Own Your Freedom

 They approved the religious exemption — then fired them anyway.

Mike Heyser, retired Air Force veteran who ran Raytheon's Warfighter School, andLisa Leake, a 14-year IT systems analyst on classified programs, both had religious exemptions approved under the COVID vaccine mandate. Both say the accommodations that came with it — masking, weekly testing, travel ban — made approval meaningless. Mike's job required travel. Lisa's exemption explicitly covered testing. There was no appeal and the terms were final.

They've been in litigation since 2022. Right-to-sue letters arrived from three different EEOC offices with conflicting deadlines, and the case has been stuck on that timeline fight ever since. Four years in, no court has ruled on whether any of it was lawful.

Host Stephanie Weidle talks with Mike and Lisa about religious accommodation under Title VII, defense contractor policy during the federal mandate, EEOC process and right-to-sue delays, litigation costs for individual plaintiffs, workplace privacy, and what reform should look like.

Chapters:

05:21 — What the Raytheon Merger Changed

11:18 — When the COVID Policies Arrived

15:27 — Isolated by Design

19:46 — Approved, Then Ignored

24:00 — The EEOC and the Right-to-Sue Letters

36:21 — Dismissed, Then Sanctioned

Four years of litigation, and not one ruling on the facts. How is that an accident?

Mike and Lisa came to Feds For Freedom through the F4F Religious Discrimination Survey. Feds For Freedom is supporting their lawsuit against Raytheon.

If you support federal employees and contractors standing up for constitutional rights, subscribe to Feds For Freedom and share this episode of Own Your Freedom.

Own Your Freedom—It’s That Simple

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Most federal employees think they have fewer religious freedom rights at work than everyone else. It's the other way around — and almost nobody has been trained on it.

September Secrist, executive director of the Interagency Christian Fellowship and a federal leader of more than twenty years, discusses what the law actually permits inside a federal agency.

The First Amendment restrains government — and for two million career civil servants, government is the employer. The standard is equal access: if your agency lets people run a book club, hold a potluck, or talk about baseball, it cannot shut out employees of faith. Those rights aren't new.They were spelled out decades ago, and then nobody taught anyone what they meant.

Chapters:

02:25 — Why Federal Employees Have More Protection, Not Less

05:51 — The Training Gap Nobody Has Filled

12:48 — Win People Over, Don't Hit Them With the Law

14:11 — Bureaucratic Guerrilla Warfare

15:57 — Where Our Rights Come From

18:23 — What Interagency Christian Fellowship Does

21:39 — Government Quick Wins, Slow Machine

27:00 — The October 3 Convocation  

The Interagency Christian Fellowship Convocation is October 3 at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC — 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., $45 including museum admission, breakfast, and lunch, with speakers from the EEOC and the Department of Justice. Register here:https://www.interagencychristianfellowship.org/events/fy27-convocation

Own Your Freedom—It’s That Simple

___________________________________________________________________

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During COVID, millions of Americans said "but I have rights" — and watched that fail. What if the rights were fine, and the problem was the holes between them?

Joining the podcast this week are Danielle Lasher and Sofia Karstens, co-founders of the newly launched Spirit of 1776. Their plan is to rebuild the village — connecting the people, practitioners, schools, and farms that already exist outside failing institutions into something that holds together.

They explain why nobody has to move to the woods, how overlapping the rights we already have can cover each other's gaps, and why they believe the next fight over bodily autonomy will be about technology.

Chapters:

04:24 — What Is Spirit of 1776?

08:43 — A Crisis of Institutional Failure

11:41 — An Alternative Society, Not a Commune

14:20 — Homeschooling Kids With Special Needs

18:42 —Rights You Already Have, Fortified

22:38 — Surveillance, Biometrics, and Kill Switches

29:25 — What It Looks Like Where You Live

34:26 — Transhumanism and the Right to Stay Human 

Spirit of 1776 will hold a press conference on October 5. Learn more: https://thespiritof1776.net

Own Your Freedom—It’s That Simple

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Feds For Freedom Releases Adirim Deposition, Calls for Congressional Subpoena and Full DoW Records > > Read full press release here: https://www.fedsforfreedom.org/adirim

Terry Adirim, MD, then acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, signed a memo on Sept. 14, 2021, stating that the Pfizer BioNTech EUA shot was interchangeable with the FDA approved Comirnaty. But they were legally distinct- one carries a right of refusal, the other doesn't.

After her time at the DOD and Veterans Affairs, Adirim worked at the CIA and was promptly fired in Spring 2025, once President Trump took office. She turned around and sued Ivan Raiklin for defamation (and CIA Dir. Ratcliffe for firing her, claim now dropped), claiming he was the reason she was fired.

Feds For Freedom is supporting the defense in the lawsuit Terry Adirim v CIA et al.

Ivan Raiklin, constitutional attorney, and Kevin McAfee, president of Feds For Freedom join us to discuss Adirim’s memo and what she revealed in her August 2026 deposition as to how she determined these shots were safe for 2 million servicemembers.

Chapters:

• 01:45 — Who Signed the Memo?
• 05:28 — Adirim: Pediatrics to Defense Health Affairs
• 09:04 — Comirnaty, the EUA Product, and "Legally Distinct"
• 15:18 — Kevin McAfee: What the Memo Meant Inside the Force
• 25:01 — The Adirim v. CIA et al Lawsuit and Its Claims
• 32:58 — Discovery and the Adirim’s Deposition
• 44:54 — Liability, Manufacturers, and Why the Distinction Mattered
• 1:04:42 — Participate in Accountability

Read more: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/dr-terry-adirims-legacy-five-years-unraveling-military

Rep. Harris calls for Adirim subpoena: https://harris.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-harris-five-years-after-adirim-mandatory-vaccine-memo-put-her-under-oath

What does it mean to Own Your Freedom? It’s not waiting for freedom to be granted to you. It’s not asking for rights to be given, it’s not even reclaiming your rights- as they’re yours and they’ve been yours along- you just need to never let go of your God-given rights. Owning freedom is taking responsibility for your rights and living them out in all facets of life. On this podcast, we interview people who have taken ownership of their freedoms and as a result have made incredible change, whether it be at the federal, state, local levels, or in the home. It’s a way of living. Own Your Freedom. It’s that simple.

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Four people who spent the COVID years being silenced sat down to talk about accountability. All four described the same tactics — still running, under a different administration.

In this panel from the 2026 F4F National Security Beyond the Headlines Summit, co-founderJim Erdman moderates journalist Steve Baker, constitutional attorneyIvan Raiklin, physician-scientist Dr. Robert Malone, and investigative reporterEmily Kopp.

Dr. Malone, who served as vice chair of the ACIP, describes what he saw inside HHS and why he concluded the problem is structural rather than partisan. Emily Kopp explains why the corporate press and the permanent bureaucracy protect each other. Steve Baker describes what happens to a reporter who won't drop a story. Ivan Raiklin lays out which levers are still available.

We discuss: 

👉 Why political appointees don't actually run their agencies 

👉 What happened at the ACIP, from someone who was in the room 

👉 The COVID origins documents and the whistleblower who surfaced them 

👉 Why administrations turn over but bureaucrats never do 

👉 Whether the reform movement has started censoring itself 

👉 The congressional powers nobody is using

Chapters: 

00:00 — Introduction 

01:45 — Framing: Accountability as a Multivariable Problem

03:55 — Steve Baker: The Calls to Get Him Fired

09:27 — Ivan Raiklin: Transparency Before Accountability

14:44 — Robert Malone: ACIP, HHS, and Why It's Systemic

26:59 — Emily Kopp: COVID Origins and the Managerial State

33:58 — What Stops Populist Movements From Delivering

43:25 — The Press as Enforcement Mechanism

1:04:47 — Congressional Levers and Inherent Contempt

1:10:48 — Why the Visionaries Get Pushed Out

1:15:24 — Who's Actually Running This?

>> If the same thing happens no matter who wins, what exactly are we voting for? <<

View the entire 2026 National Security Beyond the Headlines Summit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQDQcTWeI1Y&t=617s

🎧Listen to The Feds onSubstack & all other platforms:https://taplink.cc/fedsforfreedom

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 1 in 70 Americans will need a blood transfusion this year. Almost none of them know they most likely can't choose the donor.

In this episode, Stephanie Weidle speaks withLiz James, a pharmacist of over thirty years and founder of Blessed by His Blood, a member-owned cooperative that matches direct blood donations to patients who want to choose whose blood they receive.

The conversation explores how three separate parties — your doctor, your hospital, and the blood bank holding their contract — each have to say yes before you can receive a directed donation, and how any one of them can quietly say no. If three people have to approve before you can choose your own donor, who is the system actually built for?

We discuss: 

👉 Why doctors often don’t know how to write the order 

👉 What happens to blood after you give it away for free 

👉 Why only 3% of Americans donate, and the number is falling 

👉 The Texas bill that died twice one step from the finish line 

Chapters:

• 01:29 — How Direct Donation Works, and Who's Blocking It
• 07:18 — Why People Ask for Direct Donor Blood
• 11:05 — Screening Questions and Shelf Life
• 14:48 — Only 3% Donate: The Supply Problem
• 17:01 — The $32 Billion Blood Industry
• 23:51 — Bodily Autonomy and Informed Consent
• 26:38 — Liz's Story: Leaving Pharmacy, Founding BBHB

Learn more or become a member:https://www.blessedbyhisblood.com

Follow Blessed by His Blood: X,Facebook

——

🎧 Listen to The Feds onSubstack & all other platforms: https://taplink.cc/fedsforfreedom

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 They told her a 185-foot tower was going in her backyard — after the school next door refused to host it.

In this episode, Stephanie Weidle speaks withVicki Hu, a Loudoun County homeowner fighting to keep her property, and Teresa Ghiorzi, a software engineer and community advocate, about the eminent domain fight behind Northern Virginia's data center boom.

The conversation explores how transmission lines built to power private data centers get classified as "public use," why Loudoun approved hundreds of data centers with no plan to power them, and what happens to a homeowner who says no.

We also discuss: 

03:29 — Kelo and the "Public Use" Loophole

07:07 — How Loudoun Became Data Center Alley

12:20 — The 185-Foot Pole

15:02 — Vicky's Phone Call: June 13, 2025

20:23 — Eminent Domain 

27:03 — 14.2 Gigawatts: More Power Than New York City

32:37 — The Line That Would Have Been Enough

37:52 — Undergrounding Is Possible: Follow the Money

42:38 — Everything You Can No Longer Build

46:04 — The Multi-State Pushback

Learn more and get involved:https://stopmarlvirginia.com

Ground Water Study:https://loudouncoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Assessment-of-Groundwater-Supply-in-Loudoun-County_09_15_2025.pdf

Support Vicki’s case:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-vicky-save-her-backyard-from-185foot-power-towers

🎧 Listen to The Feds on Substack & all other platforms: https://taplink.cc/fedsforfreedom

🇺🇸 Visit our Website: FedsForFreedom.org 

🏃 Follow us on Instagram /X /Facebook:  @feds4freedomusa

👉 The Kelo decision and Virginia's limits on eminent domain 👉 Why the school board said no  👉 The 185-foot power line and everything you can no longer build on your own land 👉 Why undergrounding is possible, and why it isn't happening 👉 What citizens across four states are doing to fight back🚨 If they can take her backyard for a data center, what stops them from taking yours?

Can a culture that has forgotten freedom learn to choose it again?

In this episode recorded at FreedomFest 2026,Stephanie Weidle speaks with Shane Krauser, attorney, author, educator, and full-time freedom advocate, about why America's crisis runs deeper than politics — it's cultural.

The conversation explores how people have to want freedom, why law schools often teach case law instead of the Constitution's original meaning, and why citizens need to learn how to talk to people who disagree with them.

We also discuss:

• Politics as downstream from culture
• What freedom actually means, and why it must be chosen
•  Why debate should build allies, not enemies
• How education shapes whether a people stay free

Can America rebuild a culture that chooses freedom again?

Visit Shane’s website:https://shanekrauser.com

Follow Shane on X: https://x.com/ShaneKrauser

Read:What is Freedom? Is It For You? on Amazon

🎧Listen to The Feds on Substack & all other platforms: https://taplink.cc/fedsforfreedom

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The Fauci Diaries have been released—and beyond raising the question of why an 80-year-old man would keep a “diary,” let alone write it on a government device, they prompt further questions about what was really happening during COVID.

In this episode,Stephanie Weidle speaks with author and Brownstone Institute president Jeffrey Tucker about the newly released Fauci Diaries, the ongoing COVID accountability battle, and the deeper institutional failures that shaped America’s response to the pandemic.

👀 The conversation explores what the diaries may reveal about Anthony Fauci’s role in the COVID response, the unresolved questions surroundinggain-of-function research, and the broader network of public health, intelligence, and government officials involved in shaping the official narrative.

Stephanie and Jeffrey discuss why so many Americans now believe “everything is a scam,” how trust in leadership collapsed during the COVID years and even till now, and why the country has still not seen the level of transparency or accountability that was promised.

Topics include:

👉 The Fauci Diaries and Senator Rand Paul’s investigation 👉 Gain-of-function research and lack of oversight 

👉 Questions involving HHS, DOD, and intelligence officials

👉 What key figures still have not been questioned  

👉 Vaccine mandates and the trauma of government overreach 

👉 Public distrust in institutions and leadership 

👉 The missing COVID reckoning 

👉 MAGA, MAHA, and the demand for transparency

This episode asks a difficult but necessary question:

What happens to a society when the people no longer trust their leaders?

Follow Jeffrey: https://x.com/jeffreytucker  

🎧Listen to The Feds on Substack & all other platforms: https://taplink.cc/fedsforfreedom

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The Feds

👉The COVID mandate era broke trust inside the military — and now the question is whether that trust can ever be restored and whether culture change can be implemented so this Doesn’t. Happen. Again. 

🇺🇸In this week’s episode, Stephanie Weidle speaks withChristopher Scott “Sonny” Duncan, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of War and former Marine Corps officer and aviator, regarding the ongoing effort to address the military fallout from the COVID mandate era.

The conversation includes:

• Reinstatement efforts under the current administration

• Religious accommodation denials

• The Pentagon’s COVID After-Action Review (AAR) and special taskforce 

• Education, accountability, and leadership reform

• The flu shot mandate cancellation & what happens now

• The broader military vaccine policy question

• Whether accountability is actually coming

• Restoring trust, readiness, and warrior ethos

🎧Listen to The Feds onSubstack & all other platforms:https://taplink.cc/fedsforfreedom

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Follow Sonny: https://x.com/C_ScottDuncan Help Sue the CIA: https://www.fedsforfreedom.org/cia-lawsuit