The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidelines allowing churches and houses of worship to essentially endorse political candidates, reversing a ban on such practices by tax-exempt entities that has stood for decades.

A federal lawsuit was filed against the IRS by two churches in Texas and a Christian broadcasting organization back in 2024, seeking to create a broader tax exemption for churches that discuss political candidates with their congregations.

The IRS commissioner joined the groups in a court filing meant to settle the matter, which was released on Monday.

The filing explained how the Johnson Amendment to the U.S. tax code from 1954 “may cause certain otherwise tax-exempt organizations to lose their § 501(c)(3) status if they ‘participate in, or intervene in… any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.’”

The filing further stated, however, that “when a house of worship in good faith speaks to its congregation, through its customary channels of communication on matters of faith in connection with religious services, concerning electoral politics viewed through the lens of religious faith, it neither ‘participate[s]’ nor ‘intervene[s]’ in a ‘political campaign.’”

Therefore, church leaders may address political issues, candidates, and platforms from the podium without risking their tax-exempt status, which many religious leaders have been terrified of doing for decades.

“Bona fide communications internal to a house of worship, between the house of worship and its congregation, in connection with religious services, do neither of those things, any more than does a family discussion concerning candidates,” the filing added.

“Thus, communications from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith do not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment as properly interpreted.”

This outcome can be good or bad, yet it will likely accomplish some positive ends.

First, making clear that churches can speak freely is a huge win, especially as the divide between Christian and non-Christian candidates grows wider.

Another positive aspect will be finding out which church leaders are brave enough to take stands on tough issues. For centuries, Western society has relied on priests, pastors, and preachers to serve as their moral consciences and to guide them through all levels of life.

If the governing bodies of each denomination take issue with what some leaders say — or feel they have somehow violated their pact with the congregation — internal action can be taken.

There should not be a sword of Damocles hanging over every religious institution’s tax status each time they want to address the civil landscape. On the other hand, there will be cries of an illegal mixture of church and state resulting in legal challenges, perhaps culminating in a blockbuster court ruling.

We may also see far-left churches with anti-American pastors assume they can preach fringe talking points or endorse woke candidates. But just like in the marketplace, people will be given options, ultimately choosing which ones are best suited to them and their families.

Generally speaking, local church leaders should be able to express their opinion and issue guidance if they see fit.

Pope Francis gave his political opinions frequently, sometimes causing controversy among American conservatives. Yet there were no calls to make Roman Catholic churches begin paying taxes. If it’s good enough for the higher-ups, why not for the soldiers on the ground?

It should cut both ways. America’s clergy, however, should wade carefully into these waters and procced with extreme caution.

They are supposed to be shepherds, with their first calling being a spiritual one. Man’s ways are never God’s ways. Therefore, homilies and sermons have historically steered clear of direct political endorsements.

It’s hard to ignore that there is a deepening divide in today’s religious community — specifically within American Christianity — as political elements often dictate how the gospel is spread.

In any case, by taking away the threat of monetary punishment, the laity will likely hear very different homilies from the left and right as we attempt to navigate this new system together.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post IRS Issues Game-Changing New Guidance to Churches as Trump Notches Another Win for Christians appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former National Security Advisor and a relentless advocate for truth and justice, has issued a fiery warning to the Trump administration and the American people: the Epstein scandal isn’t going away — and it must be addressed head-on.

In a powerful post directed to President Trump on X, Gen. Flynn wrote:

“@realDonaldTrump please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away. If the administration doesn’t address the massive number of unanswered questions about Epstein, especially the ABUSE OF CHILDREN BY ELITES (it is very clear that abuse occurred), then moving forward on so many other monumental challenges our nation is facing becomes much harder.”

Flynn’s post is a direct challenge to not only Biden and Obama — whom he accuses of betraying the public’s trust — but also a clarion call to President Trump to lead with moral clarity and unshakable resolve.

“TRUST was deeply violated by both @JoeBiden and @BarackObama. Your administration MUST be above reproach.”

Flynn invoked the biblical warning against those who harm children:

“Anyone who causes these little ones to stumble, it would be better to have a millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Flynn continued, “We cannot allow pedophiles to get away. I don’t personally care who they are or what elite or powerful position they hold. They must be exposed and held accountable!!!”

Flynn’s comment comes after conservative commentator Glenn Beck has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking all text messages and emails sent by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino to Attorney General Pam Bondi concerning Jeffrey Epstein.

.@realDonaldTrump please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away.

If the administration doesn’t address the massive number of unanswered questions about Epstein, especially the ABUSE OF CHILDREN BY ELITES (it is very clear that abuse occurred), then moving forward on… https://t.co/z7bMAf7jzP

— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) July 13, 2025

This is the second time Gen. Flynn has called out the Trump administration.

Flynn released a scathing memorandum directed at the Trump administration, igniting new calls for accountability in the biggest political scandal in modern U.S. history: the Russia-Gate hoax.

In a fiery statement posted to X, Flynn blasted the total lack of accountability for what he called an attempted “overthrow” of the United States presidency orchestrated by top Obama-era officials.

“We the people are fed up with having tons more evidence come out regarding Russia-Gate yet sadly, no one is getting arrested,” Flynn wrote.

“Hell, there doesn’t even appear to be an investigation even though they tried to overthrow the presidency of these United States!”

Read more:

Gen. Mike Flynn Drops Memo Demanding Trump Admin Make Arrests in Russia-Gate Treason Scandal — “We the People are Fed Up”

The post Gen. Mike Flynn Urges Trump to Confront Epstein Cover-Up — Warns Nation Cannot Heal Until Elites Are Held Accountable for Child Abuse appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

THE CONTINUING PERSECUTION AGAINST TINA PETERS

Guest post by Martel Maxim.

Why can’t the Deep State let go of their obsessive information war against the former Mesa County Election Clerk Tina Peters? The short answer is, because she literally broke the code on how the Deep State steals elections in the US.

Stolen elections are the key for stealing entire countries, and in-turn for stealing the world, in order to enslave it with tyranny.

We all experienced this from 2020-2024, when an unbelievable onslaught of tyranny seeped into our lives. Blatant violations of American freedom and the destruction of American greatness permeated everywhere, and every day it got worse.

The avalanche of tyranny commanded the destruction of everything in its path. Like frogs in a pot of rapidly heating water, Americans practically everywhere had to face the unthinkable, from loss of jobs for not taking an unproven ‘vaccine’, through the emergence of concepts such as child abuse being normal.  That abuse ranged from the Drag Queen Story Hour normalization through bizarre Transgender surgeries, unnecessarily and harmful childhood vaccines that create a host of issues, including intentional autism, and prosecution of parents standing up to those bizarre circumstances and being labeled ‘Domestic Terrorists’ by the FBI for doing so.

The despots intentionally grounded the world’s airline fleet in the name of Plandemic Safety.  Aircraft stored in the Middle East were on the verge of suffering permanent deterioration from the 120 degree plus soaring temperatures during the summer of 2021. US fleets would have been in the same situation within a year. It was all over had President Trump not instituted a reopening plan.

Couple that civilization reversing situation with the intentional disruption of supply chains and countless other things, then you can get a feel for how demonic the Deep State agenda was, and continues to be today. BELIEVE IT.

At the focus of this persecution was our former President himself, Donald J. Trump, who was railroaded into the circumstances of being a convicted felon, facing around 700 years in prison. If you don’t realize it by now, you’ve missed the biggest coup in history that surpasses all previous atrocities combined.  They wanted him to suffer and die in prison.

ALL THIS OCCURRED FROM STOLEN ELECTIONS.

Thankfully, Tina Peters uncovered and exposed the maliciousness of the Deep State’s intent, and that is the ONLY reason for their Lawfare attempts to punish and permanently silence her in prison. How ironic, a woman in here late 60s in Grand Junction, Colorado broke open their entire scheme for global dominance and tyranny.

As we write this, President Bolsonaro in Brazil is currently facing similar circumstances that resulted from his election being similarly stolen right after the 2020 election in the US.

In America we have paper, lots of it, however they never let us see and count the archived and unaltered paper ballots in and audit. They instead say “here you go, here are the scanned ballot images”. What they don’t tell you however is that patents exist for ballot image altering software, here’s one of them:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8844813B2/

The opportunity for mass scale fraud here is wide enough to drive a truck through.  So when you think about the magnitude of what Tina exposed, there’s no rival situation on earth to compare. In short, everything that every soldier ever fought and died for, every dream and pursuit of the non-ultra elite, countless trillions of dollars, every advancement of civilization etc., not to mention the sovereignty of all countries….is all GONE with stolen elections.

Today Tina Peters sits in prison with her remaining 8 years, 3 months of incarceration. Tina’s crime? “Guilty of Saving America, and actually the World”. Tina’s attorneys continue to work relentlessly pointing out the gross violations to her Habeas Corpus rights, which the prosecution gleefully ignored with immunity in order to make an example out of her, so no Election Clerk would ever question elections again. At all cost they were fixated upon getting all traces of the election fraud ‘toothpaste’ back in the tube.

Court judgements such as one coming up won’t even allow her to attend her hearing on July 22nd. At focus is whether or not Tina’s fundamental civil rights were violated these last 4 years as they attacked her in unthinkable ways. Visit her website https://tinapeters.us/ to learn her story, and be sure to watch the 1 hour Documentary “Selection Code”, linked from the top of her homepage. As long as the myth continues that she’s a criminal, and that the prosecution acted with honor within the law, her chances of being rightfully released on bond diminishes. It’s truly evil what they have perpetrated upon this bold Patriot.

Another way to understand the truth about Tina’s story is to read this masterful propaganda piece, and just take the 180 degree opposite interpretation of all their main points: https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/tina-peters-jail-court-judge-rules/ Actually, the only truthful line in the entire article is the headline.

Until the people who perpetrated these crimes against Tina are held accountable, America and the world won’t rest. 

The post The Persecution Against Tina Peters Continues as Judge Rules She Cannot Appear Remotely at Court Hearing first appeared on Joe Hoft.

The post The Persecution Against Tina Peters Continues as Judge Rules She Cannot Appear Remotely at Court Hearing appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly ready and willing to testify before the U.S. Congress about the full extent of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal empire — and the powerful men who participated in it.

According to a Daily Mail report, Maxwell, 63, has not been offered a plea deal, nor has she been contacted by any U.S. officials about providing testimony — something she would reportedly “welcome.”

“She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story,” a source close to Maxwell told the news outlet.

“No one from the government has ever asked her. She remains the only person jailed in connection to Epstein and would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.”

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Tallahassee State Prison in Florida, for her role in grooming and trafficking underage girls for Epstein and his network of high-powered friends, which included billionaires, politicians, academics, and royalty. Yet to date, not a single Epstein “client” has been charged.

Earlier this year, Ghislaine Maxwell asked the US Supreme Court to hear her appeal against a 2021 conviction on five counts of aiding convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in his sexual abuse of young girls.

The Daily Mail reported:

A source close to Maxwell told Daily Mail that the former girlfriend of Epstein – who continues to protest her innocence – would ‘welcome the chance to sit in front of Congress and tell her story’.

The source said: ‘Congressional hearings have been held into everything from JFK’s assassination to 9/11. The Epstein Files rank up there with those cases. Ghislaine would be willing to speak before Congress and tell her story.’

Maxwell is also fighting to have her appeal heard by the Supreme Court. On July 14, lawyers for the US government will submit their response to her plea for the Supreme Court to take up her case.

President Trump’s former ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk sensationally claimed there is a cover-up because Trump is mentioned in the Epstein Files, something sources close to Maxwell say ‘is a false flag.’

‘President Trump was photographed with Epstein several times and they ran in the same circles but Trump was one of the first to break all contact with Epstein because they fell out over a business deal and Epstein’s treatment of women,’ the informed source said.

‘There are no big shocks about President Trump in the Epstein Files. But there are a lot of powerful men involved and a lot of money and it will come down to following the money.

The post REPORT: Ghislaine Maxwell Ready to Testify Before Congress — Could Blow Lid Off Epstein Files and Elite Pedophile Network appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D‑CA) announced he will introduce an amendment on Tuesday, forcing a House vote to release the full trove of Epstein-related files to the public.

The same party that spent years stonewalling investigations, blocking the release of Epstein’s client list, and downplaying his vast connections to the global elite is now suddenly pretending to care about transparency.

It can be recalled that in 2023, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced that she had filed a subpoena demanding the release of flight logs associated with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a figure notorious for his connections with high-profile individuals in human trafficking and sexual abuse.

Ex-Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) blocked Sen. Martha’s request to release the flight logs to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and to subpoena Justice Sotomayor’s staff.

“This is a sad day in the history of the prestigious Judiciary Committee and further underscores the Left’s two tiers of justice crusade,” Senator Blackburn said in a statement.

“They don’t want to have a conversation about the estate of Jeffrey Epstein to find out the names of every person who participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s human trafficking ring,” she said.

Now, Democrat Representative Ro Khanna announced that he will introduce an amendment to force a vote demanding the full release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files to the American public.

“Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected?” Khanna wrote on Saturday.

“On Tuesday, I’m introducing an amendment to force a vote demanding the FULL Epstein files be released to the public. The Speaker must call a vote & put every Congress member on record.”

He continued, “Will the House allow a vote on Tuesday on the Khanna Amendment demanding the full release of the Epstein files?”

Will the House allow a vote on Tuesday on the Khanna Amendment demanding the full release of the Epstein files?

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) July 13, 2025

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump weighed in on reports that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino and Pam Bondi clashed over the Epstein case on Truth Social on Saturday.

It was previously reported that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino erupted on Pam Bondi and took a day off as he considers resigning over the mishandling of the Epstein case and lack of transparency with the American people. It was further rumored that FBI Director Kash Patel may leave the FBI over the scandal, but he called the rumors “conspiracy theories” on Saturday.

This comes after the FBI and DOJ released a 2-page memo on Sunday concluding Jeffrey Epstein did not have a “client list” and that he committed suicide. The memo also suggested that no further Epstein documents would be released to the public.

Trump wrote on Truth Social:

“What’s going on with my “boys” and, in some cases, “gals?” They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.

We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and “selfish people” are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again. Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, 51 “Intelligence” Agents, “THE LAPTOP FROM HELL,” and more?

They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called “friends” are playing right into their hands

. Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it? They haven’t even given up on the John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. Files.

No matter how much success we have had, securing the Border, deporting Criminals, fixing the Economy, Energy Dominance, a Safer World where Iran will not have Nuclear Weapons, it’s never enough for some people. We are about to achieve more in 6 months than any other Administration has achieved in over 100 years, and we have so much more to do.

We are saving our Country and, MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, which will continue to be our complete PRIORITY. The Left is imploding! Kash Patel, and the FBI, must be focused on investigating Voter Fraud, Political Corruption, ActBlue, The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020, and arresting Thugs and Criminals, instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 — That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more.

One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The post Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna to Force Vote on FULL Release of Epstein Files to the Public appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.