This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Officials in the leftist city of Denver are demanding that taxpayers nationwide subsidize their abortionists at the industry behemoth, Planned Parenthood.
They have joined with officials in other Democrat-run cities to insist that Congress and President Donald Trump were wrong, and they must reverse their opinions and their actions and restore the flow of taxpayer cash to the abortionists.
It is in a report at the Center Square that the city's agenda was revealed.
"In Denver, we will always fight for the rights of women to access contraception and reproductive care," claimed Mike Johnston, Denver's mayor, in the report.
"We are proud to join this amicus brief to push back on President Trump and the Big Beautiful Bill's unconstitutional targeting of Planned Parenthood and to ensure women receive quality, life-saving care regardless of their ability to pay."
Actually, in the court case over the funding, which was rejected by congressional action in a bill signed into law by President Trump in America's democratic procedures, the abortionists are claiming they have a constitutional right to cash taken directly from taxpayers.
The report noted Trump's BBB Act blocks federal funding for one year to any healthcare provider that received over $800,000 in federal Medicaid payments in 2023 and is primarily involved in "family planning" services, is a nonprofit organization or provides abortions.
Planned Parenthood claims the restrictions are unconstitutional because they must have taxpayer cash to fulfill their constitutional right to freedom of association.
The brief from Denver, and others, said they "have significant interest in protecting access to medical care, including reproductive and sexual healthcare and family planning services, for their most vulnerable residents."
For that, they are demanding a nationwide tax.
And that money needs to be sent to Planned Parenthood, "a vital part of the healthcare ecosystem," they charge.
A lower court had issued injunctions blocking the funding cuts, for now.
But then an appeals court put a hold on that injunction.
Denver officials are arguing for something they don't need, as Colorado lawmakers already have stepped up to take money from their own residents and give it to Planned Parenthood businesses in the state.
But Denver complained that would mean less money for "other" priorities, so it wants the tax funding to come from all Americans nationwide.
The Supreme Court already has ruled states have the right to exclude abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from state Medicaid programs.
The brief also argues that keeping the funding going, through Planned Parenthood, will increase the number of women "in the paid labor force.'
And it notes that the changes mean local and state governments will have to make hard decisions about budgets, as they won't have as much money.
It claims that the congressional action was "based on an unlawful ideological basis," suggesting that the law insists on a pro-abortion "ideological basis."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In less than a year, Donald Trump's second term as president has seen spectacular improvements in many areas of government, including notably in the U.S. military. However, at least one major area of support for America's armed forces – the Department of Veterans Affairs – is reportedly failing in its commitment to veterans. Case in point: Howard "Buck" Sheward, an 80-year-old Vietnam vet suffering from leukemia, who many believe deserves much better treatment than he is receiving from the VA.
WorldNetDaily spoke to retired Army Lt. Col. Francesca Graham, who currently serves as chief operating officer of Walk the Talk Foundation, an advocacy organization for members of the U.S. military. As Graham put it, "The Oklahoma VA system lacks connectivity between the systems in place to help Buck, a veteran who is undergoing chemotherapy and has almost died a couple of times."
For example, she said, "At the end of 2023, he unexpectedly spent nearly a month in a non-VA hospital in and out of lucidity fighting leukemia. While there, the VA kept calling to tell him he was missing pre-scheduled VA cancer treatment appointments."
In the rare moments that Sheward was lucid and able to talk, Graham said, he told the VA representatives where he was, but the calls to him did not cease. "According to Buck," she told WND, "he was berated for missing the VA appointments and was told that the VA would cancel his referrals if he continued to no-show his appointments."
"He's been asked why he was at a community care facility without a referral when he was actually taken there by ambulance," she shared. "Where's the common sense and connectivity?"
When it comes to community care facilities and the VA, she said, "These systems need to be talking to each other."
Not only is the lack of communication problematic, but so is the bureaucracy itself, Graham argued. "When a veteran travels to an appointment outside of the VA hospital, the veteran is supposed to receive travel reimbursement for that appointment," she said. Yet Sheward has not been reimbursed for the last six months. "He's submitted the paperwork," Graham said, "and then he hears nothing."
"There are also days where he'll submit paperwork for two different trips on the same day and only get reimbursed for one," Graham added. "Given his sickness and his age, is the VA not capable of helping him navigate getting his reimbursements and the ever-changing forms, or is the bureaucratic machine too large to really care about his health?"
Between February 2023 to May 2025, Graham said Sheward submitted 113 travel claims for cancer treatment and routine care. Out of these, 46 were approved for payment, while 67 claims, or 59%, were denied. Another 18 are still awaiting a decision. Interestingly, some trips that received approval one day were denied the following day.
In addition to the "bureaucracy and apathy" issue, the Walk the Talk Foundation's executive offered this shocker: "Buck discovered that a behavioral health provider, assigned to help veterans, including him, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, had been tried and convicted of a federal crime but still continued to see patients until it was time for him to report to prison."
"Just think about the implications of trusting your mental health to the VA, only to learn that your therapist has a criminal record," she said. "Buck brought up the issue, but it was swept under the rug."
"Buck is very frustrated because his concerns are not being acknowledged in any sort of meaningful way," Graham told WND. In fact, he is beginning to think the gradual accumulation of his problems and the indifference toward his health is retaliatory.
"Is this the position an 80-year-old Vietnam vet should find himself in?" she questioned. "I can assure you that he's not the only one facing these kinds of struggles."
Buck Sheward has reached out to several congressional offices in Oklahoma, including that of GOP Sen. James Lankford, regarding his concerns. "Unfortunately," Graham told WND, "those efforts have been hampered by a combination of bureaucratic inertia and a limited understanding of the complexity of his case within the state's VA system."
WND asked Sen. Lankford's office what steps, if any, his office is taking to address the lack of record integration between the VA and community care providers in Sheward's case. The office did not reply to request for comment by publication time.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump and Russian chief Vladimir Putin talked by telephone on Thursday and have agreed that they will meet again – this time in Hungary – to discuss a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Trump said the call was "a very productive one."
They already has met for talks in Alaska in August, but no solution to the war emerged.
The call was set up to precede a meeting at the White House on Friday in Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He has been demanding Trump provide Tomahawk missiles to him, for use against Russia.
They would allow his army to strike at targets far inside Russia.
"I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and it was a very productive one. President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries," Trump wrote on social media.
The call comes following Trump's visit to the Middle East this week. He celebrated there a ceasefire agreement he orchestrated between Israel and the terrorists of Hamas, who invaded Israel and killed some 1,200 civilians two years ago.
The last of the hostages Hamas took then, dead and living, are being returned.
Trump continued, "I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin thanked the First Lady, Melania, for her involvement with children. He was very appreciative, and said that this will continue. We also spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over. At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. The United States' initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated. A meeting location is to be determined. President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this 'inglorious' War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end. President Zelenskyy and I will be meeting tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more. I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."
Trump made a campaign issue of his commitment to resolve the conflict and end the massive killing spree that has occurred between Russia and Ukraine. His phone conversation was the next step in that effort.
In other efforts, he already has worked to bring about ceasefire steps in at least six or eight other military conflicts that had been ongoing.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As President Donald Trump was signing the Mideast peace deal this week securing the release of all living hostages held by Hamas, the Islamic terror group was posting graphic videos of its members publicly executing Palestinian civilians it called "criminals and collaborators with Israel."
The gruesome action came just hours after Trump voiced the "end of an age of terror and death," inking a document with his 20-point peace plan.
The horrific clip shows eight beaten and blindfolded men on their knees before they're all shot on the street as a crowd cheers.
Two years of the world screaming "genocide" without a single instance of the IDF doing what Hamas is doing to Palestinians today.
https://t.co/jlWIhFa6Kd
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 14, 2025
⚠️ WARNING
More public executions of Gazans by Hamas.
Where is the "Free Palestine" mob?
Where is the BBC and Sky News?
Where is the UN?Silence.
— Kosher (@koshercockney) October 15, 2025
Suddenly, "pro-Palestinians" don't seem to care about Palestinians when Hamas is publicly torturing and executing them. pic.twitter.com/GMF8MS94ub
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) October 14, 2025
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. CENTCOM, issued a statement on Wednesday, saying: "We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza – in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow Line."
BREAKING
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander statement to Hamas:
"We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza – in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow Line.
This is… pic.twitter.com/OYB7v6tjF5— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 15, 2025
"This is an historic opportunity for peace. Hamas should seize it by fully standing down, strictly adhering to President Trump's 20-point peace plan, and disarming without delay. We have conveyed our concerns to the mediators who agreed to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gaza civilians. We remain highly optimistic for the future of peace in the region."
American conservative commentator Avery Daye indicated: "I thought we were all about the wellness and the safety of Palestinians, 'cause look at Hamas' terror hasn't stopped."
"The problem is the majority of Palestinians actually do support Hamas and support this kind of terror because they love death as much as the Jews love life. They tell us that over and over and over again."
Hey, pro-Pali people, Hamas is literally executing Palestinians on the street and livestreaming it.
They've also dropped the whole genocide narrative since they're now posting videos of very healthy children dancing in the streets this week to celebrate the ceasefire.
Where are… pic.twitter.com/TlvR9vdgVw
— Avery Daye (@AveryDaye) October 14, 2025
Daye continued: I think they've forgotten to keep continuing to push the narrative because they're now posting videos of very healthy children that do not like they've been through a genocide."
"They have new clothes on. They look very well-nourished. … I don't see a starving child, a suffering child in sight."
Healthy-looking kiddos in keffiyehs and cool threads celebrating the ceasefire with an energetic dance.
Anyone remember the healthy children dancing choreographed routines after the Holocaust?
Neither do I. pic.twitter.com/lU8XVszzpK
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) October 11, 2025
Swedish journalist Peter Imanuelsen noted: "Hamas is now publicly executing civilians in Gaza. Will Greta Thunberg organize protests against this?"
BREAKING: Palestinians are posting videos titled "1st day in Gaza without war."
Bustling malls, fully supermarkets, and the brand new iPhone 17 for sale.
You have been manipulated for over two years.pic.twitter.com/RDDUbxqIqb
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) October 15, 2025
On Tuesday, Trump reminded everyone that the bodies of deceased hostages have still not been returned.
"ALL TWENTY HOSTAGES ARE BACK AND FEELING AS GOOD AS CAN BE EXPECTED," Trump exclaimed on Truth Social.
"A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!"
PRESIDENT TRUMP on Hamas: "If they don't disarm, we will disarm them." pic.twitter.com/TcA7ba2Dj6
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 14, 2025
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In what's being called an "epic hot mic moment," President Donald Trump clowned with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Monday's peace summit in Egypt.
World leaders met with the American president in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, after he brokered an historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas, as all 20 living hostages held by the Islamic terrorists were freed.
At one point, Carney said to Trump: "I'm glad you upgraded me to president."
"Oh, did I say [that]?" Trump asked as Carney laughed.
"At least I didn't say governor," Trump continued, poking fun at former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Trump numerous times suggested could be the "governor" of the "great state of Canada."
"It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada," Trump wrote last year on Truth Social.
"I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
All of the remaining living hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in that horrifying act of war on Oct. 7, 2023, now have been released.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed online their release under President Donald Trump's brokered peace deal for the Middle East shortly before Trump arrived in Tel Aviv.
All 20 hostages were released after being held by Hamas for more than two years. The final 13 remaining hostages released were Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Evyatar David, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kupershtein, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Avinatan Or, and Matan Zangauker, according to a report from the Washington Examiner.
Seven were released in an initial transfer early Monday.
The IDF said the hostages were turned over to the Red Cross before being transferred to the IDF, to be brought to the Re'im base in southern Israel, the report said.
The events were livestreamed to watchers who gathered at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, which has been the site of protests since Hamas terrorists launched the war, killing some 1,200 civilians often in horrific slaughters in addition to taking hundreds hostage.
"I share in the joy of the families and the joy of the people of Israel, following the recent transfer of seven of the hostages into the hands of the Red Cross. We only recently met with their parents," French President Emmanuel Macron said when the hostage releases started. "Their release, alongside the expected release this morning of 13 additional hostages, brings with it renewed hope for peace — for Israel, for Gaza, and for the entire region. France will take part in all stages of the plan led by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, alongside the Arab partners that France has rallied for this endeavor. But for now — let the joy fill the heart."
Israel also conducted a series of releases of Palestinians who had been taken into custody also.
A billboard expressing gratitude to the president for his work toward the peace agreement and hostage releases greeted Trump on his arrival.
Trump said, "We're so happy for them. They're going to be happy, and they're going to have a great life. They've been very brave."
A report from Fox said Trump hailed the events as a "new beginning."
He was to address Israel's lawmaking body, Knesset.
"This is my great honor — a great and beautiful day. A new beginning," the president said, in a guest book.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Donald Trump's historic Israel peace deal reshaped the Middle East, forged new alliances, and exposed the truth behind Hamas's rise and fall. In this special series, Elizabeth Farah sits down with a panel of distinguished guests to uncover how Trump and Netanyahu broke decades of failed diplomacy and brought strength back to Israel's position in the region. First, Elizabeth speaks with Pesach Wolicki, who breaks down the theological and geopolitical foundation of Trump's peace framework. He explains how faith, leadership, and moral clarity defined Trump's approach to Israel, and why the Abraham Accords marked a biblical realignment in the Middle East. Next, she is joined by Clifford May, who exposes how Trump's strategy forced Arab leaders to confront Hamas, how Netanyahu's resolve reshaped regional power, and how Western governments have long enabled terror under the guise of "peace." Together, these conversations reveal the truth behind the deal that the media refused to cover, and the spiritual, political, and moral stakes that still define Israel's fight for survival.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A school board member at a California district that just recently defied leftist Gov. Gavin Newsom and state precedents to say that boys would not be allowed in girls athletics has revealed the inspiration for the common-sense move.
Kern High School District trustee Derek Tisinger was interviewed by Fox and said he and his colleagues "had to witness a Christian school forfeit to one of the schools in its district over a trans athlete."
It was difficult, he said.
"People try to say, 'Hey, it only affects a small amount of people,' but there were probably 30 girls that practiced and dreamed their whole life about playing volleyball, and they didn't get to play," Tisinger said. "To sit here and talk about this, it's almost ridiculous."
He said he has sympathy for the boy who was on the girls team, and created the dispute.
"This young man, he has every opportunity to play in any sport, men's sport, he can play golf, tennis, he can do whatever he wants to do, but I don't believe that he has the right to come in and displace a girl on a team and take her playing ability away and possibly taking away a chance for her to get a scholarship down the road," Tisinger said.
Kern, the largest high school district in the state, has joined more than a dozen other districts in the state in defying Newsom's leftist agenda.
The trigger for Tisinger was the decision by Bakersfield Christian to forfeit its freshman-sophomore game to Ridgeview High in the final week of September.
Bakersfield explained, "As a school grounded in the authority of Scripture, we affirm the biblical view that sex is determined by God at conception."
A report at Fox said the resolution was authored by Chino Valley Unified School Baord President Sonja Shaw, and was pushed through his own district by Tisinger.
There now are 16 districts in California defying the state.
"People in our community and our district know that we are concerned about biological boys playing in girls' sports, and we don't want it to happen," Tisinger added.
Tisinger was threatened by parents who advocate for the transgender agenda, but he cited the warnings from the federal government and President Donald Trump that schools who allow boys in girls athletics risk the potential loss of funding.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
There are a lot of people in America who are opposed to, critical of, and even resentful toward, the nation's H-1B visa program, which is a scheme that corporations can use to fire American tech workers and replace them with much cheaper employees, either located overseas or brought to America from their home countries for the work.
Those already critical of the visa manipulations include those hundreds of thousands put out of work by the operations, their families, likely their friends, those business leaders interested in making America's business climate stable and prosperous and many more.
But now the fight has escalated to the point a church in Texas is attacking one of its members, actually an ex-member now that the elders of the reportedly Baptist-affiliated church have tossed him out over those very sentiments.
It is a report at the Blaze that details of the fight involving Daniel Keene, a small-business owner in a suburb of Dallas, Texas.
He noted that community members from India, which plays a massive role in the agenda to replace American workers with overseas hires, took over an entire street in his suburb for a block party.
He posted video online, and he commented, "We have to cancel the H-1Bs. I want my kids to grow up in America. Not India."
He later deleted that when he came under attack at his business, at his home, at his health club, and at his church, identified as Trails Church.
He more or less expected some backlash online, but it got "worse" when church officials "decided to interrogate him on his immigration stance," the report said.
"The elders at the Trails Church called him about his initial post, telling him to repent and that the post was 'uncharitable,'" the report said.
Church officials demanded he and his wife come in for a meeting, with "all the elders and staff who could be there."
"They hammered me for … hours," he explained.
The Blaze said, "The elders had apparently gone through the last three years of Keene's X account, looking for problematic posts. Keene said they brought up two posts that they found 'concerning.'"
But Keene said they kept shifting the goalposts, so he was left confused by their demands.
"On one hand, they are saying that the issue is not the position itself; it's how I expressed it. … but then we've had three hours of phone calls, and they're just hammering me on the position itself."
He asked for the elders' position in writing; they refused.
He explained, in the report, the elders "wanted him to apologize for his original post showing the Indian block party on his street and abandon his position on Indian immigration. While he respected their right to disagree with him, Keene told Blaze News he did not think apologizing for the post was appropriate."
Then, he said, elders threatened him with a "path to discipline."
Keene noted his detractors claimed, "We don't think you're a Christian any more because you haven't repented of a sin."
Later, he followed up his deleted post with a podcast talking about immigration, and questioned, "What would get you in more trouble at your church? Significant doctrinal error on the Trinity? Or opposing immigration to the harm of your neighbor?"
The elders, whose online store sells mugs, hats and $50 shirts, then "formally asked Keene to leave the church," he confirmed.
Church officials did not respond to a Blaze request for comment.
But other hits he has taken: Doxxing and threats, his business was review-bombed, someone claiming to have access to millions of Indian-American contacts apparently tried to extort him for $20,000. And his gym membership was canceled.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump's Sept. 19 proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on all new H-1B petitions while acknowledging that the program has unjustly displaced many American workers has put the whole H-1B visa program under sharp scrutiny. It is the first time a presidential administration has admitted publicly that the program has inflicted measurable harm on Americans.
The H-1B promise vs. reality
The H-1B visa was created in 1990 under the Immigration and Nationality Act. It was meant to let companies bring in foreign workers for "specialty occupations" when no American worker could be found. Congress set the cap at 65,000 visas per year, later raising it to 85,000.
On paper, it looked like a narrow tool for filling rare shortages. In practice, the safeguards never existed and abuse has exploded.
Employers don't have to prove there's truly a shortage. They only need to claim they'll pay a "prevailing wage." Yet in reality, those wages are often well below market pay. On top of that, spouses and dependents arrive on H-4 visas, many of them also thus eligible to work. What was sold as a limited program has ballooned into a pipeline far larger than the statutory cap suggests.
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector
A 'cap' that isn't a cap
What most people don't know is that there are entire categories of employers, universities, research institutions and qualifying nonprofits that are legally exempt from the annual cap. Which means they can sponsor unlimited numbers of foreign workers year-round.
An even lesser-known loophole makes the system even more porous: Once a worker is hired by a cap-exempt employer, that same worker can hold a second job at a private company that normally would be subject to the cap. This effectively allows corporations to skip the H-1B lottery and gain unlimited access to foreign workers under the protection of nonprofit sponsorship.
The Build Fellowship: A nonprofit mask for corporate labor
The Open Avenues Foundation/Build Fellowship shows how these exemptions are being commercialized. Marketed as an educational fellowship, it advertises itself as a way to connect foreign professionals with U.S. universities. But the program's own documents reveal its business model is actually a visa pipeline.
Fellows are placed in nominal nonprofit roles for just five hours per week. That's enough to qualify them for a cap-exempt H-1B visa. Once they've cleared that hurdle, they move into full-time jobs at private companies through concurrent H-1B filings.
Universities like George Washington University lend the program legitimacy. Through GW's Market Discovery Program, international startups gain access to American markets under the guise of academic collaboration, with subsidized office space in Washington, D.C.'s Penn West "innovation district."
Other nonprofit partners, like DREAM Venture Labs repeat the same pattern. They openly pitch the fellowship as a way for immigrant entrepreneurs to obtain nonprofit roles that open the door to cap-exempt visas.
Universities from Boston University to Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Illinois Tech provide the legal foundation, giving the program an aura of academic respectability. In reality, these partnerships act as visa gateways, enabling a parallel immigration system outside the federal cap.
By layering nonprofit sponsorship over private-sector jobs, Build allows companies to bypass the federal H-1B lottery, avoid stronger wage requirements and slip foreign workers into U.S. jobs with minimal oversight. In its 2023 annual report, Open Avenues proudly describes itself as a "cap-exempt H-1B provider" with a "solid track record."
The report reveals its goals:
* Market the cap-exempt model nationwide, licensing it to other nonprofits.
* "Open source" the approach to scale it across the country.
* Promote it as a repeatable pathway for global workers to secure careers in the U.S.
In practice, this means nonprofits and universities are converted into labor sponsors, their nonprofit status used as cover while corporations gain steady streams of foreign hires. It's a structure that looks academic on the outside, but functions as a staffing pipeline.
When Build claims that immigrant workers participate in the labor force at higher rates than native-born Americans, it is not evidence of a high-skilled labor shortage. It reflects a stacked system of visa programs like the H-1B, F-1/OPT, L-1, H-4 EAD and others that enable employers to sideline qualified Americans in favor of cheaper foreign labor.
Discrimination hidden under 'diversity' branding
The Build Fellowship markets itself as a champion of "diverse teams," claiming diversity as a central benefit of its model. But its own documents reveal that the program brings real problems, from communication barriers to outright discrimination. Instead of treating these as failures to fix, the fellowship brushes them off as acceptable trade-offs, arguing that the program's benefits outweigh the harms.
What's left unsaid is crucial: Diversity is not a legal basis for an H-1B visa. By law, the H-1B can be used only for specialty occupations and then only when no qualified American is available. It doesn't matter whether that American worker is "diverse" or not; the law is about protecting U.S. jobs, not advancing corporate diversity campaigns.
The reliance on diversity as justification is not unique. Recent congressional oversight has raised alarms that H-1B visas are being used to staff Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) roles at universities, hospitals and public institutions, positions that do not meet the statutory definition of a specialty occupation under federal law.
The core issue is not only statutory compliance, however, but the real impact on American workers. By importing foreign nationals to fill positions labeled as "diversity" roles, employers bypass U.S. talent, including members of America's own minority populations. Instead of opening pathways for underrepresented Americans, these roles are diverted to foreign nationals whose continued presence in the United States depends on maintaining employment. This creates a system where the goal of increasing diversity within American institutions is achieved not by advancing opportunities for historically disadvantaged U.S. groups, but by expanding visa pipelines that place foreign workers into these roles.
Control, not talent
Build Fellowship materials highlight that visa sponsorship makes workers "much less likely to leave." In this model, retention is not driven by performance, merit or opportunity; it is secured through immigration status. A fellow's ability to remain in the United States depends entirely on a sponsoring employer. Federal anti-trafficking guidance identifies this dependency as a potential indicator of labor exploitation, since a worker's legal right to stay is contingent on keeping the job, regardless of working conditions.
This arrangement departs from the original purpose of the H-1B program. Congress designed the visa to address narrow shortages in specialty occupations, with wage and worksite safeguards in place. Under models like Build, however, the visa operates as a tool to control labor supply. It becomes less about meeting genuine skill needs, and more about leverage, binding the worker to the employer through paperwork and legal dependency.
Federal oversight bodies have repeatedly warned that this structure is vulnerable to abuse. The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General has reported criminal investigations exposing employers who misused temporary visa programs to commit labor trafficking. In one case, defendants tied to a transnational criminal organization allegedly exploited visa workers by charging unlawful fees, confiscating immigration documents, forcing them into physically demanding labor for little or no pay, housing them in degrading and unsanitary conditions and threatening deportation or violence.
The Office of Inspector General has also concluded that the H-1B program is "susceptible to significant fraud and abuse" by certain immigration agents, attorneys, labor brokers, employers and organized criminal groups.
The result is not a pipeline of specialized talent, but a system of dependency. Sponsorship functions less as a means of skills exchange and more as leverage, keeping workers tied to the employer who controls their legal status. For employers, this dependency brings clear financial advantages: Sponsored workers are less likely to leave for higher pay, less likely to demand competitive wages and less able to challenge conditions. Turnover costs are reduced, labor expenses are contained and the balance of power remains firmly with the sponsoring organization.
Build's fellowship structure capitalizes on this dependency, packaging visa sponsorship as a retention tool that guarantees employer control.
The benefactors' loophole
Build's benefactor guide reveals how the finances work. Every applicant must secure a "benefactor" to cover the cost of his or her visa. That benefactor can be an employer, a foreign company or even a shell LLC formed by the worker or a relative.
To qualify, applicants are required to make payments from a business account and demonstrate at least $250,000 in available funds or, alternatively, bypass the proof of funds by prepaying six months of fees in advance.
Build boasts a "99% acceptance rate," essentially turning immigration benefits into a purchasable commodity.
No employment commitment is required of the benefactor and payments can originate from entities outside the United States. Together, these elements create a system vulnerable to displacement of U.S. workers, manipulation of immigration rules and potential misuse of funds. For American professionals already navigating a competitive labor market, the effect is a system in which visa access can be financed and traded, while statutory protections for U.S. jobs are bypassed.
The pay-to-play pipeline
According to Build's pricing model, companies pay $4,000 per month for each participant. For that fee, Build places the worker in a token nonprofit role and secures cap-exempt status. From there, spouses and dependents also gain work authorization, multiplying the labor supply.
Nonprofits profit, too: They earn upfront fees, monthly "salary shares" and profits of $100 to $225 per fellow per month. A nonprofit hosting 50 fellows could generate more than $600,000 per year.
Build even offers to act directly as the visa sponsor, charging companies over $75 per hour for workers it places. At that point, it functions as both staffing agency and visa broker.
The numbers don't lie
Open Avenues has published extensive materials promoting its cap-exempt H-1B framework as a nonprofit innovation. The numbers, however, provide the clearest picture of how the model has been put into practice.
Between 2019 and 2025, Open Avenues filed 351 H-1B applications. In 2025 alone, it submitted 128 with most at the two lowest wage levels recognized by the Department of Labor. Many listed salaries under $60,000, well below industry standards.
The roles weren't limited to high-tech shortages. Petitions covered jobs in real estate, human resources, market research, finance and even graphic design, far outside the program's original purpose.
Nationwide, nonprofit and university-affiliated organizations secured 16,536 H-1B approvals in 2021, 23,079 in 2022, 25,019 in 2023 and 25,585 in 2024. By 2025, more than 3,200 nonprofit employers were listed as cap-exempt petitioners.
Taken together, the filings, federal statistics and Open Avenue's impressive list of "Company Partners" show how the nonprofit exemption has been operationalized into a very successful business model.
The bigger picture
Co-founder Danielle Goldman has been clear that her perspective is rooted in immigration law, citing her father's career as an immigration attorney and stating publicly, "We've always known the value of foreign talent in the United States." Michael Cruse, the fellowship's Immigration Program Co-Director, spent more than 15 years as an immigration lawyer for corporate and nonprofit clients before taking on the role of designing and managing its visa processes. Together, these backgrounds illustrate how the program has been constructed with insider legal expertise, ensuring that cap-exempt provisions are not incidental advantages, but central to its operating model.
The Build Fellowship by Open Avenues "law Firm Networks"
Closing the gap with cap
The Build Fellowship demonstrates how the system has drifted away from serving American interests. What was originally intended to address rare labor shortages has instead become a marketplace where visas are bought, sold and scaled, leaving American workers excluded.
Each loophole erodes fairness in the labor market. Every carve-out forces U.S. workers to compete not against genuine shortages, but against a system deliberately structured to undercut them. For American families, this translates into lost jobs, lower wages and diminished opportunities for future generations. For the nation, it represents a loss of sovereignty over who works and who benefits from the economy.
The H-1B cap was designed as a safeguard for American workers. Programs like Build reveal that, in practice, the cap no longer functions and unless the system is corrected, American workers will continue to bear the cost.
WND contacted the Build Fellowship with questions regarding its role in the H-1B cap-exempt process. In particular, Build was asked to address the contrast between its public branding as an educational fellowship and its own reports marketing the program as a cap-exempt H-1B model designed to scale nationally and provide corporations with steady access to foreign workers.
As of publication, Build has not responded. This article will be updated as the story develops.