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ALBUQUERQUE, NM - A Good Samaritan in New Mexico took down a bank robber last month as the thief tried to run off with more than $2,000 in stolen cash, according to authorities.

Humberto Garcia Rodriguez was sitting in the lobby at a Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Albuquerque, when he witnessed a man walk in and push a woman out of the way to talk to the teller, according to a report by KOB 4.

The man, later identified as John Martin, had just robbed the same bank a month earlier, according to court documents.

Police said Martin mimed a gun at the teller and demanded cash. Meanwhile, Rodriguez decided to take action.

Video footage shows Rodriguez getting behind Martin and tackling him before he could make his getaway. As the scuffle commenced, a total of $2,422 in cash went flying into the air, scattering at the men’s feet. Click here to read more.

 

JD Vance spoke over the weekend at the Munich security conference on behalf of the United States — the primary topic was Ukraine, for obvious reasons — but instead of discussing the immediate geopolitical matter, he took his time at the rostrum to deliver a harsh message to the European grandees gathered there about the enemy “within.” And he wasn’t subtle in identifying that threat as the overreaction of Europeans to dissident populist parties:

The threat that I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values: values shared with the United States of America.

I was struck that a former European commissioner went on television recently and sounded delighted that the Romanian government had just annulled an entire election. He warned that if things don’t go to plan, the very same thing could happen in Germany too.

Now, these cavalier statements are shocking to American ears. For years we’ve been told that everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values. Everything from our Ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - While U.S. currency has no such denomination, the fake bill in the image also has similar modern money markings and Trump phrases as the counterfeit $100.

Making or using counterfeit money is a serious crime. Earlier this month, a 28-year-old man in Chicago was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for manufacturing about $92,000 in fake $100 bills. Authorities said he tried to use the bills to make purchases at local businesses, recruiting woman and even girls as young as 16 years old to assist with the purchases.

If you do come across a counterfeit bill, contact police or the U.S. Secret Service Omaha field office.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development wasn’t just spending your hard-earned tax dollars on transgender operas overseas—USAID also has troubling connections with the leftist pressure groups that infiltrated and advised the Biden administration.

My book, “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” exposes the woke activist groups that fed staff into the administrative state and pushed woke policies on the bureaucracy.

As President Donald Trump released information about USAID’s corruption, I started to notice a few familiar names from my research.

The American people should understand just how connected the woke enterprise is to the federal bureaucracy, and USAID provides a powerful example of those ties. Click here to read more.

 

A Christian advocacy group is praising God for “victory” after successfully working to shut down what they say is a “disturbing exhibit” at a Texas museum.

The Danbury Institute, a nonpartisan association of Evangelical churches based in Dallas, first brought attention to the "Diaries of Home" exhibit by acclaimed photographer Sally Mann at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in late December, when police removed four photographs from the museum over allegations that the exhibit promoted child pornography.

The group shared an update on Feb. 11 announcing that the photos that were seized remain in police custody as the investigation continues as a “direct result of public pressure and God’s faithfulness in answering our prayers.”

“This is a powerful reminder that when Christians stand for truth, we can make a difference,” the statement added.

The group also warned against complacency on the part of Christians engaging with culture, adding that “the normalization of child exploitation in the name of ‘art’ is a growing threat in our culture, and we must remain vigilant. Click here to read more.

This email is free Monday through Friday! I also produce special investigations and shows on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

I left a high-paying media job to go independent, and I can’t do it without your support.

Paid subscriptions are just $6/month and keep this work alive. Cancel anytime. Click the red subscribe button to join!

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Trinity J Shockley, a transgender male who prefers to go by Jamie or Dex, allegedly planned to carry out a Parkland-style shooting Friday at Indiana’s Mooresville High School.

Police were alerted to Shockley’s alleged plans and arrested him 48-hours before the planned attack.

FOX News noted “the FBI in Indianapolis received a tip and contacted the Mooresville Metropolitan Police Department (MMPD) to assess the credibility.” The “tip” indicated that Shockley allegedly planned to carry out a school shooting with an AR-15 and that he “had ordered a bullet proof vest.”

The information given to the FBI also indicated Shockley was “infatuated” with the man who killed 17 people in the February 14, 2018, Parkland shooting.

KBTX reported Shockley wanted the Parkland shooter to recognize him as his “number one fan.”

Shockley’s home was searched on Wednesday and law enforcement uncovered a “shrine” to mass shooters, with photos of such shooters on the wall, “as well as buttons with their faces on it.” Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - Detroit businesswoman Fay Beydoun is collecting a $550,000 annual salary from taxpayers as she continues to defy the state’s efforts to recoup a shady $20 million legislative grant.

Beydoun, a former Michigan Economic Development Corporation appointee of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democratic donor, disclosed her annual salary in draft memo included with a package of documents she sent the state last month detailing grant spending for the last quarter of 2024, The Detroit News reports.

“Her salary of $550,000 is in line with compensation to executives of other international organizations with similar missions and budgets,” Beydoun wrote in the document obtained by The News.

The news site notes Beydoun’s paycheck is roughly three times larger than Whitmer’s.

The news site notes Beydoun’s paycheck is roughly three times larger than Whitmer’s.

The recent report details how Beydoun is spending a $20 million grant she received from the Michigan Legislature in 2022 for Global Link International, a nonprofit business accelerator she founded 11 days after lawmakers approved the funding. Click here to read more.

 

KALAMAZOO, Mich - The start of the new year is typically a time when people make big changes around health—and drug companies are no exception.

As of Jan. 1, more than 250 branded drugs from pharmaceutical giants including Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi-Pasteur, Merck, Pfizer, and more will see price hikes in the U.S., according to data analysis conducted by health care research firm 3 Axis Advisors.

Pfizer alone is raising prices on over 60 drugs, the most on the list. (Pfizer has nearly 500 products in its portfolio.) In addition to a 3% increase on Paxlovid, its COVID treatment, Pfizer’s cancer drugs Adcetris and Ibrance, as well as arthritis treatment Xeljanz, will now cost between 3% and 5% more, according to Reuters.

The median increase—which is only to the list price and does not include rebates or other discounts—is similar year over year at 4.5%. Still, more drugs are getting higher price tags in 2025 compared with last year.

Pfizer told Fortune in a statement: “Pfizer has adjusted the average list prices of our medicines and vaccines for 2025 below the overall rate of inflation—approximately 2.4%—across many products in our diverse product portfolio. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich. – Wednesday marks one of the two most important days for a school district when it comes to their funding: Count Day.

This year, Feb. 12 is Count Day, when attendance in class is used to determine how much funding a school district receives. In Michigan, the vast majority of funding is given on a per-pupil basis. Currently, the state pays an across-the-board $9,608 per pupil to public school districts for the “foundation allowance.” But there are many other forms of revenue that are calculated on a per-pupil basis, such a federal money and other state revenue streams such as money for at-risk students.

If a student doesn’t show up today, the state still allows for that missing student to be counted. For instance, if it is an unexcused absence, that missing student can still be counted if they attend school within 10 days of the count day. Click here to read more.

 

EATON, Ohio (WRKC) - Ken Long, a 54-year-old veteran from Eaton, has been denied a heart transplant at Christ Hospital due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Long, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure nearly a year ago, believes the decision is based on his vaccination status.

"When I decide something, I mean it, and if it takes dying, it's what it is," Long said. "They don't know enough about it, and plus it's already done a lot of damage. People have said blood clots. There are no cardiac issues and our personal religious rights."

Initially, Long's wife, Christina, disagreed with his decision.

"It's my husband. I don't want to lose my husband," Christina said. "In the moment, you're just overwhelmed, and you want to do anything you can to save somebody's life, and then I had to regroup myself. It's his right."

Long now relies on a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to pump blood to his heart.

"I can hardly do anything. If the power goes out, I have to worry about my batteries and my charger," Long said. "You can't get wet, so showering is an issue." Click here to read more.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued new guidance Friday reaffirming that race-based policies in educational institutions receiving federal funding are unlawful, citing the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA).

In a letter to schools, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor stated that discrimination based on race, color, or national origin remains illegal under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He warned that schools using race as a factor in admissions, hiring, financial aid, and other policies could face enforcement action, including the potential loss of federal funding.

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“The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions,” Trainor wrote. “Treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”

This applies to public schools at all levels—K-12 and universities—because they receive federal funding.

The letter follows the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA v. Harvard, which struck down race-based college admissions practices. Trainor emphasized that the ruling applies beyond admissions, barring institutions from using race as a factor in any educational decision-making unless it meets the strict scrutiny standard, which allows for race-based action only in cases of remedying past constitutional violations or addressing imminent safety concerns, such as prison riots.

The guidance also takes aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, arguing that they frequently involve race-based preferences and reinforce racial stereotypes. Schools were advised to discontinue any practices that “preference certain racial groups” or that use non-racial factors as proxies for race in decision-making.

The Department warned that compliance assessments will begin within 14 days and urged schools to review their policies immediately. Institutions found in violation could face federal funding consequences.

The guidance does not create new legal standards but reiterates existing federal law. The letter also provides information on how individuals can file complaints regarding potential violations of civil rights protections in education.

Click here to read the entire letter sent to the states.