US Attorney's Office looking back at case of Philly teacher's 20 stab-wound "suicide" by then-AG Josh Shapiro

The feds have finally decided to poke around the truly bizarre 2011 case of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg, who somehow managed to "commit suicide" by stabbing herself 20 times, including several in the back of her neck and base of her skull, a feat that would make even the most flexible contortionist raise an eyebrow. Seriously!

The medical examiner originally called it a homicide, then, for some crazy reason, flipped to suicide faster than a speeding bullet. That ruling has stood ever since, despite the family's relentless pushback and mountains of skepticism from anyone who's ever seen a crime show. 

According to sources speaking to NBC10, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is now sniffing around. They've requested, and last month actually obtain documents tied to Ms. Greenberg's death. The scope isn't crystal clear, but it seems focused on how various local agencies handled (or mishandled) the investigation over the years, with whispers of possible criminal corruption in the mix.

Greenberg was just 27 when found dead by her fiancé Sam Goldberg in their shared apartment, a 10-inch blade protruding from her chest like some grim exclamation point. Her parents have long insisted this was murder, accusing local authorities of covering up a botched homicide probe.

Of course it was murder. It was as obvious that there are only two genders.

Adding fuel to the fire: the original medical examiner signed a sworn statement in January 2025 saying the death should be ruled something other than suicide. A doctor who treated Greenberg beforehand noted she was "not suicidal" and documented bruises that "suggest domestic abuse sufficient to account for her anxiety." 

Oh, and at least one stab wound reportedly came after she would have already been dead, because nothing says "self-inflicted" like postmortem enthusiasm.

Josh Shapiro, then Pennsylvania's Attorney General, backed the suicide call, and the case sat dormant for years. It only started getting fresh side-eye when Shapiro was floated as a potential VP pick for Kamala Harris in 2024.

So is Josh Shapiro culpable, shady or stupid? You make the call.

The parents sued Philadelphia, eventually settling after the city coughed up $650,000 and promised an independent review by a new medical examiner. 

The October report still calls it suicide.

Because apparently in this town, 20 stab wounds, many in impossible spots,  plus signs of possible abuse and a flipped ruling add up to a textbook self-exit. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along before the feds start asking too many uncomfortable questions.

And imagine if she shot herself 20 times and they couldn't find the weapon. 

If you enjoy  Brain Flushings and would like to subscribe or Buy Me a Coffee, and check out the sponsors on this page, I would appreciate it, as it supports my work and my coffee drinking habit. No pressure and subscribing is free.

Tweet

Kamala Hahaharris suffers a delusion of grandeur

Ah, dear friends, gather 'round as we behold the latest chapter in the grand farce that is modern American politics. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, that indefatigable champion of word salads and unburdened tomorrows, has graciously informed the world that she is, in fact, a "historic figure." And not just any historic figure--no, one destined for immortality in marble.

In a recent sit-down with The New York Times, promoting her memoir 107 Days (a slim volume chronicling what felt like an eternity to the rest of us), Harris brushed aside pesky questions about 2028 ambitions with the serene confidence of a woman who knows her place in the pantheon.

"I understand the focus on '28 and all that," she told the Times. "But there will be a marble bust of me in Congress. I am a historic figure like any Vice President of the United States ever was."Yes, you see, the Senate has this charming little tradition, dating back to the late 1800s of commissioning busts of vice presidents once they're safely out of office. It's a bit like participation trophies for the second banana, and Harris is already measuring the pedestal.

Pantsuit by Clinton of Arkansas

And the adoration! "Thousands of people are coming to hear my voice. Thousands and thousands," she added about her book tour. "Every place we’ve gone has been sold out." Of course, in an age where tickets to hear politicians reminisce about their defeats are apparently hotter than a Taylor Swift concert, who are we to question the draw of the Harris mystique?But the book itself—ah, there's the real entertainment. Our former veep uses it to settle a few scores with fellow Democrats. 

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, once a contender for her running mate (before she wisely chose the reliably folksy Tim Walz), comes in for particular attention. Harris recounts Shapiro peppering her staff with questions, including, get this" how he might arrange to get Pennsylvania artists’ work on loan from the Smithsonian." She accused him of wanting a hand in every decision and firmly reminded him that "a vice president is not a co-president." Shapiro didn't take kindly to being cast as the overambitious understudy.

"She wrote that in her book? That's complete and utter bull---t," Shapiro fired back in an interview with The Atlantic. "I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies."

"I did ask a bunch of questions," he continued. "Wouldn’t you ask questions if someone was talking to you about forming a partnership and working together?"

And then, with a touch of regret: "I mean, she's trying to sell books and cover her ass," before catching himself. "I shouldn't say ‘cover her ass.’ I think that's not appropriate. She's trying to sell books. Period," he concluded.

Not one to spare the rod on her old boss, Harris also points the finger at Joe Biden's White House for sidelining her and hanging her out to dry, particularly on that thorny border issue."Getting anything positive said about my work or any defense against untrue attacks was almost impossible," the book laments. And on the border: well, apparently the White House was perfectly happy to let her "shoulder the blame."

In the end, folks, this is politics as high comedy, or perhaps low tragedy, depending on your view. A former vice president assuring us of her marble destiny while slinging mud at allies to hawk a memoir. One can almost hear the chisels warming up in the Senate corridors. 

History, as they say, is written by the victors... or at least by those with the best publicists.

If you like Brain Flushings and want to Buy Me a Coffee, I would appreciate it, as it supports my work. Obviously, there is no pressure but I certainly wouldn't stop you.

Tweet

Josh Shapiro may have given legal advice to senior aide he was publicly claiming to investigate

Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) is said to be on Vice President Kamala Harris' short list for her VP pick, so it's no surprise the GOP is looking to check his background. It seems that Shapiro is accused of providing legal council to a man his office was supposed to be investigating.

A recent report from Broad + Liberty, based on a document they obtained, shows that Shapiro's office "may have been providing legal advice to then-Secretary of Legislative Affairs Mike Vereb while simultaneously investigating Vereb for workplace harassment claims made by one of his subordinates in March 2023."

It is clear that this represents a significant conflict of interest if accurate, suggesting that Shapiro's office may have been disingenuous in their investigation. One cannot effectively conduct an investigation into abuse allegations while simultaneously advising the individual being investigated without compromising the quality of one of these roles.

Vereb resigned from his position in September 2023, reportedly in connection to workplace harassment allegations raised months earlier by a female deputy in his office. This deputy, who resigned after only a month, saw the harassment and sexual assault claims settled out of court for $295,000.

When Broad + Liberty requested the documents revealing the alleged conflict of interest, Shapiro's office "largely denied the request," prompting them to appeal to the Office of Open Records. In response, the governor's office "produced an exemption log for many of the documents it wished to withhold."

Further attempts to obtain these documents have been unsuccessful, fueling speculation that the investigation documents may not exist. Trans.: Shapiro's integrity may also not exist.

In response to the requests, the governor's open records officer told Broad + Liberty that "If such investigation occurred, those records exist and are exempt – if no such investigation occurred, no such records exist."

"It would not be any surprise to me to find out there was zero investigation done," Rep. Abby Major (R) from western PA said. "I have said from the beginning that if the [accusing] documents hadn’t been leaked that [the governor’s office] would have paid the settlement, had [the accuser] sign the non-disclosure agreement, and Mike Vereb would still be working in that office."

Shapiro's spokesperson, Manuel Bonder, stated, "[A]s we have consistently emphasized, the Commonwealth upholds an independent, thorough, and professional process that enables individuals to come forward safely, as demonstrated in this case. Through this process, each investigation is conducted independently of the Governor’s Office. Any assumptions to the contrary are baseless and incorrect."

When questioned on the matter, Shapiro pointed out that Vereb was no longer part of his administration. However, it's notable that Vereb remained in Harrisburg for six months after the allegations came to light.

So it's politics as usual.

Tweet

Ivy League Presidents try damage control after anti-Semitic testimonies

L to R: Frau Magill, Frau Gay, Frau Kornbluth [photo: Babylon Bee]

Question: What’s the difference between a lightbulb and a prostitute?

Answer: You can unscrew a lightbulb.

The presidents of Harvard, and UPenn made a feeble attempt at damage control after they testified on Capitol Hill for the House Committee on Education and the Workplace on Tuesday regarding anti-Semitism at their respective schools of leftist learning and along with the president of MIT came off with talking points that were obviously prearranged, perhaps by a legal team. But they received tons of negative feedback from the public and knew they were screwed.

Harvard President Claudine Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth, and University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill each testified and when Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asked them whether the call for genocide and mass violence against Jews would be considered a violation of harassment and bullying policies of their schools, she was stunned by the responses she received.

[H/T Townhall.com]

They tried to play it off as free speech and as long as nobody acted out on it, no foul, no harm. It all "depends on the context," or "when speech crosses into conduct."

What a load of crap. Put the shoe on the other foot and see how they would have responded if, say, genocide of blacks or gays was called for by students. You don't have to imagine the response because it's obvious.

Their prepared answers and failure to  "answer with moral clarity" shocked both those on the left and the right.

This is a question a child could answer, unless the child grew up in Gaza, perhaps.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was livid.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement on Wednesday, “It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country. Any statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting — and we should all stand firmly against them, on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans.

“It should not be hard to condemn genocide, genocide against Jews, genocide against anyone else,” he told reporters. “I’ve said many times, leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity, and Liz Magill failed to meet that simple test. There should be no nuance to that — she needed to give a one-word answer,” he added.

By Wednesday afternoon, a petition calling for Ms. Magill’s resignation had grown to more than 3,000 signatures. Marc Rowan, the chief of Apollo Global Management and the board chair at the Wharton School of Business at Penn, asked the board of trustees to rescind their support for Ms. Magill.

“How much damage to our reputation are we willing to accept?” he wrote in a letter to the trustees.

Governor Shapiro, who is a nonvoting member of Penn’s board, urged the trustees to meet soon.

University sources, speaking on background, said that efforts were underway to hold a board meeting by phone this week. The university did not respond immediately to a request for comment. [...]

One can imagine people in the Middle East scrambling to deal with damage control.

Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge fund manager and Harvard alumnus, called on all three presidents to resign, citing the exchanges over genocide.

“It ‘depends on the context’ and ‘whether the speech turns into conduct,’ that is, actually killing Jews,” he wrote on X. “This could be the most extraordinary testimony ever elicited in the Congress.”

“They must all resign in disgrace,” he continued. “If a CEO of one of our companies gave a similar answer, he or she would be toast within the hour.” 

With so many calls to resign, Gay and Magill did damage control on Wednesday.

“In that moment, I was focused on our university’s longstanding policies aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which say that speech alone is not punishable, [blah, blah, blah]” Magill said in a video statement. “I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. It’s evil — plain and simple.”

Her Peter Strzok smile no longer seen on her face as she put on a serious demeanor and faked sincerity.

She went on to say she believed "it would be harassment or intimidation" and said Penn is initiating "a serious and careful look at our policies."

While donors may stop donating to these institutes of wokeism, unless something is done about stopping federal funding and foreign donations, nothing is going to change.

Tweet

PA poll shows surprise outcome between Oz and Fedder[wo]man

The latests poll by 1.013 likely voters conducted between October 9 to 13 by the research firm Wick, indicated that Dr. Mehmet Oz  (R) has a lead of 4.5 points over John Fetterman (D). Oz is a celebrity heart surgeon and Fetterman is a supports defunding the police and supporting Black Lives Matter. 

But in spite of black lives mattering, in 2013 he pulled a shotgun on an innocent unarmed black jogger and falsely accused the man of firing shots, which then began a confrontation with police.

Anyway, the poll shows that Oz may be breaking through a polling wall, as he has been behind Fetterman in polling for most of the cycle because voters haven't caught on that Fetterman is nothing more than Joe Biden in a hoodie.

According to the poll, Oz leads Fetterman 49.1%-44.6%. An additional 3.4% are voting for someone else, and 2.9% are undecided or are too busy on their phones. Among those undecided voters, Oz has a sizable lead, 59%-41%.

If Oz wins that would break Fetterman's heart, but Oz can fix it. But as Babylon Bee had headlined, Oz and Fetterman are neck and neck and neck.

The poll also showed that Republican Doug Mastriano is within the margin of error against Democrat Josh [not Ben] Shapiro in the Pennsylvania Governor’s race. Shapiro leads Mastriano 48.5%-46.4%; that number is well within the poll’s 3.1% margin of error. Mastriano also holds a slight lead among undecided voters; 50.9% of undecideds break for Mastriano, while 49.1% break for Shapiro.

* * *

Hey folks, consider subscribing to Brain Flushings and please check out the ads on these pages. It costs nothing to subscribe and it's worth every penny. And remember, every time you click on an ad, you help in the fight against Critical Race Theory, ignorance, The New York Times, and bovine flatulence. You also help me. Thanks.

* * *

Dr, Oz is also gaining a significant amount of support from the black community. While most Republicans have garnered about 20% of black support, Oz has achieved some 30% support. 

However, when asked by the media if he believes he can still win the race, Fetterman blinked twice for 'yes.'

Tweet