Today is the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in 2000.
Back in 2012 I interviewed Captain Kirk S. Lippold, the commanding officer of the USS Cole when the ship was attacked by Islamic fanatic terrorist.
You can read the Q&A via
the pages below:
Today is Columbus Day and I
expect to see a good bit of Columbus-bashing. .
But as I'm half-Italian and I was born and
raised in a predominately Italian-American neighborhood in South Philadelphia,
I share the pride of Italian-Americans who know that the explorer who
"discovered" America was an Italian.
Yes, despite the views of the politically
correct, who once again this year will note that people lived here before
Columbus, that others visited here before Columbus, and that Columbus
brought slavery and genocide to the new land, I believe that Columbus did in
fact discover America.
As Michael Berliner wrote in Capitalism magazine, "Columbus
brought America to the attention of the civilized world, i.e., to the growing,
scientific civilization of Western Europe. The result, ultimately, was the
Untied States of America."
And for that Columbus should be honored by all
Americans.
A few years back, Charles C.W. Cooke wrote
about Columbus in National Review.
As the historian William J. Connell argues,
Columbus may not have been the first of the voyagers to discover America, but
he was undoubtedly the most important. “His arrival,” Connell explains, “marks
where we as a country and a hemisphere began our identity.”
Unlike previous landings, Columbus’s
mattered. It was the first to lead to a permanent settlement and the first
enduring landing from a civilization that boasted modern ideas such as a belief
in science, reason, individual achievement, and Christianity.
Ultimately, Columbus’s story serves as the
introduction to a story of immeasurable historical importance. To dismiss
celebration of the man because he didn’t make it to America first would be akin
to declaring that we must scorn Isaac Newton’s contribution to science because
he wasn’t actually hit by an apple.
Note: You can also read Joseph Filocomo's National Review piece on Columbus via the link below:
The War on Christopher Columbus Is Unfounded | National Review
Happy Columbus Day!
While
the campaign to discredit and villainize Christopher Columbus goes on, Ben
Broussard at tfpstudentaction.org offers a piece and video clip that debunks 10
things about the great man who truly discovered America.
You can read the piece and
watch the video clip via the below link:
10 Things People Get Wrong About Christopher Columbus - TFP Student Action
U.S. Army Public Affairs announced on October 7, 2026 that former U.S. Major Nidal Hasan, who opened fire on soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, killing 13 and wounding 32, will be executed on December 3rd.
“On Oct. 6, 2026, the Acting Secretary of the Army Hon. Adam Telle directed the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad. The execution will take place at Fort Hood, Texas at 1 p.m. CST on Dec. 3, 2026,” the U.S. Army stated. “The President has sole authority to approve the sentence of death for a military prisoner. On Oct. 2, 2026, President Donald J. Trump approved the death sentence in this case. The President acted following completion of a full appellate process which upheld the conviction and sentence to death.
“In accordance with Army Regulation 190-55, the Secretary of the
Army must select an execution date that falls within 60 to 150 days from the
date the President approved the death sentence. The court-martial jury found
Hasan guilty of all 42 counts on Aug. 23, 2013, and then five days later
set his punishment at death.
“On March 31, 2025, the Supreme Court denied his request for review of his court-martial conviction. Army Regulation 190-55 governs the procedures for military executions. In accordance with that regulation, upon final judgment as to the legality of the court-martial proceedings, The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) transmits various documents, including the record of trial, any clemency petitions by the prisoner and/or counsel, and TJAG’s recommendation, to the Secretary of the Army. The Secretary of Army makes a recommendation, then forwards the packet to the Secretary of War for additional recommendation to the President.”
On this
day in 1967 Communist revolutionary Ernesto “Che: Guevara was executed by the Bolivian Army in
Boliva, where the Argentine Cuban failed to incite a communist revolution.
You can read my Counterterrorism magazine piece on the hunt for Che via the link below:
Paul Davis On Crime: Look Back At The Hunt For Communist Revolutionary Che Guevara
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California announced that an Orange County woman has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging her with acting in the United States as an unregistered agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), including by conducting surveillance of family members of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, the Justice Department announced today.
Wanying Zhang, 34, a.k.a. “Heather Zhang,” of Irvine, was
arrested on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, where she planned to
board a flight to China. She is expected to make her initial appearance and be
arraigned this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
“Protecting our national security means confronting foreign
governments that engage in covert operations in our nation,” said First
Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Ms. Zhang acted at the
direction of Chinese government officials to spy on the family of a senior
Taiwanese official here in the United States. She violated our laws and will be
held accountable in our courts. We will aggressively investigate and prosecute
illegal foreign operations on American soil.”
“The central allegation here — that Zhang, at the behest of the
People’s Republic of China, covertly surveilled relatives of a high-ranking
foreign government official in the United States — is deeply troubling,” said
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The
National Security Division and U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along with the FBI and
other law enforcement partners, will remain vigilant against threats like this
on our soil.”
“The complaint in this case lays bare a brazen plot directed by
the Chinese government to conduct a covert surveillance mission on U.S. soil
targeting close relatives of a Taiwanese government official,” said Assistant
Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage
Division. “Wanying Zhang’s arrest for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent
of the Chinese government makes clear how far China’s authoritarian regime will
go to advance its goals. However, this case also demonstrates the FBI’s
unwavering commitment to defending the sovereignty of our democratic allies and
combating all attempts by the Chinese government — and any foreign adversary —
to conduct transnational repression within our
borders.”
According to the complaint, from June 2025 to September 2025,
Zhang acted as an agent of the Chinese government without prior notification to
the Attorney General of the United States, as required by federal law.
At the direction and control of Chinese government officials,
Zhang coordinated with other individuals to promote the interests of China by,
among other things, conducting surveillance on family members of a high-ranking
Taiwanese government official at their residence in the United States.
In June 2025, Zhang traveled from Southern California to China,
where she met with Chinese government officials and was tasked with conducting
the surveillance in the United States.
On August 29, 2025, Zhang and another individual flew from John
Wayne Airport in Orange County to Las Vegas. On September 1, 2025, they flew
from Las Vegas to the state where the victim resides. On that date, she
messaged a PRC government official that she was “Boarding now” and sent the PRC
official a photograph of her boarding pass.
Upon their arrival, Zhang and the other individual rented a car
and drove to the victim’s residence, where they conducted surveillance. Zhang
sent the same PRC official the following message: “Saw him, young male, it’s
the young one.” When this official asked her to join an audio call, she
replied, “I am videorecording.”
Zhang also sent the same official the license plate numbers for
the two vehicles parked in front of the victim’s home.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Zhang would face a statutory maximum sentence of
10 years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda B. Elbogen and Colin S.
Scott of the National Security Division and Justice Department Senior Counsel
Scott M. Lara of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and
Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.
Broad + Liberty and Philly Daily ran my On Crime column today.
Here in Philadelphia U.S. Attorney David Mecalf (seen in the above photo) announced the creation of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
(“EDPA”) Interagency Fraud Task Force (“IFTF”).
The Task Force consists of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the
Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division (“NFED”), and 14
other federal law enforcement agencies. Through expanded data-sharing and
investigative cooperation, the IFTF will focus on detecting, investigating, and
prosecuting those who defraud and steal from American taxpayers.
On
October 1st the U.S. Attorney’s Office (“USAO”) hosted the first meeting of the
IFTF, attended by federal prosecutors and representatives of the member
agencies. Topics of discussion included cultivating all available criminal
intelligence, innovating methods for identifying leads, and enhancing
cross-agency collaboration and information sharing.
“The
great fraud of our time has been against the American taxpayer by criminals who
have looted government benefits programs,” Metcalf said. “Although we have
enjoyed strong partnerships with individual agencies to combat this threat, it
is time to get everyone to the table and muster a total approach to
identifying, investigating, and prosecuting government fraud. Safeguarding the
public fisc requires nothing less than striking fear in the heart of every
fraudster who would steal from the national till.”
Metcalf
also thanked the agencies comprising the EDPA Interagency Fraud Task Force for
their collaboration and commitment to the fighting fraud on behalf of the U.S.
government and the taxpayers who fund it.
The 14
federal law enforcement agencies joining the USAO and NFED on the IFTF:
►
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
► Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
► Drug Enforcement Administration
► Federal Bureau of Investigation
► Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations
► Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
► Homeland Security Investigations
► Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General
► Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
► Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General
► Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General
► Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
► U.S. Postal Inspection Service
► Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General
“These
efforts are part of the nationwide initiative to combat fraud led by the White
House and Department of Justice. On March 16, 2026, President Donald Trump
issued Executive Order 14395, directing federal agencies to
coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive strategy to reduce waste, fraud, and
abuse within federal benefit programs, to be led by the Task Force to Eliminate
Fraud, chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance,” the USAO stated.
Nearly
everyone believes they pay far too much in taxes. And nearly everyone believes
the government wastes far too much money. So when the massive fraud in
Minnesota was exposed – such as a federally funded children’s learning center
that misspelled learning on its sign - “Learing Center” – and was found to not
have any actual children there by a young independent reporter, taxpayers were
infuriated.
Hopefully
the National Fraud Enforcement Division and the local federal task force can
put a stop to the massive federal fraud being committed throughout the
country.
