This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President Donald Trump on Monday morning took action to help purge the woke mindset from the U.S. Armed Forces.

"Our Service Academies have been infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years," Trump posted on Truth Social.

"I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.

"We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards.

"We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!"

According to the U.S. Air Force, "The Board inquires into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the Academy which the Board decides to consider."

"The Board consists of six members appointed by the president, three appointed by the vice president, four appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one designated by the Senate Armed Services Committee and one designated by the House Armed Services Committee."

The U.S. military came under heavy fire during the Joe Biden administration for its push toward LGBT causes, prompting severe shortages in recruitment targets.

Elon Musk of the Department of Governmental Efficiency, or DOGE, noted: "The federal government has forcibly injected DEI into everything. Most people still don't get it. Everything."

To which Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA replied: "This feels like a national exorcism."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The administration of President Donald Trump, as part of his government-wide efficiency campaign being pursued by his White House Department of Government Efficiency, is sending dismissal notices to more than 9,000 USAID workers.

The Trump administration will continue to offer aid to recipients around the globe, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But it "is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest," he said.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has been one of Trump's first and biggest targets for his efficiency plans.

Rubio, in a news conference with the president of the Dominican Republican, said it would have been better to clean up and restructure the agency from the inside out.

But he said that was impossible. "When we tried to do it from the top down by getting cooperation from the central office and USAID, what we found instead are people trying to use the system to sneak through payments and push through payments despite the stop order. We found people that were uncooperative in terms of giving us information and access."

The report noted Trump's reaction was to order it shut down.

"USAID is driving the radical left crazy, and there is nothing they can do about it because the way in which the money has been spent, so much of it fraudulently, is totally unexplainable. The corruption is at levels rarely seen before. Close it down," Trump said in a statement.

A report in the Daily Mail revealed some 9,400 USAID employees are losing their jobs, and only about 600 "essential" workers will remain.

Elon Musk, of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, has called the agency a "criminal organization."

"Your tax dollars should be spent on America or the government should just tax you less," he wrote on X.

Hundreds of awards and contracts handed out through the agency are being canceled, the agency's Washington headquarters is closed and overseas employees have been given 30 days to return.

The employee unions, whose income will be hit with a dramatic collapse if there are more than 9,000 workers no longer paying union dues, have gone to court, claiming that Trump's management of the federal bureaucracy is unconstitutional.

A lawsuit by the American Foreign Service Association and American Federation of Government Employees claims Trump's actions are an "unlawful seizure" of a federal bureaucracy.

Officials have said the USAID structure is being shut down, but it's duties will be moved to the State Department.

The White House repeatedly has unleashed lists of egregious USAID payments, including promotions for transgenderism and such, around the globe.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

She's in her mid-80s. And she's been in Congress for decades. She could be retired now, what with the hundreds of millions of dollars she and her husband have accumulated from stock options and deals during her years in public office.

None of that, however, is being accepted as an excuse for her claim, made during a TV interview, that the Democrats "did not" lose the 2024 elections.

California radical Nancy Pelosi says the Democrats didn't lose.

She's right. They didn't lose.

They got spanked by @POTUS and @VP. And they're agenda was roundly rejected by America.
pic.twitter.com/pgyacRCfel

— James Lasher (@TheJamesLasher) February 6, 2025

A social media commenter responded, "California radical Nancy Pelosi says the Democrats didn't lose. She's right. They didn't lose. They got spanked by #POTUS and @VP. And they're (sic) agenda was roundly rejected by Americans."

Pelosi's claim. "All I know is we won a seat in the House. We did not lose any seats. People were like, 'Oh, the Democrats lost.' No we did not."

If the election was confined only to the House of Representatives, her comments could be understood, but the GOP maintained a majority there. And won seven out of seven swing states. And took over the majority in the Senate. And took over the White House. And have control in a majority of the states.

Here are her comments, and Fox News' responses:

Pelosi said, "I think it would have been quite different with President Biden at the top of the ticket."

She also said she hopes her rift with the Bidens, triggered when she "shivved" Biden during the campaign, can be repaired.

She claimed she did not want President Donald Trump in office, "for the children."

At Modernity was the comment, "Nancy Pelosi is sticking to her guns, asserting that while Democrats didn't lose (who's going to tell her?) they would have lost a lot more if Joe Biden hadn't been coup'd. In an MSNBC interview, Pelosi didn't so much throw Biden under a bus, as launch him under a Mack truck."

The report noted Pelosi admitted to anchor Andrea Mitchell that "she has not spoken to Biden since the coup that she initiated."

And while responding to that fracture among Democrat powerhouses, she "bizarrely" pivoted to children, and how she's "on a mission for the children," the report said.

"So what is it that we're doing for the children?" she said. "I think it would've been important for the children to not have Donald Trump be President of the United States, and I would take every step necessary to make sure that didn't happen. But it did, and now we have to deal with it."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Among the millions of things the federal government has been spending money on are the media.

Those revelations came as part of the work by President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, which is run by Elon Musk.

The spending is through USAID, an agency that has been put on notice it is being shut down, or at least radically modified. It could come under the State Department going forward and Trump officials say its spending will be in pursuit of American policy and agenda worldwide, nothing else.

But revealed this week was the expenditure of millions of dollars on media organizations.

Those cited included the New York Times, Politico, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, AP, and more.

But that's now, apparently, over.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the front man for Joe Biden's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, in which the China virus likely escaped from a lab working on dangerous diseases and killed millions worldwide, was handed a pardon from federal charges for his actions by Joe Biden.

But he still theoretically could face state charges, and now a coalition of attorneys general is asking Congress whether members can share evidence of those violations.

Fauci used to lead the National institute of for Allergy and Infectious Disease, and was paid an extraordinarily high salary for a government worker. He's now retired and his pension is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He recently was involved in a scandal for the tens of millions of dollars taxpayers paid for his "security" even after he was a private citizen and not on the government payroll.

A report from the Washington Examiner said 17 state attorneys general now have asked Republican congressional leaders for information on the COVID-19 origins, and more.

"As state attorneys general, we possess the authority to address violations of state law or breaches of public trust," they told Congress. "We are fully committed to investigating any malfeasance that may have occurred to the fullest extent of our authority and are prepared to collaborate with you in further efforts."

Alan Wilson, South Carolina's attorney general, organized the letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

They want "information that could outline potential courses of action under state law, should they exist."

What's known, from a Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic report from Congress, is Fauci "prompted leading scientists to discredit the possibility that the virus originated as a result of an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China," the report said. That's commonly considered the explanation for the virus now.

There also were allegations that Fauci "misled Congress regarding federal funding of potentially hazardous virtual research at the WIV."

Biden's protective order for Fauci applied a pardon to "any offenses which he may have committed or taken part in" beginning in January 2014.

"To say we are troubled by the scope and timing of the pardon – on the heels of the Subcommittee's Final Report–would be a gross understatement," the letter from the states explained. "To ensure that former President Biden's shameful pardon does not frustrate accountability, we urge Congress to consider using all available tools at its disposal."

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., already has committed to using his work in the Seante to hold Fauci account for any involvement in offenses. Fauci, at one point in the COVID pandemic when he insisted that others accept his version of events, called himself the "science" on the topics at hand.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

It's been called, by President Donald Trump's government efficiency chief, Elon Musk, a "criminal organization" that must "die," and now it appears that process is under way.

USAID has confirmed in a statement posted online that nearly all of its employees are on leave as of Friday night. Thousands of people are affected, and only those in "mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs" are exempted.

Trump and Musk earlier announced that the organization likely will end up being discontinued as a separate bureaucracy, and its duties will be rolled into those of the State Department.

It has been exposed under the Trump administration as a leftist organization giving American tax money, without accountability, to far-left agendas around the world.

The USAID statement says, "On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST)."

A report at RedState explains the move is part of Trump's efforts to remove fraud, waste, abuse and more from the nation's spending system.

USAID has been targeted now by Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.

The report said, "News of the department placing the entirety of its staff on leave, with the exception of essential personnel, comes following an order to shut down all overseas missions and recall staff by the same deadline. Deputy administrator for the agency, Pete Marocco, said USAID had until Friday to recall all overseas employees. Those who were not successfully returned by that deadline were to be 'evacuated' by the United States military."

The report noted the virulent opposition coming from Democrats, but explained, "You know you're on the right path when Democrats are actively losing their minds over what amounts to their party's personal slush fund being eradicated. Over 96 percent of donations coming from USAID go to Democrats and Democrat causes, and a mere 4 percent to Republicans, according to a Heritage Foundation report from 2023."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Jack Smith was a private lawyer hand-picked by Joe Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, to run a couple of the Democrats' lawfare cases against President Trump, one over Trump's thoughts on the 2020 election and another on papers he held from his presidency.

Both cases were killed by the Department of Justice when Trump was elected, but they're not over.

It's because of suspicions that Smith colluded with prosecutors including Atlanta's Fani Willis, who ran another lawfare campaign against Trump, a claim he was involved in organized crime around the 2020 election.

She's already been ordered to produce for government watchdog Judicial Watch her communications with Smith – and to pay Judicial Watch some $20,000 for refusing to comply with the legal requirements, and now a judge has ordered that Smith's communications also will be available for review.

The Washington Examiner said U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich has ordered the DOJ to turn over communications between Smith and Willis, "in what a legal watchdog group has called a case of collusion."

Smith resigned from his special counsel position before Trump, who had promised to fire him immediately, took office. And many of those career lawyers who worked on cases against Trump have been dismissed.

Judicial Watch sought the communications in a Freedom of Information Act action, but Smith and the DOJ claimed that releasing the information would hurt the prosecution of the case.

Now, the judge said, there's no prosecution and no case so the information can be turned over.

"Since DOJ filed its motion for summary judgment and supporting Declaration in March 2024, the Special Counsel's criminal enforcement actions have been terminated…. The cases are 'closed — not pending or contemplated — and therefore are not proceedings with which disclosure may interfere.' … Thus, the agency's sole justification for invoking the Glomar doctrine under Exemption 7(A) is no longer applicable," the judge said.

"Accordingly, the court will deny DOJ's motion for summary judgment and grant the plaintiff's cross motion. DOJ is directed to process the plaintiff's FOIA request and either 'disclose any [responsive] records or establish both that their contents are exempt from disclosure and that such exemption has not also been waived.'"

The Glomar doctrine concerns when prosecutors claim that just revealing the existence of records, or their absence, could impact a pending case.

Judicial Watch is questioning whether Willis asked for or got "federal funds or other federal assistance in any form relating to the investigation" of Trump.

Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch chief, said, "President Trump truly needs to overhaul the Justice Department from top to bottom. It is a scandal that a federal court had to order the Justice Department to admit the truth that their objections to producing records about collusion with Fani Willis had no basis in reality."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

President Donald Trump can win a significant victory no matter how the fight that erupted over his executive order over "birthright citizenship" ends up, according to a constitutional expert.

Jonathan Turley, the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University, has not only advised Congress on constitutional matters but has represented members in court cases.

He recently wrote about the dispute over "birthright citizenship" that has erupted since Trump took office and issued a list of orders cracking down on illegal aliens, illegal immigration and more.

He explained, "The Fourteenth Amendment starts and ends as a model of clarity, stating that 'all persons born or naturalized in the United States' are 'citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.' However, sandwiched between those two phrases, Congress inserted the words 'and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.' Those six words have perplexed many since they were first drafted."

He said the Supreme Court has seemed "conflicted" in its rulings on the issue, some of which date back a century and a half.

In one case then, the justices said for newborns to be citizens in America they must be born here and their parents must not merely be "subject in some respect or degree to the jurisdiction of the United States, but completely subject to their political jurisdiction, and not subject to any foreign power."

A ruling some 40 years ago from the court then said there's no "plausible distinction" between those who enter the nation illegally, or illegally.

Roughly half the nation opposes birthright citizenship, that is citizenship status granted to those born in the U.S. of illegal alien parents.

"The key is where those voters are coming from," he said. " The minority of voters supporting the right are overwhelmingly coming from the Democratic core that opposed Trump in the last election. In other words, it is an issue appealing to the very margin voters that will be needed in the midterm election. That makes this a perfect wedge issue either as a court fight or, if unsuccessful, a fight for a constitutional amendment," he explained.

The Trump administration, he said, has been pleased even by criticism from leftists who have lined up against him.

The Trump administration members, he said, "believe that they cannot lose this fight."

He said the question probably will end up at the Supreme Court, and there are "skeptical" conservatives like John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett who make predicting an end result problematic.

"So what makes this a win-win proposition for the Trump administration? The politics are stronger than the precedent. Even if the administration loses before the Supreme Court, it will force Democrats again to fight against a tougher stance on immigration issues. Democrats maintained that position in the last election despite polling showing that 83 percent of Americans support deportations of immigrants with violent criminal records and almost half support mass deportation of all undocumented persons," he noted.

Trump can win either way, he said.

"It will either secure a new interpretation from the high court or it could spur a campaign for a constitutional amendment. All of this could unfold around the time of the midterm elections, when incumbents of the president's party are generally disfavored. This is a wedge issue that many in the Republican Party might welcome."

WND has reported that Trump announced the "birthright citizenship" agenda used for years in America, granting citizenship to any baby born on American soil, would no longer include the offspring of illegal aliens.

Opponents went to court immediately and members of Congress already have joined the battle, with a plan to resolve the fight in Trump's favor.

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, has announced the pending Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025.

He said it would "restore the 14th Amendment to its original purpose and end the misuse of birthright citizenship."

It would provide for automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. if at least one parent is a citizen or national of the U.S., a lawful permanent resident whose residence is in the U.S., or a lawful immigrant performing active service in the armed forces.

"The introduction of this bill aligns with President Donald Trump's commitment to make birthright citizenship reform a top priority. Granting automatic citizenship to children of illegal immigrants is based on a flawed interpretation of the 14thAmendment, which was originally intended to ensure recently freed slaves gained full rights as Americans. It was never intended to confer citizenship to children of individuals who enter or remain in the United States illegally," he said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The staffing at the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control center in Washington, D.C., is under review after one controller reportedly was allowed to leave early, just before Wednesday's midair crash between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a military helicopter.

All 67 aboard the two aircraft are believed to have died.

It was the New York Times that explained one air traffic controller was juggling two jobs at the same time because another worker had left early.

The report said the tragedy "appeared to confirm what pilots, air traffic controllers and safety experts had been warning for years: Growing holes in the aviation system could lead to the kind of crash that left 67 people dead in the Potomac River in Washington."

There were 19 air traffickers assigned to the office, even though union recommendations had been for 30 workers there.

There routinely would be different individuals handling helicopter and passenger jet traffic, and those duties would be handled by one person late in the evening and overnight when traffic numbers are down.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

At least twice in the week before Wednesday night's tragic midair collision between a helicopter and a passenger jet at the airport in Washington, D.C., pilots had to abort landings because of helicopter traffic.

The Washington Post reported one incident was just 24 hours before the deadly collision which is thought to have killed all 64 aboard the passenger jet and three on the Black Hawk military helicopter.

Fox News said the Tuesday incident happened when "a different plane alerted the air traffic control tower that it had to abort its landing to avoid collision with a helicopter."

"Yet another plane arriving at DCA from Charlotte scrubbed its landing on Jan. 23, again because of a helicopter," the report said.

Passenger Richart Hart said in an interview, "They had to circle back around because there was a helicopter in the flight path. At the time I found it odd. … Now I find it disturbingly tragic."

Wednesday's crash involved an inbound commercial flight from Wichita, Kansas, and the Black Hawk from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

Recovery efforts are under way and multiple bodies of victims have been recovered.

Fox News reported that the catastrophe "has raised concerns about frequent military training flights around Reagan National Airport, including a helicopter lane that intersects with the flight path of aircraft on the southeastern approach to Runway 33, where American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita attempted to land Wednesday."

There remain many questions, including why the pilots did not see each other, as it was a clear night and the lights from both aircraft would have been visible for miles.

A federal report from 2021 noted that safe paths were needed for military helicopters in the region to avoid interfering with commercial flights there, and FAA rules implemented altitude limits for them.

Air traffic controllers had asked the Black Hawk pilot that night if he could see the approaching Flight 5342, and the report said the pilot confirmed, citing "visual separation," "meaning he was trying to get out of the flight's path."

But the collision happened almost immediately after that exchange.

A former Air Force navigator told Fox that seeing other aircraft, while flying at night, may be difficult in areas like Washington because of lights from a vast landscape of tall buildings and towers. The navigator suggested it was possible the helicopter pilot saw other lights, but missed the approaching craft.

The Daily Mail reported the Black Hawk also was "not on its approved route and flying higher than it should have been."

The report said the helicopter should have been no higher than 200 feet along the east side of the Potomac River, and in that path it would have missed the jet.