This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Child sex abuse has run rampant under the administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

There's the entire industry that involves trafficking minors into America across the Democrat regime's open borders, and subjecting them to sex abuse.

Then there's the abuse that is part and parcel of the transgender ideology, where LGBT activists and some doctors line up to recommend, and do, surgical body mutilations on kids.

Now one component of the fight is impacting Apple, one of the nation's biggest companies, a company supported by the millions of smart phone and laptop customers it has.

It's a fight over the corporate decision there to remove a software function that was designed to "identify child sex abuse material."

It's the Alliance Defending Freedom that is calling on the SEC, through a letter, to deny Apple's attempt to exclude a shareholder resolution aimed at providing transparency into the decision to eliminate that option.

The software function was intended to identify child sex abuse materials – images – without actually having copies of those images downloaded.

The letter explains shareholders want Apple to explain its decision to discontinue its scanning system, "NeuraHash," which Verge.com said lets the company "check for exact matches of known child-abuse imagery without possessing any of the images or gleaning any information about non-matching pictures."

The ADF said the resolution was filed by the American Family Association and that organization has explained that "Apple's ineffective efforts to prevent child sex abuse material on its platforms have resulted in the company landing on the National Center for Sexual Exploitation's 'Dirty Dozen' list for the past two years."

Apple, instead of allowing shareholders to vote, wants the SEC to censor the request from its proxy ballot.

ADF lawyers want it to remain.

The ADF noted Apple got a score of just 5%, out of 100%, ADF's 2024 Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index.

"Major corporations like Apple shouldn't be hiding from shareholders, especially when it comes to serious issues like guarding against child sex abuse material," said ADF spokesman Jeremy Tedesco. "There is simply no excuse for Apple to avoid this important topic. Apple needs to rebuild trust with its shareholders and clients, but that can't happen unless it answers basic questions about removing its own safeguard against child sex abuse material."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

And U.S. speaks out on United Nation's scheme for a Gaza ceasefire

Middle East/Israel:

5 International court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant over alleged 'war crimes'

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes committed during the ongoing Gaza war, the court said in a statement Thursday.

U.S. Treasury sanctions six Hamas leaders, some based in Turkey

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on six of the few remaining leaders of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas on November 19 — Abd al-Rahman Ismail abd al-Rahman Ghanimat, Basem Naim, Mohammad Nazzal, Ghazi Hamad, Salama Mari, and Musa Daud Muhammad al-Akari.

The United States vetoed a U.N. Nations Security Council resolution calling for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire on Wednesday morning, citing its failure to condition a halt in hostilities directly to the release of the hostages, whom Hamas continues to hold in the Gaza Strip.

"We could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages," Robert Wood, deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the council.

Sen. Sanders backs resolution to suspend U.S. arms transfers to Israel; Senate overwhelmingly blocks move

The U.S. Senate decisively rejected overnight Thursday three proposals introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive leader within the Democratic Party and outspoken critic of Israel, to halt arms transfers to Israel amid its war in Gaza.

U.S. ambassador-designate slams Biden's Israel policy as 'schizophrenic'

"We've put far more pressure, with Joe Biden, on Israel than we have on Hamas, Hezbollah, and most importantly, the people who write those checks—the Iranians," Huckabee told Fox News in an interview, describing the White House's policy toward Israel as "schizophrenic."

IAF pounds Palmyra, sites close to Damascus; Syrian general thought to be among dozens of casualties

Syrian state media says Israeli warplanes targeted the central city of Palmyra on Wednesday, reporting an unspecified number of wounded in the attack.

An "Israeli attack… targeted residential buildings and the industrial area" of the city, says state news agency SANA, while state television reported unspecified "\wounded due to the Israeli attack that targeted the city of Palmyra."

Israeli archeology giant killed in Hezbollah ambush in southern Lebanon

The family of Ze'ev 'Jabo' Erlich, a renowned historian killed in a Hezbollah ambush, disputes IDF's claim he entered as a civilian, asserting he was formally enlisted and had military approval for his entry; "Instead of mourning, I'm busy correcting the damage caused by the IDF spokesperson tarnishing his name," brother says.

UNRWA chiefs met Hamas, and PIJ leaders at the 2017 Beirut meeting, exclaiming 'We are one'

According to a UN Watch expose, UNRWA chiefs secretly met top terrorists, telling them: "We are united, no one can separate us." In Feb. 2017, UNRWA's Pierre Kraehenbuehl met Hamas' Ali Baraka & Islamic Jihad's Abu Imad al-Rifai, who sent suicide bombers to kill troops in Iraq.

"For any organization to be deemed a terrorist organization under New Zealand legislation, we have to have evidence, and we go through several tests under our legislation, that organization has knowingly undertaken terrorist activity," Christopher Luxon, the New Zealand prime minister, said. "This is the case before the four that I've designated today."

Israel's former justice minister Ayelet Shaked, who was part of the government which included Members of the Knesset from Arab parties, has been denied an entry visa to Australia to take part in a pro-Israel event.

"The issue here is not that I didn't get a visa," said Shaked. "The issue here is that the current Australian government has become anti-Semitic."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers have told New York judge Juan Merchan, who supervised Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's lawfare case against Trump, that it will be dismissed.

After all, the voters' selection of Trump as the 47th president trumps Bragg's "political motivations," they said.

The case was brought by Bragg as part of the Democrats' extended, multiple-case, lawfare against Trump between his terms in the White House.

Bragg took business reporting situations, which could have been misdemeanors had they been filed in a timely fashion, and claimed they were felonies because they were in pursuit of some other unidentified crime.

It all revolved around so-called "hush money" payments Trump's ex-lawyer made to a porn star for her silence about an alleged affair, which both of them have denied happened.

Fox News reports Trump's lawyers want an "immediate" dismissal of the case, which right now is awaiting sentencing after a leftist jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts – after the judge, whose daughter was raising money for Democrats on the rulings against Trump her father was making in court – inexplicably told jurors their verdict didn't have to be unanimous.

The lawyers told Merchan that the case needed to be dismissed because the voters' choice of Trump supersedes Bragg's "political motivations."

Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche said "Continuing with this case would be 'uniquely destabilizing' and threatens to 'hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs.'"

Bragg has insisted that the case be suspended for now – and that he be allowed to reopen it years from now when Trump has completed his second term as president.

Blanche said, "The court must address these new issues and dismiss the case, prior to issuing a decision on the previously filed Presidential immunity motion. Any other action would violate the presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause."

Bragg's strategy would deprive Trump of the right to appeal, which would leave the dispute unresolved throughout his presidency.

Blanche noted, "Even if the Court were to wrongly deny the new interests-of-justice motion, which it should not do, the appropriate forum for any additional proceedings must first be resolved in President Trump's removal appeal."

Courthouse News, which lobbied for Kamala Harris to be elected, explained the Trump team's letter to the court noted that setting the verdict aside is "mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course."

The letter to Merchan explained, "As DA Bragg engages in his election campaign, DANY appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically motivated and fatally flawed case."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

This is going to be a pretty vital issue for President Trump to deal with, and I wonder whether Putin did this to get some leverage in peace talks on Ukraine'

Russia abruptly has moved to block uranium exports, a move that now poses the threat of creating energy brownouts across America over the coming months, according to a new report.

"[It] puts us in a real bind, because … I just talked to a nuclear expert just before our call to get the specifics on this, and he told me that this decision will lead to brownouts in the summer because there simply won't be enough nuclear fuel for certain states to run their reactors to generate electricity," explained Fred Fleitz, former Trump National Security Council chief of staff.

His comments came during the John Solomon Reports podcast, according to Just the News.

He continued, "So this is going to be a pretty vital issue for President Trump to deal with, and I wonder whether Putin did this to get some leverage in peace talks on Ukraine."

The problem dates back to the schemes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, a period when the U.S. agreed to purchase uranium from Russia.

"It was a terrible decision to make us dependent on imports of uranium from Russia," he said.

Just the News explained, "The U.S. nuclear energy sector's dependence on Russian uranium created during a failed Obama-era reset with Moscow is coming back to bite Americans as the Kremlin moves to block future exports of the vital fuel."

Vladimir Putin announced the new limits on uranium exports to the U.S. just last week, just as Russia's war in Ukraine has been escalated by Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S. missiles to launch into Russia.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

One of the most-talked-about plans in the coming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is the idea of "government efficiency."

In fact, he's picked billionaire business founder and leader Elon Musk to work on government waste, and now a report from the Washington Examiner lists the Internal Revenue Service as a possible target.

It's because hundreds of IRS workers still owe millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, and only a handful have been punished.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Peru Thursday, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Summit in Lima, where he will meet with U.S President Joe Biden amid a brewing trade war between the world's two largest economies,

The two presidents are scheduled to meet on Saturday, according to AFP, with one U.S. administration official stating this will likely be the last meeting between Biden and Xi before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told AFP the 21-member nations of APEC will be announcing the creation of a secretariat to ensure the alliance "will be an enduring feature of American policy in the Indo-Pacific going forward."

China has been building up its presence in developing countries under its Belt and Road Initiative, which provides infrastructure projects. One such project is the Chinese-funded building of a massive megaport north of Lima, in Chancay.

Xi virtually inaugurated the megaport from the presidential palace alongside Peru's President Dina Boluarte shortly after Xi's arrival which came with an enthusiastic amount of pageantry and fanfare.

Brian Nichols, a top U.S. diplomat to Latin America, warned Latin American nations should be vigilant on investment with China going forward. China owning one of the largest ports in South America gives it unfettered access to the East Pacific Ocean and its fishing grounds.

According to the Associated Press, the mega port project cost Chinese shipping company Cosco a reported $1.3 billion and will become an important part of the global economy.

However, some locals in Chancay have voiced concerns about the Chinese-owned port, and are saying there is little opportunity for them to prosper. One-third of the town's population does not have running water or appropriate sanitation, and Peruvian fishermen told the AP the dredging of the port has killed off fish breeding grounds.

"Our fishing spots no longer exist here. They destroyed them… I don't blame the Chinese for trying to mine this place for all it's worth. I blame our government for not protecting us," an elderly fisherman reportedly told the AP.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

After President-elect Donald Trump's monumental win in the 2024 presidential election, a trade war between the world's two largest economies is about to reignite, with diplomacy already deteriorating over China's warning to Trump over U.S.-Taiwan relations.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. Liu Pengyu told Newsweek the question over Taiwan's ownership is the biggest point of contention between the U.S. and China, noting Trump should "abide by the One China principle."

"The U.S. government needs to earnestly abide by the One China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and prudently handle Taiwan-related issues to avoid severe damage to China-U.S. relations and cross-Strait peace and stability."

Various reports have noted Taiwan could potentially enter into a new $15 billion arms deal with the U.S. which includes the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, retired navy warships, and Advanced Hawkeyes.

The potential deal would add to already existing agreements made to purchase missile systems from the U.S. in early October worth $2 billion, and another $20 billion in weapons Taiwan purchased in 2023, which Taiwan has complained has not yet been fulfilled.

Unsurprisingly, the arms deals between Taiwan and the U.S. raised the ire of China, which strictly maintains "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory" through its One China principle, and cites international recognition of the principle as its legitimizer.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said in late October his nation firmly opposed any military contact between the U.S. and Taiwan after Taiwan announced it was purchasing 1,000 attack drones from defense contractor AeroVironment and defense tech firm Anduril Industries – both American companies.

"Taiwan is a province of China. There is no so-called 'defense ministry' in the province. China is firmly opposed to any U.S. military contact with Taiwan. This position is consistent and unequivocal," Lin said, adding the American companies had been sanctioned.

Spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense Zhang Xiaogang said the U.S. had gone back on its promises to stop arming Taiwan.

"The United States has reneged on its promise and is intensifying efforts to arm Taiwan, emboldening the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, and pushing Taiwan closer towards the abyss of a military conflict," Zhang said.

The spokesperson then accused the U.S. of exploiting Taiwan, stating it was taking money to feed the military-industrial complex, and further blamed growing tension on Taiwan "separatists."

"Records have proven time and time again that the 'Taiwan independence' separatists and foreign interference are the source of chaos that undermines the status quo, causes cross-strait issues, and disrupts regional stability," Zhang said.

Established in the 1970s, the "One China" policy is the U.S.' way of acknowledging there is only one China, including Taiwan – which is officially called the Republic of China – but doesn't directly endorse China's sovereignty over Taiwan, according to Newsweek. Because of this, the U.S. can maintain an unofficial relationship with Taiwan.

During Trump's first term in office, his administration imposed high tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the U.S. in 2018. The move caused a blow to China's economy, however, relations further soured in 2020 when China's Wuhan Institute of Virology leaked COVID-19 from its labs, killing millions and disrupting the world's supply chains.

Trump has since promised during his campaign to slap at least 60% tariffs on all Chinese exports once he is back in the White House, but the Chinese Embassy has advised Trump against increasing tariffs, saying it will hurt both economies.

"There is no winner in a trade war, nor will the world benefit from it. Further increasing tariffs on Chinese products will only significantly drive up the cost of imported goods, inflict more loss on American companies and consumers, and will eventually backfire," the Chinese Embassy told Newsweek.

China has recently been trying to energize its economy with a series of stimulus packages after its property and infrastructure markets collapsed. Analysts have warned the $1.4 billion recently approved will do little to stimulate consumption, and is nothing more than a "debt-swap" program.

Part of the reason for China's lagging economy was the strict zero-COVID policies enforced on Chinese citizens during the pandemic, with the government keeping the restrictions in place longer than any other country, only removing them in December 2022, after protests swept the nation, according to the BBC.

The extended lockdowns cooled China's growth, while China's strengthening trade partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as its rising prominence within BRICS, and the advantage it gained thanks to the Biden-Harris administration's weaknesses improved China's economy temporarily, but it is still in a very vulnerable situation.

The increasing pressure on China is likely to be further exacerbated by incoming American patriots to Trump's new administration, with appointees harshly criticizing China in the past, and being given top positions in the U.S.'s defense against China.

Dubbed a "China Hawk" by mainstream media, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will be appointed U.S. Secretary of State, and is the first person to hold that position while simultaneously being sanctioned by China, according to Bloomberg.

A 58-page Senate report authored by Rubio titled The World China Made: 'Made In China 2025' Nine Years Later, details China's meteoric rise as a global superpower, and how it used the U.S. to get into that position.

In the report's foreword, Rubio states Communist China is "the most powerful adversary the United States has faced in living memory." Rubio notes China poses a far greater threat than Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia, simply because China can better compete against the U.S. economically, and also militarily.

"It [China] controls the largest industrial base in the world, fuels its factories with market-distorting subsidies and rampant theft," Rubio said, adding, "Beijing will have greater sway over which set of values defines the 21st century: liberty and representative government, or authoritarianism and oppression."

During an interview with World Over, Rubio questioned why no one holds China responsible for the blatant disregard for the U.S. when it comes to stealing intellectual property, but noted Trump will hold them accountable.

"Why do Chinese companies get to do whatever they want in our economy, but our companies do not? So all Donald Trump is saying is we're going to get along but we're gonna get along in an even playing field, not one in which China continues to be allowed to cheat and steal and get away with things that are bad for America," Rubio said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Jena Griswold is a far-left Democrat secretary of state in the far-left state of Colorado.

She schemed with all Democrats on the state Supreme Court to try to take now President-elect Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot and was rebuked by the U.S. Supreme Court.

She played an integral role when Tina Peters, then a clerk in Mesa County, made a copy of the 2020 election results from her county and, in the course, exposed briefly an election systems password. She was sentenced to years in prison.

Now, in the aftermath of Griswold's own exposure of dozens and dozens of election systems passwords online for the 2024 election, she's being investigated by a coalition of prosecutors.

It is Westword that reported the office of the Denver district attorney is investigating, with help from the district attorney in El Paso County.

"Officials believe the leak originated in Secretary of State Jena Griswold's Denver-based office, but it involved current passwords for voting equipment in 34 Colorado counties, including El Paso," the report said.

The confirmation was made public only days after several affidavits were submitted alleging that the incident violated Colorado law limiting access to voting systems.

"We will cooperate with [Denver's] investigation and provide resources as needed," said Kate Singh, of the El Paso office. "This office will review the investigation conducted by the Denver DA's office to determine if further investigation should be conducted, and which office is best suited to complete any additional investigation."

Westword noted that for four months, "hundreds" of those election system passwords were posted on Griswold's state website.

"The Colorado Republican Party broke the news five days after Secretary Griswold says her office learned of the blunder, on October 24," the report said.

There have been calls for her to resign, but she has refused. Libertarians had wanted a hand count of ballots in affected counties, but a judge refused.

State law calls for district attorneys to investigate when an affidavit is filed alleging a violation of the law, the report said.

Griswold has claimed to regret the error, which she blamed on an employee who was dismissed.

Her office said the blunder did not compromise the state's election integrity because two passwords are needed to access each machine.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Donald Trump was elected 47th president of the United States fewer than seven days ago, yet the Middle East has witnessed a palpable shift in energy and momentum, the moment his victory was all-but-confirmed.

Almost immediately, a foreign policy, which has seemed confused and untethered – remember Joe Biden's multiple "don't" warnings – and which precisely nobody took seriously – now seems tautened and focused. America's returning 45th president hasn't even assembled his team, nor gotten his feet back underneath the Resolute Desk, and yet the alleged unpredictability which was supposed to endanger the world, has instead concentrated minds in many arenas across the Middle East.

One of the first countries to step into line following Trump's election was Qatar. As early as Nov. 8, there were reports Doha told Hamas leaders currently leading a gilded life under its protection in some of the capital's swankiest hotels, to pack their bags and seek accommodation in whatever country will take them. There was not a hint of this pressure under the Biden administration.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

"Reagan," the movie starring Dennis Quaid as the no-nonsense conservative president who guided America through some of its best years and was at the nation's helm when the Soviet Union's disintegration was triggered, already has pleased audiences in theaters from coast to coast.

Now, having reached some $30 million in box office receipts, it is coming to the world of digital downloads.

Audiences on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 98% score, obviously seeing something the "critics" who allowed it only 18% were unable to recognize.

It already has surpassed the presidential biopics for LBJ and Nixon.

Movie officials said, "Oliver Stone's W. Moviegoers gave the film an 'A' CinemaScore" and they pointed out that the gap between critics' ideas and the audience was "the greatest gap between critics and fans in the history of Hollywood theatrical films."

Dennis Quaid stars as the 40th U.S. president, delivering a compelling representation of the spirit of the American dream.

"From his small-town roots to the glitter of Hollywood where he meets actress Jane Wyman (Mena Suvari) and Warner Brothers' studio president Jack Warner (Kevin Dillon), Reagan's incredible story culminates in obtaining the presidency with the support of his loving wife Nancy (Penelope Ann Miller)," its promoters explained.

Now the movie is arriving as a digital download, available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Vudu, and others.

The Christian Post noted that "Few U.S. presidents have left as indelible a mark as Ronald Reagan, known for his charisma, leadership during the Cold War, and deep connection with the American people."

Quaid himself has confirmed that Reagan was his favorite president.

The instructions from famed martial arts champion, author, and actor Chuck Norris are to run to see it.

He knew both Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan and said it's true what Nancy said about her husband, "They broke the mold when they made Ronnie."

Reagan was in 53 films as an actor before becoming governor of California, then president from 1981-1989.

He is considered one of the key factors behind the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Chuck Norris explained, "I cannot say enough great accolades about this new movie, in which Dennis Quaid stars and gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the 40th president."

The screenplay was written by Howard Klausner and is based on Paul Kengor's insightful 2006 book, "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism." (Kengor teaches political science at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.)

It follows Reagan from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, to Hollywood and on to the White House.

Quaid has explained, "Portraying Ronald Reagan was an enormous challenge. This is an important movie, one of my most interesting roles and I am excited to work with the ShowBiz team to get this film opened in theaters this summer."