JERUSALEM, Israel – On the last weekend of the Passover holiday in Israel, also Good Friday for Christians, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee traveled to the Western Wall to place a note in the Wall from President Donald Trump. Just a week after the U.S. Senate confirmed him as ambassador, he arrived in Israel, and the Wall visit was his first public appearance since he was sworn in. The former Arkansas governor was accompanied by Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz. He said the president personally handed him the message that it is Trump's prayer that all of the hostages be released immediately. “My first act as ambassador was to take his prayer – praying for the peace of Jerusalem – and to bring it to the Wall, and to pray that there would in fact be peace in the land,” Huckabee stated. He added, “I also come with a prayer that all of the hostages will come home now, and that we will bring them home, and that is the prayer of the president as well.” President Donald J. Trump has ordered all United States flags on government and military properties to be lowered to half-staff in memory of His Holiness Pope Francis on the morning after his passing. The Vatican announced the pope’s passing early Monday morning in Rome after a fight against pneumonia, Breitbart News reported. He was 88. A newly surfaced video reveals Plano Mayor John B. Muns offering the controversial East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) special access to public school officials—exposing once again how this mosque has transformed from a religious institution into a powerful political force shaping education, demographics, and public policy in Texas. Plano, Texas — In a deeply alarming and politically revealing moment, a newly surfaced video captures Plano Mayor John B. Muns inside the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), meeting with mosque leadership—including Yasir Qadhi, a cleric with a long-documented record of radical Islamic views—and offering them direct, special access to Plano school board members. During the meeting, Qadhi pressed for assurances that Islamic moral values and traditional family teachings would be protected in public education. In response, Mayor Muns pledged to arrange a private dialogue between EPIC’s leadership and multiple school board officials—a courtesy seemingly not extended to Christian churches, Hindu temples, or any other concerned faith-based groups across Texas who have similarly objected to radical sexual curricula in public schools. At a recent EPIC-hosted fundraiser for QCA, young children were showcased in their classrooms in Sharia-adherent clothing—including required hijabs for girls of certain ages—and full Palestinian nationalist attire, showcasing a radical, politically charged education model. Each grade level delivered presentations steeped in anti-Israel messaging, including chants of “From the River to the Sea”—a genocidal slogan popularized by Hamas that calls for the eradication of Israel. Children stood before maps labeled “Palestine,” with the State of Israel completely erased, mirroring the propaganda methods used in Palestinian Authority and Hamas-run schools. This wasn’t cultural expression—it was radical indoctrination dressed up as education. Inside the mosque, EPIC’s Youth Director, Ustadh Morad Awad, furthers this narrative with sermons like “Palestine Occupation Explained: For Kids!”, where he presents an aggressive anti-Israel, anti-American worldview. These teachings encourage Muslim youth to see violence against Israel as not just justified, but as a religious duty. ...This is not diversity. It’s the construction of religiously segregated zones—a parallel governance system based on Sharia principles, being rewarded with political access instead of being investigated. https://rairfoundation.com/exposed-plano-mayor-gives-radical-mosque-special-access/ WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday over the religious rights of parents in Maryland to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters. “Born Ready” is the story of a transgender boy’s decision to share his gender identity with his family and the world. “Intersection Allies” describes nine characters of varying backgrounds, including one who is gender-fluid. Billy Moges, a board member of the Kids First parents’ group that sued over the books, said the content is sexual, confusing and inappropriate for young schoolchildren. The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) will officially resume collections of its defaulted federal student loan portfolio on May 5 — until then, borrowers in default will receive emails from FSA making them aware of the change and offering information and assistance. By summer, FSA will send notices before beginning administrative wage garnishment, according to DoE. DoEd noted that it has not collected on defaulted loans since March of 2020, and while Congress mandated borrower repayment in Oct. 2023, the agency said the Biden-Harris administration “refused to lift the collections pause and kept borrowers in a confusing limbo.” DoEd also accused the Biden-Harris administration of failing to process applications for borrowers who applied for income-driven repayment and “continued to push misguided ‘on-ramps’ and illegal loan forgiveness schemes to win points with borrowers and mask rising delinquency and default rates.” “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear,” McMahon continued. “Hundreds of billions have already been transferred to taxpayers. “And then, going forward, we totally believe that Congress has a role to play in fixing the higher education system that puts students in a position where they can afford their loan payments,” the official added. “So we’re looking forward to working with Congress on their efforts to streamline loan repayment, as well as lowering college costs.”
In First Public Act as Ambassador, Huckabee Visits Western Wall, Prays for Israel, Hostages' Release:
Trump: U.S. Flags to Fly Half-Staff to Honor Pope Francis After Passing:
EXPOSED: Plano Mayor Gives Radical Mosque Special Access to School Board to Enforce Islamic Values—Revealing the Power EPIC Masjid Wields in Texas:
Supreme Court takes up religious rights dispute over LGBTQ books in Maryland schools:
Department of Education to Restart Involuntary Student Debt Collection After Pandemic Pause: