Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Sorority Over Admission of Transgender Member

/3 Comments/in , /by

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by several former University of Wyoming sorority members who sued Kappa Kappa Gamma after the organization admitted a transgender woman.

U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson ruled that the private sorority is free to define membership requirements in its own governing documents, including its definition of “woman.”

“Nothing in the Bylaws or the Standing Rules requires Kappa to narrowly define the words ‘women’ or ‘woman’ to include only those individuals born with a certain set of reproductive organs,” Johnson wrote in his decision. He dismissed the case on the grounds that the sorority had not violated a contractual obligation.

The plaintiffs had argued that Kappa Kappa Gamma advertised itself as a “sisterhood for women only” and that they would not have joined had they known the organization admitted individuals who were not biologically female. They claimed they were misled and were victims of fraud.

According to court records, Kappa Kappa Gamma adopted a policy in 2022 defining a woman as “an individual who consistently lives and self-identifies as a woman” for purposes of recruitment.

The plaintiffs’ 2023 complaint stated their belief that “a woman is an adult human female” and argued that admitting transgender members undermined the meaning of membership.

Judge Johnson’s ruling leaves the sorority’s definition in place. Attorneys for the plaintiffs have not yet indicated whether they will appeal the decision.

Photo credit: Flickr

Report: State Gained 43,000 Illegal Aliens in Two Years

/3 Comments/in , /by

Colorado saw an influx of about 43,000 illegal aliens between 2021 and 2023, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

The report found that the state’s unauthorized immigrant population increased from 160,000 in 2021 to more than 200,000 by 2023. Most of that growth was concentrated in and around Denver, the Denver News Gazette reported.

City officials estimated that approximately 43,000 illegal aliens entered Denver during the period, with about 20,000 remaining in the city. The Gazette reported that the influx has cost Denver taxpayers at least $100 million.

Nationally, Pew estimated that 14 million illegal aliens were living in the United States in 2023, surpassing the previous peak of 12.2 million recorded in 2007. The research center attributed the increase to changes in federal immigration policy.

“The increase from 2021 to 2023 was driven primarily by growth in the number of unauthorized immigrants who were living in the U.S. with some protections from deportation, such as immigrants paroled into the country and asylum seekers,” the Pew report said.

According to Pew, about six million illegal immigrants entered the U.S. in 2023, twice the number from 2022, as asylum rules were eased. By 2023, unauthorized immigrants accounted for one in four migrants entering the country, the report found.

Pew noted that the trend began to slow after the Trump administration reinstated stricter rules and started denying additional applications, though it said the full impact of those changes will take time to measure.

Six states were reported to have between 500,000 and 2.3 million illegal immigrants each: California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.

Photo credit: Flickr

Biotech CEO ‘Shocked’ by Uber’s Response After Being Left ‘for Dead’ in Assault by Illegal Russian Driver

/2 Comments/in , /by

The CEO of a biotechnology company is suing rideshare giant Uber, claiming he was attacked by one of its drivers and left with a brain injury.

Bryan Kobel, CEO of TC BioPharm, claims the attack happened after a dispute with a South Carolina driver in April. Kobel explained the conversation started as “innocuous,” but quickly escalated when the driver allegedly knocked him unconscious.

“I was shocked. Uber is a $200 billion company. When you get in a car with the Uber sticker on it, it carries that brand weight. It carries the trust that you have in that brand,” Kobel explained Tuesday on “America’s Newsroom.”

Kobel said he was stunned by the company’s response.

“In fact, he picks up an Uber ride about two minutes later after leaving me for dead,” Kobel said, noting that he contacted the company with hospital records, a police report and photographs of his injuries.

“About 48 to 72 hours later, Uber just deactivated my account.”

Kobel argues that Uber has failed to properly vet its drivers and has avoided taking accountability for what happened to him. (Read more from “Biotech CEO ‘Shocked’ by Uber’s Response After Being Left ‘for Dead’ in Assault by Illegal Russian Driver” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Minneapolis School Shooter ID’d as Trans Woman — While Disturbing Video Shows ‘Kill Donald Trump’ Scrawled on Gun Magazines

/3 Comments/in , /by

By New York Post. The deranged gunman who slaughtered two children and injured at least 17 others who were attending morning Mass at a Catholic school in Minneapolis has been identified as a transgender woman — as a disturbing video believed to have been posted by the shooter shows “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children” scrawled on gun magazines.

Robin Westman, formerly Robert Westman, opened fire through the stained glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church during a celebratory back-to-school Mass filled with children around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Sources confirmed that law enforcement is investigating a series of twisted videos that appear to be posted to YouTube by Westman, 23, in the hours before the massacre.

In one 20-minute video, a person believed to be Westman flips through a disturbing handwritten journal.

In the deranged writings, she gleefully fantasizes about “being that scary horrible monster standing over those powerless kids” and reverently confesses admiration for the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.

In the video, titled “So long and thanks for all the fish,” Westman slowly turns the pages of the red notebook, which is laid out on top of what appears to be schematic gun diagrams, one of them reading “Ruger Mark IV.” (Read more from “Minneapolis School Shooter ID’d as Trans Woman — While Disturbing Video Shows ‘Kill Donald Trump’ Scrawled on Gun Magazines” HERE)

___________________________________________________________

Catholic School Shooting Suspect Reportedly Identified, Manifestos Found

By Daily Caller. Authorities have reportedly identified the man who police say opened fire on children at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday before killing himself.

Authorities identified Robin Westman, a man in his early 20s, as the gunman who killed two children while they attended Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, injured 17 other people and fatally shot himself Wednesday morning, local and national news outlets reported, citing law enforcement sources. Videos from a channel bearing Westman’s name were posted on YouTube around the time of the attack, showing disturbing footage featuring multiple guns, cartridges and ammunition with statements written on the weaponry such as “where is your God?” and other ramblings, the Daily Caller News Foundation found.

The videos, which the DCNF saved before they were deleted, show what appears to be Westman filming an array of weapons in a bedroom and writings on paper apologizing to his family. A thumbnail image from a four-year-old video on the channel shows a man whose face matches images of Westman shared by The New York Post.

“I was corrupted by this world and have learned to hate what life is … I have wanted this for so long. I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away,” a notebook shown on camera reads.

One message written on weaponry in the video said “Guy Bartkus,” an apparent reference to the man who authorities say blew himself up at a fertility clinic in California in May because he believed humans should not procreate. Another name written on a gun was “Rupnow,” the last name of a high school student who opened fire at a Christian school in Wisconsin in December before killing herself.

Other written messages in the videos show a seemingly incoherent mix of racial slurs, a pride flag, calls to kill President Donald Trump, the phrase “kill pedos,” pentagram symbols, and a statement that “6 million wasn’t enough,” apparently referring to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. One of Westman’s guns was inscribed, “There is no message.” (Read more from “Catholic School Shooting Suspect Reportedly Identified, Manifestos Found” HERE)

Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS For Relief In USAID Funding Case

/2 Comments/in , /by

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to block a lower court order attempting to compel the government to disburse billions of dollars in foreign grants.

In his emergency application, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer requested the justices to stay an order from D.C. District Court Judge Amir Ali. That directive instructed the Trump administration to disburse billions of dollars in U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grants for various nongovernmental organizations.

“This Court should stay the district court’s preliminary injunction requiring the government to make available for obligation the full amount of the funds Congress appropriated in the 2024 Appropriations Act,” Sauer wrote.

The case stems back to the early weeks of the administration, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio — in compliance with an executive order by President Trump — issued a freeze on all USAID grants. The move prompted legal action by various recipients of the funds, with plaintiffs filing their case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Like clockwork, Biden-appointed Judge Amir Ali issued a Feb. 25 directive ordering the Trump administration to resume distributing the grant money to their intended recipients. This ultimately led the government to file a motion with SCOTUS asking the high court to pause Ali’s ruling. (Read more from “Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS For Relief In USAID Funding Case” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Police: Gunman Opens Fire on Minneapolis Church, Killing Two Children During Mass

/1 Comment/in , /by

Two children were killed and 17 others injured Wednesday morning when a gunman opened fire through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church during a school Mass, authorities said.

The shooting took place shortly before 8:30 a.m. at Annunciation Catholic Church while students from a nearby Catholic school were attending Mass, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed at a press conference.

According to O’Hara, the suspect fired multiple rounds from outside the building toward the children seated in the pews. The shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Two children, ages eight and ten, were fatally struck. The suspect later died by suicide, police said.

Parents gathered outside the church and school Wednesday morning as authorities secured the scene.

“This kind of act of evil should never happen,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during the briefing, his voice breaking as he addressed reporters.

Police said the identities of the victims and the gunman have not yet been released. The investigation is ongoing, with local and federal authorities assisting.

DOJ Settles with Ten FBI Whistleblowers Targeted by Biden Administration

/0 Comments/in , /by

Ten FBI whistleblowers who say the Biden administration punished them for their “political beliefs” and for disclosing misconduct in the bureau will have their security clearances reinstated and collect back pay, according to a settlement announced Tuesday.

“These ten (whistleblowers) collectively suffered 12-years-worth of unjustified suspension time,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, posted on X after getting word of the settlement. “They were punished (because) of their disclosures/political beliefs. In other words, they were treated like skunks at a picnic. Now they receive justice.”

Sen. Grassley has long advocated for the whistleblowers and has helped navigate the settlements to their retaliation complaints. According to the Senator’s office, under the Biden administration the ten whistleblowers received retaliation that included demotions, loss of pay, and revocation of security clearances.

The legal nonprofit Empower Oversight represented the ten FBI employees. The organization detailed in a 12-page, March 5 letter to the FBI’s general counsel the improper “retaliatory targeting” of the men and women it represented. (Read more from “DOJ Settles with Ten FBI Whistleblowers Targeted by Biden Administration” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

‘Deeply Disturbing’: Prime Minister Announces They’re Banning Iran’s Ambassador

/9 Comments/in , /by

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday that his government is cutting diplomatic ties with Iran after intelligence officials linked Tehran to two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.

Albanese said the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) uncovered evidence that Iran directed assaults in 2024 on a Sydney kosher restaurant and a Melbourne synagogue. Days earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Albanese of having “betrayed” and “abandoned” Israel and the Australian Jewish community.

“Enough credible intelligence has now been gathered to reach the deeply disturbing conclusion that the Iranian Government has directed at least two of these attacks,” Albanese said in a statement. “These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil. This is an attack on our society, aimed at creating fear, stoking internal divisions and eroding social cohesion.”

ASIO found the Iranian government had directed arson attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher food company, in Sydney last October and on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December, Albanese said.

As part of the response, Australia is expelling Iran’s ambassador and relocating its own diplomats stationed in Tehran to a third country, Albanese said. The government also plans to formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. (Read more from “‘Deeply Disturbing’: Prime Minister Announces They’re Banning Iran’s Ambassador” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump Signs Executive Order Imposing Federal Penalty for Burning U.S. Flag

/2 Comments/in , /by

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to prosecute individuals who burn or desecrate the American flag in a manner that could spark violence or incite riots.

The move marks one of Trump’s strongest challenges yet to long-standing First Amendment protections. In Texas v. Johnson (1989), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that flag burning constitutes symbolic speech and is therefore protected under the Constitution. But Trump argued the ruling does not shield actions that lead to public disorder.

“As you know, through a very sad court, I guess it was a five-to-four decision, they called it freedom of speech,” Trump said during the signing. “But there’s another reason, which is perhaps much more important. It’s called death — because what happens when you burn a flag, is the area goes crazy. If you have hundreds of people, they go crazy.”

Trump insisted that flag burning often provokes violent reactions. “When you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels that we’ve never seen before,” he added. “People go crazy — in a way, both ways. There are some that are going crazy for doing it. There are others that are angry — angry about them doing it.”

Under the order, Attorney General Pam Bondi has been tasked with investigating and prosecuting such cases, but only in circumstances where prosecution would not violate constitutional free speech protections.

The penalty for conviction will carry a mandatory federal prison sentence. “What the penalty is going to be, if you burn a flag, you get one year in jail — no early exits, no nothing,” Trump declared. “You get one year in jail.”

The announcement immediately reignited debate on Capitol Hill. While Democrats have largely opposed Trump’s executive actions, efforts to restrict flag desecration have historically garnered bipartisan support.

Trump’s order revives the long-standing debate over whether flag burning should remain protected expression or be subject to legal penalties when tied to unrest.

With the new order in place, the Justice Department will now determine how far prosecutors can go without running afoul of constitutional limits — a battle that seems destined for another test in the courts.

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump Fires Federal Reserve Governor over Mortgage Fraud Allegations — But She Refuses to Step Down

/1 Comment/in , /by

President Trump fired Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook Monday over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud.

“Pursuant to my authority under Article Il of the Constitution of the United States and the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, as amended, you are hereby removed from your position on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, effective immediately,” Trump wrote in a letter addressed to Cook, which he posted on Truth Social.

Cook, however, argued that Trump has “no authority” to fire her and indicated that she’s not leaving her post, in a statement.

“President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” Cook said, according to multiple outlets. “I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022.”

The longtime academic, who previously served on former President Barack Obama’s White House Council of Economic Advisers and former President Joe Biden’s transition team, has hired former first son Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to represent her. (Read more from “Trump Fires Federal Reserve Governor over Mortgage Fraud Allegations — But She Refuses to Step Down” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr