Suspect Arrested in Connection With Gov. Shapiro Home Being Set on Fire

Police have arrested 38-year-old Cody Balmer in connection with a fire set at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence on Sunday.

Balmer is facing multiple serious charges, including attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against a protected individual. According to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, Balmer allegedly jumped a fence before setting fire to the property.

“He actively evaded troopers who were here to secure the residence,” he said. “While [police] were searching is when he attacked at the residence, [and] broke in and set the fires. So that was all playing out over a period of several minutes. It was a very quick event that occurred, and, and again, troopers were actively searching for him at the time.”

Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and his family were forced to evacuate the governor’s mansion early Sunday after a suspected arsonist set fire to the property in what officials are calling a “deliberate and dangerous act.” While no injuries have been reported, the incident has raised serious concerns about public safety and the effectiveness of state leadership in maintaining law and order.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m., waking him and his family. Authorities say the arsonist caused a significant amount of damage to the property. Photos of the fire response show smoke coming out of the residence’s windows, with the exterior trim layered in what appeared to be soot. (Read more from “Suspect Arrested in Connection With Gov. Shapiro Home Being Set on Fire” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

New York Helicopter Tours Shuts Down After Hudson River Crash That Killed 6: FAA

The Big Apple sightseeing company involved in the Hudson River helicopter crash that killed six is shutting down its operations “immediately,” the Federal Aviation Administration announced Sunday night, three days after the deadly disaster.

A chopper operated by New York Helicopter Tours plunged into the frigid waters off Manhattan Thursday — killing a Siemens executive, his wife and their three young children who were visiting from Spain and the pilot, who was a Navy veteran.

“New York Helicopter Tours — the company involved in the deadly crash on the Hudson earlier this week — is shutting down their operations immediately,” the FAA tweeted.

“We will continue to support NTSB’s investigation. Additionally, the FAA will be launching an immediate review of the tour operator’s license and safety record.”

The FAA did not make clear if the business would be shut down permanently and did not return an email seeking clarity late Sunday. (Read more from “New York Helicopter Tours Shuts Down After Hudson River Crash That Killed 6: FAA” HERE)

Declassified Cold War-Era CIA Files Detail Soviet Clash With Aliens Who Witnesses Say Turned Soldiers to Stone

A declassified Cold War-era file from the CIA has gone viral over its coverage of a supposed clash between Soviet soldiers and a UFO, whose passengers reportedly turned the troops to stone before blasting off.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the CIA acquired a 250-page KGB report recounting the events that transpired after a platoon fired at a flying saucer over Ukraine.

The report included eyewitness accounts and pictures of the aftermath, which one American agent described as “a horrific picture of revenge on the part of extraterrestrial creatures, a picture that makes one’s blood freeze.”

The report claims Soviets conducting a training exercise in Ukraine spotted a “low-flying spaceship in the shape of a saucer” soaring above their heads.

During the encounter, one of the Soviets fired a surface-to-air missile, which struck the UFO and sent it crashing to the ground. (Read more from “Declassified Cold War-Era CIA Files Detail Soviet Clash With Aliens Who Witnesses Say Turned Soldiers to Stone” HERE)

Comedian Theo Von Backs Trump’s Tariff Plan: ‘If We Don’t Try This, I Think It’s a Wrap’

Comedian and podcaster Theo Von made a now or never pitch in support of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs, crediting Trump for attempting to steer America off of a path that has left whole swaths of American towns and cities “empty” and “boarded up.”

“The goal of tariffs is, if it costs more for people to bring their products in then they will build them here,” Von said, adding “So it’s kind of a longterm play. It’s going to take a while.”

“If we don’t try this, then I think it’s a wrap. On this comedy tour, we’ve been to probably the top 200 cities, like size-wise in America. Maybe even more than that. And a lot of them, there’s nothing there. It’s empty downtowns. It’s boarded up,” Von continued. “And so you start to be like, nothing’s going to change. There’s nothing coming that’s going to make that better.”

President Trump is attempting to decouple America from China and ultimately re-shore manufacturing and major supply chains, out of Asia and back to the U.S. His strategy is still in its early days but the White House says over a hundred countries have already come to the negotiating table.

On Sunday, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNN’s State of the Union anchor Jake Tapper the Trump administration is currently negotiating trade policy with 130 countries.

(Read more from “Comedian Theo Von Backs Trump’s Tariff Plan: ‘If We Don’t Try This, I Think It’s a Wrap’” HERE)

Arizona to Remove Almost 50K Non-Citizens From Voter Rolls

Arizona counties have started a process to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding verifying voters’ citizenship and removing non-citizens from voter lists.

This comes after America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit against Arizona’s 15 counties “on behalf of EZAZ.org,” and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen, according to Fox News. In the lawsuit, AFL argued that “the counties had not been following a state law” requiring people to prove their citizenship in order to vote in state and local elections.

Per the outlet, “while a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prohibits states from imposing registration requirements beyond the federal requirement that registrants must check a box affirming their U.S. citizenship,” voters in the state have to show proof they are a United States citizen to vote in local and state elections:

While a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prohibits states from imposing voter registration requirements beyond the federal requirement that registrants must check a box affirming their U.S. citizenship, Arizona residents are still required to provide proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections.

The Arizona law also requires that county recorders perform a monthly list maintenance to confirm the U.S. citizenship of so-called “federal-only voters,” a list of nearly 50,000 individuals who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and were not allowed to vote in state or local elections.

(Read more from “Arizona to Remove Almost 50K Non-Citizens From Voter Rolls” HERE)

Pilot of Doomed Hudson River Helicopter ID’d as Navy SEAL Vet Who Had Posted Heart-Wrenching Video Month Before Death

The pilot of the doomed helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River was a Navy SEAL veteran — and posted a chilling video of himself last month proudly flying in the same type of chopper over Lower Manhattan.

“When it all comes together…,” Sean Johnson, 36, wrote next to the now-eerie Facebook footage, which showed him in a Bell 206 helicopter March 27.

Friends congratulated him in their comments, with one telling him he was “living the dream” and another praising his accomplishments over the past year.

Johnson had worked in television and as a bodyguard to celebrities before recently moved to New York City to continue his aviation career, Gothamist reported, citing his wife.

It’s unclear if the chopper he was flying in the Facebook footage was the same helicopter he was operating this week when it crashed, killing him and the five tourists. (Read more from “Pilot of Doomed Hudson River Helicopter ID’d as Navy Seal Vet Who Had Posted Heart-Wrenching Video Month Before Death” HERE)

High School Girl Says She Was ‘Replaced’ by Male Athlete on Girls’ Track Team: ‘This Is Reality’

A female athlete said she was replaced on the girls’ track and field team by a male who was not held to the same standard as the young women.

Taylor Starling from the Martin Luther King High School in California made headlines in November 2024 when she revealed her athletic director claimed her pro-women T-shirt was akin to wearing a swastika around a Jewish student. The shirt said “Save Girls’ Sports” on the front and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY” on the back.

Starling spoke at a California State Assembly meeting recently and told state legislators that she was “replaced” on the female team by a male transfer student, who did not have to attend practice.

“I was removed from my varsity girls’ team and replaced by a newly eligible male transfer student who received favorable treatment,” the 16-year-old claimed.

“In late October, the male transfer student was given my spot after not being held to the same strict team requirements as me and the rest of the girls,” Starling continued. “He did not have to attend practice while my team and I were running seven miles a day together. After having my spot taken away from me that I earned, I missed out on running with my varsity team in one of the top cross country invitationals of the season.” (Read more from “High School Girl Says She Was ‘Replaced’ by Male Athlete on Girls’ Track Team: ‘This Is Reality'” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

‘Reputation Impaired’: Congressman Sues Gov’t Over Post-J6 Capitol Police Actions

A congressman from Texas is suing the federal government for $2.5 million over the “unlawful harassment” he faced following the Jan. 6, 2021, protests and riots at the Capitol.

Rep Troy Nehls, R-Texas, charges that a Capitol police officer forced his way into Nehls’ congressional office without consent, then photographed materials in the room, including a whiteboard with a discussion of proposed firearms legislation.

Then the authorities followed up with an investigation by other officers.

Significant is the claim that the police violated the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which provides vast protections for members of Congress doing their duties.

The first count charges “intrusion on privacy,” for the entry of the officer into the congressman’s private office and taking pictures. (Read more from “‘Reputation Impaired’: Congressman Sues Gov’t Over Post-J6 Capitol Police Actions” HERE)

Another Day, Another Alleged Would-Be Trump Assassin Charged

Less than a week after a horrifying survey found more than half of self-identified leftists believe killing President Donald Trump would be justifiable, a Pennsylvania man has been charged with threatening to murder the president and other U.S. officials.

Shawn Monper, 32, of Butler — the same Pennsylvania community where Trump came within a fraction of an inch of being assassinated last July — faces federal charges of making threats to assault and murder Trump, DOGE advisor and Tesla founder Elon Musk, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and others, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a press release.

Monper, who allegedly took to YouTube as “Mr. Satan,” made a series of threatening statements between Jan. 15 and last weekend, according to the criminal complaint. On Tuesday, the FBI National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) “received an emergency disclosure,” the Justice Department said. A subsequent federal investigation determined “Mr. Satan” was residing at Monper’s residence, according to the DOJ.

‘We Just Need to Start Killing People’

Monper allegedly “sought and obtained a firearms permit shortly following President Trump’s inauguration.” In February, federal officials said he commented on his YouTube account, “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office.” (Read more from “Another Day, Another Alleged Would-Be Trump Assassin Charged” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Why Is Trump’s DOJ Hiding An FBI Informant’s Deposition On The Oklahoma Bombing?

After the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing, the FBI launched a massive manhunt for a mystery accomplice to Timothy McVeigh known as “John Doe 2”—only to later claim that he never existed, and that McVeigh acted largely alone.

Nearly 30 years later, an attorney in Utah named Jesse Trentadue is still working to unearth the truth through his ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for surveillance footage of the blast. According to FBI and Secret Service records, the footage shows McVeigh with another unidentified subject.

Since McVeigh’s other known accomplice, Terry Nichols, was confirmed to have been in Kansas on April 19, John Doe 2’s identity remains a subject of debate. Credible researchers have made the case that he may have been an undercover informant, or even an agent.

Trentadue’s nearly 17-year-old FOIA lawsuit hasn’t received much attention over the last decade, largely because it’s been litigated behind closed doors, with gag orders on all parties. That’s because a special master is continuing to investigate stunning allegations that the FBI intimidated an undercover informant involved in the case.

With the OKC bombing anniversary next week, Trentadue recently moved to unseal the deposition he took of the FBI informant—a retired Marine named John Matthews, who allegedly saw McVeigh months before the bombing. However, one of the top officials in the Justice Department, Principal Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth, is opposing his motion, according to a letter Trentadue wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi—a copy of which this reporter obtained. (Read more from “Why Is Trump’s DOJ Hiding An FBI Informant’s Deposition On The Oklahoma Bombing?” HERE)