Courage and Consequences: Inside Whistleblower’s Harrowing Experience with Biden’s Department of (In)justice

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There is stiff competition atop the leaderboard of history’s most dramatic reversals. Foremost is the resurrection of a crucified Messiah, then the parting of the Red Sea, then young David succeeding Saul as king of Israel. Somewhere nearby is Gandalf appearing east of Helm’s Deep on the first light of the fifth day (okay, maybe that one is fictional), and not far behind is Eithan Haim’s Jan. 24 vindication after very nearly facing prison time on spurious charges.

Excuse this reporter’s rare indulgence of hyperbole, but, for the small-town Texas surgeon, the sudden reversal of his fortune felt like “the biggest victory possible in the most dramatic way possible,” as he put it on The Washington Stand’s “Outstanding” podcast, for which the titular superlative is not hyperbole. “That morning, I was getting ready to go to jail. … That day … the judge has to dismiss the case with prejudice.”

Congressional Testimony

Haim related his harrowing experience on Wednesday before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, in a hearing titled, “Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children.”

While completing his surgical training at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2022, Haim discovered that the hospital’s public claim that it had shut down its gender transition program for minors, after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, had declared that such treatment constituted child abuse, “was a blatant lie,” he testified. “They not only continued their program, they expanded it.”

In May 2023, he anonymously blew the whistle on the hospital’s potentially illegal deception. But the Joe Biden administration’s Department of Justice chose to investigate Haim, not the hospital. Armed federal officials notified him of this investigation by knocking on his front door on “one of the most important days of my life,” the very morning of his graduation from his surgical program at Baylor College of Medicine, which is affiliated with Texas Children’s Hospital. (Read more from “Courage and Consequences: Inside Whistleblower’s Harrowing Experience with Biden’s Department of (In)justice” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Speaker Johnson Makes Position Clear on Possible Tax Hike on Some Americans

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is no “big fan” of hiking the tax rate for America’s wealthiest to 40%, an idea reportedly being mulled by Republicans to offset some costs of their in-progress tax package.

“We’re the Republican Party, and we’re for tax reduction for everyone, and that’s a general principle that we always try to abide by,” Johnson told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.

Though there are many discussions, thoughts and theories on how to get all the GOP’s goals accomplished, Johnson said he wouldn’t “put any money on any of [those] yet.”

“I would say just stay tuned. The next five to six weeks are going to be critical as all these negotiations happen in the committees of jurisdiction,” he continued.

“You’ll hear lots of rumors and lots of talk, but we’ll see where it all lands.” (Read more from “Speaker Johnson Makes Position Clear on Possible Tax Hike on Some Americans” HERE)

U.S. Military Veterans Slam DOD Demand Forcing Them to Lie to Get Reinstated

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Conservative military veterans are sounding the alarm over a new Department of Defense reinstatement form that they say whitewashes the truth about their forced separations during the COVID-19 vaccine mandate era.

Veterans who once wore the uniform with honor are now being told that if they want back in, they must lie on paper and pretend they left the military of their own free will.

The Department of Defense has released updated guidance officially inviting back thousands of service members who were involuntarily separated for refusing to comply with the now-defunct COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The move comes under Executive Order 14184, signed by President Donald Trump on January 27, 2025, and implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The order compels the Pentagon to offer reinstatement to any military personnel—active or reserve—who were forced out solely for refusing the COVID shot. (Read more from “U.S. Military Veterans Slam DOD Demand Forcing Them to Lie to Get Reinstated” HERE)

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

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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

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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

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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’

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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

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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)

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

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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

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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