Wayne LaPierre liable for $5.4 million

'Account for your foreign dollars'

'Our immediate family and close friends have known for some time'

President Joe Biden has not only promised to veto any stand-alone Israeli aid‚ but he’s reportedly circulating a draft resolution within the United Nations Security Council that would compel the Jewish state to stop its ground offensive in Rafah and‚ effectively‚ give Hamas a pass. Beyond that‚ the U.S. is also reportedly thinking about circumventing Israel and formally recognizing a Palestinian state. In other words‚ while Ukraine is prodded by the United States to fight for every inch of its land‚ Israel is prodded to commit suicide. Anyone who dares to suggest the United States push Ukraine to negotiate a settlement with Russia is framed as a democracy-hating Putin shill. Yet‚ before we even knew exactly how many Israeli women and children had been murdered‚ raped‚ and kidnapped by Hamas‚ Democrats were demanding Israel negotiate with Palestinians to create a potential three-front Iranian-proxy terror state on its border. Those who wonder what the endgame of a U.S. proxy war against a nuclear power in Europe might look like are told that the only acceptable outcome is complete victory for Ukraine. The very future of world democracy‚ we are assured‚ hinges on the integrity of that nation’s borders. Israel‚ though‚ is asked to surrender its territorial claims and reward those who supported‚ coordinated‚ and participated in a massacre of its civilians—which included 30-plus dead American citizens—with a brand-new nation. It is only through this concession that peace can be realized‚ contends the Western foreign policy elite. Which is weird‚ considering former President Donald Trump circumvented the Palestinian problem and forged a historic peace agreement. Biden immediately reverted to Obama-era Iran-coddling—and‚ well‚ here we are. Put it this way: Imagine‚ if you can‚ the Biden administration arguing‚ only weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion‚ that the only way to “achieve an enduring end to the crisis” and “lasting peace and security” for Ukrainians was to create a new Russian ethnic state in the Donbas. We are also told that if Putin is handed even a partial victory‚ the next thing you know Russians will be marching on Berlin. American troops‚ we are warned‚ will be compelled to defend Europe. At the same time‚ Israel‚ which has never asked a single American soldier to fight for it‚ is (yet again) expected to hand its enemies a reprieve. Allowing Hamas to survive will do nothing to further the prospects of peace for anyone in the region. If Israel stops now‚ the war against Hamas will have been for naught‚ since a large contingent of the terror army has retreated into Rafah to hide among civilians‚ as is their wont. Since the United Nations‚ Gulf theocrats‚ Iran‚ and Western powers insist on sending hundreds of millions in aid that is siphoned off by the Islamists‚ Hamas will reemerge in Gaza—and almost surely in the “West Bank‚” should there ever be a Palestinian state. It also needs to be stressed‚ however‚ that what Biden demands isn’t really a “cease-fire.” It is Israel unilaterally yielding its advantage‚ since Hamas hasn’t agreed to any cessation of the conflict—and even if it did‚ its assurances wouldn’t be worth anything. Lest anyone forget‚ there was a cease-fire in place on Oct. 7‚ 2023. No‚ the lesson‚ once again‚ is that terror works. While both Israel and Ukraine have a right to fight for their sovereignty and people‚ obviously the two conflicts are unique in numerous ways. Not all comparisons work. Jews‚ for instance‚ have far stronger historic ties to Samaria and Judea than Ukrainians have to Donetsk or Crimea—even though only one has been asked to surrender land for peace. Indeed‚ the only one of these two democracies that bestows full rights to its ethnic minorities is portrayed as the apartheid state. Israel has offered Palestinians massive concessions on numerous occasions‚ including their own state. So even though my hope is that Putin is severely weakened by his war of aggression against Ukraine‚ Israel’s war against Islamism and terror is far more important in the long-term battle for “democracy.” While backing Ukraine allows Democrats to virtue signal about their love of “democracy‚” turning on Israel allows them to appease the growing anti-Western sentiment of their base. It’s only going to get worse in the coming years. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post While Biden Pushes Ukraine to Fight‚ He Demands Israel Surrender appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The interests of our Latin American friends (and enemies) are not the same as ours when it comes to immigration. They want to get foreign migrants out of their territories while making money. They also want their own access to the U.S. labor market—for example‚ Mexicans working in the U.S. sent back $55 billion in 2022‚ and remittances from the U.S. are 19% of Guatemala’s gross domestic product‚ 28% of Honduras’‚ and 26% of El Salvador’s. Our Latin American neighbors have every incentive to pass the illegal immigration buck to us. Only tough diplomacy‚ backed up by sanctions‚ will make them stop. Unfortunately‚ the U.S. response has been weak and deferential‚ unworthy of the most powerful nation in the world. In late 2023‚ President Joe Biden sent his secretaries of state and homeland security with a begging bowl to Mexico to ask for help stemming illegal immigration into the U.S. The U.S. had shown its ability to apply economic pressure on Mexico just a few days before by shutting down commercial ports of entry. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (also known as AMLO) offered vague promises to stem the illegal alien flow through his country‚ but in exchange‚ he first wanted more aid money for their countries of origin. That’s the same “root causes” approach agreed to in the Los Angeles Declaration—wishful thinking and billions of dollars that have borne zero results. The “root causes” approach suggests that poverty in their home countries is what’s driving millions of illegal aliens to the U.S.‚ and if the U.S. just gives those countries more foreign aid‚ the flows will stop. Second‚ AMLO wanted the U.S. to end economic sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela. But while fellow socialist AMLO is friendly with these oppressive socialist regimes‚ delivering this would be politically hard‚ even for Biden. And it’s not just Mexico that’s failing to crack down on illegal migration through-traffic. Not long ago‚ Colombia was in the grip of armed insurgents and drug cartels. With U.S. help‚ the government retook control of the country and reestablished the rule of law. But in 2022‚ the people elected former rebel Gustavo Petro‚ a socialist who has allowed criminal armed groups to flourish again. These groups have turned to alien smuggling as a profitable and virtually unpunished enterprise. Until around 2021‚ there were hardly 20‚000 illegal immigrants passing through the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama each year. Last year‚ it was over half a million—most‚ if not all‚ of them heading to the United States. The Colombian and Panamanian governments are doing little to stop them. A Colombian transnational criminal organization called the Clan del Golfo is making millions bringing people through the Darién. Clan de Golfo was described by the U.S. attorney general as “one of the largest cocaine trafficking organizations in the world‚” involved in the “exportation of massive amounts of cocaine to the United States.” The governor of the Colombian region at the gap‚ Chocó‚ seems happy to facilitate. Maybe he gets a cut—or maybe he doesn’t want to end up another one of the Clan’s long list of assassinated government officials. Nicaragua’s Marxist dictator Daniel Ortega‚ an enemy of the United States since the Ronald Reagan administration‚ is making millions by charging transit visa fees to illegal immigrants headed to the U.S. from all over the world and going through his nation. In November 2021‚ Nicaragua lifted visa requirements for Cubans‚ then Haitians‚ Indians‚ Mauritanians‚ Senegalese‚ Uzbeks‚ and more. A Florida grand jury reported that Ortega “has used 260 charter planes … from Haiti (approximately 31‚000 Haitians and 17‚000 Cubans) to charge between $3‚000 and $5‚000 each to permit the aliens to land in Nicaragua and make their way north to the U.S. border.” The Guatemalan news site RepublicaGT reported that in 2023‚ 150‚000 foreigners intending to enter the U.S. illegally came to Nicaragua by land and 300‚000 more by air‚ making nearly $70 million for the Ortega regime. According to Manuel Orozco of the Inter-American Dialogue‚ a U.S.-based international affairs think tank focused on the Western Hemisphere‚ “Nicaragua is responsible for at least 10% of all migration that has arrived into the Mexico-U.S. border.” Orozco says Ortega’s motive is “a deep hatred of the United States.” As a bonus‚ Ortega makes money and extorts the U.S. to end economic sanctions. In response to the conveyor belt of charter flights into the Americas carrying one-way passengers bound for the United States‚ the Biden administration’s response has been desultory. First‚ the administration tried asking countries to stop the flights‚ which worked only with Haiti. Then last November‚ the State Department targeted the Nicaraguan route by putting visa restrictions on “owners‚ executives‚ and senior officials of charter flight‚ ground‚ and maritime transportation companies providing transportation services designed for use primarily by persons intending to migrate irregularly to the United States.” The tactic is as likely to succeed as New York Mayor Eric Adams’ lawsuit against charter bus companies for bringing illegal aliens from Texas to his city. In Guatemala‚ the U.S.‚ until recently‚ had an ally prepared to help us. Guatemala’s geography is ideal to block mass illegal migration from farther south‚ which is why the Trump administration made deals with Guatemala‚ El Salvador‚ and Honduras to limit traffic through their countries and accept illegal immigrants returned by the U.S. But newly installed Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo‚ though much preferred by the Biden administration to his conservative predecessor‚ is far less likely to cooperate on reducing illegal migration. In El Salvador‚ popular President Nayib Bukele charges a $1000 transit visa fee to people from Africa and India who are clearly heading to the U.S. But an extra grand is hardly going to deter illegal immigrants prepared to pay thousands to get here. One Senegalese man with knowledge of migrant trafficking networks said the going rate was about $8‚000 per head. So Bukele can look tough‚ do little to help‚ and make a fat profit at the same time. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hates the United States. For him‚ sending hundreds of thousands of his discontented people our way is a win/win. When they get here‚ most will work‚ legally or illegally‚ and send money home to prop up the economy Maduro and his communist predecessor Hugo Chavez ruined. As for the criminals‚ if they are aligned with Maduro’s own interests‚ he may get a cut of their illicit earnings. If they are rivals‚ then sending them to the U.S. gets rid of a potential risk to him and dumps it on us. And it’s not just Venezuelan illegal immigrants Maduro is facilitating—many of the Haiti-to-Nicaragua flights are on Venezuelan charter airlines that could only operate with Maduro’s approval. American cities are now feeling the presence of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal gang. According to an FBI agent‚ the Tren could be working with MS-13. An alliance between two ultraviolent gangs with a reach throughout the Americas is a major law enforcement problem for the federal government and for cities like New York. Héctor Guerrero‚ the leader of Tren de Aragua‚ escaped prison last year and may now be in the United States. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to hide among the roughly 2 million “gotaway” illegal border crossers that Biden’s negligence has allowed in so far. The U.S. has the diplomatic and economic leverage to make Latin American countries stem the flow of illegal migration through their countries. But rather than do that—and control our own border—the Biden administration asks for billions more from Congress to continue supporting  chaotic and dangerous mass illegal migration. The BorderLine is a weekly Daily Signal feature examining everything from the unprecedented illegal immigration crisis at the border to immigration’s impact on cities and states throughout the land. We will also shed light on other critical border-related issues like human trafficking‚ drug smuggling‚ terrorism‚ and more. Read Other BorderLine Columns: Asylum Zombies The Gang’s All Here—Thanks to Biden’s Open Border What I Saw at America’s Wide-Open Northern Border No Such Thing as a Free Lunch: The Cost of Unchecked Illegal Immigration on Americans Concerns About Proposed Senate Border Security Compromise Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Under Biden‚ US Failing to Push Latin American Nations to Stem Illegal Immigration: The BorderLine appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Washington is once again facing a potential shutdown. Funding for the federal government will run out in early March unless the House and Senate can bridge their differences and pass spending legislation. At the same time‚ the city of San Francisco seems to have few problems doling out huge amounts to well-connected activist groups and hard-left ideologues. While those two realities might seem disconnected‚ there are important links between them. Disagreements over federal spending focus on how to divide taxpayer dollars between national defense‚ veterans benefits‚ and the bureaucracies that operate a nearly endless array of social and economic programs. While spending bills crafted by House Republicans would impose commonsense cuts to many wasteful and unnecessary programs‚ the Senate’s bills are loaded with budget gimmicks and pork-barrel projects. The federal government isn’t the only source of political pork. Many states and localities also play fast and loose with public resources. A pair of recent stories from San Francisco have highlighted the wealthy city’s severe mismanagement. On Feb. 8‚ the city celebrated that they had lowered the cost of a public restroom from $1.7 million to $725‚000‚ when a more reasonable fee would be a fraction of that amount. On Feb. 9‚ the website Pirate Wires released an expose on San Francisco’s $100 million-per-year web of bureaucrats and left-wing nonprofit groups that focus on political crusades such as gender ideology‚ “racial equity” and identity-based cash handouts. It would be one thing if these were purely paid for by residents of the high-wealth city. However‚ San Francisco benefits from the more than $1.2 trillion in transfers that the federal government gives to state and local governments every year. Many of these federal programs for localities are captured by ideologues. The Highway Trust Fund now pays for frivolities such as hiking trails and bike lanes‚ and the Biden administration has added inappropriate carve-outs for “environmental justice” and “diversity‚ equity and inclusion” to infrastructure projects. Tens of billions of federal dollars per year for social services‚ welfare and “community development” provide means for local politicians to dole out favors while trapping poor neighborhoods in cycles of dependency. The Biden administration has gone out of its way to exacerbate this problem‚ illegally extending a COVID-19 program that is little more than a slush fund for state and local governments. Freebies from Washington make space for mischief in local budgets. Without Uncle Sam’s payola‚ cities would either have to raise taxes (which is already driving waves of people out of California) or focus their spending on real responsibilities. As members of Congress convene to discuss the federal budget‚ they would be wise to prioritize spending bills on core priorities such as the military while streamlining less-necessary parts of the federal behemoth. Trimming or eliminating the multitude of government-to-government transfer programs would provide much-needed savings‚ make it easier to reach agreement on funding levels‚ and reduce the amount of nonsense in places like San Francisco that is subsidized by taxpayers from across the country. DISTRIBUTED BY THE TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY LLC  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post How All Americans Are Paying for San Francisco’s Pork-Barrel Spending appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Politico reporter Heidi Przybyla‚ a finalist for journalism’s Pulitzer Prize‚ thinks she knows the Christian faith better than practicing Christians—and‚ for that matter‚ the Declaration of Independence. In an appearance Friday on MSNBC‚ Przybyla said “Christian nationalists” aren’t to be trusted because‚ in her words‚ they don’t believe their rights come from any human or governmental institution‚ but from God. Here is what Przybyla‚ a national investigative correspondent for Politico who was a Pulitzer finalist in 2023 for Supreme Court reporting‚ said: The one thing that unites all of them … as Christian nationalists‚ not Christians by the way‚ because Christian nationalists is very different‚ is that they believe that our rights as Americans‚ as all human beings‚ don’t come from any earthy authority‚ they don’t come from Congress‚ they don’t come from their Supreme Court‚ they come from God. Well‚ news flash‚ Heidi: Most‚ if not all‚ traditional Christians believe that our rights come from God‚ not from any other entity or human or government institution. But let’s take this a step further. The Declaration of Independence‚ one of America’s founding documents‚ states where our rights come from. The second sentence reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident‚ that all men are created equal‚ that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights‚ that among these are Life‚ Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It couldn’t be plainer. Our rights don’t come from people‚ politicians‚ social credit systems‚ or talking heads attempting to rewrite history. They come from God. Somehow‚ our Founders had the wisdom and foresight to know that this truth would be questioned again and again. So much so that they thought it was critical to make it the subject of the second sentence of the document declaring the United States of America to be an independent country. That is NOT what I said &; you know it. Why don't you play the full clip? I said men are making their own policy interpretation of natural law. MLK did so w social justice. You're welcome to as well but you don't speak for all Christians &; certainly not for God. https://t.co/RwtNkKx2f4— Heidi Przybyla ? (@HeidiReports) February 23‚ 2024 Yes‚ Benjamin Franklin’s writings questioned the divinity of Christ. But about a month before he died‚ Franklin wrote in a March 1790 letter to theologian Ezra Stiles that it was a “question I do not dogmatize upon‚ having never studied it‚ and I think it needless to busy myself with it now.” He maintained that our rights and freedoms come from God. “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men‚” Franklin’s fellow publisher‚ John Webbe‚ wrote in 1736 in Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette‚ “but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” John Adams‚ who became our second president‚ held that the bedrock of everything the Founders did was taken from Christianity. “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity‚” Adams said. “I will avow that I then believed‚ and now believe‚ that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” Benjamin Rush‚ another signer of the Declaration of Independence‚ said that the rights written into the founding documents came straight from God. “I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration‚ but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament‚” Rush said. I honestly hope that Przybyla made her gross mischaracterization out of ignorance. It is no secret that the debate over whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation is a hotly contested one‚ despite what the Founders said in black and white—even Franklin‚ who wasn’t entirely convinced of the divinity of Jesus Christ. But talking heads on TV don’t get to define what Christians believe‚ let alone what the founding documents of our country say. We all know they are trying their best to rewrite American history. We absolutely cannot let them get away with rewriting our religion‚ too. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Sorry‚ Politico: You Don’t Get to Rewrite the Declaration of Independence   appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Gallup: Boy O Boy Is Brandon in Trouble

Portland Public Schools Face Federal Complaint Over Race-Conscious Discipline Policy

House Congressional Progressive Caucus Loses Another Member