Roughly 200 celebrities, including Sting, Paul Simon, Richard Branson, Margaret Atwood, Mark Ruffalo, and Ian McKellen, issued an open letter for Israel to release the convicted murderer and terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who reportedly served as the leader and commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades that murdered over 1,000 Israelis during the Second Intifada. The statement reads: “We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the governments of the world to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison.” Barghouti, 66, was convicted on five counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2004. Barghouti was found responsible for a June 2001 attack in which a Greek monk was murdered, a January 2002 terror attack on a gas station, a March 2002 attack at Tel Aviv’s Seafood Market restaurant, where three people were murdered, and a car bomb attack in Jerusalem. In 2017, The New York Times was harshly criticized by many people, including Yair Lapid, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, for publishing an op-ed by Barghouti while failing to inform readers that he had been convicted of five counts of murder and was implicated in four other terror attacks. “He was the leader of the second intifada before his arrest in 2002,” Jamestown reported of Barghouti. Israeli Brigadier-General Yossi Kuperwasser wrote: Barghouti was the leader and commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the key terror component of Fatah that carried out many terror attacks throughout the Second Intifada. He was also the leader of the umbrella organization of the Islamic and national forces, which oversaw the entire range of terror activity during those years, and served as coordinator between the different organizations. … Documents captured by the IDF in “Operation Defensive Shield” (April 2002) shed light on Barghouti’s involvement in commanding the terror efforts under Arafat. In those documents, Barghouti asks Arafat to authorize payments to several lists of Fatah terrorists, while he himself was approached by local commanders who asked him to authorize payments to terrorists from their units. According to data, during the Second Intifada, 764 of the 1,010 Israelis murdered in attacks from September 2000 – 2005 were civilians. Just between May 2001 and May 2002, prior to the bombing at Hebrew University, there were these massacres: five Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at the HaSharon Mall in May 2001; 21 Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at the Dolphinarium Discotheque in June 2001; 15 Israelis murdered by a suicide bomber at Sbarro’s Pizza in August 2001, including six children and a 31-year-old woman who was the only child of her parents and was five months pregnant; 11 Israelis murdered in a bus bombing on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem on December 1, 2001; 15 more Israelis murdered the very next day in a Haifa suicide bombing; 11 more Israelis murdered in a bus attack 10 days later in Immanuel; six Israelis murdered in an attack at a bat-mitzvah in January 2002; 11 more Jews killed in an attack on a yeshiva in March 2002, including a five-month-old child; 11 Jews murdered in a bombing at Café Moment in March 2002; 30 Israelis killed as they celebrated Passover in Netanya on March 27, 2002; 16 Israelis murdered in a suicide bombing four days later at the Matza restaurant, and 16 Israelis murdered in Rishon LeZion in May 2002.

A leftist federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama issued an order on Tuesday blocking the Trump administration from cutting funding going toward organizations like Planned Parenthood that end the lives of unborn children.  U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services cannot cut off Medicaid funding going toward Planned Parenthood. Talwani sided with California and other Democrat-led states that sued to keep Medicaid funding flowing to Planned Parenthood affiliates. Talwani wrote that HHS failed “to provide clear notice as required by the Spending Clause of the United States Constitution” to the Democrat-led states. Medicaid funding for abortion-promoting entities was cut off for one year by a provision of the GOP-backed “Big, Beautiful Bill.”  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit previously overturned another decision from Talwani that sided with Planned Parenthood in a suit over the provision.  Talwani’s decision was met with criticism from pro-life advocates.  “The Democrats and their radical activist judges are desperately seeking to thwart the will of the people and bail out the Big Abortion industry, led by Planned Parenthood. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is federal law passed by Congress and signed by the president,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “This fight is not over. The pro-life movement will work tirelessly to ensure the Democrats do not prevail and taxpayers are never forced to pay a dime to prop up Big Abortion businesses,” Dannenfelser added.  Talwani has a history of leftist activism and has volunteered for and donated to prominent Democrat politicians, including Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. The federal judge donated a total of $1,725 to Democrat politicians and the Democratic Party, including $1,000 to former Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), $350 to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and $100 to Obama. Talwani also gave another $275 to the Democratic National Committee. Talwani explained on her Senate questionnaire that she also volunteered to knock on doors for Obama in 2008 and volunteered to canvass on behalf of Elizabeth Warren in 2012.  She has sided against the Trump administration in other rulings, including decisions to revoke Temporary Protected Status for half a million migrants, and a 2019 ruling said Immigration and Customs Enforcement was allowed to arrest illegal aliens on courthouse grounds in the state of Massachusetts.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries agreed with President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon Rep. Henry Cuellar on bribery, money laundering, and “foreign influence” charges from the Biden-era Justice Department in 2024. “Listen, the reality is this indictment was very thin to begin with, in my view. The charges were eventually going to be dismissed, if not at the trial court level by the Supreme Court, as they’ve repeatedly done in instances just like this,” the Democrat leader said on CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Wednesday, adding that Cuellar is a “beloved” member of the chamber. He further added, “I don’t know why the President decided to do this. I think the outcome was exactly the right outcome.” When CNN asked Jeffries if Cuellar had planned to switch parties, as he represents a south Texas district that the president won last year, he anticipates that the lawmaker will remain a Democrat. “I think Congressman Cuellar is a highly-valued Member of the House Democratic Caucus, and I expect that he’ll continue to remain a highly-valued Member of the House Democratic Caucus,” he added. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. The Texas Democrat filed to run in the Democratic primary earlier on Wednesday. Punchbowl News reported that Cuellar said “nothing has changed” when asked on Capitol Hill after the pardon whether he planned to become a Republican. The 2024 indictment alleged that Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, “accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City.” Trump has been a critic of the indictment since it was announced in May 2024, saying it was politically motivated due to the congressman’s opposition to the Biden administration’s lax border policies. The Biden administration caught flak from Republicans and a handful of Democrats for the border crisis that persisted throughout the term, which led to major humanitarian issues in communities throughout the southwest that were ill-equipped to handle the resulting massive influx of individuals crossing illegally. “I want to thank President Trump for his tremendous leadership and for taking the time to look at the facts. I thank God for standing with my family and I during this difficult time. This decision clears the air and lets us move forward for South Texas,” the Democrat said in an X post on Wednesday. “This pardon gives us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains. And I intend to meet it head on.” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Cuellar had ultimately been targeted for “speaking the TRUTH.” “Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!” the president added. Cuellar is expected to have a competitive race in 2026, with the Cook Political Report rating his district as a “toss-up.”

We are at a critical moment in our shared history. A moment that calls for moral clarity and an unwavering commitment to justice. Christians around the globe are facing a genocide. And while President Donald Trump champions religious liberty in Syria after hosting the former al-Qaeda fighter-turned-president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and declares Nigeria a “country of particular concern” because of the slaughter of Christians, we cannot be naive. Christian persecution is already here in America. Our nation is becoming a dangerous place for faithful believers to live. We must stand up now for the persecuted not only as individuals but as a united front for our brothers and sisters around the world. Policymakers, churches, and ordinary citizens have a moral responsibility to ensure our nation remains a beacon of hope and freedom for all, especially those persecuted for their faith. I know something about persecution and the price of freedom. I grew up in Communist Romania, where the freedoms we now experience in America were stolen from its citizens. Speaking the truth meant imprisonment, torture, and even death. The government sought to control every thought, every word, every breath. That’s why I became a political refugee and found a new home in America in 1988. A 2024 Cato Institute survey found that nearly 74% of Americans worry that if we’re not careful, Americans could lose their God-given freedoms and liberties. An out-of-control regime can gradually build persecution against Christians, making small, incremental changes that could go unnoticed until it is too late. I know. I lived it. In Communist Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime controlled religious organizations by appointing loyal leaders, restricting activities, and nationalizing properties. Atheism was promoted through education and propaganda, portraying Christianity as outdated. Religious groups faced pressure to align with state policies, with non-compliance leading to imprisonment, job loss, or death. The legacy of this persecution continues to shape the religious landscape in Romania today. While the extent and nature of persecution differ significantly between Communist regimes and contemporary American society, there are parallels in the experiences of marginalization, pressure to conform, and struggles for expression. The challenges faced by Christians today often manifest initially in social and cultural pressures rather than outright physical persecution. And we are beginning to see signs of it here. That’s why I’m joining the “Persecuted and Prevailing” panel on December 4, 2025, at the Museum of the Bible to promote the truth, amplify our voices, and push for legislative action to support Christians. As a human rights attorney in Communist Romania, I defended Christians, experiencing firsthand America’s crucial support. Congressmen Frank Wolf and Christopher Smith met with me often to discuss my cases, raising awareness among U.S. policymakers and the public about Romania’s dire situation. Their efforts drew media attention to the plight of Romanian Christians under the thumb of Communism, creating urgency for supporting persecuted believers. Wolf’s actions shaped U.S. foreign policy to prioritize religious freedom, and the global impact included co-sponsoring the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, which established a framework to combat religious persecution worldwide and monitor and recommend policies. The Congressman also backed resolutions condemning persecution in Iran, Sudan, North Korea, and China, reinforcing human rights as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. Now it’s our turn to carry the torch forward. Citizens who have the freedom to advocate for change must pressure policymakers to strengthen global religious liberty. We are the voice for the persecuted who suffer in silence worldwide. If we fail to speak about oppression, like what I and many others endured in communist Romania, it will most certainly take root here. This generation needs to understand the fragile nature of freedom and the courage it takes to preserve it. Using our voice and Constitutional rights to petition our government is the only way to protect our freedom and stand for truth. If we don’t use our voice today, we risk being silenced tomorrow. When truth is distorted, freedom fades. Pray for discernment in a world clouded by lies. Live boldly, speak the truth in love, for true freedom flows from God’s presence, which has been with America since its founding. Remember, if God’s presence fades, so will our freedom. * * * Virginia Prodan is an international human rights attorney, best-selling author of the memoir “Saving My Assassin,” and host of the “Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan” podcast. She serves as an ambassador on the President’s Council for National Religious Broadcasters, a member of the Advisory Board of the American Christian Leaders for Israel, and an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek.

The Biden administration “barely vetted” the Afghan migrant accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. last week, a Homeland Security official revealed Tuesday. The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, didn’t undergo multiple standard background checks after he arrived in the United States in 2021 as part of the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome” program that brought over 77,000 individuals from the war-torn nation following the botched withdrawal of American troops, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News host John Roberts. The Biden administration allowed Lakanwal into the U.S. because of his past work with federal agencies operating in Afghanistan, including the CIA, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe revealed last week. He received asylum in April, according to CBS News. “We saw with this terrorist here, he was barely vetted, there was no biometric vetting, there was no criminal background check, cyber background check, financial background check. Really, they took some people and they just took them at their word, that’s a huge problem,” McLaughlin said. “And it really can’t be overstated what the Biden administration did to this country in putting it in danger. So, I would say absolutely the vetting process is an issue, but these countries of origin too,” McLaughlin added. The damage that the Biden administration did to this country cannot be overstated. President Trump and Secretary Noem are putting an end to the reckless policies that allowed millions of illegal aliens and foreigners into our country unvetted. The vetting process will now… pic.twitter.com/wRC6hi377D — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 2, 2025 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. President Donald Trump was quick to turn off immigration pipelines following the recent attack. The federal government halted asylum decisions and stopped issuing visas to Afghans. On Tuesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued new guidance to pause the processing of all immigration applications for individuals from 19 “high risk countries.” The targets of the halt include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, countries that were subject to travel restrictions enacted in June.