This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Under Joe Biden, the federal government was weaponized against Christians and other people of faith.
A SWAT team was dispatched to arrest a father who protested the killing of the unborn.
Traditional Catholics were described as domestic terrorists.
Law-abiding pro-life organizations were described with the same defamatory claim.
Multiple incidents of violence against pro-life organizations were ignored.
President Donald Trump, on taking office for his second term, made clear that would change. He issued pardons and established new priorities for prosecutions.
And now he's gone further, setting up and appointing prominent faith leaders to a new Religious Liberty Commission.
Religious freedom, after all, was part of why the United States was founded.
"The principle of religious liberty was enshrined in American law with the First Amendment to the Constitution in 1791. Since that time, the Constitution has protected the fundamental right to religious liberty as Americans' first freedom," he noted.
He explained in the past few years, "some Federal, State, and local policies have threatened America's unique and beautiful tradition of religious liberty. These policies attempt to infringe upon longstanding conscience protections, prevent parents from sending their children to religious schools, threaten loss of funding or denial of non-profit tax status for faith-based entities, and single out religious groups and institutions for exclusion from governmental programs. Some opponents of religious liberty would remove religion entirely from public life. Others characterize religious liberty as inconsistent with civil rights, despite religions' vital roles in the abolition of slavery; the passage of Federal civil rights laws; and the provision of indispensable social, educational, and health services."
He said the new commission shall report on the "foundations of religious liberty in America, the impact of religious liberty on American society, current threats to domestic religious liberty, strategies to preserve and enhance religious liberty protections for future generations, and programs to increase awareness of and celebrate America's peaceful religious pluralism."
Focal points will be "First Amendment rights of pastors, religious leaders, houses of worship, faith-based institutions, and religious speakers; attacks across America on houses of worship of many religions; debanking of religious entities; the First Amendment rights of teachers, students, military chaplains, service members, employers, and employees; conscience protections in the health care field and concerning vaccine mandates; parents' authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children, including the right to choose a religious education; permitting time for voluntary prayer and religious instruction at public schools; Government displays with religious imagery; and the right of all Americans to freely exercise their faith without fear or Government censorship or retaliation."
Several officials, such as the attorney general, will be ex officio members, but the chairman is Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has battled critical race theory, DEI practices and worked to place "In God We Trust" in the state senate.
Several members who have high profiles include Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York; Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse; and Ben Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon who was secretary of Housing during the first Trump administration.
Others include Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Bishop Robert Barron, of Word on Fire ministry; Carrie Prejean Boller, former Miss California USA and author of "Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks;" Allyson Ho, an appellate lawyer. Phil McGraw, host of Dr. Phil; Eric Metaxas, speaker, radio host and author of many books; Kelly Shackelford of First Liberty Institute; Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, of Congregation Shearith Israel; and Paul White, founder of Paula White Ministries.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Long have there been questions about how some of America's elected leaders acquire so much wealth.
While those who seek seats in Congress generally come from a background of political or business successes, and their salaries, currently $174,000 for members, are far above the average for Americans, still questions arise because after a number of years in office, some report net worth of not just tens of millions of dollars but hundreds of millions.
The result is obvious: questions about insider trading, because they are the ones who set policy and establish actions that actually change the economics of certain industries or investments, and they have advance knowledge of their own plans.
One such situation involved two-time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, when reports confirmed she pushed billions in federal aid for electric vehicles and her husband's stock in Tesla, an EV manufacturer, surged in value.
So U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is proposing a new law that would crack down on such situations that certainly create the appearance of conflicts of interest and insider knowledge.
And he's calling it the PELOSI Act, an acronym for "Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments."
It would bar members, and their families, from trading stocks while in office.
A report at American Greatness explained, "The name of the act is a direct nod in the direction of 20 term Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) whose net worth has soared from $160,000 when she was first elected in 1987 to more than $140 million in 2024." That's an increase in her worth of more than $3.5 million, per year.
Her husband was described in the report as an investor "who has made significant financial gains on stock trades that some speculate may have been based on insider information."
President Donald Trump has said he would sign the bill if it arrives on his desk.
"Americans have seen politician after politician turn a profit using information not available to the general public. It's time we ban all members of Congress from trading and holding stocks and restore Americans' trust in our nation's legislative body," Hawley explained.
The plan bans lawmakers and their spouses from purchasing, selling or holding stocks during the time that the lawmaker is in office.
Previous reports have confirmed that Pelosi, for example, saw her portfolio grow nearly 71% between Dec. 29, 2023, and Dec. 30, 2024. That compares to the S&P 500's 24.9% return for the period.
"Pelosi outdid many of the world's oldest and largest hedge funds in 2024, including Citadel, which had $66 billion in assets under management as of December, and Discovery Capital, which has been around for over 25 years and had $15 billion in assets under management at its peak. She also outperformed legendary investor Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, more than doubling its 27.1% 2024 return," the Daily Caller News Foundation has reported.
A spokesman for Pelosi's office said Pelosi does not own stocks, and has "no prior knowledge or subsequent involving in any transactions."
But the report added, "Pelosi has made other shrewd trades in the past, unloading more than $1.5 million worth of stock in Google's holding company Alphabet one month before the Department of Justice announced an antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant."
Reports confirmed that in 2023, Pelosi made a 65% profit on her stock trading portfolio.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump says pollsters for major media companies including the New York Times, Washington Post and Fox News should be investigated for election fraud, as he expresses outrage at recent surveys about his approval rating.
In a Monday message on Truth Social, Trump stated: "Great Pollster John McLaughlin, one of the most highly respected in the industry, has just stated that The Failing New York Times Poll, and the ABC/Washington Post Poll, about a person named DONALD J. TRUMP, ME, are FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.
"The New York Times has only 37% Trump 2024 voters, and the ABC/Washington Post Poll has only 34% Trump Voters, unheard of numbers unless looking for a negative result, which they are.
"These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the FoxNews Pollster while you're at it. They are Negative Criminals who apologize to their subscribers and readers after I WIN ELECTIONS BIG, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose (sic) a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse.
"They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about it. THEY ARE SICK, almost only write negative stories about me no matter how well I am doing (99.9% at the Border, BEST NUMBER EVER!), AND ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! I wish them well, but will continue to fight to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
On Sunday, a poll by ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos claimed "Trump has the lowest 100-day job approval rating of any president in the past 80 years, with public pushback on many of his policies and extensive economic discontent, including broad fears of a recession."
ABC noted: "Yet he still beats the Democrats in Congress in terms of trust to handle the nation's main problems."
"Thirty-nine percent of respondents in this ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll said they approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, down 6 percentage points from February, while 55% said they disapprove.
"The previous low in approval for a president at or near 100 days in office, in polls dating to 1945, was Trump's 42% in 2017."
Interestingly, on April 16, CNN polling analyst Harry Enten dispelled the notion some Democrats have claimed that a huge segment of Americans regret giving Donald Trump their vote in November.
"The bottom line is, for all this talk of Trump voters regretting their vote, in the numbers it really just doesn't show up," Enten said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A California dad's account of getting billed more for his daughter's medically needed ambulance ride because he has insurance has gone viral, with millions watching and hearing his stunning report.
It's because of a new state law that requires a "discount" for uninsured people, but in his case, the process billed a man four times as much because he has insurance. His insurance paid only a portion.
It is the Gateway Pundit that said it was "the latest example of how backward and broken California's Democrat-run healthcare system has become.
It is Robby Witt who went to TikTok with his story.
He initially was billed $600 for the ride. Then, when he informed officials he had insurance, his bill was jacked up to $2,342, of which is insurance paid less than $1,100, leaving the rest for him.
"This is not satire. This is the state of healthcare in America—a lifesaving ambulance ride for my daughter. The state of California is penalizing citizens who have insurance," he said.
He explained to the operator he got the bill for $600, then provided insurance information, and was billed more than double.
The first showed the state-mandated discount, he is told.
"Can I go back to the discount without the insurance?" he asks.
No, he is told. "Since you're insured, you're not eligible for the discount."
How about canceling the insurance?
Not good enough, because that would have had to have been done before the service was needed, he's told.
"You're only eligible for the discount if you're uninsured," he is told.
He's told, "This is just a new law that started in 2024—AB 716. The law is that you receive a discount if you're uninsured. When we first send an invoice to the patient, we bill them as if they're uninsured. If you're insured, unfortunately, you're not eligible for the discount."
The Gateway Pundit noted Witt was interviewed by Fox:
"Your whole life, you've been told, right? Like, you want to buy health insurance so that if something – God forbid – happens, then you will get a lower rate than if you didn't have the insurance. Like, that's what we've all been told our whole lives. And then the exact opposite happened. My real problem, I guess, is that it's based off of insurance and why this bill wasn't written based off of income… So in fact, you could have a higher-income family than me who decides to say, you know what? We're not going to buy insurance. And now, all of a sudden, their ambulance bills are going to be cheaper, even though they're higher income."
He noted, "Sometimes when they go to legislate these things, I don't know if they ran out of IQ points to get it done, but it just doesn't make sense to me that you would offer discounts based on whether someone's insured and not based off of their W-2 income."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An American woman in an American city trying to purchase American food from an American restaurant has been denied service.
For speaking English.
Alexandria Montgomery kept trying, explaining, "Don't tell me you can't take my order because you don't speak English."
To no avail.
She posted her video online, and columnist Todd Starnes opined, "It seems to me that anyone who moves to America and refuses to learn our language should be deported. Without a common language we can't have a sovereign nation nor can we order the delicious Cheesy Gordita Crunch."
The situation developed at a Taco Bell drive-through in Hialeah, Florida.
"Nobody here speaks English? Nobody in the back speaks English? So you can't take my order," Montgomery said.
The workers clearly understood much of what Montgomery said, but they responded in Spanish, and shaking their heads no.
"She doesn't want to help me because she don't speak English. But you know the menu. You work here, so you would know what I'm talking about if I say I want number six on the menu. You understand what I'm saying? Like, you just don't completely shut me out cuz you don't speak English, that's not fair," Montgomery told them.
The corporation later apologized and offered a gift card. The situation "does not meet our customer experience expectations."
She told a local reporter, "I understand everyone in Miami doesn't speak English, and that's fine, but if she was willing to work with me, I think the outcome would've been different."
Social media commenters suggested ICE will be investigating, and "This is wrong on every level."
"Devastating managerial miscalculation. Hired and scheduled too many people who don't speak English. Oops!" said another.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A lawyer for parents calling for protections for their religious rights has told justices on the Supreme Court the practices by the school district in Montgomery County, Maryland, don't involve "exposure" to children of its LGBT ideologies.
"It's indoctrination."
"Our clients' faith teaches they shouldn't expose children during their years of innocence to instruction about sexuality without moral context," Becket lawyer Eric Baxter told the justices. "That's not just exposure — it's indoctrination."
A report from the Washington Examiner pointed out that at least five of the justices appeared to be willing to be granting protections for parents' religious rights in the fight.
The dispute is over the decision by school officials to push LGBT ideologies to children as young as three years old, and then refuse permission for parents to opt their children out of indoctrination that would violate their religious faith.
Bringing the case was a coalition of Muslim, Christian and Jewish parents.
"Several justices appeared sympathetic to the parents' concerns, especially regarding the young age of the students. Justice Samuel Alito noted that some of the books were approved for children as young as three or four years old," the report said.
Baxter explained Montgomery County's curriculum imposed a "uniquely coercive" environment on much younger children, in part by designing instruction to "disrupt cisnormativity:" and challenge traditional gender beliefs.
Leftists on the court argued for giving the school district absolute authority to decide what its mandatory lessons would include, the report noted. "Justice Elena Kagan warned that granting such a right whenever a parent has a sincere religious objection could effectively turn every classroom into a battlefield."
Baxter explained there are three levels of violation in the district program: Substantial interference with religious upbringing, pressure to abandon beliefs to access a public benefit, and discriminatory treatment, such as granting opt-outs for some religious views but not others."
The Daily Caller News Foundation explained Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that Maryland was founded on religious liberty, but now appears intent on denying it.
"Maryland was founded on religious liberty and religious tolerance, a haven for Catholics escaping persecution from persecution in England going back to 1649," the justice said. "I guess I'm surprised, given that this is the hill we're going to die on in terms of not respecting religious liberty."
The arguments revealed the district does allow opt-outs for musical performances, dissections, high school sex ed classes, and more, but refuses to allow them for the books used to indoctrination young children.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett pointed out that the district presents the LGBT ideology as fact, and that's not the same as simply exposing students to an idea.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A Democrat judge in New Mexico has resigned, fleeing his office, after a suspect, allegedly a member of the violent Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela, was found living at his home.
A report from Fox News explains, "Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano's resignation letter is dated March 3, but a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) told Fox News Digital it was not received by the Supreme Court and 3rd Judicial District Court until March 31."
The report explained Homeland Security Investigations in Las Cruces started looking into Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a native of Venezuela, described as an illegal alien and a suspected member of a criminal gang."
The allegations included that he was living with other gang members and "in possession of firearms."
Then, two search warrants were executed at a home that was identified as owned by Cano's wife, Nancy Cano.
"Ortega-Lopez and his roommates were taken into custody, and agents seized four firearms from April Cano's residence.' April Cano is the daughter of Nancy and Joel, court documents state," according to the report.
Further, Ortega-Lopez had posed on social media with various weapons, the report said.
The suspect admitted he entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2023, and was living in an El Paso apartment with others when he met Nancy Cano "to install a glass door for her," the report said.
When he was later evicted from the apartment, the report said, Nancy Cano offered a place for him to live in the back of the home she shared with husband Joel Cano, the report said.
Property records show the home is owned by Nancy and Jose Cano, "who goes by Joel."
Officials said the state Supreme Court has now scheduled a hearing regarding Cano.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'The only thing agents should be armed with are calculators'
House Republicans have begun pushing a plan that would take guns and ammunition away from agents of the Internal Revenue Service.
Likely among the most feared agencies, those agents now have thousands of guns and tons of ammunition.
But a congressman has determined that, "The only thing IRS agents should be armed with are calculators."
A Fox News report explains the plan, called the "Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act," would disarm the agents and their agency.
It would prohibit the commissioner of the IRS from using funds to buy, receive or store firearms and ammunition, and require the bureau to transfer the arms it already has to the administrator of General Services.
From there, they would go to auctions or sales to licensed dealers, the report said.
And taxpayers actually would benefit from the income from those sales.
The plan comes from U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who was blunt in his assessment: "The IRS has consistently been weaponized against American citizens, targeted religious organizations, journalists, gun owners, and everyday Americans.
"Arming these agents does not make the American public safer. My legislation, the Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act, would disarm these agents, auction off their guns to Federal Firearms License Owners, and sell their ammunition to the public. The only thing IRS agents should be armed with are calculators."
Cosponsors included GOP Reps. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Mary Miller of Illinois and Clay Higgins of Louisiana.
Moore explained, on social media on Tax Day this year, "Tax Day is a great reminder that it's time for the IRS to stop wasting our taxpayer dollars stockpiling guns and ammo."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A "Saturday Night Live" skit has social media abuzz, as political conservatives praise the segment while progressives pan it.
The premise of the sketch involves two homosexual men who show up at a friend's gathering with a small baby in tow – a surprise to the others in the room. As their friends question them about why, suddenly, the couple has a child, the men berate their questioners with phrases like, "You can't ask that!"
Commentator Charlie Kirk posted an excerpt from the full video:
Many on X were encouraged that the longstanding comedy show was broadening its horizons regarding who it was OK to mock.
One user posted, "I have not laughed at SNL since I was 12. This was funny!"
A conservative woman was not impressed, stating, "SNL is just following the political winds after record low viewership. Let's not support this smut. Make an alternate SNL that doesn't need descriptive sexual humor. We can do better."
Meanwhile, detractors were dismayed.
"SNL gay dad with baby sketch is awful. putting us back years," replied one user.
"The people that want queer people dead already won, must you also validate them by trying to curry their favor? what are you doing. really," said writer Ayesha Siddiqi.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Artificial intelligence is the new web, the new cell phone, the new email, the new laptop, and the new tech that is expected to impact lives in a major way, as all of those earlier advances did.
But it also offers a threat, especially to families, according to a submission from the Family Research Council to the government's ongoing comment period for rules regarding the advances and use of AI.
The comment included a description of an incident uncovered by an ethicist who tested an AI chatbot. The question was about a 13-year-old girl whose 31-year-old "boyfriend" had "invited her on a trip and was talking about having sex with her for the first time."
The chatbot, it was not identified which one was tested, ignored the clear potential for criminal pedophilia, statutory rape, kidnapping, or worse, the report explained.
Instead, the chatbot "offered suggestions on how to make her first time special," FRC noted in its comments.
"Children's brains are still developing, and their emotions tend to run high. The possibility of social isolation for children and teens is even more pronounced and can severely affect their lives for the worse. An AI-saturated world presents new challenges for parents who want to raise children capable of healthy relationships.
"When children interact with AI, they may internalize distorted messages about human relationships and how to treat people. Since chatbots are designed to be addictive, they will often tell children exactly what they want to hear. This can hinder children's ability to handle disagreements, think critically about media, and respect their parents. Relying on AI chatbots will not help children develop into well-rounded individuals or integrate into society effectively. No matter how well-packaged certain apps and chatbots are, AI will never replace real friends, mentors, teachers, and family," the FRC said.
A report from the FRC said the comment on AI rules noted that "chatbots" will have the power "to morph into dangerous technology."
"Family is the foundation of society. Throughout history, major technological advancements — such as industrialization and communications innovations like the cell phone — have significantly impacted how people meet, marry, start families, and raise children. The rise of AI presents opportunities and challenges on a scale we have never encountered before, and they can be difficult to predict," the FRC explained.
The FRC itself was targeted by a leftist a few years ago. A violent criminal charged into its Washington offices with weapons, shooting and injuring a security officer who eventually was able to subdue the attacker.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed the attacker, who picked out the FRC because it was listed, wrongly, on the "hate" map assembled to target Christians and conservatives by the often-sued Southern Poverty Law Center, wanted to kill as many FRC employees as possible that day.
The FRC explained, "In February, Vice President J.D. Vance noted the second Trump administration is drawing up a 'precautionary regulatory regime' to allow broader use of artificial intelligence while assuring it serves everyone's interests."
The council said, however, that for "all Americans to benefit from the technology," any action plan must "prioritize considerations for how AI will affect families and children."
The report said already the "Veterans Administration will now use AI to analyze veterans' health care needs; NASA will use AI to plot space exploration; and the Justice Department will use AI modeling to assess patterns of crime."
"America is an exceptional country, and we can do this the right way. We ought to be careful not to rush into AI development, as we do not fully understand its potential impacts," FRC suggested.