Geoffrey Freeman

[Josh Elman @joshelman]

Todd: (softer) God help me…Jesus help me….(clears throat and louder)

Are you guys ready?……..

Let’s Roll……………………

[Josh Elman @joshelman]

Todd: Our home number is 201 353-1073…….You have the same name as my wife…Lisa….We’ve been married for 10 years. She’s pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her…….(choking up)..I’ll always love her..(clearing throat) We have two boys.. David, he’s 3 and Andrew, he’s 1…..Tell them……(choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th…..I saw an ultra sound…..it was great….we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy………Lisa?

Lisa: (barely able to speak) I’ll tell them, I promise Todd.

Todd: I’m going back to the group—if I can get back I will…

Lisa: Todd, leave this line open…are you still there?……

Lisa: (dials the phone..) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93….Yes I’ll hold.

Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin.. I understand you have a hijacking situation?

Lisa: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.

Goodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?

Lisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course – it is now flying east.

Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson…I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?

Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call…hold a mo…..

Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?

Lisa: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.

Todd: The others all know that this isn’t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.

Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.

Todd: I understand…hold on……I’ll…….I’ll be back..

Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?

Goodwin: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland; they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.

Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.

Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?

Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them….and we’ll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?

Lisa: Yes…What is it?

Todd: Would you pray with me?

They pray: Our father which art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive our trespassers,

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory

Forever…..Amen

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…

He makes me to lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside the still waters

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..

[Josh Elman @joshelman]

Worth the read every year. #neverforget

Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud. – This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?

Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?

Todd: No

Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?

Todd: There are three that we know of.

Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?

Todd: Yes…. they don’t have guns….they have knives – they took over the plane with knives.

Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?

Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.

Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?

Todd: No…..I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.

Lisa: Have they said what they want?

Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you…it sounded fake!

Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.

Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.

Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.

Todd: It’s United Flight 93.

Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?

Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.

Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?

Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.

Lisa: Has anyone been injured?

Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.

Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?

Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Jesus.. Help!

Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!

Todd: Hello…..We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash……Wait – wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off….we’re ok. I think we may be turning around…..That’s it – we changed directions. Do you hear me….we’re flying east again.

Lisa: Ok Todd…. What’s going on with the other passengers?

Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??

Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.

Todd: Oh God —help us!

Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.

Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?

Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.

Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call..

Lisa: I promise – I’ll call.

[Freddy🇩🇪 @FreddyLA7]

So long, America🫡🇺🇸

49 days ago we landed in the USA to follow our country at the World Cup. We had no idea it would turn into the trip of a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who followed along, and to all the people we met who made this journey even more special. We honestly don’t have the words to express how grateful we are for everything you did for us.

This trip exceeded every expectation we had. We came here with an open mind, wanting to experience as much of the country as possible. I still remember telling my friends on the flight to Atlanta that I hoped we’d get to meet a few locals on this trip. Now we’re flying home with friends all across the USA.

Before we came, we heard so many stereotypes and warnings about America. People told us about safety concerns, that they might check our social media at the border, and all kinds of other things. None of it matched our experience. This was probably the most welcoming country we’ve ever visited.

So if you have the chance to travel, do it. The world isn’t nearly as bad as the media often makes it seem. 99% of people are awesome!

I heard this quote somewhere during the World Cup, and I think it sums up our experience perfectly:

“If you want to hate the world, watch the news. If you want to love it, travel it.”

Thank you, America ❤️🇺🇸

[WestCoast_Life @westcoast_lyfe]

Powerful message from a Scottish World Cup visitor who was originally afraid of even traveling to the US

[Billy Binion @billybinion]

Texas cops fired dozens of tear gas grenades into an innocent woman's home. They smashed windows, wrecked her fence and drove through her front door. Her daughter's dog went deaf & blind.

Then the city left her with the bill.

Six years later, her saga is finally over. A thread.

[Mark Cuban @mcuban]

First step is to require any hospitals that enjoy Non Profit Tax Benefits, to publish monthly all of their actual General Ledger transactions and invoices.

You are non profit. You are being subsidized and often funded by taxpayers. We are your stakeholders, along with patients. There ain't a damn economic thing that you can't show.

And no, Medicare Cost Reports are not comprehensive accounting reports.. They are pretty much useless for this.

Second step is to make all NDAs and Confidentiality Agreements for any financial healthcare agreement, illegal

It's beyond insane that US Senators, and POTUS, can't see what the federal government is paying for medications being provided through TriCare.

With these sources of data, then, and pretty much only then, could proponents of M4A begin to figure out a plan

[Jay Alto @theJayAlto]

you pity the moth confusing a lamp for the moon, yet here you are confusing a screen for the world

[Billy Binion @billybinion]

This is a horror story.

A Florida woman who lives paycheck to paycheck was fined over $100,000 for...parking on her own grass.

A judge ruled that wasn't "excessive." The Florida Supreme Court won't hear her case.

She's not even the first. A thread.

[Jonathan Haidt @JonHaidt]

Brilliant. @billmaher lays out the terms for a deal to tone down the culture war and keep the country. What each side must do to say no to its crazies. If you are in the middle 80% of the country, please watch:

https://t.co/iewPIBOL3D

[Geoffrey Freeman @gwgfree]

@CollinRugg We should take a moment to recognize these bad ass @Delta flight attendants who are calmly helping people out after this. True professionals.

[Elisabeth Potter MD @EPotterMD]

On January 7th, 2025 I shared a video, after I was asked to call UnitedHealthcare from the operating room to answer administrative questions about the patient who was having surgery to treat breast cancer. Despite my efforts, they denied her stay.

UnitedHealthcare didn’t stop at calling me during surgery. Now, they’ve sent me a legal threat—and even worse? They ended up denying my cancer patient’s hospital stay. Exactly what I was afraid would happen.

Staying overnight after major surgery isn’t optional—it’s medically necessary. But UnitedHealthcare decided they know better than the doctors caring for the patient.

When they called me while I was operating, I knew that if I didn’t step out and respond immediately, they might deny her stay—leaving her with a massive bill. So, with another surgeon in the OR, I scrubbed out and called them back. But after all of that? They denied her stay anyway.

And instead of fixing their broken system, they sent me a legal threat for speaking out.

I’m sharing their response in full, letting their words speak for themselves.

Let me be clear: I stand by everything I said. I told the truth. I was honest about what’s happening in our healthcare system. And I will not be silenced by legal threats when it comes to advocating for my patients and my ability to care for them.

Denying an overnight stay that a doctor orders is dangerous. The doctor caring for the patient should be able to make these decisions without delay, pressure, or harassment.

If I don’t speak up, I lose—my integrity, my voice, and the opportunity to make a difference. And while it’s intimidating to receive a letter like this from a company as powerful as UnitedHealthcare, I know where I stand.

I am a woman taking care of women affected by breast cancer. I do this work with all of my heart, and I will continue to speak up for my patients—because they deserve better.

I ask you to follow along, share this story, and have these conversations in your own communities. I know I’m not the only one dealing with this, and real change will take all of us telling our stories and standing up for what’s right.

I’m here for it. Are you?

[Rupa Subramanya @rupasubramanya]

If you're a Canadian at the risk of losing your business if Trump were to levy 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, or an American at the risk of losing your business because of Canada's threat of retaliatory tariffs, I want to hear from you. DM or email [email protected] .Please repost.

[Geoffrey Freeman @gwgfree]

@RyanGirdusky Can you further explain why the cap would allow India and China to monopolize? I assume you’re speaking to population, but is the top performer/professional ratio the same?

[Billy Binion @billybinion]

This is Chelsea Koetter & her sons. A few years ago, she accrued a small property tax debt.

So the government seized her home, sold it—and kept the $102,636 profit.

The Supreme Court said this practice is illegal. But some states are subverting that. A thread.

[Emily Galvin-Almanza @GalvinAlmanza]

WEEKLY VIDEO. Did you know that which forensic science experts are considered reliable enough to testify in court...isn't up to scientists?

Judges get to decide.

And judges are letting some weird, unreliable things be presented to juries.

Watch for (horrifying) details.

[Geoffrey Freeman @gwgfree]

@iamyourpurge @fasc1nate @becsgentry @MattWilpers if y’all need content for a Canada Day run, (or any run where people are complaining!) you can’t go wrong here. Epic.

[Geoffrey Freeman @gwgfree]

@JonHaidt @JonHaidt Any sense as to the potentially confounding effect of increased access (whether geo-local, and/or de-stigmatization of seeking treatment), potentially compounded with increased Dx prevalence as practitioners improve their prognosticators around this issue?

[Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽 @JoshEakle]

MAGA: "I don't know why immigrants won't come here LEGALLY and follow the process!?"

The process:

[Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 @alexplitsas]

🧵

I just witnessed ~45 minutes of footage of the October 7th terrorist attack at the @AtlanticCouncil courtesy of @IsraelinUSA along with colleagues from think tanks across the ideological spectrum. What I saw was worse than I’ve ever seen.

Pure evil.

***Trigger Warning***