This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Saying he's had a "fantastic run," Glenn Kessler, the longtime so-called "fact-checker" for the Washington Post, announced Monday he's finally leaving the newspaper after receiving a buyout.
"After more than 27 years at The Washington Post, including almost 15 as The Fact Checker, I will be leaving on July 31, having taken a buyout," Kessler said on LinkedIn.
"Much as I would have liked to keep scrutinizing politicians in Washington, especially in this era, the financial considerations were impossible to dismiss."
Kessler indicated he now plans to write books.
"This year I completed a novel about a love triangle set in 1920s Dutch East Indies (colonial Indonesia), based on State Department cables I found in the National Archives," he explained. "I have an idea for a nonfiction project and am open to freelance or consulting opportunities."
Breitbart News noted: "Many of you know Kessler was merely a left-wing op-ed writer packaged as an 'objective' voice," as it posted a list of "his worst offenses over the years."
In May, the New York Post described Kessler as a "propaganda mill."
"If there was such a thing as shame anymore, the Washington Post's pompous 'Fact Checker' column would close up shop," the editorial board of the New York Post wrote.
"New revelations in 'Original Sin,' a book about President Joe Biden's decline, show how the White House covered up the obvious — and propaganda outlets like the Fact Checker shamed any media that broke ranks.
"Take Biden's wandering off from a group of world leaders at last June's D-Day celebrations: The New York Post's front page read 'MEANDER IN CHIEF,' which sent Fact Checker writer Glenn Kessler into a fit of apoplexy: "'Cheapfake' Biden videos enrapture right-wing media, but deeply mislead' was his headline. Kessler gave us 'Four Pinocchios' for promoting a 'false narrative.'"
Another critic of Kessler's work is Fox News contributor Steve Milloy, who said he's "had numerous occasions to fact check departing long-time WaPo 'fact checker.'"
As for what's next for the fact-checker position at the Washington Post, Kessler said: "I'm not sure. As many people at The Post know, I tried to arrange a short-term contract that would have given the editors time to find a worthy successor and allow me to train him or her. I didn't want The Post to have a gap in fact-checking coverage during this fraught period in U.S. history. But we couldn't work out an agreement. (Okay, so I buried the lede.)
"In 2018, when the Fact Checker team was compiling a database of more than 30,000 Trump claims, I told the New York Times that 'I have the best job in journalism.' I still believe that, and I'm sorry to leave without a replacement lined up. But it's the right time for me. I hope The Post finds someone to carry on this important project."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
John Brennan, who was Barack Obama's CIA chief, has been confirmed through declassified government documents to have been an essential part of a grand conspiracy by Democrats against Donald Trump, then a candidate for president and even while he was president, according to a constitutional expert.
Jonathan Turley, who has testified as an expert on the Constitution before Congress, even representing members in those disputes, now concludes that Brennan's own words ""will remain an indictment of his role in history."
The scheme targeting Trump, launched by Obama and aided by Brennan as well as then-FBI head James Comey and DNI James Clapper, falsely alleged a Trump campaign conspiracy with Russia, among other false claims made in Democrat fabrications like the Steele dossier.
"Back in 2016 and in the years that followed, this must have seemed to Brennan like just another CIA operation with 'plausible deniability.' After all, he knew that he had the Biden administration and the media watching his back. Of course, the public would ultimately reject these hit jobs, not only reelecting Trump but also giving Republicans full control of Congress," Turley explained.
"Brennan may be protected from perjury charges by the five-year statute of limitations. However, he is likely to be called again before Congress and asked the same questions. Even if he is not criminally charged, his past statements will remain an indictment of his role in history," he explained. " What is now clear is that high-level officials dismissed intelligence and evidence in order to create and spread the Russian collusion conspiracy as widely as they could. Their politicization of intelligence was raw and wrong. It succeeded only because it was an 'all-hands-on-deck' effort, from the Obama White House to the CIA, the FBI, and the media."
He noted that evidence now shows Obama, Brennan and others "knew in advance about the planned political hit job," which in fact was twice-failed Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton's conspiracy to launch rumors linking Trump to Russia in order to divert the public's attention from her own email scandal, where she put government secrets on a private, unsecured server in her home.
The scheme involved altering official government documents that concluded Russia essentially was a nonplayer in the election, to the false conclusion that it colluded with Trump's campaign.
"Keep in mind that Obama's ordering of the new assessment was occurring at the very end of his term. There was a rush to complete the report before Trump took office after defeating Hillary Clinton. The effort seeded the Russian collusion hoax that would consume much of Trump's first term," Turley said.
In interviews, he noted, "Brennan continued to deny prior knowledge" of the Democrat-funded Steele dossier with its false allegations against Trump.
Brennan even accused Trump of 'reason, in a televised statement.
"Whatever professional integrity Brennan had left after that, he set it aside in joining more than 50 former intelligence officials in signing a now-infamous letter dismissing the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 presidential election as likely 'Russian disinformation.' Joining him on the letter was former Obama Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who says that he has now 'lawyered up' in anticipation of potential criminal allegations. The laptop, of course, was later found to be authentic and incriminating for Hunter Biden," Turley wrote.
The evidence against Brennan, and others, now comes from those declassified documents that contradict Brennan's own sworn statements to Congress.
While Brennan claimed the dossier's allegations were a minor subpoint, actually he demanded that those allegations be included in official intel community observations about Trump.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe is expecting criminal indictments against top names in Barack Obama's administration for allegedly conspiring against President Donald Trump and the American people with the Russia-collusion hoax, and he says more information is about to be declassified.
Appearing on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, Ratcliffe said of potential indictments, "That's why I've made the referrals [to the Justice Depatment] that I have, DNI [Tulsi] Gabbard has made referrals. We're going to continue to share the intelligence that would support the ability of our Department of Justice to … bring fair and just claims against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this stain on our country."
"There is no doubt in my mind," Ratcliffe explained, "they conspired against President Trump. They conspired against the American people. And so, I'll leave it to Pam Bondi and our Department of Justice, Kash Patel and our FBI to investigate the conspiracy to do what, and what charges that they're capable of bringing."
Ratcliffe explained there are still more disclosures about the conspiracy that will be forthcoming.
"What hasn't come out yet and what's going to come out is the underlying intelligence that I have spent the last few months making recommendations about final declassification and sent that to the Department of Justice that will come out in the John Durham Report Classified Annex," he said.
"And what that intelligence shows, Maria, is that part of this was a Hillary Clinton plan, but part of it was an FBI plan to be an accelerant to that fake Steele Dossier to those fake Russia-collusion claims by pouring oil on the fire, by amplifying the lie and burying the truth of what Hillary Clinton was up to."
Ratcliffe noted the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is very different from previous attorneys general in her desire to punish the culprits.
"Pam Bondi does have a strike force. It is a different Department of Justice, a different FBI, and an opportunity to look at how these people really did conspire to run a hoax, a fraud on the American people and against Donald Trump's presidency," said Ratcliffe.
"And so, coming forward, we understand that they did this but now we need to understand how they did this. And I think that's why you see the left losing their minds over this, saying, 'Why are you spending time? This is vindictive. You're going back. This is Donald Trump seeking retribution.' It's not."
"Donald Trump's election by the American people was a statement. They said to everyone, 'We know what you did to Donald Trump and we reelected him because we know this was all fake. We know it was a hoax. Now we want to understand how you did it so that it can't happen again.'
"And that's what this declassification process that we're undergoing right now, what's going on, why it's so important and why there can be accountability and preventability to prevent the same people that did it in 2016 with the Steele Dossier, with the Hunter Biden laptop in 2020 from doing it in the future."
Later in the same broadcast, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told Bartiromo: "There is no statute of limitations on conspiracy," adding, "This is an ongoing conspiracy. It hasn't stopped."
Ratcliffe also said the main players in the Russiagate hoax actually helped make China a serious danger to America, as they helped create the threat with their anti-Trump conspiracy.
"They put politics in front of national security," he said.
"All of these people are responsible for the threats that we're facing as a country right now, but the good news is, the good guys are in charge. And as Donald Trump has very clearly shown, we are fully capable of undoing the damage that has been done."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Alina Habba, President Donald Trump's pick to be the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, is staying in that position despite a scheme launched by a Democrat in Congress to remove her, and a failed attempt by Democrat judges in the district to do just that.
Habba, named by Trump to be the interim U.S. attorney while her nomination to take the post permanently was pending, had a limited time to remain in that status.
Democrats have been obstructing Trump's nominees in Congress, so the time period was elapsing, and she could remain if approved by the judges in the district.
But they succumbed to a lobbying campaign from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, and decided not to authorize Habba's continuation. So she resigned that post, Trump withdrew her permanent nomination, and she was then named acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
She explained on social media: "Donald J. Trump is the 47th President. Pam Bondi is the Attorney General. And I am now the Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. I don't cower to pressure. I don't answer to politics…"
WND has reported when Jeffries found himself facing accusations he's been interfering with a federal criminal case over his political agenda against Habba.
It is Jeffries who is the target of requests by multiple legal activists to the Ethics Committee for an investigation.
The development came about because he actively lobbied federal judges in the district to remove Habba from her post.
Jeffries was enraged at Habba because she charged Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., with obstructing Homeland Security agents during an altercation at an immigration facility in Newark on May 9.
McIver is heading for trial in November.
A report from Fox News explains Jeffries has made claims that Habba isn't qualified because she indicted McIver "for doing her job."
It was the Article III Project that wrote to the House Ethics committee with the explanation that Jeffries "improperly insert[ed] himself into a criminal proceeding."
"This is clear corruption by House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries," the charge said.
Fifteen of the 17 judges in the district owe their jobs to Democrats, and they voted, unsuccessfully, not to have Habba stay in her post.
The complaint against Jeffries said, "A House member – particularly the House Democratic leader – who disagrees with the merits of a pending criminal case abuses his official position when he attempts to strong-arm federal judges to corruptly prejudice the ongoing criminal proceeding by firing the U.S. attorney for the purely political reason of protecting a partisan House colleague."
McIver and two other members of Congress claimed to be doing "oversight" when they physically clashed with federal law enforcement officers.
WND reported McIver physically handled a federal agent at the time.
The judges also now are accused of violating the code of conduct for federal judges.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump won a huge precedent at the Supreme Court only months ago, establishing immunity for the occupant of the president's office on a number of issues.
Now, he candidly has admitted, his victory probably is helping Barack Obama.
Obama, along with his henchmen James Clapper, James Comey, John Brennan, possibly even Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, are under several investigations for misleading the American public, suppressing an intel community conclusion that Russia was no big deal during the 2016 election, and instead rewriting reports to make it look bad for Trump.
That was the election the conspirators fabricated a Trump campaign-Russia collusion conspiracy theory for which there was no evidence.
Now that government records are being declassified that confirm it was made up, there's rampant speculation about charges, including perjury, lying to Congress and more.
A reporter asked Trump about that immunity ruling.
He said, "It probably helps him a lot, probably helps him a lot, the immunity ruling. But it doesn't help the people around him at all. But it probably helps him a lot. He's done criminal acts, there's no question about it, but he has immunity, and it probably helped him a lot. He owes me big. Obama owes me big!"
The Supreme Court ruled that a president as total immunity for exercising "core" constitutional powers, and presumptive immunity for actions they took as president. The ruling gave no immunity for private actions.
That immunity is required, the opinion said, to protect an "energetic," and "independent executive," willing to take "bold" actions and make unpopular decisions when needed.
All of the cases brought against Trump between his first and second terms eventually died.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has released evidence that Obama fabricated and led the Russia Collusion hoax to harm Trump as candidate and then president-elect.
Among the documents Gabbard declassified was a December 2016 presidential briefing confirming Obama knew the Trump-Russia collusion narrative was a hoax.
Trump, at that time, ripped Obama, Clinton, Biden, Clapper, Comey and others, and called Obama the "ringleader."
"Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader. Hillary Clinton was right there with him, and so was Sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them: Comey, Clapper, the whole group," Trump charged.
Gabbard has confirmed those actions, by those people, are under DOJ review now.
Trump charged Obama with leading a "coup."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Only hours after President Donald Trump issued a warning to entertainers on "The View" about their anti-White House rants, one of those entertainers has announced the show will be broadcast yet on Friday, but then is on "hiatus."
A report at Fox had documented how co-host Joy Behar had been told that her show could be next on the chopping block after her latest tirade against Trump.
CBS recently called a halt to the leftist "The Late Show" work by Stephen Colbert, amid reports the show was losing millions of dollars a year.
That was on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, Behar confirmed the shutdown.
"We only have one more show after this," she said.
Behar had pushed her politics regarding the call from Trump for Barack Obama to be criminally investigated, which apparently already is happening. The issue is over government evidence that the Obama administration manufactured claims that Trump's 2016 campaign was colluding with Russia, a claim unsupported by evidence.
Behar ranted, "First of all, who tried to overthrow the government on Jan. 6? Who was that again? That was not Obama. The thing about him is he's so jealous of Obama, because Obama is everything that he is not: Trim, smart, handsome, happily married, and can sing Al Green's song 'Let's Stay Together' better than Al Green. And Trump cannot stand it. It's driving him crazy. Green is not a good color."
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers cited the show's ratings and suggested that it could be taken off the air.
"Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. It's no surprise that The View's ratings hit an all-time low last year. She should self-reflect on her own jealousy of President Trump's historic popularity before her show is the next to be pulled off-air," Rogers said.
An official representing the show, a longtime enclave of leftist arguments, said it was "up in total viewers" compared to last season.
At the Media Research Center's Newsbusters, there was a report on the show's "pretty incendiary and heinous accusations against President Trump."
Those included "everything from 'crimes against humanity' to 'treason.' The White House had apparently had enough, because in a statement to Fox News on Wednesday, the administration called out the show and warned them to straighten up before they get 'pulled off-air.'"
Newsbusters explained, "FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also hinted that the administration could be scrutinizing 'The View.'"
At the Wrap were details on Carr's comments.
He hinted it is "entirely possible" the long-running ABC show has some "issues" worth looking into.
"But again, stepping back [to view] this broader dynamic, once President Trump has exposed these media gatekeepers and smashed this facade, there's a lot of consequences. I think the consequences of it aren't quite finished," Carr said.
He cited a recent episode where the show had to be stopped four times to read legal notices to try to avoid liability.
"So I'm not surprised to hear people say that their ratings are struggling."
The report said Carr was referring to a November 2024 episode in which "The View" co-hosts had to issue four "legal notes" during a show, after bashing several of Trump's cabinet picks."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday unleashed his fury concerning the false and "treasonous" Russia-collusion plot to undermine him, and he named former President Barack Obama as the driving force.
"Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"Hillary Clinton was right there with him and so was Sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them: [James] Comey, [James] Clapper, the whole group. They tried to rig an election and then they got CAUGHT! And then they did rig the election in 2020."
When asked whom the U.S. Justice Department should target in its probe of the matter, Trump responded: "It would be President Obama. He started it. And Biden was there with him, and Comey was there and Clapper, the whole group was there."
"If you look at those papers, they have him stone cold, and it was President Obama. It wasn't lots of people all over the place, it was them too. But the leader of the gang was President Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him? Except for the fact that he gets shielded by the press for his entire life."
"Look, he's guilty," Trump continued. "It's there. He's guilty. This was treason. This was every word you could think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever even imagined, even in other countries."
"They caught President Obama absolutely cold," Trump added.
"They tried to rig the election and they got caught, and there should be very severe consequences for that. When we caught Hillary Clinton, I said, 'You know, what? Let's not go too far here. It's the ex-wife of a president.' … I let her off the hook and I'm very happy I did. But it's time to start, after what they did to me, and whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly!"
"It's Obama. His orders are on the paper. The papers are signed, the papers came right out of their office. They sent everything to be highly classified. Well, the highly classified has been released. And what they did in 2016 and 2020 is very criminal, it's criminal at the highest level.
On Monday night, Trump posted similar thoughts on Truth Social, saying: "Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, and numerous others participated in this, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!. Irrefutable EVIDENCE. A major threat to our Country!!!"
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has already turned over information about the case to the U.S. Justice Department for criminal referral, and Gabbard herself said on Sunday, "There must be indictments."
Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated Monday that Congress may subpoena Obama over allegations of a coordinated plot against Trump.
"I think we have a responsibility to follow the truth, where it leads," Johnson told journalist David Brody.
"To do effectively the opposite of what that other team did – they were engaged in a partisan political plot to take down their foe in the other party. We need to be about the rule of law and bring an order to the chaos and searching out the truth because the American people are owed those answers."
"If it's uncomfortable for him, he shouldn't have been involved in overseeing this, which is what it appears to us has happened," Johnson said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As Bryan Kohberger prepares for sentencing Wednesday for the murders of four University of Idaho students, President Donald Trump is hoping the judge in the case makes the admitted killer "explain why he did these horrible murders."
Trump posted on Truth Social Monday: "Bryan Kohberger, who was responsible, in Idaho, for the deaths of four wonderful young souls, has made a plea bargain deal in order to avoid the Death Penalty.
"These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered. While Life Imprisonment is tough, it's certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders.
"There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING. People were shocked that he was able to plea bargain, but the Judge should make him explain what happened. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
In a stunning plea deal that shocked even the judge in the case, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all charges on July 2, some two months before his trial was slated to commence in Boise, Idaho.
The victims were 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, as well as 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump on Sunday pushed forcefully for the Washington Commanders NFL team to switch back to the original franchise name of "Redskins," and floated the notion of tying the name change to the new stadium deal.
"The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!"
In a follow-up post, Trump noted: "My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way.
"I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington. The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone.
"Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians. The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn't understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!"
The Major League Baseball franchise in Cleveland is now known as the Cleveland Guardians, after having been the Indians for more than a century from 1915 through 2021. Controversy over its politically incorrect mascot, Chief Wahoo, sparked the change.
On July 6 in Morristown, New Jersey, Trump was asked by reporters if he would like to change the Commanders' name back to Redskins.
"I would," Trump responded. "I wouldn't have changed the name."
The president explained that the current name "doesn't have the same ring to me. But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good. But I wouldn't have changed the name."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Alteration may include a potential 'weighted selection process' for foreign applicants to replace lottery system
The often-controversial H-1B visa foreign-worker program may be getting updated under President Trump's Homeland Security Department.
The program was meant to provide American firms more options to hire qualified workers, including those from foreign countries. However, as WND has covered extensively, the H-1B system has been used countless times to replace Americans with less expensive immigrants.
For example, while U.S.-based Microsoft workers have faced multiple waves of layoffs, including a recent round targeting the Xbox division, the company has already cut more than 10,000 employees across various divisions, including 6,000 in May alone, and hundreds more in June.
Between May and June, Microsoft laid off 2,300 employees in Washington alone, including 817 software engineers, according to official WARN Act filings. But during the same period, Microsoft submitted 6,327 H-1B visa requests for software engineer roles matching the same job titles and location as those affected by the layoffs.
As reported at the National Pulse, Thursday DHS filed a notice of a possible change in H-1B requirements with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
According to the report, the proposal includes a "weighted selection process" for applicants under the capped portion of the program. The filing, however, provides no further details as to how the new system would function. The statutory cap for H-1B visas is set at 85,000 per year.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, prominent supporters of Donald Trump publicly disagreed about the value of the H-1B program, with both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy expressing support. Opinion polls on the program, however, have shown that a majority of Americans disapprove of the visa program.
Trump had previously argued that H-1B visas are "unfair" to American workers, saying in 2016, "I know the H-1B very well. And it's something that I frankly use, and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it."
As the National Pulse points out, critics of the program argue that the current lottery system disproportionately benefits larger companies such as Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, and leaves American workers at a disadvantage, having to compete with cheap foreign labor.
A weighted system could potentially replace the random lottery system as a means to prioritize better qualified visa applicants.