Biden Administration Investigates University Over Release of Transgender Clinic Patient Records

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Federal health officials have launched a civil rights investigation into Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after the hospital turned over trans-identifying clinic patients’ medical records to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. The AG’s office is investigating the Nashville-based center for potential medical billing fraud connected to transgender medical treatments for minors.

VUMC chief communications officer John Howser told The Associated Press last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights contacted the medical center just weeks after two patients sued the hospital system, claiming they were among more than 100 current and former patients whose records were turned over to Tennessee state authorities.

“We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation,” Howser said.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office confirmed in June that it was investigating the medical center over potential billing fraud. The center recently ceased providing cross-sex hormones and performing sex-change surgeries on minors in compliance with a new Tennessee law that took effect earlier this year.

Brandon Smith, chief of staff for the state attorney general, said that the investigation is purely about Vanderbilt’s billing practices and not about the patients themselves, saying the AG’s office was “surprised that VUMC has deliberately chosen to frighten its patients like this.” (Read more from “Biden Administration Investigates University Over Release of Transgender Clinic Patient Records” HERE)

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School Board Member Sues After She Was Censured for Facebook Post on Transgender Bathroom Policy

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A Virginia school board member is suing her fellow board members after she was censured for a Facebook post about the school district’s transgender bathroom practices.

Angela Allen, vice chairwoman of the Goochland County School Board in the Richmond area, filed a lawsuit Monday against her school board colleagues in their personal capacities, accusing them of defamation and forming a civil conspiracy against her.

The controversy started back in January when Allen posted on Facebook about what she said were the school district’s practices around trans-identifying students and bathroom use.

“As a Goochland School Board member, effectively representing your interests is my duty. This week I learned that [Goochland County Public Schools] students are allowed to use restrooms different from their biological sex. Is this our community’s expectation?” Allen posted on the social media platform on January 26. (Read more from “School Board Member Sues After She Was Censured for Facebook Post on Transgender Bathroom Policy” HERE)

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GOP Lawmaker Commits Painful Unforced Error When He Attacks Christian for Pro-Jesus Post: ‘You Have Gone Too Far’

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Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) apologized Tuesday after condemning basic Christian theology as “bigoted.”

Ohio Republican Elizabeth Marbach, who previously worked for the Ohio Republican Party and Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, tweeted on Tuesday that there is “no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone.”

The rather innocuous statement, a central tenet of Christian theology, prompted a strong response from Miller, who is Jewish. The Republican lawmaker demanded that Marbach delete her social media post because, in his eyes, she had gone “too far” in her bigotry.

“This is one of the most bigoted tweets I have ever seen. Delete it, Lizzie,” Miller responded. “Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion. You have gone too far.”

In a follow-up, Miller added, “God says that Jewish people are the chosen ones, but yet you say we have no hope. Thanks for your pearl of wisdom today.” (Read more from “GOP Lawmaker Commits Painful Unforced Error When He Attacks Christian for Pro-Jesus Post: ‘You Have Gone Too Far’” HERE)

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China Mocks Biden’s Inability to Handle Hawaii Fires (VIDEO)

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Chinese state media this week gleefully mocked President Joe Biden for bungling the response to Hawaii’s wildfires.

Editorials pushed the Communist Party narrative that only authoritarian governments can handle disasters of such magnitude, and taunted the U.S. for prioritizing military spending over disaster response.

On Tuesday, the state-run Global Times taunted that Hawaii’s travails made the U.S. look “unlike a developed country,” as the fires exposed incompetence at every level:

Deadly wildfires in Hawaii, which caused the biggest death toll in more than a century in the US and forced thousands to evacuate from their homes, expose the incompetence of the US government, said analysts, with many local residents who survived the disaster posting videos on social media criticizing the problematic response of local authorities and poor early warning system. Residents also criticized US mainstream media reports, saying this was not just a natural disaster, but also a man-made calamity.

Chinese analysts and web users are paying attention to the horrible tragedy that Americans have suffered, as the hashtags on Sina Weibo about “Hawaii wildfires” have received more than 71.52 million views on Tuesday. Experts said the response of the US government made the US look “unlike a developed country.”

(Read more from “China Mocks Biden’s Inability to Handle Hawaii Fires (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Federal Court Delivers Major Free Speech Win: D.C. ‘Selectively’ Enforced Law to Arrest Pro-Lifers but Not BLM Protesters

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A federal appeals court delivered a major free speech victory on Tuesday, ruling that Washington, D.C., officials “selectively” enforced statute to arrest pro-life activists but not Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020.

In the summer of 2020, thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters flooded D.C., and over several weeks, they covered the streets, sidewalks, and storefronts with paint and chalk. While these markings violated the District’s defacement ordinance, no protesters were arrested. However, district police officers were quick to arrest two pro-life advocates in a smaller protest for chalking “Black Pre-Born Lives Matter” on a public sidewalk outside of a D.C. Planned Parenthood facility.

“The government may not enforce the laws in a manner that picks winners and losers in public debates,” reads the D.C. Circuit opinion penned by Judge Neomi Rao, reversing a lower court’s decision. “It would undermine the First Amendment’s protections for free speech if the government could enact a content-neutral law and then discriminate against disfavored viewpoints under the cover of prosecutorial discretion.”

“The First Amendment prohibits discrimination on the basis of viewpoint irrespective of the government’s motive,” the three-judge panel ruled:

We hold the Foundation has plausibly alleged the District discriminated on the basis of viewpoint in the selective enforcement of its defacement ordinance. We therefore reverse the dismissal of the Foundation’s First Amendment claim and remand for further proceedings.

(Read more from “Federal Court Delivers Major Free Speech Win: D.C. ‘Selectively’ Enforced Law to Arrest Pro-Lifers but Not BLM Protesters” HERE)

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How Stupid Is the Georgia Anti-Trump Case? They Indicted Trump for Tweeting at People to Watch TV

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By The Federalist. A local prosecutor in Georgia has become Democrats’ latest instrument of election interference, unveiling a fourth round of indictments against former President Donald Trump Monday night that cites activities like encouraging voters to tune into televised broadcasts. . .

With 13 additional counts from Georgia prosecutors over objections to the 2020 presidential election, Trump is now faced with 91 charges as he leads the race for next year’s Republican nomination. Those now facing charges along with the former president include Trump’s last White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorney Rudy Giuliani. . .

“Meadows sent a text message to United States Representative Scott Perry from Pennsylvania and stated, ‘can you send me the number for the speaker and the leader of PA Legislature. POTUS wants to chat with them,’” the indictment reads. “This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.”

Act 22 cited in the Georgia indictment charged Trump with conspiracy for encouraging supporters to watch hearings broadcast on One America News Network.

“Georgia hearings now on [One America News Network]. Amazing!” the president tweeted.

“This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,” the indictment read. (Read more from “How Stupid Is the Georgia Anti-Trump Case? They Indicted Trump for Tweeting at People to Watch TV” HERE)

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Special Prosecutor to Be Named to Probe State’s Lieutenant Governor’s Actions in Trump Case

By Fox News. A special prosecutor will be chosen to investigate Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican, in connection with former President Trump’s alleged illegal efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced a 98-page indictment Monday night accusing Trump and 18 others of attempting to change the election results in his favor. Among the others indicted were former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and former members of Trump’s legal team Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell.

The former president was indicted on 13 counts, including Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer, Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer, Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings, Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents, Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree and Filing False Documents.

Jones, who was not listed in the indictment, was one of the 16 so-called fake electors who falsely claimed Trump won Georgia and attempted to conduct a secret meeting at the State Capitol on December 14, 2020, in an effort to overturn President Biden’s victory in the Peach State. Three of the 16 electors were indicted on allegations of forgery, false statements and impersonating a public officer, among other crimes. (Read more from “Special Prosecutor to Be Named to Probe State’s Lieutenant Governor’s Actions in Trump Case” HERE)

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Criminalizing Christianity: March Toward Ideological Totalitarianism May Land Believers Behind Bars

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As society navigates the percolating intensity of the culture wars, the fragility of freedom and liberty is ardently being tested. Nations predicated upon these ideals have begun to allow the erosion of what was once sacrosanct at the whim of emotive impulses and self-indulgent cultural shifts.

From arrests and legal battles to fines and potential prison time, we’re increasingly watching people face penalties for speech and the expression of personal ideals. The criminalization of truth is particularly perplexing amid a renaissance of toxic relativism, yet it’s an arduous reality.

Take, for instance, Matthew Grech from the Southern European nation of Malta. Mr. Grech, a former LGBTQ activist, is facing potential jail time. His offense? He’s accused of advertising conversion therapy, an attempt to change a person’s sexual identity or proclivities.

Mr. Grech merely appeared in a media interview detailing his journey of leaving the LGBTQ lifestyle behind and embracing Christianity. But with Malta banning conversion therapy, he quickly faced some troubling legal issues.

“Last year, I was invited to share my story on a program and answer questions about so-called conversion practices,” Mr. Grech recently told me. “And I mentioned an organization … that supports men and women who leave LGBT and an organization that promotes a biblical sexuality.” (Read more from “Criminalizing Christianity: March Toward Ideological Totalitarianism May Land Believers Behind Bars” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Says It Will Have to Shut Down if Texas Wins Lawsuit Demanding Millions

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The state of Texas is suing Planned Parenthood, and the organization argued that it may go out of business if the lawsuit is successful.

“This baseless case is an active effort to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The lawsuit alleges that Planned Parenthood wrongfully accepted payment from Medicaid during a time when the state was suing to end those funds.

Texas first notified the abortion provider that it would end Medicaid payments in December 2016. The organization sued and got a federal court to agree with it, which allowed it to continue Medicaid. In 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed that ruling, and it was upheld in 2021.

The lawsuit says that Planned Parenthood filed a legal appeal rather than a legislative appeal and argues that all payments accepted by the organization after Feb. 1, 2017, were fraudulent. (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Says It Will Have to Shut Down if Texas Wins Lawsuit Demanding Millions” HERE)

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North Korea Confirms U.S. Army Private Is in Country and Shares Alleged Reason He Entered

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North Korea has released its first statement since United States Army Pvt. Travis King crossed over from South Korea into its territory, confirming what was long suspected and alleging why King made the much-questioned decision.

During its investigation, North Korea claims “he confessed that he decided to come over to the DPRK, opposed to inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination in the US army,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

“Saying he was disillusioned at the unequal American society, he expressed his will to seek political asylum either in the DPRK or in third country,” the statement continued. “The investigation continues.”

It was July 18 when King bolted across the border while taking a tour of the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas. King, who has been a cavalry scout with the Army since January 2021, was supposed to fly home to the U.S. after serving two months in a South Korean prison on assault charges, but he didn’t get on the flight, choosing to cross into North Korea, seemingly on his own volition. (Read more from “North Korea Confirms U.S. Army Private Is in Country and Shares Alleged Reason He Entered” HERE)

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Joe Rogan Slams ‘Creepy’ Teachers for Trying to Indoctrinate Students With ‘Cartoon Porn’

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Podcast giant Joe Rogan warned during a recent broadcast of “The Joe Rogan Experience” that “creepy” teachers are indoctrinating America’s children with wild far-Left ideologies and perversions.

“Those adults are with your children more than you are during the day,” Rogan told guest Tim Dillon about teachers. “They’re there for hours and hours with the undivided attention of your kids and some of them are f***ing loons.”

Rogan said that some teachers believe it is their job to “remove the programming of the parents that they don’t agree with” and “get into your kid’s head” and fill it with “questionable and debatable ideas that they’re trying to push as doctrine.”

Rogan also noted that parents have found books in their children’s schools that depict graphic sexual imagery, including “books where they were showing explicit oral sex, they were showing illustrations of oral sex” that effectively rise to the level of being “essentially cartoon pornography.” (Read more from “Joe Rogan Slams ‘Creepy’ Teachers for Trying to Indoctrinate Students With ‘Cartoon Porn’” HERE)

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