If you listened to the hysteria from the floor of the House of Representatives on November 21, 2024, you might believe that the bill HR 9495 entitled “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act,” is a radical bill designed to give President-elect Trump unchecked powers to label all of his political enemies terrorists.   The reality is that the same legislation designed to target non-profits who support terrorism passed the House with bi-partisan support in April of 2024. It is troubling that segments of the Democratic Party … have been swayed by entities actively undermining American democracy.   Last spring, neither Democrats nor non-profits were concerned with the strength of due process assurances built into the bill (179 Dems voted for the bill).  Then, Donald Trump was elected.  A bill selectively tailored to address the issue of foreign terrorist influence in American non-profits suddenly became known as the “non-profit killer” bill (only 15 Dems voted for the bill). (READ MORE: Pete Hegseth v. ‘Sam Hanna’ and the Left’s War Against the Jews) The number of Democrats that flipped their vote on HR 9495 and the sudden panic by the non-profit sector shows the firm grip that extremist groups have on the Democratic party and a large swath of the civil society sector.  The non-profits likely to be investigated under the legislation — those actively cooperating with designated foreign terrorist organizations — conducted an aggressive lobbying campaign, convincing advocacy groups and Democratic Congresspersons that the bill was dangerous and should be defeated. HR 9495 does not limit free speech. It does not give the Treasury Secretary the power to unilaterally declare any American non-profit a “terrorist organization.”  What it does attempt to do is something that should be quite uncontroversial.  HR 9495 affirms that groups that are presently coordinating with, financially supporting, or giving expert advice to terrorists should not also benefit from tax exempt status. During this week’s floor debate, Representative Jayapal, who had voted for the bill in April, proclaimed that HR 9495, “would give Donald Trump unfettered power to punish civil society groups, news outlets, hospitals, and universities with zero due process.”  In the days leading up to the House vote, the ACLU led a coalition of over 180 non-profits to oppose the bill claiming it left an accused non-profit without “meaningful opportunity to defend itself.” Yet, the actual text of the legislation gives organizations 90 days to respond to any accusation of terrorism affiliation.  An independent administrative appeals process is built into the bill, along with the right to seek review in Federal District Court. The five alarm fire on Capitol Hill proclaimed the legislation would be used to target groups ranging from the National Organization for Women, Green Peace, and the NAACP.  But, the text of HR 9495 only gives the Treasury Secretary the authority to investigate non-profits supporting terrorism within the meaning of 18 USC 2339B.  That section of the U.S. code makes it illegal to support an organization that has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State. There is nothing in HR 9495 or supporting code that empowers the Treasury Secretary to question the tax exempt status of domestic non-profits who are not coordinating with a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization.  Furthermore, the Secretary of State only has the authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to label foreign entities, not domestic entities, as terrorist organizations. Section 501(c)p of the U.S. code already gives the IRS the power to take away the tax benefits of non-profits associated with terrorism.  HR 9495 ironically provides more due process and more layers of appeal.  The existing code highlights the irrationality of the opposition to the bill. Why the Shift on HR 9495? How did HR 9495 penned to stop the coordination of Hamas with student groups taking over University campuses come to be seen as authoritarian overreach?  How did a bill meant to address terrorist coordination in American city halls and on U.S. school boards come to be seen as “the death spiral for non profits?”  The answer lies in the political power of the very non-profits that HR 9495 was drafted to address. American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — all linked to extremist ideologies or terrorism — have fiercely lobbied against HR 9495.  SJP called HR 9495 a threat to free speech, while JVP labeled it part of the “MAGA assault on democracy and freedom.” (READ MORE: The UN’s Failure in Lebanon) CAIR, which has been linked to Hamas for over 30 years, claimed the legislation “gave the President fascist powers.” These are groups that celebrated the atrocities of October 7th and glorified Hamas and Hezbollah.  These organizations would be the first ones to legitimately be investigated under HR 9495. Using due process to investigate the tax-exempt status of non-profits linked to terrorism should be a bipartisan no-brainer.  It is troubling that segments of the Democratic Party and advocacy groups have been swayed by entities actively undermining American democracy and U.S. foreign policy. Executive power must have limits; but HR 9495 is not an authoritarian power grab. Rather, it is a necessary measure to counter the influence of terror-aligned organizations infiltrating American civil society to advance their own destructive agendas. Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author, and board member of Intelligent Advocacy Network. The post Democrats Flip to Protect Radical Non-Profits appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

from X22 Report: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Kurt Zindulka, Breitbart: The former leader of the Ukrainian Armed Forces declared that World War III has already started, as tensions rise amid escalating strikes from both sides of the European conflict. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who served as Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief until being sidelined earlier this year by President Zelensky: “I believe that in 2024 we […]

Including Smith/Kotzen, Those Damn Crows, The Sheepdogs and five other riders on the rock'n'roll storm

“Since when do foreign provocateurs, promoting a banned Islamic terrorist organization, get to veto who can and can’t walk on a sidewalk? Or which journalists can film a news story? The only reason he was arresting me is because the Hamas thugs were upset by my presence,” reports Levant. REBEL News Founder and CEO Ezra Levant, […]

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said during an interview over the weekend that President-elect Donald Trump has the right to use the U.S. military to remove the millions of illegal aliens who are in the country. Barrasso made the remarks during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” about Trump’s agenda and the men and women he’s tapped to be in his administration. When asked about Trump confirming that he is considering using the military to conduct mass deportations, Barrasso said: “Well, I support the president.” “We have a national security crisis in this country right now because of our open border, and when he declares it a national emergency, he can appropriately use the military,” he said. “There are over 10 million illegal immigrants in the country right now.” “We are talking about drug dealers, people in criminal cartels,” he continued. “These are folks who have actually been murdering, raping, poisoning American citizens. When you take a look at the president’s magnificent victory, the decisive victory, I think it’s because people were scared about all of these people in the country illegally. People want to feel safe in their own homes.” Barrasso correctly noted that the overwhelming majority of the American public supports Trump conducting mass deportations. “Yet we still have some of these big city mayors and governors who unbelievably, are more concerned about the rights, the so called rights of illegal immigrants than they are about the safety of their own citizens,” he said. “We have to make America safe again, and what the president is talking about is the right thing to do.” WATCH: @SenJohnBarrasso discusses Trump possibly using the military to aid in mass deportations of illegal immigrants. pic.twitter.com/RLtveicvFw — Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 24, 2024

On her way to the bus, a woman stopped when she noticed three kittens and a cat near a bakery, needing help. StrudelAshAsh was walking to the bus to go grocery shopping when she stumbled upon three little kittens rolling around their mom outside a bakery.The cat stretched out on the sunlit foliage while her kittens tumbled and played nearby. "After speaking with a worker (from the bakery), it was revealed that they had appeared sometime that afternoon. Someone must have dumped them," Ash shared with Love Meow."Mama was very calm and friendly (but protective), just relaxing in the sun with her babies." AshSeeing the feline family in need, Ash reached out to her local cat rescue, Whiskers-A-GoGo, and offered to foster them. Little did she know, one of the kittens was already wriggling her way into her heart."With the bakery workers' help, we scooped them up and brought them to safety," Eva of Whiskers-A-GoGo shared. They were found outside a bakeryAshThe trio (Strudel, Buffy, and Grim) quickly settled into their foster home while their mom, Ophelia, remained cautious at first after the ordeal.By evening, she started to relax and warm up to her new foster family. "Mama's love for her kittens was fierce. She was incredibly protective of them and took great care, especially of her poor injured baby, Strudel," Ash added. Ophelia and her kittensAshStrudel had a wounded, fractured back paw, and Ash carefully tended to it, keeping it clean and comfortable while showering the little tuxedo with love and cuddles. Though the smallest of the litter, Strudel was strong and brave.The kittens arrived with colds, but with nutritious food and plenty of TLC, their eyes soon regained their clear and bright sparkle. AshOphelia was an exceptional mother to her trio, always watchful and attentive to their needs.She adored all her kittens but gave Strudel extra care and love. As the kittens became more playful and curious, they kept their mom on her toes while she made sure the little ones wouldn't wander too far. AshIn their cozy home, the feline family enjoyed curling up in a cuddle puddle for naps. While the kittens playfully wrestled with each other, Ophelia tenderly groomed them from head to toe, lulling them to sleep.Strudel kept her sweet spirit throughout her recovery, clinging to Ash for comfort whenever she cared for her. "From the first night we had her, we really fell in love." AshStrudel, though tiny, had overcome so much. What began as a paw injury turned into a real fight for recovery. She ended up needing more help than anticipated.Lisa, a vet tech who fosters for the rescue, learned about Strudel's situation and offered specialized care for the little tuxedo. "She is healing and doing much better. Her wound is clean/healthy looking and has started to scab over." StrudelAsh"Buffy and Grim look like little matching cinnamon buns. Grim, with his darker coat, and Buffy, with her frosted toes and belly, are just the sweetest pair. We know they're going to make their future adopter very lucky."The two fluffy tabbies share a bond, so adorable that it brings a touch of warmth to any room. Buffy and Grim share an adorable bondAshWhen Ophelia was ready for her next chapter, a family, charmed by her sweet, friendly personality, welcomed her into their loving home."This gentle, long-haired beauty—once abandoned—now has a safe place to call her very own. Her new people are head over heels for her affectionate spirit and those bright green eyes. We couldn't be happier for the second chance that this queen truly deserves." Ophelia has found her forever homeAshStrudel has surprised everyone with her resilience and crept her way into her foster mom's heart. Ash has been by her side every step of the way, and the two are inseparable."We're thrilled to announce that Strudel will stay right where she's happiest—in her foster mom's loving home. Though her paw is still healing, she's already got her forever home." Strudel will stay with her foster mom foreverAshShare this story with your friends. More about cats and kittens at Whiskers-A-GoGo on Instagram and Facebook.Related story: Kittens Found in Warehouse Together, One of Them Needs Help to Walk, and the Other Never Leaves His Side

The Russia-Ukraine war will not finish quickly when Donald Trump enters the White House, despite the president-elect's vow to end the conflict on his first day in office, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" Sunday.

Bishop T.D. Jakes had a "slight health incident" during a sermon Sunday at his church.