Columbus and his crew boarded three small ships — the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria — to set sail on a perilous voyage across the Atlantic. He was guided by a noble mission: to discover a new trade route to Asia, bring glory to Spain, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to distant lands."
It was on Oct. 12, 1492, that Columbus made landfall not in Asia, but in the modern-day Bahamas.
"Upon his arrival, he planted a majestic cross in a mighty act of devotion, dedicating the land to God and setting in motion America's proud birthright of faith. Though he initially believed he had arrived in Asia, his discovery opened the vast frontier and untold splendors of the New World to Europe. He later ventured onward to Cuba and other islands in the Caribbean — exploring their coasts and engaging with their people," Trump wrote.
"As we celebrate his legacy, we also acknowledge the contributions of the countless Italian-Americans who, like him, have endlessly contributed to our culture and our way of life. To this day, the United States and Italy share a special bond rooted in the timeless values of faith, family, and freedom. My Administration looks forward to strengthening our long and storied friendship in the years to come," Trump wrote.
"This Columbus Day, more than 500 years since Columbus arrived in the New World, we follow his example, we echo his resolve, and we offer our gratitude for his life of valor and grit. Above all, we commit to restoring a Nation that once again dares to tame the unknown, honors our rich cultural inheritance, and offers rightful praise to our Creator above," Trump said.