This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Republicans, conservatives, and Americans who lean to the right politically often have thought that CNN, with its extreme and activist leftist agenda, is worthless.

Now it appears they may be close to right.

A new report at ZeroHedge explains that Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent of both CNN and TNT, has stunningly taken a $9.1 billion charge to write down the value of its operations.

"What had been obvious 'to the rest of us' for years, is finally official: late last night, shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent of CNN and TNT, crashed 10% to the lowest level on record after it reported dire results, which missed across the board and plunged across every income statement category…," the report said.

CNN and TNT came to belong to Warner Bros. Discovery when it was created during its acquisition of WarnerMedia.

"The write-down confirmed that legacy cable channels like CNN and TNT are no longer worth what they were when the $42 billion merger was completed. Judging by the ongoing mass layoffs at the former, one can argue that CNN's value is now negative and will continue to be so until it stops hemorrhaging cash," the report said.

The report noted for the quarter Warner Bros. had a net loss of $10 billion, including additional charges of $2.1 billion related to the merger. Revenue was down 6.2% to $9.71 billion.

CEO David Zaslav claimed, on a call with investors, "Two years ago market valuations and prevailing conditions for legacy media companies were quite different than they are today. This impairment acknowledges this and better aligns our carrying values with our future outlook."

Lately, Warner Bros. has been dropped by the NBA as a broadcast partner in its decision on a $76 billion media rights deal.

And there's been a steady exodus of viewers from the network.

Warner Bros. has cut some 2,0000 jobs over the past year, including 100 at CNN alone.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Severe financial turmoil in the media world is continuing with more shutdowns and layoffs taking place this week.

Axios is laying off some 50 staffers, CEO Jim VandeHei announced Tuesday in an internal memo.

VandeHei told his workers the outlet would be nixing 50 positions to "get ahead of tectonic shifts in the media, technology, and reader needs/habits."

"This is a painful but necessary move to tighten our strategic focus and shift investment to our core growth areas," he wrote.

"We're making some difficult changes to adapt fast to a rapidly changing media landscape."

VandeHei noted he sought to break the news to each staffer individually, "but the mechanics of that proved infeasible."

"Today is a sad day, and our full emphasis will be on handling a hard moment with grace, empathy, and honesty," VandeHei added. "Our departing colleagues will be treated with great respect, and with thoughtful severance packages to provide runway toward their next opportunity."

The CEO is taking full responsibility for the slashing, indicating: "The right way to handle this is forthrightly and transparently."

"This isn't a reflection on anyone's work – it's because of changes in the media business," he said. "If you're understandably upset by the decision, please direct your frustration at me."

"Meanwhile, two venerable TV trade publications, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News, will shut down, according to their owner Future Plc, citing the 'rapid transformation' of the industry," the Hollywood Reporter explained. "The Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame will continue, even as the print magazines and newsletters of the trade outlets end."

"The outlets long served as a training ground for media and entertainment reporters, and as bibles for the broadcast and cable TV industries, with B&C tracing its print edition all the way back to 1931, when it launched as Broadcasting magazine."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Shariah law, religious statutes followed by Muslims, is becoming more widely known as adherents to Islam grow in influence around the world.

But being more widely known doesn't lessen the oddities it contains.

For example, an online definition notes it calls for atrocities including amputation of a thief's hands, killing people for criticizing the Quran, killing people who deny Muhammad was a prophet, killing people who lead a Muslim away from Islam, killing a non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman, killing homosexuals (although sodomizing young boys is allowed), and "taqiyya" or lying to non-Muslims, is encouraged.

But now a report at Revolver criticizes news agency CNN for using and citing Shariah to try to get out of a defamation complaint.

The leftist network's arguments appear to be that its description of a man helping people leave Afghanistan after Joe Biden abruptly pulled American troops out and abandoned the entire territory to the terrorists in the Taliban as a criminal was accurate.

Because he was a "criminal" under Shariah law.

The Revolver report explained, "They're actually legitimizing (and defending) Sharia Law, which routinely abuses women, sometimes to death, in an effort to try and win that billion-dollar lawsuit. In the process, they're also branding the Navy Vet at the center of the defamation suit a 'criminal' for trying to save women's lives."

Please be aware of multiple instances of offensive language in the following:

CNN's legal arguments include that a Navy vet, who tried to help people escape Afghanistan at that time, carried out "activities he orchestrated and funded, which involved moving women out of Afghanistan, almost certainly were illegal under Taliban rule."

The response comes to a lawsuit from Zachary Young. A court recently ruled that a jury in the case would be allowed to consider punitive damages.

CNN claims it was right to suggest a criminality in Young's behavior because, "To get women out, the operators on the ground were required either to break the law directly or to find someone to break the law for them."

The report accuses CNN of trying "to weasel their way out of a $1 billion defamation suit against them."

The case developed when Young decided to help people escape Afghanistan.

Just recently, a Florida appellate court affirmed that Young, a U.S. Navy veteran, and his company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., could seek punitive damages from CNN.

The report said Young's lawyer charged that Young lost $40-60 million in economic opportunity.

At Headline USA a report said the lawsuit charges that CNN "destroyed Young's reputation and business after the network's correspondent Alex Marquardt published the report about Young."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

For those who have a problem with the overarching power of Google, a federal judge on Monday ruled the popular search engine acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search.

The 277-page decision by Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is being called a landmark ruling that could force tech giants to change their business protocols.

"After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly," Mehta wrote, finding that Google violated the Sherman Act, a major antitrust law.

"This landmark decision holds Google accountable," said Jonathan Kanter, antitrust chief at the U.S. Department of Justice. "It paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans."

"This is the most important antitrust case of the century, and it's the first of a big slate of cases to come down against Big Tech," Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a professor at Vanderbilt University's law school told the New York Times. "It's a huge turning point."

The DOJ and a group of American states joined forces against Google four years ago over its practice of paying companies including Apple and Samsung billions of dollars annually for the search engine to automatically handle inquiries on their browsers and phones.

The Verge reported: "Mehta rejected Google's arguments that its contracts with phone and browser makers like Apple were not exclusionary and therefore shouldn't qualify it for liability under the Sherman Act. 'The prospect of losing tens of billions in guaranteed revenue from Google – which presently come at little to no cost to Apple – disincentivizes Apple from launching its own search engine when it otherwise has built the capacity to do so,' he wrote."

The New York Times reported: "The ruling is a harsh verdict on the rise of giant technology companies that have used their roots in the internet to influence the way we shop, consume information and search online – and indicates a potential limit of Big Tech's power.

"It is likely to influence other government antitrust lawsuits against Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The last significant antitrust ruling against a tech company targeted Microsoft more than two decades ago. …

"The decision is a major blow to Google, which was built on its search engine and has become so closely associated with online search that its name has become a verb. The ruling could have major ramifications for Google's success, especially as the company spends heavily to compete in the race over artificial intelligence. Google faces another federal antitrust case over ad technology that is scheduled to go to trial next month."

In April, "Google agreed to destroy billions of data records to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly tracked the internet use of people who thought they were browsing privately," CNBC reported.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The Biden-Harris administration is being asked to explain why it has delivered nearly $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars to Hamas – in just the months since the terrorists in that Gaza-based organization invaded Israel and slaughtered some 1,200 civilians last Oct. 7.

It is researcher Robert Williams who has written at the Gatestone Institute that the subject is part of a lawsuit now pending in federal court, a lawsuit the administration has failed to get dismissed.

The case, from Rep. Ronny Jackson and victims of terror attacks in Israel, charges that Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken "knowingly and unlawfully" provided more than $1.5 billion in aid to Gaza and the West Bank since taking office.

The case explains Biden and Blinken have "known for years" that the U.S. aid is providing "material support" for Hamas' "tunnels, rockets, weapon procurement, and command and control infrastructure," among other terror structures.

A ruling from a federal court in Texas has rejected Biden's demands for it to be thrown out.

That ruling even noted there's evidence Biden continued to give tax money to UNRWA "even after Congress blocked funding to that group due to its support for Hamas' military infrastructure," the report said.

The case charges that Biden has delivered $896 million since the Oct. 7 massacre of innocents.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Barbara Butch, a radical LGBT activist who was part of a stunt at the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies that mocked Christianity, now is threatening to sue those who are criticizing her.

And an American legal expert, constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley, is explaining the anti-free speech laws and conditions in France create a much more conducive atmosphere to that agenda than would be present in the United States for such an attack.

There, he said, "free speech is in a free fall with the left pushing for the censorship and criminalization of an ever-expanding range of political and religious speech."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

French authorities have announced an investigation into the apparent "Heil Hitler" salutes that appeared at the already-troubled Paris Olympic Games now taking place.

The Jewish Telegraph Agency reported fans waved Palestinian flags and gave Nazi salutes this week.

It happened during the playing of Israel's national anthem before the nation's soccer match against Paraguay.

The event disrupters also flew a banner reading "Genocide Olympics."

According to JTA, "Olympics organizers confirmed the incident in a statement to Sky Sports, saying 'a banner bearing a political message was displayed and anti-Semitic gestures were made.' Paris 2024 strongly condemns these acts. A complaint has been lodged by Paris 2024, which is at the disposal of the authorities to assist with the investigation."

The probe comes as French police already were looking into death threats against three Israeli athletes.

Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League said the behavior was "Outrageous and unacceptable."

The games already were being disregarded by many because of what appeared to be an opening ceremony that was openly hostile to Christianity, with a blasphemous portrayal of the Last Supper.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Posturing from Russia has heated up after both Russian and Chinese jets were found in international airspace only 200 miles from Alaska, and joining the chorus are Russian broadcasters now saying it's "our Alaska."

Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire in 1867 and was considered a "bargain basement deal. "For a price of $7.2 million (equivalent to $129 million in 2023), the oil- and resource-rich state has now become a coveted prize for Russia, which sits only 55 miles away at its closest point.

Russian broadcaster Olga Skabeyeva, host of Russia-1 program 60 Minutes, recently referred to Alaska as Russia's Alaska during a weekend show. Her co-host, Adalbi Shkhagoshev, who is also a deputy in Russia's parliament, commented on the interception of Russian and Chinese aircrafts.

"Our aircraft approached the borders of Alaska," Shkhagoshev said, before being corrected by Skabeyeva who said "our Alaska."

"Right now the head of the Pentagon is hiccupping nervously somewhere. You said 'our Alaska,' and he just said that if Russian and Chinese planes penetrate the territory that the U.S. considers its own, the U.S. is ready to enter the war," Skabeyeva said.

According to the Daily Express UK, it is a common belief among Russian TV personalities and propagandists that one day Alaska will once again belong to Russia, with some even calling for a strike to be made to seize back control.

U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns over the interception, with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, calling for more military resources to the area.

"As I have been warning our Pentagon leaders for years, these kinds of joint Russia and China incursions on the sea and in the air near Alaska will continue," Sullivan said in a statement. "For that reason, the United States needs to continue to build up our military forces and the infrastructure that goes with it in Alaska to protect our nation's vital interests in the Arctic," Sullivan said, according to a report from Roll Call.

Sullivan praised the U.S. Air Force, and the Canadian Air Force on X for responding promptly.

"The Russian & Chinese bombers operating near Alaska yesterday were met by US Air Force F-16s & F-35s, and RCAF ARC CF-18 fighters. This is the kind of strong demonstration of American power these dictators need to see whenever they come near our airspace. Great job again to our Alaska-based military for flawlessly conducting this latest intercept mission," Sullivan wrote on X.

A document released by the U.S. Department of Defense Arctic strategy in late June stressed the need to increase military presence, a strategy that works alongside the 2022 National Security Strategy, and the Department of Defense.

"The NSAR states that the United States seeks an Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative. In support of this national-level objective, DoD, in cooperation with our Allies and partners, will pursue an end state that preserves the Arctic as a stable region in which the U.S. homeland remains secure and vital national interests are safeguarded," the document states in its executive summary.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

To Americans, the 2024 presidential election appears to be a choice between the mostly conservative GOP President Donald Trump and wildly progressive Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.

A basic pro-life agenda or radical abortion promotions.

National security and strength or open borders and vacillating foreign policy.

An economy to make families comfortable or higher taxes and more wild spending.

But to a Jewish rabbi, it's a choice between another Cyrus, the ancient king who, although not Jewish, helped that nation rebuild the temple, or the 4th kingdom of Daniel, which describes a power struggle that leads to national downfall.

It is Israel365 that cites the warning from Rabbi Isser Z. Weisberg,

The report explains in his video, Weisberg says Americans have the option of "the fourth kingdom described by Daniel that comes before total societal collapse" or … "A second Trump term in office would, on the other hand, be a replay of Cyrus, the non-Jewish 'Messiah' who will help Israel build the Temple in Jerusalem."

Weisberg, who lectures on biblical prophecies and Jewish eschatology, cited his prediction in 2020 that Trump would be in the White House for a second term.

He explained, "The Torah records prophecies to Rebecca and Isaac, stating that ultimately, at the end of days, Esav (Esau) will serve his younger brother, Jacob. Esav evolved into the mighty Roman Empire, which metamorphosed into the various Christian nations, and then into Western society with all of its diverse components. Jacob becomes the Jewish people. The story of Jacob and Esau was told to be a long and bitter subjugation, humiliation, and suffering of Jacob at the hands of Esav and all his offshoots. It was also foretold that there would be reconciliation at the end of days."

He warned, "The evil components of Esav will separate from the good and be vanquished. Esav will then have the clarity to understand his role, not as an adversary to his younger brother, but rather as a supporter who offers his hand to assist his brother Jacob in spreading the truth of God to all the inhabitants of the world. Our sages have passed down to us a tradition that at the end of days, the representative of Esav will approach the Jewish Messiah, who will reign from Jerusalem. With humility and penance, he will return all the riches that Esav and his offshoots plundered from the Jews in the long and bitter exile."

He charged, "It makes no sense that this incredible honor of participating with the Jewish Messiah and in the building of the Holy Temple, and of the establishment of God's kingdom on earth should be given to someone who is undeserving. This is someone who represented the ugly side of America, which has been engaged in undermining the security and safety of the Jews who had returned to their ancestral homeland since day one when the state was established in 1948.

"President Donald Trump was the first American president who stood up in defiance to the entrenched and endemic anti-Israel attitude of all previous U.S. administrations towards our presence in the Holy Land. This attitude has been in place for the past 70 years. Only [Trump], or somebody like him, would be the person who deserves this great honor of representing Western society and fulfilling the prophecy uttered to our matriarch Rebecca, that the elder one will serve the younger one."

He said of the Joe Biden administration, which succeeded Trump's first term, "Western society led by the United States had to go through further degradation and humiliation under the lowly and weak Biden administration before goodness could emerge from the ashes of the failed American Dream. Biden's incredible incompetence and intellectual decay is but a symbol of the total obliteration of the fourth beast envisioned by Daniel some 2500 years ago."

The Bible's book of Daniel notes there are four kingdoms to precede the "end times," and the fourth is described as having legs of iron and feet of iron and clay, interpreted to mean a failing and divided kingdom that will fall.

The rabbi said, "Biden's replacement with someone whose only qualifications are for gender or skin color and the birthplace of her parents further underscores the complete composition of the fourth beast."

He said the Biden years held "a deeply anti-Israel American establishment who have emboldened, financed, and even encouraged the thoroughly wicked Iranian access of pure, sadistic evil, who are now at the cusp of the obtaining nuclear capabilities," but "Now we are about to move on to the next phase."

He noted that history shows only one non-Jew to have been given the title of "messiah," and that was Cyrus the Great, "who freed the Jews from their exile forced upon them by the Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon."

Today, he said, "God does not articulate his plans through the mouths of human beings, but he has other ways of communicating. I'm no prophet, and I could be wrong. Still, it seems obvious to me that on Shabbat, July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania, and front of the eyes of the entire world, God's voice was heard loud and clear to anyone whose ears were open, and he chose the second non-Jewish Messiah. Not to redeem the world. That job is reserved for the Jewish Messiah, a direct descendant of King David and his son Solomon. But like Cyrus, the first non-Jewish Messiah who was chosen to assist the Jews and reestablish on the land of Israel after the seventy-year exile in Babylon, [Trump] is the current non-Jewish Messiah who was chosen to be of service to the Jewish people and the Jewish Messiah."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday officers have apprehended two alleged leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most dangerous organized crime syndicates in the world.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, delivered remarks on the arrests, and stated: "Last year, I said that the Justice Department would never stop working to hold accountable those who are responsible for the fentanyl epidemic."

The cartel is largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans because of fentanyl members are smuggling over the southern border. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada allegedly ran the Sinaloa cartel's drug smuggling operation for decades and was a co-founder.