FDA Vaccine Policy Shifts and the Battle Against Federal Overreach

On May 21, 2025, Kim Monson explores regulatory accountability across multiple fronts, from FDA vaccine policy shifts explained by Dr. James Lyons-Weiler to Denver’s fiscal challenges highlighted by Wendy Warner of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, and federal overreach affecting farmers and ranchers detailed by Trent Loos.

Denver Fiscal Policy and Taxpayer Accountability

Start listening at 19:13 – Hour 1

Wendy Warner, secretary of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, breaks down Mayor Mike Johnston’s fiscal decisions affecting Denver residents. Johnston has spent over $90 million on shelter services for an estimated 43,000 illegal immigrants who came through Denver during the Biden administration, and now seeks $24 million in federal reimbursement. The city has hired Washington D.C. lawyers for up to $2 million in taxpayer funds to sue the federal government.

Warner warns about Denver’s “Vibrant Denver Bonds” proposal, which would incur new debt using tax rates from retiring bonds. Instead of receiving a tax decrease when old bonds are paid off, taxpayers would see their money funding new projects. The city has announced these bonds without specifying amounts or purposes.

“And either way, we the taxpayers get hit with it. We either get hit with it through our federal tax or for interest on the debt at the national level, or we get it on, um you know, by taxes here, or reduced services, as we saw in denver where our services and things weren’t taken care of because he was spending money on this.”

Wendy Warner, Secretary, Colorado Union of Taxpayers

FDA Regulatory Shifts on mRNA Vaccines

Start listening at 31:29 – Hour 1

Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, founder of IPAK-EDU (Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge), explains the regulatory changes occurring at the FDA under the Trump administration. The dismissal of Peter Marks from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and appointment of Dr. Vinay Prasad has enabled significant policy shifts. The FDA now requires randomized clinical trials with inert saline placebos and long-term outcomes for any future COVID-19 vaccine approvals.

Dr. Lyons-Weiler clarifies that Secretary RFK Jr. cannot unilaterally revoke emergency use authorizations but can refuse to renew contracts and remove liability protections. The FDA’s new requirements effectively create barriers that pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to meet, as conducting trials on medically frail populations would expose negative safety data to investors.

“From this point forward, we’re going to expect anyone that comes to FDA with a COVID-19 vaccine to have placebo-controlled, inert placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials with long-term outcomes.”

Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, Founder, IPAK-EDU

Federal Overreach on Farms and Ranches

Start listening at 72:53 – Hour 2

Trent Loos, sixth-generation farmer and rancher, provides updates on federal overreach affecting agricultural operations. The Mott family in South Dakota, previously facing criminal charges under the Biden administration for allegedly farming Forest Service land, had all criminal charges dropped by the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, though civil charges remain possible.

Hank Vogler in Nevada faces mounting pressure from multiple federal agencies. After reporting federal overreach through USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ portal, Vogler received a letter threatening $300,000 fines for allegedly violating California permitting laws when transporting sheep. He was also notified that a grazing allotment he has used for 27 years must be vacated within 16 days. The Department of Labor demands daily video chats with his H-2A workers, despite them working in remote mountain locations without internet access.

“Well, they found the wrong guy to come after because he will never cave.”

Trent Loos, Farmer and Rancher

South African Refugees and Property Rights

Start listening at 86:26 – Hour 2

Yvonne Paez, co-founder of Perspectives 101, calls in to discuss the persecution of white South African farmers. She describes meeting South African agricultural workers in the U.S. who showed her burn marks from attacks on their farms. The Episcopal Church’s refusal to assist white Afrikaner refugees brought to America under Trump administration orders highlights troubling double standards in refugee resettlement programs.

“I’m so sick of hearing this kind of stuff where they’re playing skin color games.”

Yvonne Paez, Co-Founder, Perspectives 101

South Africa Farm Crisis and American Connections

Start listening at 101:07 – Hour 2

Jim May of LaVaca Meat Company shares firsthand experience with South African refugees working on American ranches. His company employs H-2A workers from South Africa on Nevada ranches. In 2008, May invested in a South African company and witnessed a colleague lose his farm to confiscation after hesitating to sell. Nearly 5,000 white farmers have been killed on their property since 1987, and the violence continues today.

“And I just think it’s really interesting when folks talk about, you know, racism, the left, and then we look at what they do with anti-Semitism, which to me is racism in its purest form.”

Jim May, LaVaca Meat Company