'Distance herself from President Biden's unpopularity'

What a catch, though

So far, she's gotten by on vibes alone, but that can only go on for so long

'This is something that should concern us all'

Peacocks are a national symbol in India

Looking for a meal that your family will love and that’s simple to make on those hectic weeknights? The Hillbilly Kitchen has got you covered with a classic recipe that has stood the test of time. This hamburger casserole is not only easy to whip up but is also a dish that’s sure to please... The post Mom shares century-old recipe for irresistible hamburger casserole appeared first on Shareably.

A talented and attractive Miss USA was crowned last week, and she deserves accolades, but we shouldn’t forget that there was a biological man who competed against her and the 49 other young women in the pageant. While conservatives are vocal in speaking out about biological men invading women’s sports, especially with the Olympics having wrapped up Sunday, we cannot forget pageantry, a platform that allows women like me to embrace our femininity and be role models for young girls. I remember when I first heard that a biological man who transitioned had won Miss Maryland USA back in June. At first, I was excited that someone who was married finally won a title, as it made me excited about competing at the Miss Georgia USA pageant, the preliminary competition to Miss USA, especially as a mother and wife myself. But when I found out that Miss Maryland USA, Bailey Anne Kennedy, was a biological man, I then asked myself, “Will there be someone like that at my pageant, too?” Transgender-identifying biological male contestant Bailey Anne Kennedy exults after winning Miss Maryland USA on June 1. Kennedy didn’t make the Top 10 or the finals at the Miss USA pageant Aug. 4. (Screenshot: Twitter/Libs of TikTok) Competing in a state Miss USA pageant as a mother was challenging enough, but Miss USA’s including biological men who transitioned in a place where women were meant to shine raises concerns about fairness and comfort, especially since we had to share female-designated private spaces—and because men and women are very different biologically from each other. It’s time to bring pageantry back to what it was meant for—celebrating and showcasing the beauty of womanhood. That would be women who grew up as girls and became women. If the dressing room at Miss Maryland USA was anything similar to that of Miss Georgia USA, where we all had to change in front of one another, I could not imagine undressing in front of a biological man who transitioned, as those young women must have had to do. As a result, I decided as much as possible that I would change in a back corner, behind all the other young women’s garment bags and luggage, unless I really needed help getting dressed. (We also shared a space with the Miss Georgia Teen USA contestants, who are minors.) There were even several contestants who competed in Miss Maryland USA who expressed concern over not knowing that Kennedy was transgender until after the competition. They felt “lied to,” “disgusted,” and as if the pageant was “rigged,” and the fact that most of the young women who spoke up did not want to share their names is also disheartening, as it is important to be heard right now. While pageantry is more than just about looks and appearances, in Miss USA and its parent organization, Miss Universe, those things are still important. Having excellent stage presence is a key to winning in pageantry, and how your body looks will play a role in that. Just as in women’s sports, biological men who have transitioned will still have many physical advantages over women. For example, most biological men will be taller and usually lose weight faster than women. If you look at the photos from Miss Maryland USA, you can see that Kennedy appears to be tall and fit. It’s just a fact that being taller and more fit can give you a leg up in pageantry. Facial features also matter. A lot of what the judges look for happens in facial expressions, and the same expressions look different on everyone. That’s why pageant coaches tell us that eye contact with the judges and audience are so important. Even when biological men transition to make their facial features look more feminine, there are those who still have more defined jawlines than the average natural-born woman. In addition to the attempts to diminish the accomplishments of natural-born women, I recall one of the emcees even wanting to see Miss USA and state pageants remove “Miss” in their names, which appears to be another attempt to erase women and their spaces. More pageant participants need to speak out about how unfair it is to have biological men compete in women’s spaces. I got involved in pageantry because it’s important to showcase womanhood, be a role model, and to let women speak up for what they believe. To that end, I remain committed to pageantry, striving to restore its original purpose and integrity. Author Frances Floresca competed in the Miss Georgia USA 2024 pageant on June 15. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Allowing Transgender Participants Demeans Womanhood, Pageant Contestant Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

It Seems Like British Police Would Be Watching Trains Instead of X If They Wanted to Stop 'Crime'

The State of Tennessee recently started their first school year under a new law that gave school districts and individual schools the ability to decide if they would allow their faculty and staff to carry a concealed firearm. And during a pearl-clutchy segment on Wednesday’s edition of NBC’s Today, the liberal network suggested that a handgun was effectively useless against an AR-15, but highlighted a teacher keeping a baseball bat in her classroom instead of a gun. Without citing her source, NBC anchor Kate Snow lead into her report by proclaiming “there have been more than 750 shootings on school campuses” (she may have gotten that figure from the Gun Violence Archive, which NewsBusters has debunked). “The new law sets up a lot of rules and training before a teacher or staff member could show up to school armed,” she reported. “But each school district and principal would need to approve.” And according to a teachers union, so far none have opted to adopt the policy. Snow sat down with sixth-grade history teacher Josh Arwood who would like to carry his firearm to school, and fifth grade science and social studies teacher Jennifer Orth who proclaimed in pure ignorance that a handgun was completely “useless” against someone with an AR-15. The anti-gun journalist backed up Orth, grilling Arwood on being supposedly outmatched: ORTH: People are not walking into schools with handguns. People are walking into schools with AR-15s. And a handgun against an AR-15 is useless. SNOW: And to you, Josh, do you worry if that weapon is larger than what you have got, do you worry you will be able to do any good. ARWOOD: Well, I mean, I wouldn't be able to do any good if I didn't have a weapon. You know? At least having something gives me some chance.     An AR-15 does not make the user magically impervious to bullets, nor do they weaken the effectiveness of handguns. In the 2022 shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana, a gunman opened fire with an AR variant and was quickly put down by a mall patron with a concealed carry handgun. That fact was made even more striking by the cognitive dissonance Orth. At the end of the segment, Snow highlighted how “Jennifer keeps a baseball bat in her classroom.” If a handgun was “useless” against an AR, what was a baseball bat going to do? “Tennessee is not unique,” Snow warned. “About half the states have laws allowing teachers or other school employees to be armed, according to the Giffords Law Center,” she added, omitting the fact the Giffords Law Center was a left-wing, anti-gun rights organization. She followed up with a hard cut to a hysterical woman on the verge of an emotional breakdown over the law. “I can't imagine sending my child into a school knowing that there is a gun that is within feet of her learning how to be a fifth grader,” proclaimed Mary Joyce, holding back tears. Snow noted that Joyce was the mother of a girl injured in the Covenant School shooting last year and touted how she “fought for gun reforms, like a red flag law that never passed. And this spring she was part of heated protests against the legislation to arm teachers.” At no point did Snow mention that the Covenant School shooter was a transgender terrorist who targeted the school. Intentionally downplaying the opinions and rights of the other people living in the community and the state, Snow and Joyce whined that lawmakers didn’t listen to naysayers like them: SNOW: Why do you think this law passed? The legislators said they were doing this for Covenant, in the wake of school shooting at your kid’s school. JOYCE: They weren't listening. They haven’t listened at all. It almost felt like we were screaming underwater. They also suggested, without evidence, the law was passed for less than noble reasons. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NBC’s Today August 14, 2024 8:41:27 a.m. Eastern CRAIG MELVIN: The new school year underway for a lot of folks, including students in Tennessee who, for the first time in public schools, a new law allows teachers and staff to be armed in the classroom. SHEINELLE JONES: NBC News Daily anchor Kate Snow traveled to Tennessee to see how it's playing out. Good morning. KATE SNOW: Yeah. Good morning, guys. So, in the last five years, there have been more than 750 shootings on school campuses. This law was passed in the spring in the wake of a devastating shooting the Covenant School in Nashville last year where you remember six people, including three children, were killed. The new law sets up a lot of rules and training before a teacher or staff member could show up to school armed. And while some teachers say they will feel safer carrying a gun, that doesn't seem to be happening just yet. [Cuts to video] As kids and teachers head back to school in Tennessee, a new law allows teachers and staff to “possess and carry a firearm” on school grounds. GOV. BILL LEE (R-TN): There is an option in that piece of legislation. It is a tool that districts can use if they choose to. It, therefore, will be decided at the local level. SNOW: But each school district and principal would need to approve. And so far, the Tennessee Education Association says it is “unaware of any school boards that have modified their firearm policies to accommodate the new law.” Josh Arwood teaches sixth grade history in Greene County in rural eastern Tennessee. He wishes his district would allow him to carry his gun into the classroom. JOSH ARWOOD: If they were to allow it, I would be fine with doing it. SNOW: You would sign up to carry? ARWOOD: Uh-huh. SNOW: And what would that look like for you? ARWOOD: It would be concealed at all times. SNOW: He says he would be ready to confront a shooter to save his students. ARWOOD: What if somebody came into my school meaning harm to them? I want to feel like I did everything I could to protect them. SNOW: We sat down with Josh, alongside Jennifer Orth who teaches fifth grade science and social studies in Nashville. SNOW: Do you think teachers should be armed? JENNIFER ORTH: No, I don't. I’m just afraid the likelihood of someone being hurt accidentally is greater than the likelihood than any teacher is going to be able to prevent school shootings. People are not walking into schools with handguns. People are walking into schools with AR-15s. And a handgun against an AR-15 is useless. SNOW: And to you, Josh, do you worry if that weapon is larger than what you have got, do you worry you will be able to do any good. ARWOOD: Well, I mean, I wouldn't be able to do any good if I didn't have a weapon. You know? At least having something gives me some chance. ORTH: I just don't think that an environment that is full of children needs to be full of more guns. Just in general. SNOW: Under the new law, teachers would need to pass background checks, undergo 40 hours of training, and would be personally liable if something went wrong. Anyone armed must conceal their weapon, and no one would know which staff members were armed, not even parents. And Tennessee is not unique. About half the states have laws allowing teachers or other school employees to be armed, according to the Giffords Law Center. MARY JOYCE: I can't imagine sending my child into a school knowing that there is a gun that is within feet of her learning how to be a fifth grader. SNOW: Mary Joyce’s daughter Monroe was nine when she was injured at the shooting at the Covenant School. She describes herself as conservative, a supporter of the Second Amendment. Last summer she fought for gun reforms, like a red flag law that never passed. And this spring she was part of heated protests against the legislation to arm teachers. Why do you think this law passed? The legislators said they were doing this for Covenant, in the wake of school shooting at your kid’s school. JOYCE: They weren't listening. They haven’t listened at all. It almost felt like we were screaming underwater. SNOW: Do you think this is the law now for political reasons? Do you think it was political? JOYCE: I think partly it was political. SNOW: Josh, who’s also a Republican county commissioner, and Jennifer, a registered Democrat, agree on this. ARWOOD: It’s at least a good step to kind of see where it goes. But I think it was so some of them could give themselves a pat on the back and be able to throw some red meat to their constituents. ORTH: I think they were trying to say, ‘well, we did something. We tried to do something to make the kids safer.’ [Cuts back to live] SNOW: Representative Ryan Williams, the Tennessee lawmaker who sponsored this legislation said in a statement, in part, “There is nothing political about ensuring districts have the ability to determine how best to protect their schools from dangerous individuals.” Josh has been a teacher for 18 years; Jennifer 11. And guys, they both say their jobs have gotten harder. Jennifer said to me, “When I walk into a new classroom, the first thing I do is think about where would I put the kids in the event of a shooting.” And by the way, Jennifer keeps a baseball bat in her classroom. HODA KOTB: So, in Tennessee, no teachers will be armed this school year at this point. SNOW: At the moment because no districts, according to the teachers' education association, no schools have agreed, no districts have agreed. And you have to have the district and your principal saying yes, and then you have to do the other things, the training and all of the requirements you have to have a permit yourself, et cetera, et cetera. MELVIN: It is a sad commentary on where we are as a society and a country that this is a debate that's being had. KOTB: Yeah. Agreed. MELVIN: Thank you, Kate.

Nancy Pelosi has once again demonstrated her influence over 81-year-old President Joe Biden, pressuring him to reconsider his re-election bid despite his initial insistence on staying in the race. When Biden stepped aside and let Kamala Harris take over as the Democratic presidential nominee, Pelosi was given her wish — and Biden made that clear in a recent interview with CBS. “What happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races. And I was concerned that if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic you’d be interviewing me about,” Biden said. “‘Why did Nancy Pelosi say, why did so and so,’” Biden said, playing the interviewer. “I thought it’d be a real distraction.” “He’s clearly upset with her and with everybody who pushed him out,” Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed” says. “He basically admitted he was pushed out of office or out of the campaign.” Now, as the Minnesota governor joins Kamala Harris’ campaign — an old clip from 2007 reveals Pelosi’s appreciation for good old “Tampon Tim” — and might signal that she had something to do with Harris’ choice. “He taught these people in high school, and then he had to lead them in the armed services,” Pelosi said of Walz. “So, he knows the potential of our young people and what we put at risk when we send them into harm's way without the equipment they need.” “I want him to know how much we all appreciate his service to our country, whether it’s in the classroom, or on the battlefield,” she added. Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.