This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

There is outrage in New Jersey after a resident was booted from his local council meeting for holding up an American flag and Constitution, something local officials have banned as "props" from their gatherings.

Police escorted out Joel Bassoff, a lawyer from the Township of Edison after he displayed Old Glory as well as the nation's founding document, warning of potential legal action for the government's restriction of residents' free speech.

"I'm holding up an American flag to represent the constitutional values," Bassoff said.

"It's my constitutional right to do this," Bassoff said. "If you get sued, you will lose. My suggestion to you is that you get a second opinion from competent counsel because you are wrong."

"You are interfering with the decorum of this meeting by interfering with the right to speech of a member of the public. And it should stop now," he added, as fellow residents could be heard applauding.

Council President Nishith Patel warned Basoff about his "props" before saying: "His time is forfeited."

"Your time should be forfeited, your positions should be forfeited," Bassoff replied. "By your actions, you forfeit every right to preside over this meeting."

"He is in violation, he can be removed," Patel instructed officers.

"Shame on you!" Basoff shouted at the council.

Another resident could be heard saying: "Shame on the police for breaking their oath to the Constitution."

"To consider the American flag and the Constitution a prop when someone raises it is an insult to what the flag is, what the flag stands for, and what this country is," resident Maryann Hennessey told council members.

"For you to consider the use of the American flag a prop is disgusting."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

I thought everyone knew this story, but it seems I'm wrong. Most of us are products of the public school system, after all, so I'm not surprised it isn't better known. So let's have a little history lesson, shall we?

Thanksgiving, we've all been taught, came about because the Pilgrims had a bumper harvest after a couple of bad years. Overcome with gratitude toward "the universe," they participated in "diversity" by inviting the Native Americans to share several days of feasting.

This is all most of us learned about the origins of Thanksgiving. But that, to paraphrase Paul Harvey, is nowhere near the rest of the story.

What was the reason behind the disastrous harvests that nearly wiped out the fledgling Plymouth colony? Was it climate change? Student loan debt? Lack of universal health care?

No, it was socialism.

Disillusioned by the greed and materialistic lifestyles of the English upper class – and persecuted unmercifully for their religious convictions – a group of Separatists departed England for Holland in 1607 and spent 12 years in that gentle and welcoming land. However, the younger generation of Separatist children began drifting away from the strict ideals of their elders toward the more worldly and relaxed Dutch lifestyle. Desperate to escape the contaminating influence of their adopted country, and fearful for the state of their children's souls, once more the group packed up and left. This time they aimed to colonize the New World.

After weeks at sea, these Pilgrims arrived at a bad time of year – December – so all they could do was brace themselves and hunker down. It was a winter of great hardship and hunger, but also a time to dream about the possibilities incumbent in this new land. When spring came, they had a chance to put into practice the pure ideals they envisioned while in England and Holland.

"Their vision of the New World," noted Matthew Burke, "was to build a society constructed on a new foundation of communal sharing and social altruism. Their aim was based on the communism of Plato's 'Republic,' in which there would be no private property and all work, and the harvest thereof, would be shared in common."

Things did not – to put it mildly – go according to plan. As Gov. William Bradford noted in his diary, the result was famine and starvation "both physically and spiritually."

But why? What could interfere with such lofty and idealistic goals? After all, the Pilgrims were striving "to move to a point where people can work in common for the common good and get back what they need to live a life worthy of human beings," to quote Carl Dix of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA.

The answer is simple: human nature.

The young and healthy men resented working uncompensated for other people. The strong reaped nothing from any extra work they did, and so had the same amount as those less fit for work. "This was thought injustice," according to Bradford. The women, called upon to provide "service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc. they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could their husbands brook it."

In other words, this happy little experiment in socialism failed miserably. It did more than fail: It led the colony toward horrible starvation in a land of plenty.

So the Pilgrims scrapped the whole communal shebang and started from scratch. Everyone was issued a parcel of land. It was up to each family to work that land. They were not responsible for their neighbor's failures; nor could they claim any of their neighbor's successes. In other words, they quite literally reaped what they sowed. "The women now went willingly into the field and took their little ones with them to set corn, which before would [allege] weakness, and inability. …" related Bto radford's diary.

The harsh lesson was that socialism is "antithetical with the human nature and spirit. It results in shortages, poverty, resentment, and slavery," notes Burke. It also results in laziness, an entitlement mentality, and an unwillingness to get off one's butt. After all, what's the motivation to work harder if the fruits of your labor are forcibly removed and given to someone who will not work?

The result of this practical expression of 2 Thessalonians 3:10 was an unprecedented harvest and a spiritual swelling of gratitude. The Pilgrims were moved by compassion to voluntarily share with those less fortunate. Thus everyone prospered.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the foundation for our modern Thanksgiving: an utter rejection of socialism, and embracing the natural desire to keep what you've worked for.

You see, no matter how many times socialism has been tried and has failed – over and over and over again – there are elements in our modern society who are sure this time it will be different. This time people will give up their evil, selfish, materialistic ways and embrace each other in love and harmony. We'll sing Kumbaya while holding hands around a communal fire. What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine. Golly, that sounds swell.

But humans are not like that. Those who believe socialism will transform us into mindless happy Kumbaya-singing drones cannot understand that people aren't interested in being eternally "caring" and "compassionate" if it's done without freedom, liberty, or choice. Only by giving people the chance to succeed or fail on their own – and to keep the fruits of their labor – will prosperity and generosity occur.

The first Thanksgiving happened because people were allowed to be "selfish." The irony today is the Democrats want to regulate or even make illegal the very things that pulled the Pilgrims out of their desolate, starving mess: individual initiative, "selfish" behavior, and strong faith in God.

Thanksgiving is not just about giving thanks for our bounty. It's also about celebrating the fact that only by embracing individual freedom did that bounty come about.

A happy and "selfish" Thanksgiving to you all.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Steven Bannon, an adviser to President Donald Trump during his first term in office, just got out of a short prison term – sent there by Democrats in Congress who demanded he provide them information about the president and his comments around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, protest-turned-riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The information he had was covered at the time by presidential privilege, but it made no difference to the partisan committee set up by ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi which tried to find every way it could to blame Trump for that vandalism that day.

Bannon, addressing the apparent fraud in the 2020 election, spoke out after Trump's White House election was confirmed early Wednesday.

He promised those who manipulated votes, who schemed over evidence regarding Trump and others, and who were involved in what has been described as the "stolen" 2020 presidential election, that "justice" is coming.

"You deserve not retribution, justice," he said.

"But you deserve what we call rough Roman justice, and we're prepared to give it to you."

He cited Trump's decision to urge Americans to unity during his victory speech in the day's early hours.

"He may be empathetic. He may have a kind heart. He may be a good man, but we're NOT!" he warned.

A report at Revolver. news explained the Tuesday election results: "The American people rose up and took back their country in what may be the most epic political comeback in history. After enduring sham charges, assassination attempts, and an onslaught of insults no one should have to face, President Trump unleashed the ultimate political revenge on his enemies. Not only did he reclaim the White House that was stolen from him in 2020, but he stormed back with the unstoppable force of a Roman gladiator on steroids, leaving his opponents in the dust."

The "bloodbath" for Democrats included losing the White House and Senate and likely not taking the majority in the House.

"The one person who does know what hit Harris and the entire Dem Party is Steve Bannon. Fresh out of federal prison after facing down the Biden regime's sham charges, Bannon has witnessed firsthand the full-blown 'North Korea' tactics being used to silence every political dissident the Regime can get their grubby mitts on," the report warned.

It said Bannon delivered "a scorching 90-second message aimed straight at the Deep State swamp creatures who've worked tirelessly to tear this country apart."

"Bannon kicked things up a notch, taking that laser pointer and holding it right between the eyes of the Deep State, putting every last one of them on notice. The message? We're coming for you…," the report said.

The report cited the J6 prisoners, some of whom have been jailed for years for what essentially could be considered trespassing, walking into a federal building that was "closed" even though the doors were wide open, sometimes held open by security officers.

Part of the outrage for some Republicans is that the Pelosi commission, which issued a report issuing a long list of charges against Trump, concealed information that exonerated him.

Ultimately a video of Pelosi shows her confessing that she held significant responsibility for the riot, as she rejected offers by Trump at the time to have additional National Guard troops standing by to make sure no one rioted on that day, when voters were protesting the election.

That vote was subjected to outside influences from Mark Zuckerberg, who dished out $400 million to local elections officials who often used it to recruit voters from Democrat districts, and the Deep State's decision to instruct media outlets to suppress damaging information about Biden family scandals detailed in Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop.

One key member of that committee, now former Rep. Liz Cheney, of Wyoming, issued a statement that said Americans must "accept the results" of the election, "whether we like the outcome or not."

She then summoned various levels of government officials to protect democracy during Trump's coming term.

Investigative reporter Julie Kelly responded to Cheney:

"You and your committee will be investigated for fabricating evidence, tampering with witnesses, suborning perjury, and conspiring to defraud the United States and more. Get ready."

An online commenter suggested those involved in the scheming against Trump "lawyer up."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A Pennsylvania judge has ordered voting to be extended until 10 p.m. Eastern today, two hours later than scheduled, after a "malfunction" prevented voters in Cambria County from scanning their ballots.

"The Cambria County Board of Election learned early this morning that a software malfunction in the County's Electronic Voting System has prevented voters from scanning their ballots," County Solicitor Ron Repak said in a statement. "This should not discourage voters from voting at their precincts."

According to Fox News, elections officials emphasized that no one who wishes to cast their ballot will be turned away and that all votes will be counted.

"All completed ballots will be accepted, secured, and counted by the Board of Elections. The County Board of Elections has express voting machine [sic] at precinct locations to continue to allow voting electronically, while still allowing hand ballots to be cast," said Repak.

"In summary, all votes will be counted, and we continue to encourage everyone to vote."

The Pennsylvania Department of State also weighed in:

"The Department of State is in contact with county officials in Cambria County. Voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, under normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning. We are working with the County to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election."

Pennsylvania is thought to be the most critical swing state in today's presidential election, with some analysts saying that whoever wins the Keystone State will win the White House.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Israel/Middle East Morning Brief

5th suspect, an IDF officer, is arrested in probe into intel leak from PM Netanyahu's office

An IDF officer has been arrested as part of the investigation into leaked classified documents from the Prime Minister's Office, according to Hebrew media reports, bringing the total number of suspects in the case to five.

Iran executes Jewish man convicted of killing would-be attacker in self-defense

Authorities in Iran on Monday executed a Jewish man, Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, who had been sentenced to death for murder, Iranian media reported. Ghahremani's family had said during his trial that "key errors in the case were intentionally ignored" and that his actions to save the victim were not taken into account.

Iran prepares to strike Israel with missiles with increased payload

Iran is planning a "strong and complex" attack on Israel that will involve more powerful warheads and other weapons not used in its previous two assaults on the Jewish state this year.

Israeli Air Force base commander given beefed up security over Iranian assassination threat

Brig.-Gen. Yotam Sigler along with his family, has been placed under security protection after a spy-cell made up of Jewish immigrants from Azerbaijan, whom the Iranian security services recruited to carry out missions inside Israel, and which was busted last month.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Israel/Middle East Morning Brief

Poll shows a large majority of Israelis want ultra-Orthodox to be drafted into the IDF

As the Swords of Iron war drags on into its second year – and the country comes under even greater economic pressure, a new poll shows Israelis overwhelmingly support Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men being drafted into the IDF; and for evaders to face financial and criminal sanctions.

Eight Austrian UNIFIL soldiers in Lebanon were injured when a missile struck their base in Nakura, likely fired by Hezbollah or an allied terrorist group. The incident comes following Israel's exhortations for the United Nations to remove their 'peacekeepers' out of harm's way.

An IAF strike Wednesday, in the area around Nabatieh in southern Lebanon killed the deputy Radwan Force commander Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi. He had advanced numerous terrorist attacks against Israel and oversaw strikes against IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon, and his elimination further degraded Hezbollah's "Conquer the Galilee" plan.

Floyd Mayweather visits Israel in solidarity mission

Former champion boxer Floyd Mayweather is visiting Israel, which he has done numerous times since Oct. 7, 2023. He paid a visit to a rehabilitation center where he offered help and encouragement to those soldiers wounded in the war.

A British teenager of Rwandan extraction from Wales, Axel Rudakubana, who was charged with the stabbing murder of three young girls – aged, 6, 7, and 9 – at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in the northern town of Southport, has had two further terrorism charges added to his docket. One charge was for the possession of an al-Qaida training manual, and the other for the production of the toxin ricin.

Spain cancels contract to buy police ammunition from Israeli firm

Spain's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday it was canceling a contract to buy ammunition from an Israeli firm, widening a Spanish pledge not to sell weapons to Israel to include purchases too.

Counting the cost of war: Israel's Defense Ministry says 12,000 IDF, security personnel treated for rehabilitation

Israel's Defense Ministry released figures, which show some 12,000 IDF soldiers, as well as security personnel, have been wounded since the start of the Swords of Iron War. At least 900 injuries have taken place since the start of ground operations in Lebanon.

U.S. Marines drill with air defense system, integrating Iron Dome interceptors

The system tested is based on American radar and control systems, alongside Iron Dome interceptor missiles — known as Tamir — and portable launchers made by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and American contractor Raytheon.

Biden negotiators head to Middle East to try iron out Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

U.S. President Joe Biden dispatched Special Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for energy and investment to try and seal a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, rumors of which have been circling for the last day or two.

IDF chief warns Iran if it strikes Israel again, it'll get hit with unseen capabilities, hit new targets in retaliation

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, sent a clear warning to Iran saying another ballistic missile strike on the Jewish state would incur retaliation showcasing new capabilities and hitting targets "set aside" during the previous strike on the Islamic Republic.

Gallant: Hezbollah only has access to about 20% of its pre-war arsenal

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Iran's Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah has lost approximately 80% of its pre-war capabilities, and is unable to launch large-scale barrages of rockets or missiles due to the IDF's disruption of its senior leadership.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

When COVID-19 came out of its Chinese home, probably a lab where technicians were working to make bat viruses more transmissible and more deadly, it quickly started killing people.

Shots, although more a treatment than an actual vaccine, were developed and approved for emergency use because they still were considered experimental.

Millions of people took the shots, many voluntarily. But millions more were ordered to take them, and one of those populations now may be in line for relief from the sometimes lethal side effects of those injections.

It is the Washington Examiner that has reported on a proposal by U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., for the University Forced Vaccination Student Injury Mitigation Act.

It would order colleges and universities that ordered their students to take part in the medical experiment to pay for injuries caused by the shots.

It would require the compensation under penalty of those schools losing federal funds from the Education Department.

"If you are not prepared to face the consequences, you should have never committed the act," Rosendale announced in a statement about his plan.

"Colleges and universities forced students to inject themselves with an experimental vaccine knowing it was not going to prevent COVID-19 while potentially simultaneously causing life-threatening health defects like Guillian-Barre Syndrome and myocarditis. It is now time for schools to be held accountable for their brazen disregard for students' health and pay for the issues they are responsible for causing."

It is the Washington Examiner that has reported on a proposal by U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., for the University Forced Vaccination Student Injury Mitigation Act.

It would order colleges and universities that ordered their students to take part in the medical experiment to pay for injuries caused by the shots.

It would require the compensation under penalty of those schools losing federal funds from the Education Department.

"If you are not prepared to face the consequences, you should have never committed the act," Rosendale announced in a statement about his plan.

"Colleges and universities forced students to inject themselves with an experimental vaccine knowing it was not going to prevent COVID-19 while potentially simultaneously causing life-threatening health defects like Guillian-Barre Syndrome and myocarditis. It is now time for schools to be held accountable for their brazen disregard for students' health and pay for the issues they are responsible for causing."

The plan would allow students to seek reimbursement for costs by providing a request, documentation of the shot, its link to a health issue, and an accounting of medical expenses.

The Examiner noted that conditions including myocarditis, pericarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, Guillian-Barre Syndrome, and other diseases that the secretary of education determines are associated with a COVID-19 vaccine would be covered.

The report pointed out that at least 17 colleges or universities even today are demanding students accept the COVID-19 shots for them to be enrolled.

"Countless college students have been injured by COVID-19 vaccinations," charged Lucia Sinatra, of No College Mandates, which organizes opposition to the requirement that students be part of medical experiments.

One of the well-known fact-checking organizations online, though leftist in its leanings, even conceded that a study of "around 99 million people" revealed multiple potential side effects from the shots.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Israel/Middle East Morning Brief

Former President – and leading candidate to win back the White House – Donald Trump ripped into the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration over the intelligence leak of Israel's purported plans for retaliation for Iran's Oct. 1 ballistic missile strike, saying the source of the leak was an "enemy from within" the American security establishment.

Pentagon denies senior staffer under investigation for damaging intel leak

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Tuesday denied the reports that Ariane Tabatabai, a senior staffer at the Pentagon, of Iranian origin was suspected of being behind the leak of Israeli plans to strike Iran in response to the Oct. 1 ballistic missile strike.

The IDF on Tuesday announced that a top Hezbollah official – and the man slated to replace Hassan Nasrallah – Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut earlier this month. The Iranian Shiite proxy has yet to officially announce his death.

Hezbollah fires an early-morning salvo of long-range rockets toward Tel Aviv

Two long-range rockets fired from Lebanon were intercepted over Tel Aviv Wednesday morning after activating Red Alert sirens in northern and central Israel. Israel's southernmost city, Eilat, was also attacked by pro-Iranian proxies in Iraq.

Blinken warns Israel not to 'escalate' conflict with Hezbollah, Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in Israel for something like the 11th time since Oct. 7, 2023, with a view to putting pressure on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to particularly not strike Iran in such a way as to make an all-out war more likely.

Did Yahya Sinwar leave orders to execute the remaining hostages if he was killed?

One of Israel's leading hostage negotiators said Yahya Sinwar's death could either be a moment of opportunity or a moment of doom; the latter because there are fears the terrorist leader may have left orders for any of the still living 101 hostages in Gaza captivity to be executed if he was killed.

Israel, U.S. issues warning for nationals to leave Sri Lanka after credible terrorist threat

The National Security Council called on Israelis to leave Sri Lanka's Arugam Bay area and other beaches in the island's south and west with immediate effect, citing terrorism threats. The U.S. embassy also warned its citizens of a possible threat against Israeli travelers.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Democrats have been campaigning for months on their claims that crime across America has gone down under the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris regime.

Recently, they've been using an FBI "final" report that claims violent crimes were down 2.1% in 2023.

And the Democrats' claims haven't changed, even though the FBI data has.

In fact, an "update" to that reporting now shows violent crime was up 4.5% over that time period.

A report from Trending Politics explained, "The Biden Justice Department, much like the Biden Labor Department, is quietly amending its crime statistics after posting incomplete data to dispute a key charge that former President Donald Trump has made against Joe Biden."

It continued, "For most of his third campaign for office, President Trump has regularly railed against rising violent crime in the U.S., tying high-profile instances of murder to the millions of new migrants who crossed into the country over the past two years. In response, both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have disputed his characterization of crime, and they have been assisted by a mainstream media that has all too often rebutted Trump's assertions, claiming violent crime is down year-over-year. That turned out to be false, according to the FBI."

Real Clear Investigations revealed that the 2.1% figure quickly became – "and remains" – a Democrat talking point against Trump.

But the reality is that the crime was up 4.5%, according to the FBI itself, which now has included new numbers for more murders, more rapes, more robberies, and more aggravated assaults.

The "updated" figures have not been reflected in most media reports, nor in Democrat talking points.

"It's been over three weeks since the FBI released the revised data. The Bureau's lack of acknowledgment or explanation about the significant change concerns researchers," the report said.

"I have checked the data on total violent crime from 2004 to 2022," Carl Moody, a professor at the College of William & Mary who specializes in studying crime, told RealClearInvestigations. "There were no revisions from 2004 to 2015, and from 2016 to 2020, there were small changes of less than one percentage point. The huge changes in 2021 and 2022, especially without an explanation, make it difficult to trust the FBI data."

Real Clear documented, "The actual changes in crimes are extensive. The updated data for 2022 report that there were 80,029 more violent crimes than in 2021. There were an additional 1,699 murders, 7,780 rapes, 33,459 robberies, and 37,091 aggravated assaults. The question naturally arises: should the FBI's 2023 numbers be believed?"

That report noted the Biden-Harris administration has been busy revising other numbers that earlier had made its performance in office look better. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently confirmed it "overestimated" jobs created … by 818,000.

A City Journal report called out the "mainstream media" for ignoring the updates.

And it faulted the FBI for adjusting numbers "at different times in different ways…"

"Its process is hardly transparent, its results are often inconsistent and poorly explained, and its numbers are frustratingly fluid," the report said.

Trending Politics added, "During last month's debate, President Trump assured viewers that 'crime is up' across the country, prompting Vice President Harris to frown and shake her head. 'Despite the fraudulent statements they made, crime in this country is through the roof. And we have a new form of crime, it's called migrant crime, and it's happening at levels nobody thought possible," Trump said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Global trade could be at risk if tensions continue to escalate in one of the world's busiest shipping waters – the South China Sea.

China has been ramping up its aggression toward its neighbors in the South China Sea as it lays claim to almost the entire area. Cordial relations with the Philippines are rapidly deteriorating and recently Chinese Coast Guard ships violently attacked fishermen on a vessel from Vietnam.

According to a report from CNBC, some experts are claiming global markets should be on high alert after the recent clashes between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors, because of how important the shipping lanes are to global trade.

Marko Papic, chief global geo-macro strategist at BCA Research, said the risks to global shipping are obvious. as that industry is essential for Chinese commodities and input goods that travel through these South China Sea shipping lanes.

"The South China Sea is the most valuable shipping lane in the world in terms of the value of trade that transits through it," Papic told CNBC.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday in response to the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stating there needs to be a code of conduct for the South China Sea that China welcomes dialogue, but will not tolerate encroachment into its "territories."

"China firmly opposes any infringement activities and provocations, and firmly safeguards its own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Mao said.

However, China breaches the economic exclusion zones of other nations repeatedly; using violence, intimidation, and underhanded tactics, while depleting fish stocks, and simultaneously gaslighting the world into believing it is somehow a victim, according to analysts.