Trump Admin Promotes IRS Whistleblowers ‘Wrongly Punished’ Over Hunter Biden Probe

 Two Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers are receiving promotions after they were “wrongfully targeted” following their testimony on embattled former first son Hunter Biden’s tax evasion, according to a Tuesday press release from the U.S. Treasury Department.

The release indicated that Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler would be given new roles as Senior Advisors within the Treasury Department, and that part of their job would be to “drive much-needed cultural reform within the IRS.”

“The United States Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today announced that the two IRS whistleblowers who had been wrongfully targeted for investigating Hunter Biden’s evasion of taxes on his $8.3 million income would be brought in to the U.S. Department of Treasury as Senior Advisors,” the press release stated.

What followed was a statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who added, “I am pleased to welcome Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler to the Treasury Department, where they will help us drive much-needed cultural reform within the IRS. These veteran civil servants join us to help further the agency’s focus on collections, modernization, and customer service, so we can deliver a more effective and efficient IRS experience for hardworking American taxpayers. I appreciate Senator Grassley’s efforts in Congress to support whistleblower protections in order to improve transparency, accountability and root out the culture of retaliation.”

The release concluded, “Shapley and Ziegler, who spent years working on the Hunter Biden tax evasion case, came forward in 2022 and subsequently faced political persecution by the IRS, including several attempts to discredit their reputations and ruin their careers.”

Both Shapley and Ziegler were named in a lawsuit filed by Hunter Biden’s attorneys, alleging that they had made confidential tax information public in their testimonies.

“This suit against the IRS is just another frivolous smear by Biden family attorneys trying to turn people’s attention away from Hunter Biden’s own legal problems and intimidate any current and future whistleblowers,” Shapley responded at the time through his own legal team.

Schumer Attacks Americans Who Think They Should Get To Keep What They Earn

 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) ridiculed Americans who dare to suggest that people should be allowed to keep what they earn, promising that government was there to stop them from doing so.

Schumer, who made an appearance Tuesday on ABC’s “The View,” spent much of the broadcast on his heels playing defense as the hosts grilled him over his last-minute support for the Republican-led Continuing Resolution that passed Friday and will fund the federal government through September.

During one segment, however, he paused to mock American conservatives and business owners who have the audacity to argue that they should be able to keep what they’ve earned and operate the businesses they’ve built in the way that they see fit.

WATCH:

chumer asked, and then answered his own question in mocking tones: “‘I made my money all by myself. How dare your government take my money from me? I don’t want to pay taxes.’ Or, ‘I built my company with my bare hands. How dare your government tell me how I should treat my customers, my – the land and water that I own, or my employees?'”

“They hate government, government is a barrier to people. A barrier to stop them from doing things,” Schumer continued, raising his arms and shaking both fists. “They want to destroy it. We are not letting them do it, and we’re united!”

Despite Schumer’s claims, the Democratic Party has not appeared united of late. In the aftermath of Friday’s CR vote, a number of House Democrats and media personalities have come out and publicly criticized Schumer, arguing that he “caved” and suggesting that he might not be the right person to lead the Democrats in the Senate.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) led all but one Democrat in the lower chamber (Rep. Jared Golden of Maine) to vote against the CR, and while he is not normally one to be critical of Schumer, refused to answer when asked whether he believed Schumer was fit to continue leading in the Senate. “Next question,” was all he would say.

Texas Arrests 48-Year-Old Woman For Performing Illegal Abortions, Operating Fake Clinics

 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that a 48-year-old Houston woman had been arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions. 

Paxton said that Maria Margarita Rojas was providing illegal abortions in the Northwest Houston area and was operating a network of illegal clinics. Rojas was charged with one count of performing an illegal abortion and practicing medicine without a license. 

“In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Paxton said. “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.”

 

Paxton said that an investigation from his Law Enforcement Division found that Rojas operated multiple clinics in the Houston area including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring. These clinics were allegedly operated by individuals who pretended to be medical professionals without licenses. 

According to Paxton, Rojas performed illegal abortions at these clinics in violation of Texas’ Human Life Protection Act. Paxton said the case was referred to him by Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore. 

Rojas could face a penalty of at least $100,000 if found guilty of performing an illegal abortion. 

Paxton’s actions were praised by pro-life groups, like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

“Abortion activists’ reckless, criminal disregard for women’s lives and unborn life is on full display,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “We thank Attorney General Paxton for his strong leadership to put a stop to this brutality, including taking on sellers of dangerous abortion drugs across state lines, and hope others will follow his example.”

Paxton previously secured a $100,000 penalty and permanent injunction against a New York abortionist he had sued for allegedly sending abortion pills into Texas in violation of state law.

Morning Brief: A Tale Of Two Ceasefires, JFK Files Released, And Market Volatility

 President Donald Trump’s lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin results in a key step toward peace with Ukraine, while Israel resumes its war with Hamas. The Trump administration releases thousands of files on JFK’s assassination. And a stock market dip raises questions about the future of the American economy.

It’s Wednesday, March 19, and this is news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:

A Tale of Two Ceasefires

(Photo by NTCo via Getty Images

Topline: In a major diplomatic breakthrough, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to phase one of a ceasefire in Ukraine following a long phone call with President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, hostilities between Israel and Hamas resumed in Gaza after the end of a two-month truce.

The Best of Times: President Trump campaigned on a promise to bring the war in Ukraine to an end upon taking office, and we’ve now seen by far the most significant steps toward peace since the conflict began. The president and Putin talked for at least 90 minutes; by the end, they agreed to a limited ceasefire to end strikes on Ukrainian energy and infrastructure facilities for the next thirty days. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “civilian infrastructure” was struck by Russian drones after the Trump-Putin phone call. Moscow has used waves of drones and missiles to target Ukrainian energy plants and refineries, knocking out power across the country and cutting electricity production in half. Ukraine has had similar success striking Russian oil refineries, threatening one of the country’s top industries.

The Trump administration insists that yesterday’s agreement was phase one of a broader “movement to peace,” which will begin immediately with further formal negotiations taking place in the Middle East. Going forward, the two sides will work on a broader maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, followed by a full ceasefire across both countries, as the penultimate step to a “permanent peace.” In the meantime, the Kremlin announced they would conduct a prisoner swap with the Ukrainians later today, with 175 prisoners being released from each side.

 

(Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Worst of Times: On Tuesday, Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinians. Hamas claims the victims were mostly civilians, including children. Israel says they targeted terrorists. After the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it was “only the beginning” and that his country would continue pushing forward until Hamas has been destroyed and all of the hostages are brought home.

The two sides had been abiding by a ceasefire since January, which included promises from Hamas to free all of the remaining hostages in their possession. But in the last two months, the terror group released just 33 hostages — eight of whom were dead — while Israel released nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, including a number of convicted terrorists. Netanyahu says Hamas failed to abide by the terms of the ceasefire and Israeli intelligence had proof they were regrouping and preparing new attacks on his nation.

“Hamas was actively recruiting, actively rearming, and planning its next attacks across the border,” Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, told Morning Wire. “Israel concluded that the whole situation was untenable, and while the last thing they wanted to do was to endanger the lives of these hostages further, because they’re all in desperate shape, there was no choice but to ratchet up a military pressure on Hamas in the hope that it’ll actually come to the table and strike a deal.”

JFK Files Released

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2017 — Visitors line under a poster of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy to enter the Newseum in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 26, 2017. The U.S. National Archives is set to release on Thursday the previously classified files related to former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination more than half a century ago. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu via Getty Images)

Topline: The Trump administration released tens of thousands of pages of documents on Tuesday related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump pledged to release all classified documents on the Kennedy assassination, and late on Tuesday afternoon, the documents began to appear on the National Archives website. According to ABC News, DOJ attorneys were up all night sifting through documents, examining sensitive information, and making decisions on potential redactions. Trump said on Monday that about 80,000 pages of yet-to-be-released documents on the JFK assassination would be made public.

“We’ve got a tremendous amount of paper,” President Trump said in a statement on Monday. “You’ve got a lot of reading. I don’t believe we’re going to redact anything.”

No bombshells have turned up in the files yet – again, 80,000 pages is a lot to get through – there are handwritten notes, old typewritten reports, and some blurry pages. Daily Wire reporters have found some entertaining nuggets. One document appears to show that John F. Kennedy Jr., before he died in 1999, called then-Sen. Joe Biden a “traitor.” Another showed that FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was tracking a set of safes – and knew their combinations – that were purchased for a Soviet embassy in Cuba. Another bit told of how Gary Underhill, a former U.S. Army captain in World War II, suspected a “small clique” in the CIA was behind JFK’s assassination. The document said he was afraid, and that six months later, he was found shot and pronounced dead by suicide.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote in a post after the files were released, quote, “President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency… Promises made, promises kept.”

Market Volatility

Financial asset investment analysis with volume and candle stick chart

Topline: After a tumultuous month for stocks, and new Trump tariffs, the Fed will meet today to discuss rate changes.

Stock prices have declined significantly over the past month, a downturn many analysts attribute to the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policies. As of market close on Tuesday:

• The DOW Jones Industrial Average had declined by 6.68% over the last month
• The Nasdaq was down 12.66%
• The S&P 500 was down 8.40%

Some observers, like The Daily Wire’s own Ben Shapiro, have cautioned that tariffs create instability and could cause an economic downturn, which could be politically disastrous for the Trump administration. Others, including members of the Trump administration, are more bullish on the long-term benefits of tariffs and believe that the negative effects on the American economy have been exaggerated in the press.

“The economy in the first quarter is doing better than the media is reporting,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business. “We are seeing some good underlying data from credit card companies, from banks … the underlying economy is healthy.”

“When you look at what’s going on with tariffs, obviously, it’s creating a lot of uncertainty, which is causing a lot of fantastic stocks to pull back or sell off,” Mark Tepper, CEO of Strategic Wealth Partners, told Morning Wire. “That’s presenting good buying opportunities.”

Education Belongs In The States, Not Washington

 The U.S. Department of Education is an $80 billion failure. For decades, it’s promised better schools and brighter futures, yet delivered little beyond bureaucracy and stagnation. President Trump is right: it’s time to end the Department of Education and hand states the reins.

In Tennessee, we understand that the best education system considers the unique needs of every student and empowers parents to choose what’s best for their child. We also have a proven track record of stewarding tax dollars wisely to achieve the maximum benefit for our students and teachers. By returning education to the states, we can once again make an American education the gold standard across the globe.

Since the department’s creation in 1979, the federal government has spent more than $6 trillion on education, yet our kids aren’t reading any better, solving equations any faster, or competing stronger globally. The “Nation’s Report Card” shows reading and math scores for 17-year-olds stuck where they were in the 1970s. Meanwhile, administrative staff in public schools has ballooned, growing by 19 times the rate of student growth since 2000, while resources are failing to make it into the classroom and teachers drown in paperwork. This isn’t just waste – it’s a sacrifice of our children’s future.

Worse yet, the department has become a megaphone for ideological agendas that undermine parents’ rights. The Biden Education Department pushed critical race theory in classrooms and threatened funding to schools that didn’t allow boys in girls’ sports. That’s not education – it’s ideology. In Tennessee, we’re focused on teaching our kids the facts – real civics and hard science – so they can think for themselves and take pride in our nation’s great story.

Education simply isn’t Washington’s job. Before 1979, states like Tennessee built school systems without a federal babysitter. That’s why President Ronald Reagan called the department a “bureaucracy that’s outlived its usefulness” and pushed to shift power back to parents and community leaders. Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract with America again called for abolishing the Department of Education. Today, President Trump is making good on generations of promises.

Tennessee, like many states, has proven that when parents and communities lead, students succeed. Our state has led the nation in academic recovery post-COVID and implemented literacy programs helping kids read at higher levels than ever before. And with the passage of universal school choice in Tennessee this year, thanks to President Trump’s support, we’ve put parents in the driver’s seat.

Look beyond Tennessee and the evidence piles up. Mississippi’s “Miracle” lifted 4th-grade reading scores above the national average thanks to state-driven literacy reforms. Florida’s investments in choice and education since 1999 have helped low-income students rise from 33rd to 1st nationally in reading scores, while graduation rates increased and dropout rates were cut nearly in half.

President Trump can end the federal government’s authority over education because the Constitution never granted it in the first place. The Department of Education’s main role is sending states money, which Washington somehow succeeded in doing before creating the department. Other parts of the federal government are likely better equipped to serve students, such as the Treasury with student loans.

Cutting off the bureaucracy does not mean turning off the funding. States already handle 90% of K-12 funding; the federal 10% — about $1.8 billion for Tennessee — can be managed smarter at home. We’ve done it before: Tennessee’s Medicaid block grant has saved taxpayers a billion dollars over three years while improving care. Imagine what we could do with education dollars, cutting waste and pouring resources into classrooms, not cubicles.

President Trump’s plan means hope for America’s children. It opens doors to state-driven innovation, unleashing the creative potential of all 50 states. And it gives parents — not Washington — more control over the education of their children.

It’s time to end this failed experiment and return education to the states. We know our children. We know what works. Let states lead — and watch our kids thrive.

Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban On Transgenders In Military

 On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes — nominated to her post by former President Biden — issued a preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from banning transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military.

 

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who in the past worked to defeat California Proposition 209, which wanted to ban state governmental institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity regarding employment, claimed in her 79-page opinion that military leaders were “responsible for integrating transgender persons into open military service,” and asserted that recruiting, unit cohesion, and military readiness had improved since 2021.

On January 27, President Trump issued Executive Order 14183, which revoked Biden’s Executive Order 14004, which permitted transgenders to serve openly in the military. Trump’s order stated:

… the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion. Longstanding Department of Defense (DoD) policy (DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6130.03) provides that it is the policy of the DoD to ensure that service members are “[f]ree of medical conditions or physical defects that may reasonably be expected to require excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalization.”

“Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” the order continued. “Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life. A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”

On February 26, Defense Secretary Hegseth issued a memo whose policy stated, “Military service by service members and applicants for military service who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is incompatible with military service.”

“In 2022 and 2023, the Army missed its recruitment goal by nearly twenty-five per cent—about fifteen thousand troops a year,” The New Yorker reported last month. “It hit the mark last year, but only by reducing the target by more than ten thousand. The Navy has also fared badly: it failed to reach its goals in 2023, then met them in 2024 by filling out the ranks with recruits of a lower standard; nearly half measured below average on an aptitude exam. The Army Reserve hasn’t met its benchmark since 2016, and the ranks are so depleted that active-duty officers have been put in charge of reserve units.

Reyes claimed the Trump administration “rushed” their policy into action, comparing it to previous policies that allowed transgenders into the military. “The law does not demand that the Court rubber-stamp illogical judgments based on conjecture,” she argued.

She also accused the transgender ban of having “animus.” Reyes wrote, “The Court could stop here in its analysis and comfortably conclude that plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the Military Ban is motivated by animus and is not tailored to meet its stated goals.”

New Jersey hospitals ask parents to assign pronouns, sexual orientation to newborns in bizarre survey

 New Jersey hospitals are now asking new parents to identify their newborn babies’ preferred pronouns and sexual orientation.

Yes, you read that correctly: Hospitals in the Garden State are handing out forms that demand parents categorize their infants as “Male, Female, Transgender, Gender Queer” or even “Additional gender category,” and describe them as “Lesbian or gay, Straight or heterosexual, Bisexual, Questioning/Unsure.”

This absurd questionnaire, which defies all logic and common sense, is part of a state law passed in 2022 requiring healthcare providers to collect detailed demographic data — including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity — from patients. But applying this to newborns? It’s a shining example of how radical gender ideology has infiltrated healthcare, targeting children from their very first moments of life.

A form that defies reality

The controversial form, distributed by Inspira Health — a network of four hospitals, two cancer centers, and eight health centers in South Jersey — has sparked outrage among parents and politicians alike. The questionnaire asks parents to “identify” their newborns’ gender and sexual orientation, despite the obvious fact that infants have no possible way of comprehending such concepts.

Parents who have encountered the form are calling it “crazy,” “insane,” and “absurd.” Sandy Anello, a mother of two from Bridgewater, New Jersey, didn’t mince words: “That form is completely crazy, and anyone who would dictate a baby’s sexual orientation probably has an agenda. If I was told to fill this out, I’d rip it up in front of them. It feels like we’ve entered ‘The Twilight Zone.’”

Carsen Rodgers, a mom-to-be from Jersey City, echoed the sentiment: “Identifying my baby as gay on Day 1 is insane. I had no idea about this form, and I’m shocked.”

The form is a direct result of a 2022 New Jersey law, introduced by Democratic State Sens. Joseph Cryan and Angela McKnight, which mandates healthcare providers to collect demographic data on patients. While the law was ostensibly designed to help public health officials develop targeted measures, its application to newborns has left many scratching their heads. State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen), who has been vocal in her criticism, called the form “completely and utterly insane.”

“As a mom myself, I know you’re exhausted after giving birth, you’ve got a crying newborn, and you’re trying to figure out how to feed it. To be handed that sort of form in the midst of all that has no medical value — it makes no sense,” Schepisi told the New York Post. She plans to introduce legislation to revise the law, limiting the collection of such data to patients aged 16 and older.

Schepisi also questioned the origins of the law, which was passed with minimal debate. “What was the genesis of this bill? How did it move so quickly with barely any committee hearings on it?” she asked. She suspects the data is being collected for some undisclosed purpose, adding, “Someone is buying this data and using it for some sort of agenda.”

Parents push back

The backlash against the form has been swift and fierce. Lillie Mingle, a South Jersey mother who received the questionnaire during her pregnancy, described her reaction as “shocked, and then disgust set in.” She posted the form on social media, where it quickly went viral, with other mothers confirming they had received similar forms at other hospitals.

“Regardless of my own personal beliefs, the language used alone was very troubling,” Mingle said. “It’s my hope that it will be completely rescinded soon. I know how hard it is freshly postpartum to have coherent thoughts to even push back on such a thing.”

Inspira Health has defended the form, stating it is “required by New Jersey law” and that parents “are permitted to decline to provide this information.” However, the hospital network has sought a waiver from the state, citing negative feedback from patients.

A call for sanity

This bizarre episode is a shining example of how far radical ideologies have infiltrated institutions that should prioritize common sense and practicality. Mandating parents to assign sexual orientations and gender identities to newborns is not only absurd but also a waste of medical professionals’ time and resources. As Schepisi aptly put it, “This form serves no practical medical purpose for the care of a newborn baby.”

For now, parents in New Jersey are left to navigate this surreal landscape, where even the most basic aspects of life are politicized. One can only hope that sanity will prevail, and this ridiculous mandate will be rescinded before it spreads further.