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Ruth King

MEDICINE AND HEALTH Comments turned off

Second Thoughts on ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ The American Academy of Pediatrics orders a scientific review. Will it be conducted honestly? By Leor Sapir

By on August 7th, 2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/second-thoughts-on-gender-affirming-care-american-academy-pediatrics-doctors-review-medicine-a7173276?mod=opinion_lead_pos9

The American Academy of Pediatrics said last week that it will commission a systematic review of the evidence for pediatric sex-trait modification, known euphemistically as “gender-affirming care.” This marks a turning point in the battle over the controversial medical protocol. To those who favor evidence-based rather than eminence-based medicine, it is a step in the right direction.

But it is a small step. Two key questions: Will the systematic review follow a transparent, impartial scientific process? And what should the AAP do in the meantime?

In explaining the decision to commission a systematic review, the AAP’s CEO, Mark Del Monte, said that the academy’s board “has confidence that the existing evidence is such that the current policy is appropriate. At the same time, the board recognized that additional detail would be helpful here.”

If the AAP’s position is that it is “confident” the systematic review will vindicate its position and merely add “additional detail,” that raises suspicions about the honesty and independence of the process and shows the need for strong guardrails against AAP influence over the inquiry.

The AAP is, first and foremost, a trade union. “Professional medical association” is a less apt description than “association of medical professionals.” Teachers unions care about education but give their own and their members’ interests priority over those of students. So too the AAP has strong incentives to defend its own interests and those of member doctors—especially those who have publicly endorsed or facilitated sex-trait modification—even when that is harmful to patients.

The AAP and prominent members have consistently assured policy makers and judges that sex-trait modification is safe and effective and based on strong science. Insurance companies have based their coverage decisions on these claims. Democrats have used them to cast opponents as bigots. The Biden administration regularly cites the AAP in its efforts to guarantee minors unfettered access to hormonal drugs and life-altering surgery. Parents have accepted AAP claims and agreed to allow doctors to disrupt their children’s natural puberty, flood their bodies with synthetic hormones, and amputate their healthy breasts.

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EDUCATION Comments turned off

Heather Mac Donald : Conservative Donors Wake Up!

By on August 7th, 2023

https://www.city-journal.org/article/conservative-donors-wake-up

The Supreme Court struck a symbolic blow to Harvard University this June by declaring its racial admissions preferences illegal. It remains to be seen what stratagems Harvard will use to try to continue engineering racial diversity. One thing is certain, however: the university will pay no price in reputation or in philanthropic support for the Court’s rebuke.

To understand just how confident Harvard can be in its irresistible appeal to donors, consider one of its recent windfalls. In April 2023, hedge-fund manager Kenneth Griffin bestowed $300 million on the university, close to the largest single donation in the institution’s history. Griffin’s cumulative giving to the school now totals over $500 million, spread between the education, law, and business schools, as well as other entities. In exchange for this latest gift, Harvard renamed its graduate division the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Business as usual, you may think; another billionaire plowing treasure into an institution whose values are, at best, in tension with American traditions and, at worst, antithetical to them. But Griffin is not your usual high-value donor—not a George Soros, Bill Gates, or David Geffen, say. He is a conservative.

Griffin believes that the United States still offers the American dream—opportunity, free markets, and individual freedom. He has called the U.S. Constitution a “sacred document.” (In 2021, he purchased an original copy for $43 million, to make that founding text widely available for “all Americans and visitors to view and appreciate.”) Griffin supports law enforcement. He opposes identity politics.

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ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

Canceling Skeptical Scientists Is the Real ‘Climate Crisis’ By Tom Harris

By on August 7th, 2023

https://pjmedia.com/columns/tom-harris/2023/08/05/canceling-skeptical-scientists-is-the-real-climate-crisis-n1716434

“There is no real climate crisis.”

That statement, as well as others against the mainstream climate change narrative of impending doom, led to the cancellation of a speech that was to be given by Nobel Prize laureate Dr. John Clauser to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The censorship has been covered in media worldwide and, besides giving the IMF a huge black eye, is leading many to wonder what has gone wrong with climate science that such a prominent expert would be canceled merely for disagreeing with a scientific hypothesis. Let’s dig into this important news story.

Dr. Clauser is an experimental and theoretical physicist and was the joint recipient of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the foundations of quantum mechanics in the 1970s. He is now on the board of directors at the CO2 Coalition based in Arlington, Va. Dr. William Happer, chair of the board at the CO2 Coalition, said that “His [Dr. Clauser’s] studies of the science of climate provide strong evidence that there is no climate crisis and that increasing CO2 concentrations will benefit the world.”

Dr. Clauser was scheduled to speak to the IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office last week under the title: “Let’s talk — How much can we trust IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] climate predictions?” Because the answer Dr. Clauser was obviously going to give was “not much” and because of his other public statements criticizing the models relied upon by the IPCC, someone inside the IMF must have hit the roof. The CO2 coalition reported:

According to an email he received last evening, the Director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the International Monetary Fund, Pablo Moreno, had read the flyer for John’s July 25 zoom talk and summarily and immediately canceled the talk. Technically, it was “postponed.”

In 2021, Dr. Clauser criticized granting of the Nobel Prize for the development of computer models that predicted global warming. These climate models have been shown to be inaccurate and do not take into account the significant feedback of clouds in the climate system.

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

When Portland Died A city crumbles under a wave of anarchy and crime. by Michael A. Letts

By on August 7th, 2023

https://www.frontpagemag.com/when-portland-died/

For several years, Portland was the pinnacle of artistic community. Its oddball style appealed to many and drew thousands to the city. There was even a comedy series, Portlandia, that celebrated its diversity.

But…those days are gone. And you can blame anyone that supported the “defund the police” campaign.

A new report from Fox News reveals that the city, which was one the “crown jewel of the West Coast,” has now fallen into hard times, mainly due to rising crime within the communities.

In fact, police data shows that crime has dramatically increased over that of other states – including Chicago and New York.

Speaking with Fox News, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton explained, “Each area has different challenges, but what we’re seeing in the metro area is absolutely rising crime.”

Spread across Multnomah County, Washington County and Clackamas County, the crime has reached astronomical levels, forcing both citizens and businesses to flee elsewhere.

“The increases that we’re seeing are nothing like the increases that we’re seeing in our neighbors,” Barton explained.

“What’s happening is with our de-carceration and elimination of bail culture, we’ve got all these people running around,” Kristin Olson, a trial attorney and host of the Rational in Portland podcast, added. “And it’s really scary because we also have this anti-police culture.”

So how did it come to this? It’s simple – Portland succumbed to those rioters that believed defunding the police would be the answer.

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

39% Describe Trump Charges As ‘Exaggerated’ Or ‘Harassment’: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones

By on August 7th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/08/07/39-describe-trump-charges-as-exaggerated-or-harassment-ii-tipp-poll/

Despite three criminal indictments, the threat of hundreds of years of prison-time and an unprecedented media assault on his character and reputation, former President Donald Trump has maintained his head-to-head lead in polls against President Joe Biden. How is that possible? A significant number of Americans simply don’t believe the charges are valid, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.

For this month’s online national poll, taken August 2-4 of 1,369 adults, we asked the following:

“Former President Trump is facing more than 40 federal charges in connection with the Mar-a-Lago classified records case and the investigation into the protests in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. In total, these charges could amount to hundreds of years in prison. What best describes how you feel about these charges?”

We then provided four possible responses:

“The charges seem legitimate and should be pursued.”
“The charges are political harassment by the Biden administration to keep Trump from running for re-election in 2024.”
“The charges are exaggerated, but even if some are true, I will still vote for Trump in 2024.”
“Not sure.”

Given the massive media exposure to the multiple legal actions against former President and current candidate Trump, it’s probably no great shock that a slight majority of 51% responded that the “charges seem legitimate and should be pursued.” The poll’s margin of error is +/-2.7 percentage points.

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FOREIGN POLICY Comments turned off

Iran, Russia Evade Sanctions; Biden Administration ‘Funding Both Sides of Ukraine War’ by Majid Rafizadeh

By on August 7th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19867/iran-russia-evade-sanctions

The Biden Administration also tried to deny that it had issued another waiver to Iraq to pay $500 million to the Iranian regime. According to a report by the Free Beacon, the waiver was issued “a day after Biden administration officials denied Iran’s claims that the United States had paved the way for Tehran to receive the $500 million.”

The regime will most likely use the funds to further arm and assist Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, to brutalize its own citizens, to undermine US national security interests, to fund its terrorist and militia groups across the Middle East and to expand more deeply into Latin America.

“Of course the Biden administration lied that they wouldn’t waive sanctions on Iran just days before they did so. They know that by allowing money to pour into Iran, they are not only endangering the safety and security of Americans but also undermining everything they claim to believe about defeating Putin. They say that Iran is a terror sponsor and Russia’s top military backer, but appeasing Iran and getting back into a nuclear deal with the Ayatollah is more important to them. They are funding both sides of the Ukraine war.” — Senator Ted Cruz, Free Beacon, March 24, 2023.

Russia is learning from Iran on how to evade sanctions as well…. Examples include: “the switching of ownership of companies and properties to family members or affiliates, the use of trading companies to source foreign exchange….”

Russia and Iran have signed an agreement to build a sanction-proof $1.7 billion intercontinental rail system for global trade in an apparent effort to compete with the Suez Canal. To bypass sanctions, Iran and Russia in February 2023 also signed an agreement to integrate their banking systems.

Iran recently joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), headed up by Russia and China. The SCO will allow the mullahs to further increase their trade and revenues in spite of sanctions.

Last year, the Biden Administration issued a waiver that had been rescinded by the Trump Administration, permitting companies from Europe, Russia and China to advance work in Iran’s nuclear sites. This was most likely done in the hope of reviving the nuclear deal…

Only because of the Biden administration’s weak leadership, policies of appeasement and reluctance to seriously enforce sanctions have Russia and Iran been able to create so much devastation at such an unprecedented level.

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HOMELAND SECURITY Comments turned off

China and Russia Eye Alaska A joint naval patrol off the Aleutians is a warning and a test for the U.S.

By on August 7th, 2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-and-russia-eye-alaska-aleutian-naval-ships-sullivan-a652c8b0?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

Americans who think the next major war won’t touch American territory might want to take note of the news that China and Russia conducted a joint naval operation last week near the coast of Alaska.

U.S. officials said 11 ships participated in the patrol near the Aleutian islands. It was the largest such operation analysts can recall and follows a smaller one in September 2022. The joint patrol underscores the cooperation between the two countries, which is extending to military operations beyond Beijing’s help for Moscow in Ukraine. (See Seth Cropsey nearby.)

The U.S. responded with dispatch, sending four destroyers and reconnaissance aircraft to shadow the foreign warships. That’s an improvement from the September episode, when a tepid U.S. response was criticized by Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan.

A spokesman for U.S. Northern Command said the Sino-Russian patrol wasn’t perceived as a threat, but one day soon it could be. In the new era of great power competition, Russia, China and Iran are building an axis to challenge U.S. power. The naval patrol is best understood as a warning that U.S. territory isn’t safe, as well as a test of how the U.S. will respond.

The world is getting more dangerous, and a complacent U.S. political class isn’t educating the public about the growing threats.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

A Cry for Help from Palestinians by Bassam Tawil

By on August 4th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19865/palestinians-cry-for-help

The two events — in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon — received little attention from the international community and media, most likely because Israel was not involved. Needless to say, the United Nations Security Council was not asked to hold an emergency session to discuss the crimes committed by Palestinians against Palestinians.

A statement issued by a group, the Unified Command of the Intifada in the Gaza Strip, noted in response to the protests that “the time of silence over oppression and the exploitation of religion to kill has ended.” The group was referring to Hamas’s continued repressive measures against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including a crackdown on journalists, political rivals, and human rights activists. It was also referring to Hamas’s use of Islam to justify its policies and measures against the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Among those arrested by Hamas security officers was Batoul Abu Salimeh, a 14-year-old girl from Jabalya. A 15-year-old boy from Rafah, who asked not to be identified, said Hamas thugs beat him in the leg and that he is afraid to go to hospital for treatment.

The protests in the Gaza Strip were organized by local Palestinian youth movements to put pressure on Hamas to solve the problems of poverty and unemployment. The protesters also demanded an end to the shortage of electricity and gas supplies.

It is no secret that Hamas has been investing millions of dollars in building tunnels and manufacturing weapons to attack Israel, while ignoring the dire economic crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Reports from the Gaza Strip — almost completely ignored by the international media — said that Hamas security officers stormed the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah and abducted three Palestinian men who were wounded during the protests: Midhat Daoud, Nizar al-Liddawi, and Wissam Rasras.

Hamas officers also physically assaulted Palestinian journalist Walid Abdel Rahman, a correspondent for the Palestinian Authority’s Palestine TV, while he was covering the demonstrations in Jabalya.

Rami Farajallah, member of the International Federation of Journalists, criticized Hamas for cracking down on Palestinian journalists who were reporting about the peaceful protests in the Gaza Strip.

A Ramallah-based Palestinian NGO, the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) called on Hamas to release all those who were arrested during the protests… Hamas security services detained 43 Palestinians from all areas of the Gaza Strip… at least 15 Palestinians were wounded, with injuries including bruises, cuts, abrasions and fractures, as a result of being assaulted with kicks, punches, knives, clubs and iron bars.

ICHR called on Hamas to respect and promote the right to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly….

“We, the people of Gaza, ask you to look into the crimes of the Hamas organization… and mention those crimes. We call on you to protect us from this organization that does not stop kidnapping and torturing citizens inside Gaza…. We call upon you once gain to protect us and rescue us from the Hamas organization as soon as possible. ” — Hamzeh al-Masri Palestinian political activist, in an appeal to human rights organizations, August 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon, at least 11 Palestinians were killed and 40 wounded in armed clashes between rival gangs, and at least 2,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes during the three days of fighting.

The voices of the anti-Israel activists around the world who regularly rush to condemn Israel for seeking to defend itself against Palestinian terrorism have gone silent when it really comes to protecting Palestinians. The activists, who describe themselves as “pro-Palestinian,” do not actually care about Palestinians, especially those living in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon’s refugee camps.

The alleged distress of “pro-Palestinian” individuals and pressure groups has nothing to do with a genuine concern for the Palestinians — and everything to do with a racist hatred of Jews.

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EDUCATION Comments turned off

Brave University of Chicago student speaks out against the leftist war on whites By Ed Brodow

By on August 4th, 2023

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/08/brave_university_of_chicago_student_speaks_out_against_the_leftist_war_on_whites.html

An anti-white racial inquisition is poisoning America.  If you don’t believe it, read my new book, The War on Whites: How Hating White People Became the New National Sport.  The inquisition received support from the prestigious University of Chicago when it decided to offer a new course entitled “The Problem of Whiteness.”  This is not surprising when you realize that the left has taken complete charge of academia and can get away with overt anti-white racism.

By a margin of more than ten to one, left-leaning professors outnumber conservatives at our colleges and universities.  New professors are required to sign a diversity pledge, a ruse that guarantees leftist control on campus well into the future.  A friend of mine who is a professor at a prominent university told me that he is forced to keep his conservative views to himself or risk being ostracized by his peers.

Ironically, campus commitment to diversity excludes the all-important diversity of ideas.  “They are openly hostile to mainstream conservative values,” said Rita Panahi at SkyNewsAustralia.  If you are a conservative student in America, you’d better keep your mouth shut.

One brave student at U-Chicago refused to keep his mouth shut.  Sophomore Daniel Schmidt called out “The Problem of Whiteness” for what it is.  “This is clearly racist and anti-white,” said Schmidt.  “What the heck is that suggesting, that there is a problem with white people or whiteness and there is a solution?  It is the most egregious example of anti-white hatred I’ve ever seen.”

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Sorry Joe, But It’s Bidenomics That Has Never Worked We hope it takes him down before it takes the entire nation down.

By on August 4th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/08/04/sorry-joe-but-its-bidenomics-that-has-never-worked/

‘Trickle-down economics has never worked.”

That’s what President Joe Biden says any time he’s talking about economic policy. Assuming our Octogenarian-in-Chief knows what he’s talking about, he’s guilty of what psychiatrists call projection.

Because it’s Bidenomics that has failed everywhere it’s been tried. At home. Abroad. Throughout history. And right now in states across the U.S.

Earlier this week in our What We’re Reading column, we linked to a multitude of stories that had been published detailing how Biden’s approach to economic policy — high taxes, heavy regulation, attacks on the rich and businesses, coddling criminals, and Biden-style graft and corruption — is ruining cities and states across the country (‘Blue-State’ Model Gets An ‘F’).

For years we have been documenting how Red states — conservative states that follow the pro-growth policies Biden derides as “trickle down” — have vastly outperformed Blue states. They suffered less during COVID because they didn’t embrace the left’s lockdown mania. They recovered faster because they rejected Biden’s get-paid-for-not-working policies.

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