This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Longtime Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced on Wednesday that he will step away from leadership this year.
A report from Fox News reported McConnell, now 82, announced his decision in the well of the Senate.
He arrived in the powerful body in 1985 and has been in its leadership for almost two decades.
"One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter," he said. "So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate."
He said, "I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them."
At this time, President Trump is more than likely to be the choice for the GOP's 2024 presidential nominee, and polls show he is leading incumbent Joe Biden in almost every state, in almost every poll.
However, his blunt and brash style is far from the negotiate and compromise agenda McConnell has exercised for years.
In recent weeks, he's experienced a concussion as well as several episodes in which he appeared to freeze during news conferences or presentations.
A report at Just the News said he became the Senate Republican Conference leader in 2007 and he's the longest-serving Senate party leader in the U.S.
His most recent election to the Senate was in 2020.
He explained, "Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Ignoring criticism from multiple human-rights organizations including the United Nations, the Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan when Joe Biden abruptly ordered American soldiers to leave, has continued its campaign of public executions.
The latest was Monday when a man convicted of murder was shot and killed before an audience at a sports stadium in Afghanistan.
The other impacts of Biden's decision to flee have been documented over and over. Hundreds of Americans left behind in the hands of the terrorist Taliban, thousands of Afghanis who had worked for America in the same position. Multiple fatalities. Tens of billions of dollars worth of American war machinery left behind for the Taliban.
Now Just the News reports about Monday's execution that the brother of the murdered man shot the convict five times with a rifle.
The execution was in a stadium in Sheberghan, the capital of the nation's Jawzjan province.
"Monday's execution is the third death sentence to be carried out over the past five days, and the fifth public execution since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021. On Thursday, two men who were convicted of stabbing people to death were executed by gunshot in a stadium by relatives of the victims," the report said.
The U.N. has issued strong condemnation of the Taliban's public executions, and initially, when it took over the country following Biden's departure, leaders had promised to rule "more moderately."
A report from Voice of America confirmed the Taliban's actions were in defiance of "international calls to stop the 'inhuman' punishments."
It reported the convict was found guilty of stabbing to death another man in 2022.
A government statement said the convict was tried in three Islamic courts before the sentence was carried out, in line with the religious law of Islam.
The most recent public executions had taken place only days ago, in a football stadium in Ghazni, where two men "convicted of murder in separate cases" were killed.
"We oppose all executions as a violation of the right to life," Amnesty International said after that sentence. "It’s high time that the international community and the U.N. up the pressure on the blatant human rights violations by the Taliban and help ensure that international safeguards are respected in Afghanistan."
Other Taliban punishments, for lesser offenses, have included public floggings.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Cyberattacks can shut down banking procedures, online communications, corporation systems, and more.
And now they can threaten lives by infiltrating a system allowing the dispensing of prescriptions to patients.
The Business Insider reported the attack this week on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare system and the American Hospital Association was urging healthcare facilities to disconnect from the system.
Change Healthcare itself said a number of its systems and services were hit by the cyberattack starting Wednesday.
The company said the problems were from "a suspected nation-state associated cybersecurity threat actor."
The corporation delivers prescription processing services and is part of United Health's Optum division, working with more than 67,000 pharmacies.
The company said it was "experiencing a cyber security issue" and it was working on it.
"Once we became aware of the outside threat, in the interest of protecting our partners and patients, we took immediate action to disconnect our systems to prevent further impact," it reported.
One report, in the Daily Mail, bluntly labeled the situation, as an attack from a "foreign nation."
Another published report from Fox said a restoration of services was expected imminently.
But it said the nature and origin of the attack were unclear.
One pharmacy chain said the problem was not with getting the prescriptions, but with billing them to insurance plans.
"If you can wait a day or so to pick up your RX that would be great. If you need it today we can do our best to accommodate individual needs," the chain said.
CVS officials told Fox its systems were unaffected.
"We are aware that Change Healthcare is experiencing a network interruption that is impacting certain business operations, as well as the operations of other companies nationally," an official. "There is no indication that CVS Health’s systems have been compromised."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A court hearing that's to decide whether Fulton County, Georgia, prosecutor Fani Willis will be booted from her organized crime claims against President Donald Trump and others is awaiting closing arguments – and then a decision from Judge Scott McAfee.
But that's not the only hurdle Willis now is facing: She has a looming ethics hearing that will address several complaints filed against her.
The case McAfee heard, and will decide, focuses on Willis' hiring of a lawyer, Nathan Wade, to develop her organized crime claims in the case.
The issues are many, including their relationship before and during the assembling of the case, whether she benefited, through that relationship, of tax money she awarded to Wade, and much more.
The judge is holding a private hearing with one witness who could provide evidence but has ethical complications because he served as Wade's lawyer for a time.
Then closing arguments are expected, and a decision that could let Willis, an extreme leftist who insists that Trumnp's election concerns, in fact, were organized crimes, continue.
Or whether she'd be booted, a move that could allow the case to disintegrate entirely.
It is Newsweek that said Willis is facing a "special meeting" on March 7 that is to address two separate ethics complaints filed against her.
It is the Fulton County Board of Ethics that will hear evidence on the complaints, including one by Greg Mantell, founder of the Substack blog Investigative News Service. The other is from Steven Kramer.
A report posted at RollingOut reported Mantell's complaints are over Willis' expense reports, contracts, and spending for 2021-2023.
"A second complaint reportedly was lodged by Steven Kramer, part of which alleges that Willis violated the RICO Act and 'has a strong connection to a revolutionary group that was anti-White,'" the report said.
By the nature of the ethics complaint process, few other details were public immediately.
The report explained, "Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani categorized the hearing [before McAfee] as 'damaging for both Willis and Wade, personally and professionally,' and said the way Willis has handled the allegations — combative, more expansive than warranted, seemingly parsing syllables in her answers — has been an 'unmitigated disaster.' Willis has even drawn mild rebukes from McAfee, whose favor she needs if she wants to remain on the case against Trump."
The analysis continued, "Part of that probably can be explained by the role reversal Willis is enduring — she’s usually the one asking questions and putting witnesses on the defensive and now bristles at finding herself on the receiving end of the same treatment. Rahmani seems to hint that Willis could be playing into her opponents’ hands by giving them ammunition to paint her as the stereotypical angry black woman."
Rahmani noted it shouldn't affect the legal merits involved, but "the optics are bad."
"She should cut her losses, step down, and have someone else take over this prosecution."
On the claims Willis and Wade were in an affair, one analyst found, "A consensual relationship among peers is not normally a problem. But if you lie to a court about when the relationship started and whether reimbursements were made, that's game over."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden's mental flubs and blunders have been apparent for all to see for years already. Of late, they've escalated, with him calling on a dead member of Congress at a news conference, his relating his conversations with foreign leaders, when those leaders were dead.
Then came that damning special counsel report that confirmed Biden likely broke federal law by taking and keeping classified documents, but he wasn't going to be charged because of his "diminished" mental faculties.
Already, some 8 in 10 say he's too old to serve another term, and a number of lawmakers have suggested he's no longer capable of doing his job because of dementia.
The report said, now, "Dozens of House Republicans signed a letter calling on Mr. Biden to take a cognitive test or else be subjected to removal from office under the 25th Amendment."
That amendment deals with succession for a president who is incapacitated and no longer functioning.
"The lawmakers were responding to special counsel Robert K. Hur’s report on Mr. Biden’s retention of classified documents. Mr. Hur documented the president’s inability to recall critical information, including when his son Beau died. He said the president’s memory lapses were so significant that prosecuting him for improperly handling classified documents would be impossible," the report said.
The coalition from Congress charged, "If you are too mentally impaired to stand trial, as your own Department of Justice claims, then we are concerned that your mental state is not at a competent level to serve as the leader of the free world."
The report noted Dr. Angel Boev, a neurosurgeon who has not examined Biden, said, "It's inevitable he's progressed to where he is."
He cited previous operations Biden had to resolve aneurysms, plus his aging, 81.
"He said the two operations involved removing small parts of the frontal lobe on both sides of the brain, which can impact cognitive functioning," the Times said.
"Those two operations started a downward spiral, which has led to what we’re seeing now as the end result."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., running for president as an independent, challenged Biden to "come out and debate and to show the American public that he has the cognitive capacity" for the job.
White House insiders claim Biden continues to function with full faculties, even though cameras have caught their instructions to Biden when he heads into meetings to include, "YOU take YOUR seat," "YOU speak" and the like.
His spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, has said, in a statement that falls short of documenting Biden's ability, that he "proves every day how he operates and how he thinks."
Biden's annual physical a year ago revealed he was "healthy" but included no assessment of his cognitive abilities. When Democrats demanded President Donald Trump prove his abilities, he took such a test and aced it.
Biden also has recently taken tumbles while riding a bike and has fallen several times while walking. Officials say that's because of osteoarthritis in his back.
His physical did exclude factors such as strokes, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's.
The report explained that in 2011, the Affordable Care Act, which Biden advanced during the Barack Obama administration, "added an annual 'wellness visit' for all Medicare beneficiaries requiring 'cognitive assessments' for those 65 and older."
The Times noted that even longtime Biden advocates, like the New York Times, now have said Biden's memory issues are "relevant."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Those never-Trumpers and diehard Democrats who have been involved in a number of campaigns, political, civil, and criminal, against President Donald Trump, may be rejoicing at a lone New York judge's ruling that decided on Trump's "fraud" guilt and penalties of hundreds of millions of dollars without any jury involved.
But New York businesses now are running scared, and the already-existing exodus of companies from there could accelerate.
That's the opinion of Jonathan Turley, the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School.
He's not only testified as a constitutional expert before Congress, he's represented members in court.
The recent judgment was delivered by Judge Arthur Engoron, who ruled on his own that Trump's "fraud" required a fine of some $350 million.
It was a case without victims, without loss, without unpaid loans, and confirmation that those who engaged in business deals with Trump wanted to do so again.
But the verdict is bad news, very bad, for business operators there.
"Many businesses are likely wondering 'but for the grace of God go I,'" Turley wrote. "Undervaluing or overvaluing property is a common practice, particularly in real estate. That is why representations, like the one made by the Trump Corporation, come with a warning that estimates are their own and that the banks need to make their assessments."
Engoron ruled that Trump had overvalued his properties, and then wildly said, in a statement that dropped jaws in the real estate community, that Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was worth less than $20 million. Real estate experts confirmed without hesitation it would be worth closer to $500 million, but Engoron stuck to his own assessment of Florida real estate.
"Faced with high crime and high taxes, the spectacle in Manhattan is only likely to accelerate the exodus of businesses and high-earners from the city," Turley warned. "That prospect has already alarmed Gov. Kathy Hochul who declared 'business people have nothing to worry about, because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior.'
"That sounds a lot like 'you are fine so long as you are not Trump.' Yet, that is not reassuring to businesses who want a legal system that is based on something other than selective and arbitrary enforcement. Attorney General Letitia James campaigned on bagging Trump without even bothering to name the offense," he pointed out.
"The line between doing business and a public execution appears to be the dubious discretion of Letitia James," he warned. "That is not the type of assurance that most businesses would accept in risking billions in investment. Despite the high taxes and falling services in New York, the city remained a draw for business as a commercial and legal center. The experience and objectivity of courts in dealing with business disputes was a selling point for companies."
But, he said, "That has been shattered by the James campaign and the Engoron ruling. Telling business to just 'don’t be like Trump' is more menacing than consoling. Letitia James is now the face of New York corporate law — it is the 'face that launched a thousand ships' . . . toward Florida. Businesses can get lower taxes, lower crime, better schools, and a better regulatory environment in virtually any other state. Fewer are likely to want to come for the shows, but stay for the disgorgement."
He warned, "Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary said Monday that he would 'never' invest in New York after this absurd judgment. Creating an ad hoc business code for Trump undermines the city’s reputation as a premier jurisdiction for corporate and tax law. If the rate of exit increases, it will impact not just employees working for these companies (like the Trump companies) but the vast network of supporting businesses, including law firms."
He said, "As New York politicians campaigning on 'eat the rich' platforms, the confiscatory Trump judgment leaves many in the city wondering if they could be the next course."
An appeal is expected of the ruling from Engoron, who repeatedly censored Trump's free speech about the case, but the costs of those procedures in New York also is exorbitantly high, Turley noted.
He noted about the case itself: "Many of us have been critical of the ruling of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron who imposed the astronomical fine despite finding that Trump’s 'victims' not only did not lose a single dollar but made handsome profits. Indeed, these banks testified that they wanted to continue to do business with Trump as a 'whale' client, but Engoron is now barring them from doing so."
He did point out that Engoron's ruling, "was met with a level of unrestrained celebration by many in New York that bordered on the indecent. Attorney General Letitia James declared not only that Trump would be barred from doing business in New York for three years, but that the damages would come to roughly $460 million once interest was included."
He noted, "That makes the damages against Trump greater than the gross national product of some countries, including Micronesia. Yet the court admitted that not a single dollar was lost by the banks from these dealings. Indeed, witnesses testified that they wanted to do more business with Trump…"
He explained, "Undervaluing and overvaluing property is a longstanding practice in New York real estate. The forms submitted by the Trump organization cautioned the banks to do their own estimates and the loans were paid in full and on time. Yet, the New York law used by James is a curiosity because it does not actually require a victim."
Turley said Engoron's decision "is grotesque and should shock the conscience of any judge on appeal. Even if the Democrat-appointed judges on the New York Court of Appeals were to ignore the obvious inequity and unfairness, the United States Supreme Court could intervene."
But he said it may bring results that not everyone likes.
"The impact on New York business is likely to be dire. New York is already viewed as a hostile business environment, with the top end of its tax base literally heading south as taxes and crime rises. This draconian award is only going to deepen concerns over the arbitrary application of the law."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A lawsuit has been filed against the state of Alabama for installing a racist ideology in the requirements for state boards.
According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, its action against Alabama is on behalf of the American Alliance for Equal Rights, and it calls for an end to the state's "unlawful racial quota for appointments to the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board."
"It’s wrong for the government to make offensive assumptions about people’s experiences and qualifications based on race. And it’s unconstitutional to exclude some citizens from public service with arbitrary race quotas," explained Glenn Roper, a lawyer with the foundation.
The state board is required to oversee the licensing and regulation of real estate appraisers statewide.
Its nine members are appointed by the governor, but under a state law that insists on race quotas: At least two members must be race minorities.
There's one opening on the board now, and there's a qualified candidate.
But that person is "automatically disqualified" because she's not the race demanded by the state.
AAER president Edward Blum noted, "There are unfortunately dozens of government boards and commissions that exclude people because of their race or ethnicity. No one’s race should be used to include them, or exclude them, from service on government boards."
The foundation has released a report documenting how at least 25 states have established in law such discrimination against those who are not a "minority."
The organization explained it is "working to defeat race and sex board quotas in Alabama and everywhere else the unconstitutional practice is used."
The action charges the state is violating the Constitution's equal protection guarantee.
The filing states, "Alabama has a strong tradition of citizens offering their unique talents to serve on government boards or commissions. Sadly, Alabama governors are sometimes required to discriminate based on a candidate’s race when making appointments to state boards, commissions, and committees. The Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board (AREAB) is one such board. AREAB regulates, licenses, and investigates real estate appraisers to ensure they meet the high standards of the profession. However, Alabama law requires the Governor to consider the race of potential board members when making appointments to AREAB, and to exclude from consideration anyone who will not satisfy AREAB’s racial quota of at least two members 'of a minority race.' …. Such blatant racial discrimination against individuals who could otherwise sit on AREAB serves no legitimate government purpose. It is demeaning, patronizing, un-American, and unconstitutional."
The case seeks a court ruling that the racial mandate violates the Constitution as well as a permanent injunction preventing enforcement of the racist rule.
The filing states: "Governmental classifications based on race violate the Equal Protection Clause unless they are narrowly tailored to a compelling governmental interest. The racial mandate in Ala. Code § 34-27A-4 and Ala. Admin. Code 780-X-1-.02 does not serve a compelling government interest. The racial mandate in Ala. Code § 34-27A-4 and Ala. Admin. Code 780-X-1-.02 does not remediate any specific instances of racial discrimination that violated the Constitution or statutes. Even if the racial mandate in Ala. Code § 34-27A-4 and Ala. Admin. Code 780-X-1- .02 served a compelling government interest, it is not narrowly tailored to remediating past, intentional discrimination. The racial mandate in Ala. Code § 34-27A-4 and Ala. Admin. Code 780-X-1-.02 stereotypes individuals based on race, mandates racial quotas, requires racial balancing, has no 'good faith exception,' and has no end date."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A new report shows how Iran, which repeatedly has sought to destabilize the world through its sponsorship of terror and wild threats, has abruptly insisted that it owns Antarctica.
It's part of the rogue Islamic regime's "larger pattern of aggressive behavior that threatens global security and stability," according to a report in U.S. Newspaper.
The report described Iran's claim as "surprising" and explained it was claiming "ownership of Antarctica" as well as posing a direct challenge to "the international treaty that governs the continent."
The claim came in a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, from Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
The report commented, "This move has been viewed as a provocation by many countries, including the United States, who have long recognized the Antarctic Treaty System. The treaty, signed in 1959 by 12 nations, including the US, Russia, China, and several European countries, established Antarctica as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science."
It explained Iran's claim comes just as "heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington" have developed.
"Since the Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, the relationship between the two countries has been strained. Iran has taken steps back from its commitments under the agreement, raising concerns about the potential for a new conflict in the region."
The report noted that Iran's claim actually has no legal or historical precedent or evidence.
Analysts suggested Iran was using the scandalous claim as a diversion from its domestic economic collapse and the political unrest it is experiencing.
Reaction from other nations was muted, with the U.S. declining to make any comment. But opposition is expected.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The gun used in Sunday's shooting at Joel Osteen's church in Texas reportedly had a pro-Palestinian message written on it, and the shooter has been identified as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, a transgender immigrant from El Salvador.
KHOU-TV in Houston reports "Moreno had a criminal history dating back to 2005, and was previously identified as Jeffrey Escalante, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety records search. Prior arrests include failure to stop and give information, assault of a public servant, assault causing bodily injury, forgery, possession of marijuana, theft, evading arrest unlawful carrying weapon."
ABC News reports "Free Palestine" was written on the long rifle belonging to a man dressed as a woman who opened fire at the Lakewood Church in Houston, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
"A motive behind the Sunday afternoon shooting has not been determined. Sources said investigators are feverishly going through the social media and writings belonging to the suspect," the network indicated.
As WND reported Sunday, a suspect wearing a trench coat and packing a long rifle opened fire at the celebrity pastor's megachurch while thousands of people were inside the facility.
The 5-year-old boy critically injured in the crossfire was the child the shooter brought to the church. Also injured by gunfire was a 57-year-old man who was shot in the leg. Officers killed the shooter at the scene.
One woman who was reunited with her loved ones noted: "The worship team, they were singing when the incident happened."
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said, "I will not make any assumptions because information continues to come in as to what motivated the shooter, but I am asking that the investigation look into whether it was a hate crime, given the shooting took place at an all-Spanish service."
"We all stand with the Lakewood congregation as they recover from this terrifying day and with the young child and adult who is known to have been hurt in the shooting," Hidalgo added.
"It could have been a lot worse," Osteen told reporters. "We're devastated."
"We don't understand why these things happen, but we know God's in control."
"We're gonna stay strong and we're gonna continue to move forward. There are forces of evil but the forces that are for us, the forces of God, are stronger than that."
"So we're going to keep going strong and just, you know, doing what God's called us to do, lift people up and give hope to the world again."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the shooting "tragic."
"Our hearts are with those impacted by today's tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston," Abbott said. "Places of worship are sacred."
It was a much more peaceful scene earlier Sunday morning, as Lakewood Church posted photos of congregants coming to worship, along with the message: "In Scripture, Jesus fed the multitudes, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead. Jesus still works miracles today, arranging divine connections to heal everything in your life.
"Welcome to Church this morning! We love seeing you all!"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The family of a 9-year-old boy accused by a publication of being in "blackface" has filed a defamation complaint against Carron J. Phllips and the publication Deadspin.
The boy, Holden Armenta, had his face painted half black and half red because he was a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, at whose game he was.
He also was wearing a headdress, and reportedly is part Native American.
A report from Twitchy explained, "Did we mention that the boy is only nine years old? We are being facetious of course, but our point in emphasizing it so much is that it is the original sin of this entire controversy. Even if this child was acting racist as heck (and we think he wasn’t acting racist at all), he’s nine years old and he shouldn’t be put on blast this way. If Phillips felt the need to complain about the situation, he shouldn’t have used any image or video of the kid in the first place. A description would have sufficed."
The report said, "Frankly, this author debated whether to mention this kid's name at all or to show his picture, but Deadspin has unfortunately made him famous and this piece is unlikely to contribute to making him more so. Further, this article defends the kid, which is a different moral calculus. We think it is worthwhile that if someone Googled ‘Holden Armenta’ they might find this piece where we defend the kid."
The report said there was a "good chance" the family could win.
"First, the law firm is the same one that sued Fox News on behalf of Dominion. How did that go for Fox News? Second, we think the complaint is sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss and the facts alleged largely make Deadspin and Phillips look terrible.
"For instance, Phillips also claimed that wearing the Native American headdress was racist against Native Americans. But allegedly the kid is Native American, which means that even if you buy into the essentially racist theory of cultural appropriation, the kid is allowed to wear it. And once again, they are doing this to a nine-year-old kid. The jury is likely to be furious at Deadspin and Phillips over this."
The report said Deadspin allegedly "threatened" the family.