This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Officials from Louisiana are asking a federal appeals court to protect their ability to have public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments, a key component among the ideas and beliefs on which the nation was founded.
The state already has adopted such plans for its schools, although there is flexibility in the requirement that schools display posters including the Ten Commandments that acknowledge their influence on American law and history.
However, the ACLU sued and a federal judge put a hold on the law.
Now, represented by Becket, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and Louisiana Solicitor General Ben Aguiñaga are asking on behalf of the state for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to protect its rights.
"If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from Louisiana's public square," explained Becket senior counsel Joseph Davis. "Thankfully our Constitution says otherwise: Louisiana is allowed to acknowledge every aspect of our history and culture—including the Ten Commandments."
The Becket report on the dispute explained religious symbols have been a fixture of American public life since before the Founding.
"Just after declaring Independence, the Continental Congress tasked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams with designing a national seal. Though the Great Seal eventually adopted a different design, all three proposed overtly religious designs drawn from the Hebrew Bible," Becket said.
"Over the centuries, many state and local governments have followed the Founders' lead by including religious elements in their flags, seals, and buildings to commemorate history and culture and to acknowledge the beliefs of their citizens. Among the most enduring of these religious symbols is the Ten Commandments, which is even featured prominently on the walls of the U.S. Supreme Court."
Louisiana's law has schools display the Ten Commandments with a context statement explaining the history of their presence in public education.
Schools may choose to incorporate the Commandments alongside other historical documents, like the Declaration of Independence and the Mayflower Compact.
The ACLU's contention is that knowledge of such facts will harm children.
"Yesterday we filed our opening brief in the Fifth Circuit defending Louisiana's Ten Commandments law," said Murrill. "As we have illustrated in our briefs, there are numerous ways for our schools to constitutionally implement the law. And this should not be controversial: As the Supreme Court has said, the Commandments have historical significance as one of the foundations of our law. We look forward to the Fifth Circuit's decision in this case."
The case is to be heard by the appeals court on Jan. 23.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
There are leftists whose consideration and respect for the law of the nation and the states is negligible.
They are the Black Lives Matter types who did billions of dollars in damages to dozens of American cities when George Floyd died. They've also the type that inflict "swatting" situations on police departments and mostly Republicans when they are unhappy with election results.
In swatting situations, some offender calls in to police and describes a threat, a bomb, or a hostage situation and then gives the address of an innocent person.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., has been targeted multiple times. So have those nominated for federal posts by President-elect Donald Trump.
Previously, the situations mostly been defused with sharp police response and quick discovery that there's no real threat.
But not this time.
A swatting incident that targeted Greene has cost the life of an innocent women who died in a car crash also involving a Rome, Ga., police officer responding to the swatting.
It happened because police got a "bomb threat" against the member of Congress.
Greene explained, "I'm heartsick right now. I was just informed that an innocent woman died today in an auto accident involving a member of the Rome Police bomb squad who was responding to the threat at my home. My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department.
"These violent political threats have fatal consequences. It's an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act.
"The perpetrator of this crime has committed murder in our small community of Rome, Georgia. The police shouldn't have to respond to these threats and there should not be deaths caused at their hands. I'm so thankful for everything the Rome Police Department does to protect our city and for putting their lives on the line to do it. I'm sick to my stomach, but I'm also angry. This should have never happened and I pray it never happens again."
The Gateway Pundit explained, "Several prominent figures within Republican circles and President-elect Donald Trump's transition team have faced similar attacks, including bomb threats and 'swatting' incidents."
Trump campaign official Karoline Leavitt said, "Several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them. These attacks ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting.' In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action."
Among the targets have been Rep. Elise Stefanik, nominated for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Howard Lutnick, selected as Secretary of Commerce; and former Rep. Lee Zeldin, nominated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A report from Open the Books has revealed that under the anti-free speech agenda of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the government has handed out some $267 million to look at "misinformation" and how to convince Americans "it would be better if your voice were silenced in favor of the 'expert' class."
The report notes that Biden and Harris have delivered those funds to research grants "with the term 'misinformation' in the proposal."
"Of course, the COVID pandemic was the driving force behind so much of the misinformation debate. Sure enough, the feds have spent at least $127 million in grants specifically targeted to study the spread of 'misinformation' – or to help people 'overcome' it, so to speak — by persuading them to go along with COVID-related public health recommendations and mandates," the report confirmed.
Of course, the evidence now reveals that many of those campaigns, the experimental COVID shots, the masks, the distancing, simply were made up by various officials as they spoke, and did essentially nothing to help Americans.
"In one particularly brazen instance, $200,000 was spent slandering President-elect Trump himself. The grant resulted in a paper suggesting populist leaders and movements in various countries kept people from coming together in 'solidarity' and public officials need to have the 'main say' on health guidance next time," the report said.
Another instance of the truth being slapped with the "misinformation" label happened when the scandal erupted over FEMA workers "avoiding homes with Trump signs."
That was, until "FEMA itself admitted it had happened."
One of the pushers behind the anti-free speech agenda was Anthony Fauci, who is a former government health official who delivered to the public many of his mandates about COVID.
While he demanded "vaccines for children, masking and double masking, and six feet for social distancing," the report said, many requirements "have since been found to have dubious scientific basis."
"There is robust documentation by now proving that the Biden-Harris administration worked closely with social media companies to censor content deemed 'misinformation,' which often included cases where people simply questioned or disagreed with the administration's COVID policies," the report said.
Other reports have confirmed that what the Biden-Harris regime called "misinformation" or "disinformation" was nothing more than their political party's chosen opinion on an issue.
"In February the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government issued a scathing report against the National Science Foundation (NSF) for funding grants supporting tools and processes that censor online speech," the new revelations found.
That report said, "The purpose of these taxpayer-funded projects is to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-powered censorship and propaganda tools that can be used by governments and Big Tech to shape public opinion by restricting certain viewpoints or promoting others."
That scheme actually involved spending $13 million in tax money on "censorious technologies."
"Federal spending records show at least $127 million tax dollars funding anti-misinformation efforts directly related to COVID-19 for a variety of activities, from on-the-ground advocacy working to dispel vaccine misinformation, to scientific studies on how supposed misinformation is spread online," the report explained.
"The result of all this was a record loss of trust in science and government and compounding economic and social disasters that may never be able to be fully quantified."
The report notes that when Biden and Harris took office, the spending on such censorship plans exploded from $2.2 million in 2020 to $126 million in 2021.
The report notes the federal government calls misinformation that which "has led people to decline vaccines, reject public health measures, and use unproven treatments."
"These definitions leave a lot of room for interpretation and abuse—who decides what the 'best available evidence' is at any given time? And who decides which experts should be considered authoritative or not?" the report charged.
"Famously, then-National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease director Anthony Fauci promoted the notion that people should stand six feet apart from each other to achieve 'social distancing' to reduce COVID transmission."
But Fauci himself later admitted to Congress that was simply made up and lacked any "scientific basis."
But that factor triggered the closure of schools, business and more, costing children massive learning losses and triggering business collapses.
In one instance, the report said, the Department of Health and Human Services spent more than $80 million "to build a network of nonprofits through which to disperse materials about COVID and flu vaccines."
"One notable research grant awarded to George Washington University in FY 2022 targeted former president Donald Trump. The study, called 'Pandemic Communication in Time of Populism: Building Resilient Media and Ensuring Effective Pandemic Communication in Divided Societies' received a $199,516 grant from the National Science Foundation," the report said.
"Researchers on this Biden-era grant examined how so-called 'populist' leaders supposedly prevented society from coming together in 'solidarity' during the COVID pandemic. Trump's presidency was a focus of the research, along with the leaders of three other countries," the report said, with one researcher claiming, "What went wrong in different ways in all these countries and in a lot of countries around the world that had populist governments…there was just this very high level of polarization and politicization of the pandemic response…and it really interfered with the ability of society to pull together in a consistent way and to get through the pandemic."
That conclusion was that "experts" should have the "main say" on such issues, even though those "experts" repeatedly were completely wrong during COVID.
The report cited the conclusions of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which said the Biden-Harris administration's response to the pandemic "resulted in a collapse of the public's trust in public health messaging."
That's because "the administration most concerned with 'misinformation' itself trafficked in misinformation: on masks, on risks to children, on social distancing, and on the need to vaccinate even infants."
In a commentary at Fox News, writer Justin Haskins said, "The federal government shouldn't be involved, directly or indirectly, in the fact-checking industry. Nor should it engage in efforts designed to limit the speech of citizens, particularly when taxpayers are the ones footing the bill."
He said, "What we found is clear evidence that the Biden-Harris White House used funds to support or develop Orwellian surveillance and propaganda strategies, create methods and tools to restrict speech online, and even to finance highly politicized reports critical of Trump."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Trump puts boot into Russia as overstretched armed forces fail to come to Assad's aid
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad had "fled his country" after losing the backing of Russia. "Assad is gone," he said on his Truth Social platform. "His protector, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. Russia had no reason to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine. Russia and Iran are now in a weak position, one, because of Ukraine and a bad economy, and two because of Israel and its success in fighting."
54 years of Assad rule come to an end in Syria as rebels declare Damascus captured
The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the more than 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and all detainees in jails had been set free.
Tehran stood aside as Assad regime crumbled
Iran turned its back and abandoned its ally Syria as opposition forces toppled the regime, an exclusive New York Times report on Saturday revealed.
According to an internal memo from a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that the NYT viewed, the situation in Syria was described as "unbelievable and strange." It is as if "Iran accepted the fall of Assad and has lost the will to resist," the memo said.
In addition, Iran's media had switched from calling the Sunni rebels "infidel terrorists" to "armed groups" and reported that they had so far treated Shiite minorities well, the NYT reported.
Where is Assad? Dictator's plane seems to vanish from radar
The fate of Syria's erstwhile dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was reported to have fled the country is still unknown after a plane – assumed to be his – disappeared from radar over the city of Homs. The same private plane had seemingly made numerous journeys to and from the United Arab Emirates over the previous day or so.
Syrian rebels tear apart Iranian embassy in Damascus as Assad regime crumbles
Iran's embassy in Syria was "attacked" on Sunday, Iranian state TV said, after Islamist-led rebels declared the fall of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping offensive that culminated in Damascus.
"Unknown individuals have attacked the Iranian embassy, as you can see in these images, shared by various networks," a state TV broadcaster said, showing footage said to be from inside the diplomatic compound.
IDF strikes chemical weapons plants on outskirts of Damascus over fears material could fall into jihadists' hands
The IDF struck a chemical weapons factory belonging to the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to prevent the rebels from seizing it, Arab media first reported on Sunday.
Iran 'dramatically accelerates' uranium enrichment
Iran has in recent weeks sharply increased its uranium enrichment efforts, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi.
"The agency is announcing that the production capacity is increasing dramatically, of the 60% inventory," said Grossi at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
Israeli minister calls for retaking of Mt. Hermon's summit in wake of Assad's fall
"Despite the rebranding of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its leader Ahmed al-Shara, the bottom line is that most of Syria is now under the control of affiliate organizations of al-Qaeda and ISIS," Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli (Likud) tweeted Sunday morning.
"Israel must urgently renew its control over the peak of Mount Hermon and establish a new defense line based on the 1974 ceasefire line. Jihadists must not be allowed to establish themselves near our communities," Chikli added.
Greta Thunberg yells 'F*** Germany! F*** Israel!' at pro-Hamas rally
So-called climate activist turned Hamas shill Greta Thunberg was filmed laughing as she shouted "F– Germany, and f– Israel!" at a pro-Palestine event in Germany on Friday,
According to MSN, the event was held in the city of Mannheim, and was organized by the group Zaytouna in the Rhine-Neckar region.
The rally was held in the city's main market square and included a discussion focused on "solidarity with Palestine and the climate movement."
WATCH: Fallout continues after shocking arson attack on Melbourne synagogue
Hamas releases 'proof of life' video of hostage Matan Zangauker
Hamas on Saturday night released a video of 25-year-old Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Palestinian terror group's Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
While the three-plus minute clip is not dated, Zangauker states he has been held captive in the Gaza Strip for over 420 days, suggesting it was filmed recently.
Israel assists U.N. forces in Syria to repel rebel attack
Prior to the fall of the Assad regime early Sunday, the IDF said on Saturday it assisted the United Nations in "repelling" an attack by armed gunmen on a UN post in Syria. According to the IDF, the U.N. position which came under attack is located near the Syrian town of Hader, close to the Israeli border and the largely Druze Israeli town of Majdal Shams.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
For years, as his son Hunter engaged in a series of wild escapades, bought a gun after lying on a government form, and refused to pay taxes on his income, Joe Biden pledged to allow the justice system, judges and juries, to decide what penalty Hunter would pay.
Then he flip-flopped, claiming against the evidence that Hunter was "singled out" for prosecution, and handed him a get-out-of-jail free card for any and all crimes for a decade.
Americans aren't pleased.
Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard wrote about the results of a poll by Napolitan News Service.
A large majority of respondents, 62%, said they objected to the pardon, including 41% who said they objected "strongly."
Only 30% agreed with the special handout.
And the survey, the report said, "may have sparked the beginning of Democratic anger at the failed presidency."
Bedard explained, "Biden had repeatedly promised not to pardon his son, who has faced gun and tax charges. But he flip-flopped this week and made the pardon good for an 11-year span."
The report noted Joe Biden "said that he believed Hunter was unfairly targeted by prosecutors, a claim that echoed what President-elect Donald Trump has said about the weak cases he faced."
Judges in the cases involving Hunter Biden immediately responded, objecting to Joe Biden's negative characterizations of them, and the judicial system. One submitted a court document that said Joe Biden was just wrong.
The poll said 54% disagreed with the president's excuse, in contrast to the responses when asked about Trump, when 46% did believe that the Justice Department unfairly targeted him.
"Pollster Scott Rasmussen told Secrets that his poll also suggested that Democrats are reevaluating Biden, who currently sits at his lowest approval rating ever. The New York Times on Thursday, for example, slammed the pardon, calling it 'a significant misstep that could leave lasting damage,'" Bedard explained.
Rasmussen's conclusion? "In this hyper-partisan world, it's stunning that only 52% of Democrats support the president's pardon. This is just the beginning of partisan re-evaluation. I suspect the anger at Biden among Democrats is ready to bubble over. Over time, the party will come to believe that the only reason they lost in 2024 is because Biden selfishly tried to run for re-election."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., dissed by critics as "Pocahontas" over her unjustified claims to Native America heritage, has taken aim at Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary.
But she hit the Joe Biden administration, including his defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, right between the eyes.
It's her decision to blame, publicly, a yet-to-be seated nominee for a problem that Biden and Austin allowed.
She cited, "In 2023, over 29,000 active-duty troops were sexually assaulted, including more than 6 in every 100 women in the military. Many servicemembers never report these crimes. The rates of assault are estimated to be up to 4x higher. Pete Hegseth must not be the Defense Secretary."
Her one link to reality must have been that Hegseth was investigated, but eventually not even charged much less convicted, over a "consensual" encounter with a woman.
But she was excoriated on social media for blaming problems that happened under her party's control on a candidate for an administration position.
There, the "U.S. Ministry of Truth" called her "the dumbest fool in the whole Senate."
The Gateway Pundit pointed out her stats are "damning indeed," and "would be disqualifying if Hegseth had anything to do with it."
The report explained, "Warren was referencing sexual assaults that occurred in the military under Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's watch."
Trump's nomination cited Hegseth's stellar America First credentials and decorated service as an army combat veteran, it said.
"Despite this, sick leftists and the drive-by media have orchestrated a horrific smear campaign portraying Hegseth as a drunkard and sexual predator. Warren, one of Hegseth's staunchest critics, gave credence to the later smear as she cited disturbing statistics on her X account claiming that nearly 30,000 soldiers, including over 6% of women, were sexually assaulted in the military last year. Due to this, she concluded that Hegseth had no business serving as Defense Secretary," the report said.
Social media told the "rest of the story."
"So all that happened on your party's watch?"
So have you demanded that Lloyd Austin resign?"
"So, because Biden's defense secretary failed you're going to blame someone that was nominated to fix it?"
And, "Hey Pocahontas, who was the president in 2023?"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared reluctant to order the destruction of a Tennessee state law that protects children from being subjected to the chemicals – and even physical body mutilations – that are involved in the transgender industry.
At issue is a state law that bars minors from undergoing transgender procedures – an industry that has exploded with the constant promotions by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over the past few years.
The Washington Examiner explained the members of the high court "appeared skeptical" over demands that they strike down the law in a case brought by leftists who promote the ideology.
The state of Tennessee has explained that it has the authority to regulate medical treatment and procedures, and that's exactly what it is doing.
The challengers in the case claim that such limits discriminate on the basis of sex.
"The majority of justices appeared to be sympathetic to Tennessee's arguments," the report said.
The leftist oriented America Civil Liberties Union initially challenged the law, and claimed it was working on behalf of "families with transgender adolescents."
Of course, following the science makes clear that changing from male to female or vice versa isn't possible, as being male or female is embedded in the body down to the DNA level. Further, studies have confirmed that the vast majority of children with gender dysphoria issues resolve themselves to an identity of their birth sex if left alone.
Biden's Department of Justice eventually joined the case on behalf of the pro-transgender agenda he and Kamala Harris adopted.
A ruling in the case, which isn't expected for some months, is expected to have an impact on multiple state laws that address the same issue – the politicized agenda that involves giving children chemicals and body mutilations to appease a transgender ideology.
Tennessee Solicitor General James Rice explained "there is no sex-based line" in his state's law that would violate the 14th Amendment.
When Biden's legal representative in the case claimed it is sex discrimination, with, "This statute on its face says you can't have medication inconsistent with sex, and no matter what you think about transgender discrimination generally, that's a sex-based line," Justice Samuel Alito noted, "I'm not sure that's anything more than a play on words."
Alito suggested that transgender identity may not be an unchanging characteristic.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett suggested the case would be the trigger for "identifying a new suspect class, which we haven't done for a long time."
Chief Justice John Roberts raised the issue of the side effects of the chemicals that promoters want to give children.
"Here it seems to me that the medical issues are much more heavily involved than many of the cases that you look to," said Roberts. He said the Supreme Court is "not the best situated to address issues like that."
Alito also pointed out other Western nations in recent days have "significantly curtailed" their use of drugs and chemicals.
A lawyer for Biden's administration did concede that cross-sex hormones have permanent effects on a developing child's body.
And she admitted there are detransitioners who have regret over their transgender beliefs.
A statement from the office of the Tennessee attorney general, in defense of its protection for children, said, "We are here defending Tennessee's law protecting children from irreversible and unproven gender transition procedures."
AG Jonathan Skrmetti added, "Tennessee's general assembly reviewed the medical evidence, as well as the evidence-based decisions of European countries that restricted these procedures, and ultimately passed this bipartisan law prohibiting irreversible medical interventions. The plaintiffs in this case are asking the court to take the power to regulate the practice of medicine away from the people's elected representatives and vest it in unaccountable judges."
"Our arguments were ultimately about constitutional clarity and common sense," Skrmetti added, "Our Founders guaranteed states the right and responsibility to protect children, regulate the medical profession, and independently evaluate the evidence of the risks and benefits of practices to be regulated. We cannot allow ideology to override medical evidence at the expense of our right to self-government and our duty to protect our children."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In the wake of Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, a new report claims the president is now considering preemptive pardons for "officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House."
Politico mentions three names in particular for the blanket protection: U.S. Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.; and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases "who became a lightning rod for criticism from the right during the COVID-19 pandemic."
The report notes: "The White House officials … are carefully weighing the extraordinary step of handing out blanket pardons to those who've committed no crimes, both because it could suggest impropriety, only fueling Trump's criticisms, and because those offered preemptive pardons may reject them."
The possibility of preemptive pardons is sparking instant reaction on the political right.
"Why would they need to do that if they did nothing wrong?" wondered Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA.
Journalist Nick Sortor proffered the answer: "Why, you ask? Because Biden KNOWS those three are guilty as sin. Biden is doing nothing short of abusing his power to save his political allies from being properly investigated and prosecuted."
"This is just incredible," said Alex Jones of Infowars, who recorded his reaction while driving a car. "That just shows you how real Trump is."
"That's their (Democrats') whole plan. Civil war and stuff. They are desperate, they are crazy, they are dangerous and now they're moving."
The Gateway Pundit reported:
Pardons for Cheney, Fauci, and Schiff would represent an assault on the justice system greater than Hunter's pardon. Consider just some of the awful actions these three have committed:
• Cheney reportedly suppressed critical evidence indicating that President Donald Trump had authorized National Guard troops to be on standby during the Capitol protest.
• Schiff was one of the key figures behind the Russia Collusion Hoax which sought to delegitimize Trump's historic 2016 election victory over Crooked Hillary Clinton. He was also deeply involved in the first garbage impeachment against Trump in 2019.
ADVERTISEMENT• Fauci, of course, was the absolute worst prevaricator during the COVID pandemic. He lied to the public about masks, how the virus spreads, and even smeared those who rightfully spoke out against the economic crippling lockdowns.
His NIH department also was involved in gain-of-function research with the Chinese to make viruses like COVID more infectious and multiple evil experiments torturing innocent animals in the name of science.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center
President-elect Donald Trump on Monday issued a deadly ultimatum regarding hostages, including Americans, being held by Hamas, saying "there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East" if the captives are not released by his inauguration in January.
"Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it's all talk, and no action!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity.
"Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!"
Approximately 100 people remain in captivity, with a third believed to be dead.
Trump's threat came on the same day Israel announced American-Israeli soldier Omer Neutra, who had been held by Hamas, is now confirmed dead.
During Trump's first presidential campaign in 2015, the Republican presidential candidate promised to "quickly and decisively bomb the hell out of ISIS" in a series of campaign ads.
He got more graphic on the actual campaign trail, saying publicly he would "bomb the sh** out of them."
Little has been heard from the Islamic terror group since he made good on his vow, capturing their territory and taking their leaders into custody.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
American-Israeli IDF soldier Omer Neutra confirmed dead in Hamas captivity
The IDF announced the death of Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, who was killed and abducted by Hamas on Oc. 7, 2023.
Neutra, a so-called lone soldier from New York, served as a tank-platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade's 77th Battalion.
Until now, it had been believed that Neutra was alive and being held hostage.
IDF reservist's top 10 takeaways from Gaza
1. The IDF is winning, and needs to be allowed to win
Compared to their operations during my first tour at the end of 2023, there is a sense that Hamas is collapsing. The terrorist organization once fielded ambush cells that conducted frequent hit-and-run anti-tank missile attacks and ambushes from a wide network of bunkers and tunnels for a guerrilla defense-in-depth strategy.
Trump meets with Sara Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago
The wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara, met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Golf Club late on Sunday. Trump's media adviser posted a photo of the two on X.
Sara Netanyahu was in Miami for a 20-day visit with her son Yair, who has been living there since the start of the Oct. 7 war.
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias enter Syria to bolster Assad regime
Arab sources reported Sunday that pro-Iranian militia reinforcements arrived in eastern Syria, where they met with advisers from Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps. Later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Damascus for meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Jerusalem keeps watchful eye over developments in rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria
Israel is constantly monitoring the situation in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, after Sunni jihadist rebels over the weekend took control of Aleppo, the country's second-largest city.
"We are determined to both protect the vital interests of the State of Israel and preserve the achievements of the war," Netanyahu told Israel Defense Forces recruits at the Tel Hashomer induction center in Ramat Gan.
Muslim gunman, who allegedly shot Jewish Chicagoan, found dead in cell after apparent suicide
Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, a 22-year-old Muslim migrant from Muritania, who shot a religious Jew while he was walking to synagogue, and planned attacks against Jews in Chicago , was found lifeless in a city prison after an apparent suicide attempt, according to the local sheriff's office.
Dubai rabbi's killers said to be planning attack in Thailand
The terrorist enterprise responsible for the murder of Rabbi Tzvi Kogan in Dubai is planning fresh attacks in southeast Asia and especially Thailand, Israeli authorities warned on Saturday.
"Intelligence suggests that the terrorist infrastructure that perpetrated the murder of Rabbi Tvzi Kogan in Dubai is planning additional terrorist activities," according to a statement by Israel's National Security Council. "Relevant security forces estimate this will happen in southeast Asia and especially Thailand," the statement read.
IAF fighters surround Iranian plane suspected of delivering weapons to Hezbollah, force mid-air turnaround
An Iranian flight suspected to be ferrying arms to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force over Syria overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
IAF fighter jets intercepted the Iranian plane over Syria and ordered it to turn around, and it did a short while later, a defense source said.
Ben Gvir orders Israel Police to prevent mosques from broadcasting Islamic calls to prayer over loudspeakers
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir instructed the Israel Police to prevent mosques from broadcasting the Islamic call to prayer over loudspeakers, he confirmed in a statement posted to X on Sunday.
"I have received dozens of complaints from residents in mixed [Jewish-Arab] cities," Ben-Gvir said in the statement. He added, "As they do in Europe, as they do in every civilized country in the world, as they do in Arab countries, we also need to address the issue of noise from mosques."
Ben Gvir reiterates call for Jews to settle Gaza Strip, promote Arabs' voluntary emigration
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said he favored occupying territories in the Gaza Strip and encouraging the voluntary migration of thousands of Gazan residents.
"I am in favor of occupying territories in Gaza, especially after October 7," Ben Gvir said, adding, "Encouraging voluntary immigration and taking territories is the most important thing right now. I am seriously considering moving my family to the Gaza Strip. It is definitely an option that is on the table."
CENTCOM forces defeat Houthi attacks on U.S. Navy and U.S.-flagged ships in Gulf of Aden
U.S. Navy destroyers USS Stockdale and the USS O'Kane successfully defeated a range of Houthi-launched weapons while transiting the Gulf of Aden, Nov. 30 – Dec. 1. The destroyers were escorting three U.S. owned, operated, flagged merchant vessels and the reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels, civilian or U.S. Naval.
U.K. announces $9 million bump in UNRWA funding
The $9 million addition in funding for UNRWA, whose activity was recently outlawed in Israel because Jerusalem considers it a Hamas instrument, is meant to address humanitarian needs in Gaza, where winter conditions could worsen living standards. It will come on top of nearly $44 million that the U.K. has already pledged to transfer to UNRWA this year.