Western media outlets are swooning over Islamic terrorists being released by Israel in exchange for the 20 Israeli hostages captured by Hamas.<h2 id="">BBC: ‘Fathers, brothers and sons’ who are ‘national heroes’</h2>President Trump has received universal praise for brokering a 20-stage deal between Israel and Hamas. Among other things, the deal requires Hamas to release all Israeli hostages. In exchange, Israel agreed to release 1,700 Palestinian criminals and terrorists, in addition to 250 others who are serving life sentences.Such terrorists include Murad Muhammad Ridha Ahmad Abu al-Rub, who was serving four life sentences for his part in a 2006 suicide bombing that killed four Israeli civilians in the town of Kedumim. When reporting on al-Rub’s release, the BBC portrayed him as a homecoming hero, failing to mention the bombing. BBC Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson interviewed al-Rub’s tearful sister, Aida, who sobbed: “They kidnapped my brother.”&nbsp;“Aida has waited 20 years for her brother Murad to be released from Israeli jail,” Williamson sympathized. “Dozens of prisoners emerged from Red Cross buses as fathers, brothers and sons - carried in as national heroes. But Murad wasn't among them,” she added.The pro-Hamas outlet noted that al-Rub was serving four life sentences, but did not say what for.Ahmed Mahmed Jameel Shahada is another Palestinian prisoner who is being released despite receiving a life sentence. In 1989, Shahada, who is originally from Gaza, raped and murdered a 13-year-old Israeli boy named Oren Baharami.Israel has also released Ali al-Sayes, who is responsible for 10 bombings throughout Israel. One bombing blew up an Israeli school bus in 2003, killing seven children.<h2 id="">WaPo columnist: You can’t destroy Hamas, ‘nor should you’</h2>Media outlets like the BBC and The Guardian have refused to use the label “terrorists” for these prisoners, instead referring to them as “Palestinian detainees” and “fighters.”They were joined by the Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid, an Egyptian Muslim, who openly demanded Israel grant amnesty to “low-level” Hamas terrorists.“How do you disarm Hamas – that is not quite clear how that’s to be worked out,” he told CNN anchor Brianna Keilar. “But also it’s good that in the 20-point plan there is a path for Hamas who commit to peaceful coexistence and give up their arms to get amnesty or to get safe passage out of Gaza, because at the end of the day, there are still going to be – there still will be a significant Hamas presence, so you can’t just pretend they don’t exist. And you can’t eradicate every single member of Hamas, nor should you, that would just be — that didn’t even happen, not that I like this comparison too much —”Keilar stopped Hamid: “You say ‘nor should you.’ Your case for that is what?”“I mean you can’t — you shouldn’t kill, like, low-level members of Hamas, people who were not implicated in October 7th,” Hamid explained, falsely claiming that October 7th was not carried out by thousands of Hamas terrorists and Gazans. “October 7th was done by a small group of senior military commanders — Israel should have the right to kill them, and has killed many of them if not most of them, right? So — but Hamas is a popular movement and there has to be some way to bring in the low-level members into the political process because you don’t want them to play spoiler.”<div data-rt-embed-type='true'><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On CNN, Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid says Israel &quot;shouldn&#39;t kill low-level members of Hamas, people who where not implicated in October 7&quot; because &quot;Hamas is a popular movement&quot; and must be integrated into the new Gaza government. <a href="https://t.co/27I823cqHN">pic.twitter.com/27I823cqHN</a>&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1977808584512844004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>‍

Western media swoon as Israel releases Islamic terrorists

Mass murderers, rapists are lionized as ‘fathers, brothers and sons’ who are ‘national heroes’

Government school officials in Orange County, Florida, were subjecting captive students to lessons teaching sorcery and witchcraft — literally. The move sparked outrage among critics, and legal demands that West Orange High School stop the program immediately or at least give students the ability to opt out and promote Christianity.According to news reports and <a href="https://lc.org/newsroom/details/092425-florida-high-school-ceases-witchcraft-presentations-1" id="">a Christian non-profit law firm that got involved in the case</a>, every Wednesday, students at the school were shown witchcraft programming across the school’s TV system as part of the mid-week morning announcements. There was no option to avoid the program.Dubbed “Witchy Wednesday,” the video series shown schoolwide over the school’s TV system included lessons on casting spells, using magic, worshipping the moon, and other occult rituals. The lessons also taught students to burn incense and fold papers to burn based on the moon’s cycle.The video, shown on September 10, featured a student offering instructions on how to perform the rituals. “You write your intuition down on your paper. Fold it three times. Burn your paper into your white candle. Burn it completely and entirely to have your intention released into the universe,” the student reportedly said in the video shown to all students during the morning announcements. “That itself is your ‘Light of Insight’ at work.”“There is a full moon coming up on Sept. 18, where the energy is at its highest peak,” the video added before urging students to enjoy a “wicked” Wednesday. “Creating simple things like moon water and releasing rituals are good ways to cleanse and recharge yourself during this period.”Of course, the Bible, which was unlawfully banned by a rogue Supreme Court over 50 years ago, repeatedly and forcefully condemns such rituals. In Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and other books, God refers to the practices as an “abomination” that is connected to the demonic realm. And yet, the school had no problem exposing students to it until being called out.Citing various Supreme Court rulings, Orange County Public Schools administrators and attorneys shut down the program recently — but only after being put on notice by Liberty Counsel, a Christian non-profit law firm that has won numerous high-profile victories in defense of Christians and religious liberty.“The segment was delivered over the school’s television system, on the school’s morning announcements under the supervision of school faculty,” wrote the school district’s general counsel John Palmerini in a letter to Liberty Counsel. “As such, we cannot constitutionally allow such a segment to continue to take place in the future.”“Consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Santa Fe, we do not want any student, whether Christian or non-Christian, to feel like they are outsiders and not full members of the political community at West Orange High School,” he continued. “As such, we can no longer allow the segment in question to continue.”In its original complaint, Liberty Counsel suggested the school could also allow Christian students to share their faith in Jesus Christ over the school’s TV system during announcements. But rather than allow students to hear about the Bible and Christianity, officials decided to stop the witchcraft programming entirely.Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver thanked the district, nevertheless. “We commend Orange County Public Schools for taking action to discontinue the ‘Witchy Wednesday’ video segments,” he said. “Witchcraft and teaching students how to cast occultic spells have no place in government schools.”Palmerini, the district’s lawyer, acknowledged that promoting witchcraft lessons and spells at a tax-funded school was problematic. But he also criticized Liberty Counsel for informing the media before the district had a chance to respond, as if parents and taxpayers did not have a right to know that children were being subjected to occult rituals at school.This invasion of occultism and the demonic in government schools is becoming increasingly prevalent. In 2021, California’s State Board of Education <a href="https://www.freedomproject.com/2022/01/19/newman-report-14/" id="">unanimously approved</a> a program requiring children to chant to pagan Aztec deities of cannibalism, war, and human sacrifice. They only stopped it after a lawsuit.Earlier this year, The Newman Report <a href="https://www.freedomproject.com/2025/01/27/tnr20250127/" id="">exposed</a> California’s “mental health” app for students. It is filled with promotion of the occult, sorcery, transgenderism, homosexuality, extreme leftist political positions, and more. The app included Tarot cards references as well.Just a few months ago, The Newman Report <a href="https://www.freedomproject.com/2025/05/23/tnr52325/" id="">explained</a> that Chicago taxpayers were forced to pay millions of dollars to victims of the local government schools for similar outrages. Among other concerns, the school was forcing students to participate in Hindu rituals and offer sacrifices to small demonic idols.The connections between the demonic and government’s takeover of education go back to the beginning. Robert Owen, the first contemporary figure to propose that the government educate children, admitted he was getting his ideas from “spirits.” Today, numerous top educators openly boast of their collaboration with spiritual entities.<figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image " data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align=""><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66450044188dfe741d77c31e/68f1edc7efa1b63bbc40e947_3364780_1225x377_2500-1024x315.jpeg" alt="" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto" id=""></div></figure>The occultism and the demonic is now ubiquitous in government “education.” They do not even bother to hide it anymore. For the sake of sanity and children’s eternal souls, it is past time for parents and churches to reclaim control of education from the state. Everything is at stake.<a href="https://libertysentinel.org/author/admin/" id="">Alex Newman</a> Alex Newman is an award-winning international journalist, educator, author, and consultant who co-wrote the book “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians Are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children.” He writes for diverse publications in the United States and abroad. <a href="https://libertysentinel.org/florida-school-caught-promoting-witchcraft/" id="">Originally published at Liberty Sentinel</a>.

Florida School Caught Promoting Witchcraft

Video series “Witchy Wednesday” included lessons on casting spells, moon worship and other occult rituals with no opt out option

A Democrat judge has spared a Leftist activist jail time after she assaulted US Pardon Attorney Ed Martin and two US Marshals, continuing a trend where far-Left criminals are granted leniency for attacking Republicans.Emily Gabriella Sommer, 33, was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/district-woman-pleads-guilty-assault-spitting-former-interim-us-attorney-edward-r-martin" id="">charged</a> with assault in May after she approached Martin while he was interviewing with a Newsmax correspondent and spat on him. Martin was the interim US Attorney at the time. Sommer then shouted at him, “You are a disgusting man. F*ck&nbsp; you, Ed Martin. My name is Emily Gabriella Sommer, and you are served.”When she was arrested two weeks later, Sommer kicked two Deputy US Marshals and spat on one of them. While awaiting trial, she issued vile threats on social media to Martin and current US Attorney Jeanine Pirro.DOJ prosecutors asked for an 18-month prison sentence, but Biden-appointed Judge Jia Cobb sentenced her to four months’ time served, house arrest, and probation.“It’s clear that if you assault a conservative, the system will protect you,” Martin said in response to the ruling.There is evidence for Martin’s statement.<h2 id="">Patrick Brice</h2>In August, 28-year-old Patrick Brice avoided prison after a 2023 incident where he brutally assaulted two elderly pro-life activists, Dick Schafer (80) and Mark Crosby (73), outside a Planned Parenthood in Baltimore after an argument. Brice attacked 80-year-old Dick Schafer from behind and severely beat 73-year-old Mark Crosby, causing significant injuries, including a shattered orbital bone, blindness in one eye, and photophobia. Convicted in February of reckless endangerment and second-degree assault, Brice faced a possible 10-year prison sentence but was sentenced instead to one year of home detention, three years’ probation, anger management classes, drug and alcohol screening, and therapy.<h2 id="">Robert Hoopes</h2>On June 14th, 24-year-old Robert Jacob Hoopes participated in a riot outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Oregon. Hoopes threw a rock that struck a police officer in the head, causing what the DOJ called&nbsp; a “significant laceration” under the officer’s eye. With the help of two others, Hoopes used a pole as a battering ram to try to break through the facility, causing “significant damage” to the main door.In July, Obama-appointed Judge Youlee Yim You ordered Hoopes released from jail, to be fitted with an ankle monitor instead. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the judge based her decision partly on the showing of support for Hoopes in the courtroom. Attendees included Hoopes’ father, who said he was proud of his son for defending illegal aliens.<h2 id="">Adam Lansky</h2>Federal judges have also refused to detain Adam Lansky, a transgender-identifying man who attacked a Tesla dealership in January. Lansky firebombed the dealership with Molotov cocktails, aimed a rifle at a witness, and returned the next day to shoot up the building. <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2025/07/29/blue-state-judges-refuse-jail-leftists-charged-violent-attacks/" id="">According</a> to the Daily Caller, the DOJ warned the court that Lansky belongs to a militant organization called the Socialist Rifle Association, a group that trains radical Leftists and Marxists across the US in firearms. The DOJ also expressed concern that if released, Lansky could continue to make bombs.“The [improvised explosive devices] used by Lansky were all manufactured by him using everyday items, empty glass bottles, gasoline, fabric, etc., all these items remain easily accessible to Lansky in the community if released,” the DOJ said in a court filing.Nevertheless, Obama-appointed Judge Stacie Beckerman ordered Lansky’s release to a halfway house, calling his behavior an “outlier event.” When the DOJ appealed to Judge Adrienne Nelson, who is celebrated as the first Black woman to serve on Oregon’s District Court, she upheld Beckerman’s decision.<h2 id="">‘Julie’ Winters</h2>Beckerman also ordered the release of another transgender-identifying rioter, “Julie” Winters, to a halfway house. Winters tried to set off a bomb near an ICE building, threw a large knife at a federal officer, which missed, and pulled a knife on officers who tried to restrain him. He had also assaulted a police officer in December. Beckerman released Winters from jail because he was kept in solitary confinement rather than with male or female inmates due to his gender confusion.<h2 id="">Dylan Bryan Adams</h2>In April, a Democratic Minnesota official evaded charges for domestic terrorism. Dylan Bryan Adams, a fiscal policy analyst for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, was arrested after keying six Teslas, causing over $21,000 in damages. Instead of filing charges, Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty—who has been backed by billionaire George Soros—said she will enter Adams into an adult diversion program. Diversion programs are designed to keep criminals out of the justice system and offer activities such as counseling and community service.<h2 id="">Owen McIntire</h2>Owen McIntire, a 19-year-old physics major at the University of Massachusetts Boston, was arrested after throwing two Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Kansas City. The firebombs caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to two cybertrucks and two charging stations.&nbsp;Federal prosecutors sought to keep McIntire in federal custody, arguing that the terrorism-related charges make him a public safety threat. On April 24th, however, Judge Jessica Hedges overruled the prosecutors and granted McIntire release so he could continue to receive “gender-affirming care.” The judge also cited McIntire’s autism and ADHD, for which he takes medication. He was released to the custody of his parents and will remain under house arrest until his trial, which has been delayed a year.‍

Violent Leftist who assaulted US officials avoids jail time

'It’s clear that if you assault a conservative, the system will protect you'

A new report is upending assumptions about the direction of gender ideology. After years of rapid growth, the number of U.S. students identifying as transgender has dropped sharply — and the shift appears to be accelerating.The <a href="https://www.heterodoxcentre.com/research/chss-report-no-5/" id="">report</a>, published by Professor Eric Kaufmann at the University of Buckingham, analyzed several datasets and found that, among university students, the share identifying as transgender fell from nearly 7% in 2023 to just under 4% in 2025. The number of students who identify as non-heterosexual also declined by roughly 10 percentage points in the same period — the first significant reversal since tracking began.The steepest declines were seen among students identifying as queer, pansexual, asexual, or bisexual.The trend appears generational as well: freshmen are now less likely than seniors to describe themselves as bisexual, trans, or queer — a striking shift from just a few years ago, when those numbers were climbing fast.Elite schools are showing the most dramatic changes. At Phillips Academy Andover, transgender identification dropped from 9% to 3%, while Brown University saw a fall from 5% to 2.6%. Analysts suggest these declines at top-tier institutions may signal the start of a broader cultural correction. Non-binary identification has also been cut roughly in half since 2022.When it comes to sexual orientation, bisexual identification peaked around 2022–23 before sliding downward. The “queer” and “other” categories surged through 2023, then collapsed by 2025. Gay and lesbian numbers remained stable at around 3–5%, while heterosexual identification has rebounded strongly, reaching between 77% and 82% this year.<h2 id="">The mental health connection</h2>The report also highlights a connection between gender identity and mental health. While transgender identification declined across all mental health categories, the drop was less pronounced among students reporting depression. In fact, the share of depressed students identifying as non-binary actually rose — from 10.8% in 2024 to 11.6% in 2025.&nbsp;More than other factors, mental health is what appears to most affect the adoption of gender ideology.“Trans, queer and bisexual identities are in rapid decline among young educated Americans,” Professor Kaufmann concluded in his report. “This does not appear to be the result of a shift to the right, the return of religion or a rejection of woke culture war attitudes. Despite high correlations between sexual/gender identity and political attitudes within individuals, the over-time trend in gender and sexuality seems relatively independent of political, cultural and religious beliefs. Improving mental health, however, appears to be part of the explanation for the decline of BTQ+ identification.”‍

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