This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

In a huge blow to one state's attempt to impose its own transgender ideologies on its residents, specifically adoptive parents, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that single mother Jessica Bate's First Amendment rights likely were violated in Oregon's orchestrated attempt to force her to embrace its gender campaign.

"No one thinks, for example, that a state could exclude parents from adopting foster children based on those parents' political views, race, or religious affiliations," the 9th Circuit wrote in its ruling in Bates v. Pakseresht. "Adoption is not a constitutional law dead zone. And a state's general conception of the child's best interest does not create a force field against the valid operation of other constitutional rights."

Bates had applied to become certified to adopt children from foster care two years ago. But the state agency overseeing child welfare programs denied her application based only on the fact Bates would not agree to lie about a child's gender by using inaccurate pronouns, or to take children to "Pride" parades.

The court decisions leaves Bates free to begin the process of adopting siblings from foster care without violating her religious beliefs while the legal fight continues.

Bates was represented by the ADF in her 2023 lawsuit challenging an Oregon Department of Human Services rule that categorically excluded her from adopting any child—no matter their age or beliefs—"because she would not lie to children and tell them that girls can be boys and vice versa," the ADF reported.

The ruling said Bates likely will succeed in showing that Oregon is violating the First Amendment.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

According to a buried House Intelligence Committee report just declassified by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, President Barack Obama and others reportedly had serious concerns about the health of 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton – some of the information Russia had but did not reveal at the time.

Commentator Charlie Kirk points out on X that in the final days of the 2016 campaign Russia "had huge amounts of potential anti-Clinton dirt that it sat on." This included:

• Internal DNC communication that Obama and others found Hillary's health "extraordinarily alarming."
• Internal claims that Hillary was on "heavy tranquilizers" and suffering "intensified psycho-emotional problems."
• Evidence of severe health ailments like type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease.

Notes Kirk: "If Russia was really all-in on supporting Trump and hurting Clinton, it would have leaked this information in October 2016 when her lead in the RCP average slipped to just +1.3. Instead, Russia didn't – completely debunking the core assumptions of the Russia hoax.

"Rather than admit they were wrong, Brennan's CIA buried the info and manufactured a completely alternative reality to undermine the legitimacy of President Trump."

The declassified report adds to documents made public Friday that suggest that the Obama team intentionally hid information proving Russia was not involved in swaying the 2016 election and instead posited the opposite in hopes of sabotaging the incoming Trump administration.

Wednesday Gabbard talked at the White House about the new revelations regarding Clinton:

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The U.S. Department of Justice now has evidence from Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, that outlines how Barack Obama and his appointees "manufactured and politicized intelligence" to orchestrate the years-long Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy theory.

According to a report from Fox News, the DOJ has confirmed receipt of Gabbard's evidence.

Gabbard released documents on Friday that outline how Obama and his national security team "laid the groundwork" for years of attacks on Trump.

"Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people," Gabbard had posted to X on Friday regarding the criminal referral. "No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The integrity of our democratic republic depends on it. We are turning over all documents to the DOJ for criminal referral."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President Donald Trump's agenda to secure America's borders and deport illegal aliens, especially criminal illegal aliens, is off to a roaring start during his first few months in office.

Officials report about 47,000 illegals have been deported each month, so far.

And the numbers of those breaking into the nation, especially across the southern border, have plunged to only a fraction of what they were when Joe Biden essentially declared the borders open, inviting millions to come illegally.

But few law enforcement campaigns are perfect, and one dealing with hundreds of thousands of people will have mistakes.

In fact, there have been occasions where U.S. citizens have been caught up in immigration raids. Federal authorities work to sort those situations out.

But one senator has offered a very succinct solution for those concerned about being rounded up.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Across America, there have been schools that banish the Pledge of Allegiance, bar common-sense statements like "There are two genders," and fly "diversity" flags instead of Old Glory in classrooms.

It seems that same infection has crossed the Atlantic, as a student wearing a patriotic Union Jack design on her dress for Diversity Day in the United Kingdom  was stunningly sent home!

The result of the political agenda included a public condemnation from the prime minister for Bilton School, which punished straight-A student Courtney Wright, 12.

The Daily Mail said she wore a Union Jack dress on diversity day, a "Spice Girls-esque garment, and wrote a speech about history and traditions.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

It's already been 10 years since state officials in Florida decided they would censor a Christian school's prayer – they essentially banned it – before a high-school football game.

And now multitudes are asking the Supreme Court to step in and offer guidance on the issues of free speech, religious rights, state censorship and more.

WorldNetDaily has reported on the fight over the decision by the Florida High School Athletic Association to prevent Cambridge Christian School from offering a brief prayer before the state championship game.

A federal judge twice has ruled that the state can, indeed, censor the prayer.

It was Charlene Honeywell, a judge, who ruled against the private Christian school in Tampa. Honeywell claimed in her opinion that because the game was hosted by the association at a government-owned stadium, listeners would have heard the prayer as "government speech."

She said that means the FHSAA had the right to censor the message.

However, Hiram Sasser, of First Liberty Institute, explained that the real issue is whether the school was banned from prayer over the PA system because the words were "religious." That would be considered viewpoint discrimination and is illegal.

"The athletic association, like so many people, uses that PA system for … messages of their own choosing, or they read off messages, advertising messages, and everything else," Sasser said. "So there is so much private use of that PA system. To not allow the schools to use it for their opening prayer they always had just doesn't make any sense."

Honeywell also criticized the request for prayer itself, claiming that while it is a "preference" for the Christian school, it somehow is not a deeply rooted tradition that qualifies as a "sincerely held belief," even though Christian prayers have been going for roughly 2,000 years.

Honeywell earlier tried to dismiss the case entirely, but quickly was corrected by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Now, with the case pending before the Supreme Court, First Liberty Institute has revealed that more than 10 friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed.

They represent nearly 100 individuals and organizations, and, highlight the danger of the appellate decision and support First Liberty's call for Santa Fe v. Doe to be overturned.

Jesse Panuccio, of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, said: "The influx friend-of-the-court briefs in this case demonstrate the dangers of the Eleventh Circuit's decision, which permits the state to censor religious speech by calling it 'government speech.' That so many organizations, individuals, and law firms are urging the Supreme Court to hear this case shows how important it is for the Supreme Court to continue to make clear that the Constitution forbids religious discrimination in all its guises."

Jeremy Dys, of First Liberty Institute, said, "We grateful to so many who gave of their time to write and file these briefs for the simple proposition that government cannot treat religious speech—like prayer—as second class. Our hope is that the Supreme Court will take this important case and remind its lower courts of the First Amendment's double protection for religious expression."

The briefs come from across the world of arts, sports, faith, and politics, including:

• Seventeen state attorneys general (led by Florida AG James Uthmeier)
• Sixteen members of Congress (led by U.S. Senator, Mike Lee (UT))
• Former U.S. Attorneys General Bill Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Mike Mukasey (written by former U.S. Solicitor General, Paul Clement)
• Grammy nominated multi-platinum recording artist Josh Turner
• Former football players and coaches, including Tim Tebow, Chad Hennings, and Tommy Bowden
• Former Speaker of the Florida House, Will Weatherford
• The American Center for Law and Justice (counsel of record in Santa Fe)
• Liberty Counsel (counsel of record in Shurtleff v. City of Boston)
• The Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty
• Coach Joe Kennedy
• The American Legion, and more,

A long list of prominent legal teams also have joined, including lawyers representing Hogen Lovells US LLP, Sidley Austin, LLP, Clement & Murphy, PLLC, Vinson & Elkins LLP, McDermot Will and Emery, and others.

The state censored plans for a prayer before the 2015 championship between Cambridge and another Christian school at the Citrus Bowl.

The state previously had allowed innumerable private messages over the game's PA system, but decided it would not allow a Christian message.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The European Commission is threatening the Irish government with punishment if it does not agree to criminalize people for their "words, ideas and opinions," but officials in Ireland are fighting back, with promises to defend their own rules of conduct.

It is the Christian Institute that is reporting the commission has given Ireland two months to comply with its own leftist "hate speech" agenda, or else be referred to the EU's court of justice.

But Ken O'Flynn, a deputy in the government, openly challenged the agenda, wondering whether under the leftist ideologies quoting the Bible will "become a punishable act."

"Will this government stand over a law that criminalizes people for what they think, criminalizes people for what they say rather than what they do?" he wondered. "We are not talking about the incitement of violence, we are not talking about threats or harassment, we are talking about words, ideas and opinions; often and sometimes unpopular and uncomfortable, but still lawful expressions, which are supposedly free."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

'The whiplash is on maximum here. Not so long ago, if you weren't wearing a mask, you were selfish, reckless, and not part of the team trying to curb the spread of COVID. Now, with ICE agents masking up to protect themselves from being doxed by left-wing domestic terrorists, the Democratic Party has suddenly become the most virulent anti-maskers in the country'

A Democrat senator whose stunt, crashing a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem without ID, leaving security fearful it was an attack on a federal official, now is demanding that federal agents wear their IDs on their uniforms.

It is Alex Padilla, of California, who has proposed legislation to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to wear identification badges.

His stunt at the news conference created quite a stir as he was forcibly removed by security because he charged the stage where Noem was, and had not identified himself.

The video showed multiple security officers restraining Padilla, then removing him from the room.

He shouts, "Hands off!" after being moved through double doors that partition off an entry area from the news conference room. Earlier, he is heard saying, "I'm Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary."

Increasingly strident encounters have been developing across the country as ICE officers have been carrying out President Donald Trump's campaign to secure the nation's border and remove mostly to their home countries illegal aliens, including criminals, allowed into the country under Joe Biden's tenure.

Further, Padilla was criticized for his stunt.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith criticized him.

"Can Kristi Noem speak? Could you have waited till she finished to ask your questions — to shout your questions?" Smith asked. "You are a senator, right? You couldn't wait? So that was just you out of control because you were just losing it, huh?"

"You — a United States senator — couldn't compose yourself and let the head of Homeland Security finish her thoughts before you asked a question?" he continued. "Couldn't do that, huh? Couldn't do it, huh?"

Noem was speaking about the riots taking place in Los Angeles before Padilla began shouting a question at her. Security quickly rushed to Padilla, telling him to put his hands up.

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin also criticized Padilla for his behavior in an X post following the incident.

"Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem," McLaughlin wrote.

"Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers' repeated commands," she continued. "@SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately."

Beyond Padilla's own hypocrisy, a report at Townhall noted the hypocrisy of Democrats across the country, who mandated masks during COVID, but now want them banned.

"The whiplash is on maximum here. Not so long ago, if you weren't wearing a mask, you were selfish, reckless, and not part of the 'team' trying to curb the spread of COVID. Quietly, liberals cheered that leftist rioters were protected by masking up during the riots of 2020. Now, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents masking up to protect themselves from being doxed by left-wing domestic terrorists, the Democratic Party has suddenly become the most virulent anti-maskers in the country. It's truly amazing (and hilarious) stuff," the report said.

The report cited Padilla's plan.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Almost universally regarded as the most egregious single event of the Biden presidency, the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan is, in fact, considered by many to be one of the most disastrous and staggeringly incompetent military actions in modern history.

Indeed, this past May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an official statement announcing a special review of the event. Hegseth said:

Tens of thousands of Afghans who aided the U.S. military were left behind in the military withdrawal, and while many attempted to flee Taliban rule by leaving the country, others escaped torture and/or death through hiding.

One of them is Abdul (a pseudonym), who spoke to WorldNetDaily on the condition of anonymity due to concerns for his safety. He worked as a security guard for a U.S. company and had previously served in the Afghan National Army for nearly a decade as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) technician. Abdul's last day of service was Aug. 15, 2021, about two weeks prior to the conclusion of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"When Afghanistan collapsed," he told WND, "it was very difficult to save my life and also my family." He considers himself "lucky" to have found the Afghan Liberty Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provided "safe housing for hundreds of Afghans at risk of retaliation by the Taliban for working with the U.S.-backed government," as a 2022 report by The Intercept described it.

Abdul expressed deep appreciation to Ryan Mauro, the organization's founding director and national security analyst at the Capital Research Center, saying, "Ryan is a very great and kind person, giving a safe house in Kabul and saving my family for one year with financial support and also food packages and medical care."

Due to a lack of funding after the fall of Kabul, Mauro was unable to continue providing safe houses for those hiding from the Taliban, so Abdul said for the following year he was forced to move from one house to another during the night to keep his wife and children safe.

In 2023, Abdul and his family finally escaped to Islamabad, Pakistan, purchasing visas from that country. "We waited for two years in Islamabad for the humanitarian visa of Brazil," Abdul said. A few weeks ago, he and his family arrived safely in Brazil.

Unfortunately, Abdul had to leave his parents behind in Kabul, telling WND "they're still hiding in different houses." Through it all, though, he remains hopeful: "In Brazil, I just want to work hard for my family." And "God willing," he added, he hopes to make it to America one day.

While building a new life for his family is his first priority, Abdul admitted, "I can't forget the very rough time for people who are left behind in Afghanistan under the brutal regime of Taliban." He recalls a friend by the name of Ihsanudin Zadran, who served as an Afghan National Army captain, but was subsequently tortured and killed by the Taliban in 2021 in Khost Province.

It's a fate many former U.S. allies and members of the ANA continue to fear on a daily basis.

One of them is Ahmad Ehsan (a pseudonym), who has received letters of denial for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status from the U.S. State Department and remains in hiding in Afghanistan. Ehsan is one of an estimated 62,000 Afghan interpreters and others who have sought a U.S. visa in exchange for having worked alongside U.S. forces prior to Biden's August 2021 withdrawal.

WND also spoke to Mauro, who explained: "Afghan Liberty Project was a volunteer effort," saying he "had never done anything close to running humanitarian operations overseas, nor had our volunteers." Yet, said Mauro, they were able to "provide crucial assistance to hundreds of Afghans in need, from medical aid to emergency rescues to safe shelter."

"If there's one thing that I hope people take away from this story," he said, "it's to never, ever doubt your ability to significantly help people in any situation – anywhere around the world. It's a blessing and a burden that everyone needs to understand and take seriously."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A ruling from U.S. Magistrate Nancy Joseph in Wisconsin has rejected Judge Hannah Dugan's claim for absolute immunity for her actions in stopping her own court hearing, diverting ICE agents away from the adjacent hallway, sending them on an errand and then escorting a criminal illegal alien out of the courthouse through a nonpublic jury door.

The decision from the case that charges Dugan with federal crimes said, "Judges are not immune from criminal prosecution for acts wholly outside their official roles as judges."

She explains, "The indictment alleges Dugan violated two federal statutes, 18U.S.C. §§ 1071 and 1505, and cites the respective statutory language for both. Whether Dugan violated these statutes as the government accuses, or whether she was merely performing her judicial duties as Dugan asserts, these are questions for a jury that cannot be resolved on a motion to dismiss.

"I recommend Dugan's motion to dismiss on Tenth Amendment grounds be denied."