The Biden administration’s prosecution of a Texas surgeon who exposed a hospital’s sex-change procedures on children appears “political,” says a former Department of Health and Human Services official who enforced the law the surgeon is accused of violating.  The Heritage Foundation’s Roger Severino spoke to The Daily Signal about the prosecution of Dr. Eithan Haim, who leaked records of secret transgender procedures for minors at Texas Children’s Hospital last year. The files, published by City Journal, showed the hospital misled the public by falsely asserting it had stopped its transgender medicine program in response to a state investigation.  President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice charged Haim in May with violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, alleging he illegally accessed and released private patient information with “malicious intent.”  But Haim maintains that his motive was to expose unethical activity—and based on the evidence, he does not “fit the bill” of a doctor-turned-criminal, said Severino, Heritage’s vice president for domestic policy. Severino led the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights under then-President Donald Trump. The office processes all HIPAA claims and may refer them to prosecutors, as it did in Haim’s case.  “Generally speaking, if somebody’s doing whistleblowing, you wouldn’t have that sort of personal criminal intent that would warrant dropping a nuclear bomb on them [over] HIPAA, which really suggests that this is a political prosecution more than anything else,” Severino told The Daily Signal.   HIPAA referrals from the HHS are “extremely rare,” he said, because they are typically reserved for “the most extreme, knowing, and willful violation of the law that would be designed for some sort of personal financial gain.”  Haim, who redacted children’s names from the records he leaked, was only “trying to blow the whistle to show that there was evidence of wrongdoing and that the hospital was lying,” Severino stressed.   Haim previously told The Daily Signal he would not “bend the knee” to Biden’s bureaucrats and “their evil ideology.” He could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine if convicted.  Severino, who also worked as a trial attorney for the Justice Department, said the Biden administration is using HIPAA “to intimidate people who oppose their radical agenda that’s steeped with a hard-edged gender ideology.” Official HHS data shows the agency has resolved more than 99% of HIPAA complaints it receives without reporting them to prosecutors as of May. Severino did not recall any such referrals during his tenure and said the Office for Civil Rights usually resorted to civil claims “because the level of criminal intent wasn’t there.”  “You wouldn’t see this sort of prosecution if it weren’t political,” he told The Daily Signal.  The HHS Office for Civil Rights and its current director, Melanie Fontes Rainer, did not respond to The Daily Signal’s requests for comment before publication.  The post HHS ‘Weaponizing’ Medical Privacy Law to Protect Child Sex Changes, Former Department Official Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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The Natural: America Meets JD Vance

The Lincoln Project Turns Down the Heat By Calling Trump Hitler

I am a fan of freedom of thought, not dependency of thought. What about you?You’ve been churched that true blackness is a political expression. That to be black is to be a Democrat.Am I wrong? And if I’m right, should anyone think that this serves black people’s best interests?No, it doesn’t. The iron law of politics is that which is taken for granted is never cared for.You know what you will be called if you try to escape the mental and political guardrails of the brother’s keeper party and plantation. You will be called an “Uncle Tom” or “Aunt Tammy.” A traitor to your race. A servant to the power that is an enemy to his own. It’s the deepest of insults. Being called an Uncle Tom is the worst thing a black person can say to another. It’s worse than being called the N-word by a white person who knows what he is saying and means it.Reward bad behavior and failure, and you will get more of it. It’s just common sense. But progressive sense is the opposite of common sense.It’s meant to ostracize not only those who step outside the plantation and its orthodoxy. It also makes clear to others who might be thinking it’s time to think and vote outside the lines to get back in line, to keep their mouths and minds shut, and to stay on the plantation, or else.Sadly, it’s more likely an "Uncle Tom" or "Aunt Tammy" is the type of man and woman worth checking out. And the person saying it loudly might better fit the description.This mindset is re-enslaving your people. It needs to end. For your sake and the sake of our country.We are right to worry about black bodies. But black bodies will continue to suffer until black souls liberate themselves for their present, brother’s keeper care.How is the new, “new normal” of the brother’s keeper plantation working out for you and yours? What are your lying eyes showing you?Joe Biden promised in 2020 to return America to “normal.” He was elected on that promise. How is his restoration of “normalcy” working out for you and yours? Are you better off personally? Is the nation better off as a whole? Are black communities safer? Hell, no!Progressive policies are incentivizing the young to act violently. Defund the police? Sure. Then, watch as organized gangs rob department stores in broad daylight and watch as neighborhood pharmacies lock up all their merchandise — assuming they don’t close entirely.Instead of jailing bad guys and defending law and order, their policies are turning black and brown communities into prisons for the innocent.Of course, public schools are a subsidiary of the Democratic Party. Your kids and their future — as well as their moral development — are in their hands. How well is that monopoly serving your kids? Are they being schooled for success? Or something else?Schools that were already hanging on the margins collapsed after COVID-19. Fourth grade and eighth grade math and reading scores plummeted on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “the Nation’s Report Card.” The “achievement gap” that taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars to close is as wide as ever.Here is a sad fact to wrap your heads around. People who build prisons look at the failure rate of the fourth grade reading exam to get a read on how many prison beds they’ll need. Most of those kids who fail and are headed for jail are black and brown.Yet, black Americans continue to vote for a party that systemically and disparately underserves their children. We all know that charter schools work in the very communities where failure is concentrated. A vote for the Democratic Party is a vote against the schools that could empower your kids.Incentives matter. Give people a $6,000 tax credit to buy a Tesla, and you’ll sell more electric cars. Reward bad behavior and failure, and you will get more of it. It’s just common sense. But progressive sense is the opposite of common sense.We are seeing in real time, and for a long time, that progressive dreams are black and brown nightmares. The Democratic Party has done its best to undermine the black family and work ethic. It has turned a safety net into a hammock designed to create intergenerational poverty.Why would your purported representatives do this to you? In moments like this, it’s best to ask simply, “Who benefits?”My take is that the intergenerational continuation of your people’s nightmare feeds your keepers’ dreams. That your people’s misery serves the interest of your keepers. You are being used to sustain an idea that fuels itself on your misery. You have been subjected to intergenerational systemic racism, done by the hand of a brother’s keeper state, and it has left its mark on all those who are under its “care.” You are being held down on purpose.This hustle serves a few, not the many. In case you haven’t noticed, the chronic care of your people is a big-jobs program for an ever-growing keeper class.A notable example: Al Sharpton has climbed the latter of respectability. He has carried your message to the mainstream, and, by every metric, he has done well for himself in doing so. Has Reverend Al’s good fortune trickled down to you? To ask that question is to answer it.Might the folks — who are quick to dismiss as “Uncle Tom” anyone proposing a better way — have a motivation outside of your best interest for doing so? Might they be the real Uncle Toms and Aunt Tammys?Give this thought a week in your head.

Day three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a rousing success, highlighting not only a softer side of former President Donald Trump but the colorful patriotism of middle America. From Gold Star families to gun-totin' grandmas, on Wednesday night, Republicans made the pitch that they are the party of America's heartland.Gold Star familiesThe main speeches began on a solemn note, as family members representing 13 fallen U.S. Marines, soldiers, and sailors took the stage to share the heartbreak they have endured since Joe Biden hastily withdrew U.S. troops from Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. "They were just kind of left there, hung out to dry," Cheryl Juels said of her niece Sgt. Nicole Gee and the other 12 servicemen and women who perished during the evacuation.'Donald Trump knew all of our children’s names. He knew all of their stories.'Not only are the family members still grieving, they believe that the Biden administration has never honored their lost loved ones appropriately. They mentioned Biden checking his watch as their loved ones' bodies were brought to Dover Air Force Base and his apparent indifference to their sacrifice."To this day, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have never mentioned these fallen soldiers' names," said the narrator of a video featuring the Gold Star families. Those names are Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, and Cpl. Hunter Lopez.Biden's alleged callousness has prompted the families to support Trump. "While Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice, Donald Trump spent six hours in Bedminster [New Jersey] with us," said Gee's mother, Christy Shamblin. "Donald Trump knew all of our children’s names. He knew all of their stories."A WWII veteranAfter the Gold Star families returned to their seats, another man who served his country took the stage in endearing fashion. Sgt. William "Bill" Pekrul, a 99-year-old proud Wisconsinite who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in June 1944, spoke of his enduring love for his country."America is still worth fighting for," he insisted.He also expressed admiration for Trump's leadership while in office and claimed that, should duty call once again, he'd happily re-enlist. "I would storm whatever beach ... my country needs me to," he said.A member of the next Trump generationAnother speaker who stole the hearts and minds of viewers is a member of a much younger generation. Kai Trump, the 17-year-old daughter of Donald Trump Jr., gave the world a glimpse of a different side of former President Trump, a man she lovingly calls Grandpa.'We love you, Grandpa. Never stop fighting!'"To me, he's just a normal grandpa. He gives us candy and soda when our parents aren't looking. He always wants to know how we're doing in school," she explained.Kai made mention of her and her grandfather's shared love of golf and their affectionate rivalry when playing against one another. "He tries to get in my head," she said with a smile.Despite her youth, Kai is very much aware of the forces at work trying to thwart her grandfather's re-election efforts. "A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell," she claimed, adding that he has always managed to persevere."We love you, Grandpa. Never stop fighting!"JD Vance pays homage to his familyThe night closed with a strong, focused speech from Trump's vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). And while he advocated strongly for policies that he believes will best uplift the "forgotten communities" of Appalachia and the Rust Belt, the area of the country that Vance calls home, his fond description of his wife, his mother, and his late grandmother stole the show.'This frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm's length of whatever she needed to protect her family.'Many in the audience were likely already familiar with these women since Vance discussed all three at length in his 2016 best-selling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," a story that director Ron Howard then turned into a major film four years later.Though Vance grew up in a troubled family, marred by poverty and addiction, he shared humorous anecdotes about his loved ones, including his late grandmother Bonnie Vance, whom he called Mamaw, a "guardian angel" who was "tough as nails." According to Vance, in addition to her fierce love of her family, Mamaw loved "the Lord," "the F-word," and guns. Following Mamaw's death in 2005, the family "found 19 loaded handguns" in her house, Vance claimed. "They were stashed all over her house — under her bed, in her closet, in the silverware drawer. ... This frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm's length of whatever she needed to protect her family."During his speech, Vance also paid tribute to his mother, Beverly Aikins, whose struggles with addiction shaped much of Vance's childhood. Now nearly 10 years sober, Aikins attended the convention and beamed with pride as Vance gestured to her, seated near Trump."That's my boy," she repeated as the audience chanted, "JD's mom!""I love you, Mom," Vance added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Nancy Pelosi and Other Dems' Intervention Pushing Biden to Withdraw FAILED So Now They're Playing Dirty

Here's a New Batch of Swing State Polling to Throw the Dems Into an Even Bigger Panic

The vast expanse of the African desert has long been a source of intrigue and adventure. Ancient historians told legends of curious tribes amidst the merciless landscape and formidable armies swallowed by the sands. As riveting as these legends may be, none are so captivating as the enigmatic lost city of Zerzura. Known as the “Oasis of Little Birds,” its inhabitants were enchanting, and its treasure, abounding. For centuries, stories had been told of precarious travelers stumbling upon it, but searching the inhospitable desert for its existence would only prove futile. During the early 20th century, as technological advancements brought a renewed interest in the unknown, Zerzura seemed to be the topic on every explorer, archaeologist, and scholar’s tongue. One by one, they took to the sands, in hopes to finally solve this mystery.   Read moreSection: NewsMyths & LegendsAfricaPremiumPreviewRead Later