A conservative watchdog accused federal bureaucrats of “hiding” key data from a government-funded study that would expose the questionable “science” behind putting gender-confused kids on puberty blockers.  The American Accountability Foundation filed a suit on Wednesday, alleging that the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health are withholding the release of data expected to significantly undermine transgender ideology. The data is from a government-funded study that the author admitted in an interview with The New York Times would hurt the case for placing young children on puberty blockers.  “For over a year, HHS has been hiding a bombshell study that confirms what we’ve known all along: transgender therapy is a failure,” American Accountability Foundation President Tom Jones told The Daily Wire. “The lead researcher herself admitted that the findings challenge the effectiveness of these drugs. HHS bureaucrats are playing woke political games, ignoring science and common sense.” The American Accountability Foundation first requested the data from the $9.7 million project after the Times published a story on October 23, 2024, that featured researcher Johanna Olson-Kennedy admitting that she had delayed publishing the effects of puberty blockers on children due to political concerns. Olson-Kennedy told The Times that the data did not show better mental outcomes for children placed on puberty blockers.  Five days later, the American Accountability Foundation submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to get the data. However, the response came with significant redactions that obscured important data points, the suit filed in the District of Columbia said.   “Though the NIH sent a response and produced some records in November 2024, NIH’s production appeared incomplete, as it didn’t include Dr. Olson-Kennedy’s data and contained redactions throughout. NIH’s response also appeared incomplete and insufficient because it didn’t justify any of the redactions, nor did it explain how the search was conducted to find responsive records pertaining to the data set,” the suit said.  Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to DailyWire.com/Subscribe to join now. Jones filed an appeal of the redactions on January 6, 2025, but says that the issue has not yet been resolved. The suit says that HHS and the NIH have violated federal records laws in their handling of the request.  Specific records that have been redacted include the names of researchers who aided in the project, their background, and information on the compensation they received from the government.  Also redacted are demographic information and other data points about the kids who were put on puberty blockers. That data is redacted for “proprietary info,” while some is left out with the reason, “redacted by agreement.” The suit said that the AAF opposed the vague redactions and “objected to the adequacy of NIH’s search. Specifically, AAF requested a copy of the data to which Dr. Olson referred. The FOIA coordinator’s response said nothing about how the search was conducted, whether such data are being withheld, and, if they are being withheld, why they are being withheld.” A preprint version of Olson-Kennedy’s study appears to be available, but it has not yet been peer reviewed. Olson-Kennedy and her co-authors claim in that version that their research shows that “youth demonstrated both stability and improvement in emotional and mental health over 24 months.” The American Accountability Foundation believes that all the data documenting the study should be made available so it can be independently analyzed. “We’re fighting back, suing HHS to force them to follow the law and release this truth,” Jones said. “The American people deserve to know what’s being hidden by the radical left!”

Hundreds of public figures — including tech leaders, celebrities, media personalities, and politicians — signed a statement released on Wednesday calling for an immediate pause on the development of advanced artificial intelligence, referred to as “superintelligence.” Superintelligence technology is currently being pursued by tech giants such as Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, Sam Altman’s OpenAI, and Elon Musk’s xAI. These companies hope to build “superintelligence in the coming decade that can significantly outperform all humans on essentially all cognitive tasks,” according to a preamble to the statement. The preamble points to concerns “ranging from human economic obsolescence and disempowerment, losses of freedom, civil liberties, dignity, and control, to national security risks and even potential human extinction.” The “Statement on Superintelligence” itself, which now has more than 1,000 signatures, consists of just 30 words: “We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in.” High-profile signers include leaders in the tech industry, such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton. In a statement accompanying his signature, Bengio wrote that superintelligence “could surpass most individuals across most cognitive tasks within just a few years.” “These advances could unlock solutions to major global challenges, but they also carry significant risks,” he added. “To safely advance toward superintelligence, we must scientifically determine how to design AI systems that are fundamentally incapable of harming people, whether through misalignment or malicious use. We also need to make sure the public has a much stronger say in decisions that will shape our collective future.” Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to DailyWire.com/Subscribe to join now. The “Statement on Superintelligence” was promoted by the Future of Life Institute, a group that aims “to steer transformative technologies away from extreme, large-scale risks and towards benefiting life.” Future of Life Institute President Max Tegmark said he reached out to all the CEOs of major AI developers, asking them to sign the document. However, he added that he did not expect them to endorse the statement, the Associated Press reported. “I really empathize for them, frankly, because they’re so stuck in this race to the bottom that they just feel an irresistible pressure to keep going and not get overtaken by the other guy,” Tegmark said. “I think that’s why it’s so important to stigmatize the race to superintelligence, to the point where the U.S. government just steps in.” Former U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen also signed the document, as did multiple former Democratic and Republican members of Congress. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were among other high-profile signers. The statement was also signed by conservative media personalities Glenn Beck and Steve Bannon. Numerous faith leaders endorsed the statement, such as Paolo Benanti, a Papal AI advisor and Catholic priest; Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders and a White House evangelical adviser; and Andrew T. Walker, the Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Both Altman and Musk have warned about potential major consequences to the development of advanced AI. In a blog post 10 years ago, Altman wrote, “Development of superhuman machine intelligence (SMI) is probably the greatest threat to the continued existence of humanity.” Musk has similarly discussed the risks that come along with advanced AI, saying earlier this year that he believes there’s “only a 20% chance of annihilation,” CNBC reported.

As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, National Guard units across the country are canceling drill weekends, suspending routine training, and operating without pay for many personnel, according to state National Guard officials across the country.  In several states, only units preparing for mobilization or conducting mission-critical activities are continuing training, Guard officials told […]

'I haven't picked up a ball in years'

'It's almost impossible to feel safe here'

Nearly 60% of Americans

we must manufacture critical metals like aluminum and steel here at home for national security purposes.