This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Supreme Court has just missed an opportunity to fix American law and precedent on speech limits that are in place around the topic of abortion.
That's according to Justice Clarence Thomas, who warned that the limit established by the court in Hill v. Colorado years ago is nothing more or less than a content-based restriction, which is unconstitutional.
The Washington Examiner explained the failure came in the court's decision not to hear arguments in a new case.
In the Hill case, the court affirmed the leftist state of Colorado's imposition of "buffer zones" around abortion businesses, where pro-life Americans' free speech can be criminal.
"The court today declines an invitation to set the record straight on Hill's defunct status," he explained in a dissent.
He said the Hill result "contradicted more than a half-century of well-established First Amendment principles."
The new case was Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale which came out of Carbondale, Illinois.
There officials imposed a draconian law barring protesters from approaching within eight feet of people near abortion businesses without consent.
Thomas explained the Carbondale ordinance and others like it, the report said, are nothing other than content-based restrictions on speech.
Carbondale just months ago repealed the ordinance, but Thomas said that damage already was done by the months the First Amendment violation was in place.
Justice Samuel Alito also said the new case should be heard.
The majority decision, however, leaves in place, Thomas said, confusion in lower courts about what the law should be.
Coalition Life, a group of sidewalk counselors, said it will continue to fight the free speech limits in Hill.
"The Supreme Court has denied our appeal, but we will not be denied the ability to perform our lifesaving work on the sidewalk," said Brian Westbrook, of Coalition Life. "Sidewalk counselors will continue to show up for the women who need us every single day, in every place we are called…as we expand our operations across the United States, we will continue to advocate for these women and our fundamental right to speak with them to offer help, hope and information that they desperately need."
Peter Breen, of the Thomas More Society, which fought on behalf of the pro-lifers, said city officials "quietly repealed its bubble zone ordinance in a shadowy, four-minute, weekend meeting, knowing full well their bubble zone would fail constitutional scrutiny if it came before the Supreme Court."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The acting U.S. Attorney in Washington already had confirmed plans to review threatening words by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to members of the Supreme Court.
Schumer had said, if they did not vote the way he wanted on an abortion case, "You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price! You won't know what hit you!"
A report from the Gateway Pundit reveals that the prosecutor, Ed Martin, now is adding Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., to the investigation because he advocated for bringing "real weapons" to be used against Elon Musk, who heads President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.
The report explained Martin's "Operation Whirlwind" is a "sweeping investigation into Democrats who have made inflammatory statements that could be construed as threats against public officials."
Martin has made his plan clear: "Our initial review of the evidence presented to us indicates that certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees. We are in contact with the FBI and other law enforcement partners to proceed rapidly. We also have our prosecutors preparing."
The report noted the "reckless statements" by both Schumer and Garcia now are under review.
Garcia's comments came in an interview on CNN when he said that Musk is "harming the American public in an enormous way."
He added, "What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons against Elon Musk to this bar fight. This an actual fight for democracy, for the future of this country."
That prompted Martin to write that he would like Garcia to explain what "sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk – an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you call a 'd—' – and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry."
Martin explained to Garica that "threats against public officials" are taken "very seriously."
"I look forward to your cooperation with my letter of inquiry after request. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Please respond by February 24, 2025. Should you have further questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call my office or schedule a time to meet in person."
Schumer's comments came during a pro-abortion rally at the Supreme Court.
He named Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh and said, "You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price! You won't know what hit you!"
At the time, Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked Schumer for his "dangerous" and "irresponsible" comments.
The report said now Martin's team is even looking into whether Schumer's rhetoric contributed to the attempt assassination of Kavanaugh when a left-wing activist was caught outside the justice's home, armed with weapons.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In the aftermath of a decision by President Donald Trump's DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, essentially to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development and transfer a few remaining workers and responsibilities to the Department of State, a columnist has released a stunning report.
It charges that USAID ultimately was responsible for the delivery of billions of dollars in American cash to the Taliban.
A description of the events that transpired, leaving the Taliban with $2.9 billion in American cash, was provided by Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, at the Gatestone Institute.
He explained how the DAB Afghanistan Bank boasted of $40 million in stacks of hundred-dollar bills "sitting on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport."
He said the Taliban-run bank called it one of three shipments of "humanitarian aid" totaling more than $100 million.
At the time, the bank was run by Noor Ahmad Agha, a "specially designated terrorist" who had been accused of financing "bomb-making" including IEDs that killed more than 1,000 American soldiers.
"While no international organization was willing to admit to the cash-smuggling operation, the ultimate responsibility lay with USAID," the report said. "The $40 million on the tarmac was part of a much larger scheme under which USAID and the State Department provided over $1.7 billion in funding to the UN, which then shipped $2.9 billion in cash to Afghanistan."
At the time, it was illegal for U.S. banks to process such transfers to the Taliban.
"USAID was helping finance an illegal operation to circumvent sanctions on terrorists," he wrote.
The report said USAID claimed it did not provide "currency" to the Taliban because the money instead went to the United Nations' "pooled accounts."
What happened was that the $1.7 billion was sent to the U.N., which "used some of the money to buy dollars to fly into Afghanistan, to trade for Afghan currency, which the U.S. had also arranged to have printed on behalf of the Taliban."
The report charged, "USAID funded the U.N., which used an intermediary to purchase the hundred-dollar bills from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where Afghanistan's wealth, claimed by the Taliban, was being held, then contracted with a company, quite possibly Osama bin Laden's old airline, to fly it to Afghanistan, deposit it in banks, allocate it to NGOs and then use DAB to convert the dollars into local Afghan currency."
Ned Price, then a spokesman for the State Department, said the plan was to "address one of the aspects of Afghanistan's ongoing liquidity crisis."
Greenfield reported the situation actually "is even worse than it sounds," as DAB arbitrarily set the exchange rate for afghanis and dollars "at a far higher rate than the black market exchange rate."
He said, "The money laundering operation required multiple steps and plausible deniability for USAID, the State Department and the U.N., which insisted that '[n]one of the cash brought into Afghanistan is deposited in the Central Bank of Afghanistan nor provided to the Taliban de facto authorities by the U.N.' To the extent this was true, it was because the money was deposited in a 'private bank,' allocated to NGOs funded by the U.N., which then exchanged it with DBA's assets."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A school district in the leftist enclave of Minnesota, now run by Gov. Tim Walz, the failed Democrat nominee for vice president in 2024 whose agenda has been to promote abortion and transgenderism, has decided to ban pastors from meetings of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
A report from columnist Todd Starnes identified the school as Pequot Lakes Public Schools, which announced "non-school adults may not attend FCA meetings on a regular basis."
The report explained the school imposed the draconian viewpoint discrimination rule after the Freedom From Religious Foundation filed a complaint and accused a local youth pastor of recruiting students at middle school FCA meetings.
"They accused the middle school of using FCA meetings as a recruiting ground for a religious mission. They further contended that the youth pastor broke the Equal Access Act," Starnes reported.
Kyle Steinberg, a part of the FFRF team, complained, "Schools cannot constitutionally allow religious organizations to treat schools as a recruiting ground for their religious mission."
And Annie Laurie Gaylor, another FFRF member, insisted, "A pastor or other evangelists may not be allowed unobstructed access to a captive audience of public school students. The district has made the right call to abide by the Constitution."
Starnes, however, pointed out, "For the record, there's nothing unconstitutional about a Christian club inviting a Christian minister to speak to Christian students."
Further, students may choose to attend FCA meetings but are not ordered to do so.
Starnes pointed out that if atheists want equal access they could start their own club.
"But let's get serious – nobody wants to fellowship with a bunch of godless, heathen atheists," he noted. "And everybody knows the Christians serve better snacks."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal judge who ruled against President Donald Trump's announced freeze on federal spending has been found by a legal organization to be an executive of an organization that has taken millions of those federal dollars, meaning the judge, in his ruling, chose to stop a program that could reduce funding for an organization for which he's been a board member or executive for years.
The problem is for John McConnell, the Rhode Island judge who stopped Trump's temporary spending freeze, a move announced so that expenditures and handouts could be evaluated as part of Trump's agenda to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government.
Trump set up the executive Department of Government Efficiency and tasked Elon Musk with that chore to fulfill his campaign promise, which voters endorsed, to cut federal spending and eliminate those problems, even identifying individuals who may be taking advantage of the system.
The report is from America First Legal, which posted an extended series of statements on social media explaining its findings.
The report explains over the 18 Years McConnell has been on the board of Crossroads Rhode Island, that group has taken some $128 million in government funding.
"When Judge McConnell ruled against the Trump administration and required federal taxpayers to continue funding the state of Rhode Island, it seems that he also required continued funding for his pet 'non-profit,' Crossroads Rhode Island," the report said.
That organization has been getting funding from the state, through which federal dollars for various projects flow.
The report said McConnell previously was the chairman of the board of that group, and currently is listed as chair emeritus.
"In fact, Judge McConnell has appeared as a director on Crossroads' IRS Form 990 every year since he took the federal bench in 2013," the report said.
The AFL report explained, "It is common practice for the federal government to disburse money to the states, which then hand it out to NGOs like Crossroads Rhode Island. Here, Judge McConnell ordered taxpayer dollars to continue flowing to the states, including Rhode Island… USA Spending shows that in the past 15 years, 155 federal grants to Rhode Island state and local governments list Crossroads Rhode Island as a sub-awardee. In FY2023 alone, the organization's audit shows that more than $10 million in federal funding flowed through Rhode Island."
The social media thread also points out, "Federal law, 28 U.S.C. § 455, requires judges to disqualify themselves 'in any proceeding in which [their] impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The law further requires judges to disqualify themselves when they are a fiduciary or have any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.'"
Directors of nonprofits have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of the organization, under Rhode Island law, and, "Given the heightened public scrutiny of this case and the profound constitutional implications inherent in binding the actions of the president of the United States, the appearance of a conflict of interest is highly problematic, to say the least," the report said.
AFL said McConnell "must recuse himself immediately."
And a report at Clash Daily said, "The problem with judge-shopping to push your case through, there's always the chance that the judges you are counting on to push your agenda have their own skin in the game. That's the case with a judge who has offered very dubious rulings on whether Trump can suspend his USAID money. We've got a thread from America First Legal making the case online that Judge McConnell, the Rhode Island judge who put an end to Trump's spending freezes, ought never to have heard that case in the first place."
The report explained if Trump is successful freezing spending, that funding for McConnell's group also gets cut.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
For years, American workers have been told they just need to "learn to code," "work harder," or "accept the realities of globalization." Meanwhile, their jobs have been quietly shipped overseas or handed to an army of imported workers on visas about which most Americans have never even heard.
This is not just a case of bad trade deals or automation replacing human workers. It is something much bigger, more coordinated, and, frankly, more infuriating. This is the Immigration Industrial Complex, a system where corporate America, immigration law firms, and lobbying groups work together to ensure a never-ending supply of cheap labor, all while American workers are pushed aside.
If you are wondering why wages have been stagnant for decades, why manufacturing has collapsed, or why tech companies keep firing Americans while bringing in thousands of foreign workers, you are not alone. The answer lies in a massive web of policies, visas, and outsourcing contracts that prioritize profits over people.
Let's break it down.
Step One: Ship jobs overseas and call It 'Efficiency'
Since 2001, nearly four million American jobs have vanished thanks to our ever-growing trade deficit with China. At the same time, India has become the go-to destination for outsourcing white-collar jobs in tech, finance, and customer service.
Here are the facts:
It is a well-oiled machine. First, big corporations move jobs to low-wage countries where labor laws are almost non-existent. Then, they pass the savings to shareholders while leaving former American employees with a "we appreciate your contributions" severance email.
But wait, it gets worse.
Step Two: Import workers to undercut American wages
For the jobs that cannot be outsourced, companies have found a workaround: import the workers instead. This is where the Immigration Industrial Complex swings into full gear.
Through visa programs like H-1B, L-1, OPT, and the lesser-known PERM process, companies can legally skip over qualified American workers and bring in foreign replacements who will work for less.
In 2022, out of the thirty million immigrant workers in the U.S., over twenty-two million were here legally. That means nearly three-quarters of foreign workers are brought in "by the book," not by sneaking across the border, but through an immigration system that actively prioritizes them over Americans.
And if you thought this flood of foreign workers was slowing down, think again. Between seventy-five and eighty percent of America's annual population growth comes from immigrants and their U.S.-born children.
"In other words, even if illegal immigration ended tomorrow, corporate America would still have an endless pipeline of foreign labor to keep wages down and job opportunities scarce.
Step Three: The legal loophole nobody talks about
Let's talk about PERM, the employment-based green card process that has turned into a legalized job-theft operation.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social statement, has blasted to pieces the Joe Biden practice of giving massive billions of dollars to Ukraine to pursue its half of the war with Russia, by announcing he's discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin ending the conflict.
And the negotiations, in essence, are to begin immediately.
Trump had campaigned on the promise of ending the violent and costly war between Russian and Ukraine. Joe Biden had authorized sending some $66 billion to Ukraine, more than one-third of what the entire world had offered Ukraine.
Trump announced he discussed the war with Putin and they agreed to "work together, very closely" to end the fight.
Trump said he immediately would talk with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the progress.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, are to meet later this week at a conference where Zelenskyy also will attend.
Trump's comments came only moments after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a NATO conference that some of Ukraine's aspirations, including NATO membership, simply are not realistic.
And he said American funding is dropping, meaning security guarantees for Ukraine will have to be funded by European countries.
Trump's statement said, "Just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many!
"We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.
"President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, "COMMON SENSE." We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now."
Trump said Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be working on the deal-making.
"I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!"
CBS reported that Hegseth's earlier comments explained security guarantees are needed for Ukraine, but they "should not be provided through NATO membership, but must instead be backed by capable European and non-European troops."
Hegseth had explained that Ukraine's call for returning to its pre-2014 borders wasn't a likely outcome.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Elon Musk joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Tuesday to discuss "mind-blowing" amounts of fraud and abuse they're discovering through deep dives by DOGE, including people "150 years old" receiving Social Security.
"We had no idea we were going to find this much," Trump said. "We have already found billions of dollars of abuse, incompetence, and corruption."
"Could be close to a trillion dollars that we're gonna find."
Musk explained: "We do find it sort of rather odd that there are quite a few people in bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position, which is what happened at USAID.
"We are just curious as to where it came from. Maybe it was very good investing? In which case we should take their investment advice perhaps. But there seems to be mysteriously they get wealthy. We do not know why. Where does it come from?
"I think the reality is they are getting wealthy at taxpayers expense. That's the honest truth of it."
"It is mind-blowing," Musk continued. "We are really just talking about adding common sense controls that should be present that have not been present."
"If money is spent badly, if your taxpayer dollars are not spent in a sensible manner that is not OK. Your tax dollars need to be spent wisely on the things that matter to the people. These things, it is just common sense. It is not draconian or radical I think.
"It is really just saying let's look at these ventures and say is this actually in the best interest of the people? If it is let's approve it if not we should not think about it."
"There's crazy things," Musk explained. "Like just a cursory examination of Social Security, we've got people in there that are150 years old. Now do you know anybody who's 150? I don't. They should be in 'The Guinness Book of World Records.' They are missing out.
"So that is the case like I think they are probably dead is my guess. Or they should be very famous. One of the two. And then a whole bunch of Social Security payments where there is no identifying information? Why is there not identifying information?"
Musk also said terrorists have been funded by U.S. tax dollars.
"We are talking about terrorist organizations. We are talking about known fraudsters, known aspects of waste, no things that do not match any congressional appropriation."
Musk also said millions of dollars in fraudulent spending were discovered going to foreigners.
"If there's going to be fraud, it should at least go to Americans," he quipped.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A video of an excited young woman championing the revealing audits of wasteful federal spending by Elon Musk and his Department of Governmental Efficiency has gone viral with more than 8 million views now that it has been shared by Musk on X.
The woman, identified as @realsavannahlynn on TikTok, recorded herself in a car, ebulliently saying:
"If you have anything negative to say against Elon Musk and DOGE doing a federal audit, then I have officially decided that you are a part of the money laundering. It's as simple as that. Because we, the people, deserve to know where all of our money is being spent and what ridiculous spending programs our government is wastefully spending our money on!
"It's not like we get to pick our own salaries like people in Congress. But no. These people have an issue with that, which makes you wonder. Who's funding them? What are they doing?
"They're starting to sweat, and you know what I just found out today? DOGE is getting access to FEMA salary history! And I am so freaking exited."
"Stay tuned everybody because sh**'s about to get real."
"The federal government, 110 percent, deserves to be audited because the American people have to deal with you guys up our a** 24/7. It is about time that you felt a little bit of the repercussions pos when you F around, you find out."
"Anyway, this is so exciting!"
Reaction online includes:
"So refreshing to see a beautiful, young woman with no piercing, tattoos or green hair. It gives me hope."
"I bust my a** FOR MONTHSSSS exposing this exact info and this crazy girl gets shared by @elonmusk for screaming in her car… Gotta love it!"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Department of Justice now is getting involved in the investigation by the White House Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk on President Donald Trump's instructions, of fraudulent and wasteful spending by the U.S. government.
Already, the Musk investigation has resulted in the essential shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which employed thousands and was tasked with handing out billions of dollars to other nations.
The problem that was uncovered was that leftists were spending billions of tax dollars on leftist ideologies in other countries that had no bearing on America's national security or priorities.
There are supposed to be a few hundred USAID workers kept on, and apparently their duties will be transferred to the U.S. State Department. Up for review, and possible shutdown, now is the Department of Education. And reports confirm the Pentagon is facing an audit.
But the situation now has gone far beyond questioning spending programs that likely were inappropriate. Now the DOJ is looking into charges that could develop against individuals or networks for stealing government property.
DOGE officials had made a referral because of evidence they uncovered.
Ed Martin, U.S. attorney for Washington, confirmed, "If people are discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically, we will investigate them and we will chase them to the ends of the Earth to hold them accountable."
He explained, "We will on rest or cease in this. No one should abuse American taxpayer dollars nor American taxpayer workers. No one is above the law."
Earlier he had confirmed that an "initial review" of evidence suggests "certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees."
A report from the Gateway Pundit said Martin didn't provide any names of suspects, and it was unclear which laws were violated.
But the report noted he confirmed he was in contact with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to move on the allegations.
At the time, Martin explained, "I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE has been targeted publicly. At this time, I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and the DOGE workers. Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws."
He said, "Let me assure you of this: we will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people. We will not act like the previous administration who looked the other way as the Antifa and BLM rioters as well as thugs with guns trashed our capital city. We protect DOGE and other workers no matter what."