The list of alleged instances of a weaponized federal government is getting longer‚ Rep. Dan Bishop‚ R-N.C.‚ says.The problem of the federal government being weaponized against the American peoples fundamental constitutional rights is pervasive and it seems‚ although I think weve done some things good to uncover and deter it‚ it is a constant problem and growing‚ Bishop says.As recent examples‚ the North Carolina Republican points to instances of the White Houses asking social media companies to censor content related to COVID-19 vaccines and to the FBIs misusing database information against Americans.The crisis at Americas southern border‚ Bishop says‚ is another way government has been weaponized against the American people during the Biden administration.Bishop joins The Daily Signal Podcast to detail these instances of government weaponization and what Congress can do to stop the abuse.Listen to the podcast below:The post Weaponization of Federal Government Is Growing‚ This Congressman Warns appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Miami Beach is a leading destination for college students during spring break‚ but for years‚ the tourism brought violent crime with it. Videos of street mobs jumping on cars‚ various assaults‚ and two deadly shootings during last years spring break proved to be the final straw.Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner‚ a self-described independent‚ announced ahead of spring break 2024 that the city was implementing new rules to keep the peace and protect civilians. Among them: a 6 p.m. close for beach entrances‚ earlier closings for liquor stores‚ bag checks‚ and DUI checkpoints. Miami Beach also heavily increased police presence. The changes were publicized in an ad campaign announcing that the city was breaking up with spring breakers.The results of the new rules for Miami Beach speak for themselves.In March‚ there were no shootings related to spring break‚ arrests fell by 8%‚ and gun seizures fell below 70 after police seized over 100 guns during spring break last year‚ the Miami Herald reported.This is the calmest spring break weve had in years‚ Meiner told Fox News. A number of restaurants are actually telling me thank youthat these measures have helped them‚ [that] its kept things safer‚ calmer‚ and that theyre actually busier.On this weeks edition of the Problematic Women podcast‚ we discuss what other cities can learn from Miami Beachs new rules for spring break.Also on todays show‚ we discuss former porn star Nala Rays journey out of the industry and the publics response to her interview with Michael Knowles. Plus‚ the Vatican clarifies its position on transgender surgeries. Is this stance surprising? We explain.And as always‚ well crown our Problematic Woman of the Week.Listen to the podcast below:The post Miami Beach Broke Up With Spring Break‚ and It Worked appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Three Senate Democrats crossed the aisle on Wednesday to vote against a plank of the Biden administrations electric vehicle agenda.Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia‚ Sherrod Brown of Ohio‚ and Jon Tester of Montana voted with their Republican colleagues tonullifya Federal Highway Administration rule that critics have characterized as an effort to reduce the number of gas-powered cars on Americas roadways. Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema‚ who typically caucuses with Democrats‚ also voted in favor of the nullification resolution‚ bringing the final vote tally to 53-47.The Federal Highway Administration rule would have required state transportation agencies to establish emissions reduction plans for federally-funded roadway projects. The agencyunveiledthe finalized rule on the day before Thanksgiving 2023.Two federal judges also have ruled against the regulation in recent weeks.REPORTER: ";The first quarter of this year‚ Ford lost $700 million on their EV programIs that what we can expect from Bidenomics?";DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: ";Bidenomics is having a tremendous impact."; pic.twitter.com/eLUBKkg9XM Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 27‚ 2023 Manchin helped introduce the nullification resolution alongside Republican colleagues‚ while Brown and Tester each face competitive reelection bids in the 2024 cycle.However‚ the White House has said President Joe Biden would veto the bill if it reached the presidents desk‚accordingto Politico.Few things are more frustrating in government than unelected bureaucrats asserting authority they dont have and foisting federal mediocrity on the excellence of states‚ Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer‚ who introduced the legislation‚ said from the Senate floor on Wednesday.The Senate will take up my bipartisan resolution that overturns the Biden administrations obviously illegal rule that requires state departments of transportation to measure [carbon dioxide] tailpipe emissions then set declining targets for vehicles traveling on the highway systems of their perspective states.Cramer has been a consistent and vocal critic of the regulation‚ describing it as fundamentally unworkable in rural states like the one he represents. He has also previouslycharacterizedthe regulation as a thinly-veiled effort by the federal government to push EVs.Other federal agencies‚ such as theEnvironmental ProtectionAgencyand theNational Highway Safety Transportation Administration‚ have pushed their own rules in recent months that will effectively mandate large increases in EV production over the coming years.The White House and the Federal Highway Administration did not respond immediately to a request for comment.Originally published by the Daily Caller News FoundationThe post 3 Senate Dems Vote With Republicans to Dismantle Plank of Bidens EV Agenda appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The convictions of James Crumbley and his wife‚ Jennifer‚ for their roles in their sons commission of a mass school shooting in Michigan that killed four and injured seven tells us one thing: If you are an irresponsible gun owner‚ you will pay the price if a crime is committed with your gun.It is as simple as that. Lock your gun up‚ keep it away from your children. And if you have a mentally unwell child‚ keep an even more watchful eye on your firearm. This was not done in the Crumbleys case.The safety of our nation and our schools depends on responsible gun owners doing the right thing and keeping their guns out of the hands of their children. There are far too many mass school shootings because there are far too many mentally unwell students and far too many parents who are careless with their firearms.[The Crumbleys son‚ 15 at the time he committed the crime at a Michigan high school in November 2021‚ was sentenced to life in prison without parole in December‚ CNN reported. His parents each were sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison‚ weeks after being convicted of manslaughter.]This is a precedent-setting case‚ the first time the parents of a school mass shooter have been charged‚ much less convicted. But the negligence displayed by the Crumbleys went beyond the failure to secure the firearms; it was their profound lapse in judgment despite clear warning signs that their child was troubled.They may not have given their child the firearms and said to go and commit a heinous crime‚ but not taking the necessary steps to secure the firearms or get their son the help he clearly needed makes them culpable for his actions‚ which couldve been easily avoided if they acted differently. Its very possible that lives could have been saved were it not for parents who made excuses for their sons troubling behavior even though the school took clear steps‚ including talking to the parents about their child. The Crumbleys missed an opportunity to intervene and potentially prevent a catastrophe.When a child under the care of adults displays serious mental health issues‚ those warning signs must not be ignored. Proactive steps and measures should be taken to get those children the help they need to avoid harm not only to others but themselves. Mental health is a serious problem‚ but with help you can often save someone. Ignoring the glaring signs of their childs mental distress while knowing he had access to a weapon in their home certainly makes the Crumbleys liable.Its not enough to react to warning signs without taking proactive measures. Mental health issues require serious attention‚ understanding‚ and actionwithin not just families but also educational institutions and health care systems and through legislative measures. The Crumbleys oversight is a tragic example of what happens when mental distress signs are ignored or minimized‚ especially when combined with access to weapons.The convictions of James and Jennifer Crumbley should set a precedent for parents who ignore the warning signs of their childs troubling behavior and their responsibility to seek help. It also serves as a sobering reminder of the responsibility that comes with gun ownership and the safe storage of guns around children. Im a strong believer in the Second Amendment and do not believe the government should encroach on Americans constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. However‚ I also believe we must respect the responsibility that comes with this right.We have seen too many young people commit heinous crimessmash and grabs‚ armed robberies in inner cities‚ suburban kids shooting and killing classmatesand one question Ive always asked is: Where are the parents? We cannot continue to allow parents to allow their reckless and troubled children to wreak havoc on the rest of society without any consequences. The trials and convictions of the Crumbleys should serve as a reminder for anyone out there with a troubled child and firearms in the home: Get your child the help he needs and secure those firearms for your safety and that of your child and those around them.COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COMThe Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.The post Sentencing of Shooters Parents Underlines Responsibility of Gun Owners appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Rep. Austin Scott‚ a Republican from Georgia who has criticized conservatives and is campaigning actively against the House Freedom Caucus chairman‚ is Speaker Mike Johnsons choice for a newly vacant seat on the powerful Rules Committee.Scotts selection Wednesday infuriated conservatives on Capitol Hill. The Daily Signal spoke with several lawmakers and staffers whose reactions ranged from shock to disappointment that Johnson‚ R-La.‚ would pick someone who is openly trying to unseat one of the Houses most prominent conservatives.This the wrong person for the wrong role at the wrong time‚ a Republican member of Congress told The Daily Signal.By picking Scott for the Rules Committee‚ one of the oldest and most powerful in the House of Representatives‚ Johnson revealed whom he trusts to determine floor activity and advance the speakers agenda.Its hard to see Johnsons move here as anything except needing an attack dog against conservatives‚ said a former Republican staffer‚ who requested anonymity to speak candidly. You get the impression hes going to use Austin Scott to help as a blockade on the Rules Committee and throughout the [Republican] conference. Thats the signal it sends.Johnsons staff acknowledged The Daily Signals request for comment‚ but did not provide a response.Critical of ConservativesScott‚ a close ally of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy‚ R-Calif.‚ sought the speakers job in October in an ill-fated run against Rep. Jim Jordan‚ chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.At the time of McCarthys ouster as speaker‚ Scott issued a statement calling the eight members who voted to remove McCarthy nothing more than grifters who have handed control of the House to the Democratic Party in the name of their own glory and fundraising.Scott continued‚ There is nothing principled about what they did‚ and Republican leadership will have to decide to either hold these members accountable or lose the faith of the rest of the conference.Months later‚ he took aim at one of the eight in particular: Rep. Bob Good‚ R-Va.‚ chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Scott donated to Goods primary challenger‚ John McGuire‚ in Virginias 5th Congressional District. Last month‚ Scott was a featured guest at a McGuire fundraiser.Rep. Austin Scott‚ R-Ga.‚ speaks with reporters following a House Republicans caucus meeting on Oct. 23‚ 2023. Scott is Speaker Mike Johnsons choice for a vacant seat on the powerful House Rules Committee. (Photo: Julia Nikhinson/Getty Images)Despite Scotts actions‚ Johnson handpicked him for a coveted seat on the powerful Rules Committee.Speaker Johnson keeps saying‚ Were on the same team‚ knock it off‚ please stop this. But hes not actually doing anything to stop it‚ a Republican staffer told The Daily Signal. Now‚ Austin Scott‚ one of the guys who started this civil war on the primary campaign trail‚ is put on the Rules Committee. The speaker isnt ending the war‚ hes escalating it by rewarding people going after conservatives.And while Scotts public actions have revealed his contempt for conservatives‚ lawmakers and staff said he is even more hostile to them in private settings.Hes got a short fuse and a hot temper‚ another Republican member said of Scott. Quite honestly‚ he doesnt have the temperament to be a legislator.Scotts communications director declined to make him available for an interview with The Daily Signal and instead pointed to his brief statement on X.It is our sworn duty as members of Congress to govern‚ and I look forward to serving on the Rules Committee to help advance legislation that benefits the American people. Rep. Austin Scott (@AustinScottGA08) April 11‚ 2024The Speakers CommitteeKnown as the speakers committee‚ the Rules Committee includes nine Republicans and four Democrats. One of those seats became vacant this week when Rep. Tom Cole‚ R-Okla.‚ won the gavel for the House Appropriations Committee.Two members of the House Freedom CaucusReps. Ralph Norman‚ R-S.C.‚ and Chip Roy‚ R-Texascurrently serve on the Rules Committee with another conservative-leaning member‚ Rep. Thomas Massie‚ R-Ky. Their three votes‚ combined with four Democrats‚ are enough to sink the speakers plans.Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole‚ R-Okla.‚ convenes a meeting alongside ranking member Rep. Jim McGovern‚ D-Mass.‚ on Jan. 31‚ 2023. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)After years of being shut out of the Rules Committeeand any semblance of negotiation over its membershipconservatives scored seats on the panel as part of a deal with McCarthy‚ resulting in his election to speaker in January 2023.Unlike when McCarthy negotiated with members‚ Johnson instead moved swiftly without consulting conservatives about Scotts selection.It is the speakers committee‚ and he can do whatever he wants with it. But in a one-seat majority‚ there should be a conversation‚ a GOP staffer told The Daily Signal. You talk to people about whos interested‚ who might be a good fit‚ who might be a productive addition on the Rules Committee.A former Republican staffer described it as a curious move on Johnsons part.You already have conservatives angry at you for a variety of reasons‚ the former staffer said. You have a one-seat majority. You have a pending motion to vacate [the speaker]. Its not exactly the time to poke the bear.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene‚ R-Ga.‚ filed a motion to vacate March 22‚ but has not yet forced a vote. If its successful‚ Johnson would lose the speakers job‚ just as McCarthy did before him.Speaker Johnson lives in peril every day for his job depending on what he does‚ a Republican member said. Its a dicey situation. It appears to me that there are other candidates who are interested in being speaker in the new term.GOP Civil WarSince joining Congress in 2011‚ Scott has focused his attention on serving the rural Georgia district he represents. He is a member of the House Intelligence Committee‚ the Armed Services Committee‚ and the Agriculture Committee. He has a lifetime score of 77% on Heritage Actions Scorecard.Scott also has developed a reputation among conservatives on Capitol Hill‚ according to lawmakers and staff who spoke to The Daily Signal.Austin Scott is a hothead‚ a notorious hothead‚ a Republican staffer said. He frequently loses his temper inside conference meetings with other members. Hes threatened‚ berated‚ cursed out members.Scotts decision to endorse Goods primary opponent‚ therefore‚ didnt necessarily come as a surprise. However‚ it did anger conservatives‚ particularly because Johnson has privately counseled GOP members not to engage in primaries between fellow Republicans. The speaker recently made another appeal at GOP lawmakers retreat last month in West Virginia.Austin Scott endorsed Bob Goods primary challenger‚ attended a fundraiser with him‚ a Republican staffer said. Mike Johnson‚ repeatedly for several weeks‚ has lectured the conference about what he calls the hot war on the campaign trail with primaries against incumbent Republicans. The moderates started this by going after Bob Good.Rep. Bob Good‚ R-Va.‚ chairman of the House Freedom Caucus‚ is facing a GOP challenger in his June 18 primary election. (Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Good‚ who boasts a 99% lifetime score on Heritage Actions Scorecard‚ joined the House in 2021 after knocking off an incumbent Republican. He took over as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus in January.Scott is one of at least six House Republicans who are backing Goods opponent. Others include House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers‚ R-Ala.‚ and Reps. Jen Kiggans‚ R-Va.; Ryan Zinke‚ R-Mont.; Derrick Van Orden‚ R-Wis.; and Morgan Luttrell‚ R-Texas.Conservatives were appealing to the speaker to end the civil war before it got out of hand‚ a Republican member told The Daily Signal. And when he refused to‚ we let everyone know that were not going to take all the casualties.Thats led some conservative members to make their own endorsements against moderate Republicans.Good‚ for example‚ is backing GOP challenger Derrick Evans in West Virginias 1st District against incumbent Rep. Carol Miller‚ R-W.Va.‚ a leader of the moderate Republican Main Street Caucus. Its affiliated PAC‚ the Republican Main Street Partnership‚ is actively spending money against Good.Notably‚ Johnson has withheld his own endorsement from Good‚ whose primary election is June 18. A spokesman for the speakers political operation did not respond to The Daily Signals request for comment.The post Speaker Johnsons Choice for Key House Committee Sparks Backlash appeared first on The Daily Signal.

In a lawsuit filed on Monday‚ Missouri invites the federal courts to recognize that President Joe Bidens preoccupation with canceling student loans is part of a pattern.Like Bidens effort to impose an eviction moratorium and a vaccine mandate‚ and his efforts to alter the composition of the nations population and its power supply‚ Bidens multibillion-dollar Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan evidences his tendency to operate as if the White House were a rival legislature opposed to the U.S. Congress.He insists on forcing his political priorities on the nation by reading marginal sections in old laws to support vast discretionary authority unrecognized by his predecessors in the Oval Office.The SAVE Plan‚ another facet in Bidens kaleidoscopic project of eliminating student debt‚ redefines conventional notions like loans and debt by reimagining them as synonymous with previously distinct concepts like grant or gift.That the president lacks the authority to do so is the gist of Missouris case and the nearly identical case filed by Kansas less than two weeks ago. In total‚ 18 states have now joined one lawsuit or the other to prevent the Biden administration from carrying out the SAVE Plan.How does SAVE accomplish its bold reconceptualization of once-settled commercial terms? Principally‚ by changing the terms under which borrowers with income-driven repayment plans repay their student loans.In the Higher Education Act‚ Congress set forth limited circumstances in which the secretary of education may cancel student debt‚ such as when the borrower has been a public servant for a certain period of time‚ has become permanently disabled‚ or has died. These limited grants of loan-forgiving power are not the basis for SAVE. Instead‚ the administration focuses on a separate set of programs under which borrowers will repay their student loans‚ but are permitted to do so over time and in increments that account for a borrowers limited income.Congress created those programs‚ too‚ setting limits on the repayment plans duration‚ on the types of borrowers and payments that qualify‚ and the amount of income that borrowers must contribute toward their student loans. Despite Congress attention to the particulars‚ Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona takes the view that he has virtually unlimited authority under the Higher Education Act to improve upon these congressional qualifications by varying them downward. Under the new Department of Education rule‚ the secretary has redefined how to calculate discretionary income out of which a borrower must make payments. Whereas discretionary income was previously defined as 150% of the applicable federal poverty guideline‚ the secretary has now set it at 225%. He then lowered the percentage of discretionary income that borrowers will be obliged to pay monthly toward their loans from 10%‚ where Congress had set it‚ to 5%.The state cases summarize the financial effects: the typical undergraduate borrower repays less than what they took out: only $6‚121 for every $10‚000 borrowed‚ and 4.3 million out of 7.8 million borrowers under the income-driven repayment plan from the Final Rule have a monthly payment of $0 on their loans.In all‚ the Penn-Wharton Budget Model estimates the SAVE Plan would cost $475 billion over 10 years. For comparison‚ Penn-Wharton estimated the costs for the previous plan the Supreme Court struck down at $469 billion to $519 billion over 10 years.Some‚ no doubt‚ are wondering why the president even gets another bite at the student-loan apple. Wasnt presidential power to cancel loans the core of the controversy that the Supreme Court decided against Biden just last year? Recall that in Biden v. Nebraska‚ the president invoked an emergency statute and the waning COVID-19 pandemic to cancel loans. Thus‚ the decision dealt principally with that statute‚ the HEROES Act‚ and addressed presidential authority under the Higher Education Act only obliquely.Despite the separate statutory basis‚ the administrations goals and justifications are in many salient respects unchanged‚ ensuring that Biden v. Nebraska will be relevant to determining the outcome in these cases. There‚ as here‚ the secretary of education unlawfully claimed authority to rewrite [the Higher Education Act] from the ground up to createa novel and fundamentally different loan-forgiveness program.There‚ as here‚ the secretarys assertion of administrative authority has conveniently enabled [him] to enact a program that Congress has chosen not to enact itself. And there‚ as here‚ the secretary asserts virtually unlimited power to rewrite the Education Act such that he may unilaterally define every aspect of federal student financial aid.These are just some of the relevant similarities. Yes‚ the laws‚ the Higher Education Act and HEROES Act‚ are different in verbiage and in structure. Butit is far from clear that these differences place the administrations plans on firmer legal footing.Suppose that the secretary is correctat least partiallywhen he says that the Higher Education Act vests him with some authority to modify the parameters of a borrowers loan-repayment plan. The SAVE Plan still encounters an obstacle when read in statutory context.As the states point out‚ Congress distinguished in the Higher Education Act between loans and grants‚ treating them in separate sections of the law. Yet‚ by ensuring that most affected borrowers will pay substantially less than what they borrowed‚ the secretary asserts an unconstrained power to convert money that Congress appropriated for loans into taxpayer-funded grants.How plausible is it that Congress gave the executive branch this freewheeling authority to innovate as the political convenience of the moment demands?Even were it exercised on a smaller scale‚ the principle behind the secretary of educations assertion would raise considerable political concern and constitutional doubts. When‚ however‚ the secretary uses his interpretive authority to impose on Americans a debt burden every bit as large as the one previously struck downa debt for which many Americans bear no responsibilitythen the action bears the hallmarks of what the Supreme Court has termed a major question. And no member of the executive branch gets to resolve those without clear authorization from Congress.After a notable Supreme Court loss‚ President Andrew Jackson apocryphally declared‚ Chief Justice John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it. After his own Supreme Court defeat in Biden v. Nebraska‚ the president gave a pale‚ geriatric imitation of Jacksonian defiance: The Supreme Court blocked it‚ but that didnt stop me.In the SAVE Plan‚ as in his other student-loan giveaways‚ Biden evokes democracys most ancient demon: wealth redistribution. He trots out the multibillion-dollar beast draped in new statutory garb and declares it lawful.But Biden is no Jacksonian populist‚ poor borrowers are not the impetus behind SAVE‚ and his revised plan appears no more lawful than the previous one for all its new statutory raiment. Rather‚ unilateral student debt cancellation has long been the project of Americas most elite private universities and its toniest ZIPcodes.In making another dubiously legal bid at student-debt erasure‚ Biden is not responding to the cries of the needy‚ but to the howls of those partisans who expect to be the leftistmovements leaders in the not-too-distant future.The post Missouri‚ Kansas Lawsuits Remind Biden That Student Loans Remain Congress Prerogative appeared first on The Daily Signal.

There is an important body of conservative thought that is now nearly or completely absent on the faculties of many eminent universities‚ former Harvard University PresidentDerek Bok wroteinHarvard Magazinefollowing Hamas terrorist attacks Oct. 7 in Israel and the ensuing campus chaos.He recommends some immediate progress by trying to hire conservatives as visiting professors or lecturers while also encouraging conservative students with ability to consider embarking on an academic career‚ Bok wrote.One area sorely needing hiring changes is mental health care.A profound mismatch exists between proven treatments for mental illness and the worldview of practitioners. Robust scientific evidence correlates faith and religious practice with strengthening mental health and preventing suicide and drug and alcohol overdoses.A faith-based worldview‚often correlatedwith what society deems conservative or traditional religious values‚ is highly underrepresented among psychiatrists. For example‚ psychiatristsranked 23rd among 24 medical specialistsin their low propensity for Republican Party registrationfar below the general population‚ Yale researchers reported.The religious composition of the mental health industry doesntmirror the United States. Similar trends can be seen across elite media and Hollywood. This is creating massive cultural blind spotsincluding in the treatment of mental health. This is why we are getting the Bad Therapy identified by author Abigail Shrier.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late last year releasedprovisional datashowing 49‚449 people committed suicide in the United States in 2022. This nearly 3% increase from 2021 is the highest number ever recorded and the highest rate since 1941the aftershocks of the Great Depression. Its nearly 17 times the number of people killed in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.Yet women who attend religious services at least weekly are 68% less likely to die deaths of despairsuicide‚ drug overdose‚ or alcohol poisoning. Men are 33% less likely‚according to 2020 researchfrom Harvard Universitys School of Public Health.TheNational Bureau of Economic Researchreported that states with declining religious attendance correlated with increased deaths of despair‚ and vice versa.A literature review appearing inPsychiatric Timesreported: Of 93 observational studies‚ two-thirds found lower rates of depressive disorder with fewer depressive symptoms in persons who were more religious. a review of 134 studies that examined the relationships between religious involvement and substance abuse [concluded that] 90% found less substance abuse among the more religious.Research from thePsychology of Religion and Spiritualityfound atheism correlates withemotional suppression.Psychology professors (along with biologists) areleastlikely among all disciplines to believe in God‚Harvard reported.The journalSociology of Religionsimilarly foundthat psychologists are the least religious of American professors.This is a troubling combination. The same trained experts ordained to heal mental disorders are sometimes the very ones who are skeptical of rescuing balm.A recovered agnostic‚ I experienced the power of faith to heal my own mental health‚ as I recount in my memoir Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness. Over the years‚ I visited hospitals nine times (sometimes in multiple overnight stays) for depression‚ fibromyalgia‚ suicidal ideation‚ and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sadly‚ three of my siblings attempted suicide.I struggled with anxiety‚ PTSD‚ depression‚ and suicidal ideation before I returned to God and was baptized as a Christian. Eventually‚ I was able to forgive my dad for the severe abuse he wrought on our family through his toxic cult.During my childhood‚ I attended 17 public schools as well as home school‚ living in various motor homes‚ sheds‚ tents‚ and sometimes houses amid poverty‚ welfare‚ and sexual abuse. My mom gave birth when our family lived in a tent‚ and I took my ACT exam when our family lived in a shed in the Ozarks with no running water. Two brothers eventually developed schizophrenia. One brother sexually assaulted me and tried to rape me; the other accused me of trying to seduce him.My dad said my blood changed when I left home for college‚ that I was no longer his daughter. He banished me from home‚ claiming I was satanic and would corrupt my siblings since I was first to leave but fifth inbirth order. I was declared legally estranged from my parents to obtain Pell Grants to pay for college.After numerous unexpected turns‚ including a full tuition scholarship to Harvard for a masters degree‚ a successful media career‚ and time as a Goldman Sachs and Wall Street analyst‚ I became a Protestant Christian in December 2017‚ following nearly 12 years as a bitter agnostic.The biggest hurdle I needed to overcome was comprehending the difference between man-made abuse and healthy faith in God.Faith-filled communities and transformative prayer practices healed my brain. Dr.Curt Thompson‚ a renowned Christian psychiatrist with expertise in neuroscience and spirituality‚ wrote a book‚ Anatomy of the Soul‚ that changed my thinking about my brain. It was deeply moving and hopeful to learn about the brains neuroplasticity‚ proving indeed that I could change my brains wiring.And‚ with Gods help‚ I did. I struggle like everyone does to some extent. However‚ since embracing faith in my mental health treatment‚ I gradually stabilized and today experiencewhat the Bible callsthe peace of God‚ which surpasses all understanding.With record suicides and depression rates‚ sadly‚ were suffering a growing mental health crisis in America‚ part of why Gen Zis seeing a faith revival.AsBoston University researcher Brian J. Grim notes‚faith is often the most powerful‚ lasting factor credited with healing people from drug and alcohol addiction.This isnt to say that a nonbeliever cant effectively treat someone with mental health issues. Its just noting that the idea of lived experiencean idea embraced by progressive academicsis sorely lacking in the area of faith and mental health. The lived experience of faiths positive impacts is missing in todays mental health community. This blind spot could be causing considerable harm to patients.In this season of campus reform‚ mental health systems must seek out faculty and expand curriculum design to embrace the power of faith to save lives and heal minds.The post Faiths Proven Role in Overcoming Mental Illness appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Medicare‚ the huge government health program that serves 66 million senior and disabled citizens‚ is at a crossroads.With huge demographic and fiscal challenges straight ahead‚ there are two dominant approaches at hand.One focuses on improving and modernizing the program by building on the best features of Medicares popular system of competing private health plans‚ harnessing the benefits of personal choice and market competition. The other focuses on building up the powerful Medicare bureaucracy and doubling down on its complex system of central planning and price controls.The Medicare trustees reported last year that the trends in Medicare administrative payment and price controls‚ governing both hospital and physician payment‚ already threaten seniors future access to quality care.With the enactment of President Joe Bidens absurdly named Inflation Reduction Act‚ supplanting private market negotiation with government price-fixing‚ Americans can expect a slowing of investment in research and development and consequently a reduction in the number of new medications and breakthrough drugs‚ especially cancer drugs.The only debate between analysts of the Congressional Budget Office and private sector economists is the severity of the coming shortfalls. The House Republican Study Committee clearly gets it and grasps the urgency of this moment. The proof is its fiscal year 2025 budget proposal‚ Fiscal Sanity to Save America.The committees budget proposal is a refreshing exception to the prevailing Beltway wisdom. Its prescriptions align with what seniors have well demonstrated what they know and like; namely‚ the advantages of personally chosen and more flexible benefit options that can be delivered through more intense market competition. In substance‚ the Republican Study Committee proposal would build on the success of choice and competition that characterizes Medicare Advantage. Today‚ an estimated 52% of all Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage‚ the robust system of competing private health plans that is the alternative to traditional Medicare.Enrollment in these private health plans is growing a lot faster than ever predicted. For example‚ as recently as 2022‚ the Medicare trustees estimated that private plan enrollment would not top 52% until 2030.Under the budget proposal‚ traditional Medicare (aka the Fed Plan) would be retained as an option for Medicare beneficiaries. However‚ it would be improved by consolidating Parts A‚ B‚ and D‚ like most Medicare Advantage plans‚ into one comprehensive benefits package. This Fed Plan would compete directly on a level playing field with todays Medicare Advantage plans for seniors enrollment.Structurally‚ todays Medicare funding streams would be merged into a single trust fund and financed‚ as it is today‚ by a combination of payroll taxes‚ premiums‚ and federal subsidies from general tax revenues.Every senior would be able to choose the kind of health plan he or she wants‚ whether traditional Medicare or a private Medicare Advantage plan‚ and the government would make a defined contribution (premium support) in a fixed amount to cover the cost of the chosen coverage‚ as it does today in Medicare Advantage and for Medicare drug coverage. Under the Republican Study Committee proposal‚ the defined government contribution (premium support) to health plans on behalf of enrollees would be the product of market-based competitive bidding to offer the standard Parts A‚ B‚ and D benefits.Enrollees would have the option of choosing a health plan that is premium free‚ as they do today in Medicare Advantage‚ meaning that they would not have to pay any additional premium amount above the monthly standard Part B premium.The Republican Study Committee budget proposal does not dictate the payment formula to be used for setting the government contribution or plan payment‚ but does suggests two options: The first is that the government payment to health plans could be based on the average bid among the plans‚ which is the method used today for the popular and successful Federal Employees Health Benefits Program‚ which covers more than 8 million federal workers‚ retirees‚ and their families.A second option is to base payment on the bid of the second-lowest price health plan in a region. Thats the method used today to establish plan payment under the Affordable Care Act for the Obamacare plans in the nations health insurance exchanges. The House Republicans proposal directs the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish a short term demonstration to test and determine which payment formula would be best and generates the most value in terms of health outcomes and cost effectiveness. The proposal is a giant step in the right direction. It promises to secure both beneficiary and budget savings‚ as the previous Congressional Budget Office modeling of a broadly similar premium support proposal has already indicated.More recently‚ former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin‚ in an essay in Modernizing Medicare: Harnessing the Power of Consumer Choice and Market Competition (Johns Hopkins University Press‚ 2023)‚ updated savings estimates based on the CBO budget baselines. Assuming a government payment formula based on the second-lowest price health plan‚ Holtz-Eakin estimates that such a comprehensive competitive system could save an estimated $2.2 trillion over 10 years‚ including $333 billion in savings for Medicare beneficiaries. Aside from transforming the financing of the Medicare program‚ the Republican Study Committees budget proposal also makes other long-overdue structural changes to other parts of the Medicare program.Two are particularly noteworthy.First‚ the proposal addresses the costly imbalance between Medicare payment for services in a hospital and payment for those same services in a clinic or a doctors office. Today‚ Medicare payment is higher for services delivered in a hospital.Often called site neutrality payment‚ the proposal would pay medical providers the same‚ whether the services are delivered in a hospital‚ clinic‚ or even a doctors office.This change‚ long endorsed by The Heritage Foundation and others‚ would level the playing field of competition between hospitals and non-hospital clinics and facilities and would eliminate the incentive for hospitals to buy independent medical practices to secure higher profits. It would also intensify competition and secure big program savings. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)The Republican Study Committee reports that this one change alone would yield $202 billion in savings over the next 10 years. Because Medicare is Americas biggest health care payer‚ accounting for 21% of our spending‚ this change would also have a positive spillover effect in the private health care markets. It could stimulate competition where it is sorely lacking and help revitalize independent private medical practices.Second‚ the proposal would free the Medicare program from paying for the costs of graduate medical education. Medicare today is the largest financier of graduate medical education‚ helping to pay the direct and indirect costs of hospital residents. The committees proposal would remove graduate medical education payment from the Medicare trust funds and create a new and separate trust fund to help offset those costs‚ as recommended by The Heritage Foundation and others. This committee proposal would save Medicare an estimated $16 billion a year.As is common with such budget proposals‚ the Republican Study Committees plan is only a broad outline of Medicare reforms. The details must still be worked out legislatively‚ but it is most certainly headed in the right direction.By contrast‚ their Democratic colleagues have a completely different approach. Their agenda is set forth in black-and-white text. As noted‚ they passed the Inflation Reduction Act that would‚ for the first time‚ import a government price-fixing scheme into the Medicare drug program.In addition‚ rather than shoring up Medicare for seniors‚ the Biden administration has already announced a payment reduction for health plans in the Medicare Advantage program. Moreover‚ the majority of House Democrats have co-sponsored so-called Medicare for All legislation that would literally repeal the existing Medicare program and destroy Medicare Advantage.Their bill would abolish everyones right to any alternative to government coverage‚ impose massive tax increases on the middle class‚ and substitute bureaucratic central planning and price controls for personal choice and market competition.In short‚ ordinary senior citizens‚ voting with their feet‚ are already way ahead of official Washington. Based on the mounting evidence‚ its not hard to see why. Medicare Advantage plans are affordable‚ offer a richer set of benefits‚ score very well on most quality metrics‚ and guarantee protection against the financial devastation of catastrophic illness.While Medicare Advantage has flawschiefly an unnecessarily costly formula for paying health plansits key features of consumer choice and competition provide a great foundation for comprehensive Medicare reform.The post Medicares Future: House GOP Is on the Side of Seniors appeared first on The Daily Signal.

CBS News crossed a red line when it seized her reporting records‚ veteran investigative journalist Catherine Herridge says. Herridge testified before Congress Thursday in support of legislation to protect journalists and their sources. Her testimony comes about two months after CBS News fired Herridge as senior investigative correspondent and seized her files. CBS News locked me out of the building and seized hundreds of pages of my reporting files‚ including confidential source information‚ Herridge told the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government. Multiple sources said they were concerned that by working with me to expose government corruption and misconduct‚ they would be identified and exposed‚ she testified. I pushed back‚ and with the public support of my union‚ SAG-AFTRA‚ the records were returned by CBS News.A report from the New York Post indicates that CBS News may have fired Herridge after nearly five years with the network because she was reporting details of the Hunter Biden laptop story.In addition to reporting on that‚ she also was following up on special counsel Robert Hurs report citing President Joe Bidens failing memory. As The Hill put it‚ She was pursuing stories that were unwelcomed by the Biden White House and many Democratic powerhouses.The broadcast journalist‚ who previously spent 23 years at Fox News Channel‚ testified that her termination by CBS News came the same month she was held in contempt of court for refusing to disclose my confidential sources on a national security story.A judge ordered Herridge to reveal a source for her report on a Chinese-American scientist. Her refusal to reveal the source placed her at the center of a major First Amendment case and led her to be a staunch advocate for the proposed Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act‚ or the PRESS Act. The bipartisan PRESS Act would put an end to this sort of legal jeopardy that I have experienced firsthand in the federal courts‚ Herridge told subcommittee members. And without the legislation‚ more journalists will run the uncertainty of the contempt gauntlet in the future. This legislation will provide protections for every working journalist in the United States now and for the next generation.";If confidential sources are not protected‚ I fear investigative journalism is dead.";?WATCH: @C__Herridge';s testimony from today';s hearing about press freedom and protecting sources. pic.twitter.com/Xdhqh57pAq House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) April 11‚ 2024Specifically‚ the PRESS Act provides protections to reporters and sources‚establishing barriers to preventlitigants and the federal government from obtaining a reporters files except when theres an imminent threat of violence‚ including terrorism‚ and in defamation cases‚ she said. The House passed the bill in January. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer‚ D-N.Y.‚ said the Senate may soon pass the bill and send it to Bidens desk for his signature. I hope that I am the last journalist who has to spend two years in the federal courts fighting to protect my confidential sources‚ Herridge told members of Congress. The post Journalist Says CBS News Crossed Red Line‚ Calls on Congress to Protect First Amendment appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The U.S. House is expected to vote Friday on a two-year extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act‚ commonly known as FISA. This transcript has been edited for length and reprinted with permission from Tucker Carlson.A few years ago‚ we learned conclusively that‚ in fact‚ the FBI and the federal intel agenciesthe dozen or more federal intel agencies we have‚ for some reasonhad been working secretly against Donald Trumps presidential campaign. Trump had whispered about this‚ then shouted about it‚ was roundly denounced as a conspiracy nut‚ a lunatic. But in the end‚ he was vindicated. It was true.These agencies spied on Trump‚ and they leaked some of what they learned to the media‚ which used it against Trump. Then these agencies concocted false stories about Trump. They tried to crush Trump completely in 2016 and then for the entire course of his presidency. Then they did the same thing in 2020 during the presidential election. And theyre doing it still. Theyre trying to put him in prison for the rest of his life. So if we take three steps back‚ what you have here is what were seeing now. For the third time in three consecutive cycles‚ secretive federal agencies are trying to rig our presidential election. This is what the Democrats refer to as democracy‚ and theyre trying to defend it. But of course‚ its the opposite of democracy. Its‚ in fact‚ the end of democracy in any semblance of a constitutional republic we ever had. If you have a secret police force threatening people‚ spying on them‚ and working secretly the levers of political power‚ then you dont have a democracy. You have no control over really anything as a voter. So if theres one thing the Republican Party‚ the opposition party‚ should be doing in response to this‚ right now‚ its fighting back against this descent into totalitarianism. They should be working to return freedom and democracy to the country. They should defend the Constitution. They should rein in these agencies‚ Washington secret police. But you will not be surprised to learn theyve been busy doing just the opposite. So if youre wondering why no one is going to prison for any of this‚ now that we know what actually happened‚ well‚ the reason is in part a law called FISA‚ the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act‚ has been around a long time. Sen. Teddy Kennedy first proposed it‚ by the way‚ back in the mid-1970s. And that law allows the federal government to spy without a warrant on foreigners outside the borders of the country. The idea is bad people are doing bad things against us. We need to know what they are‚ and we cant bother to go to a court to get a warrant every time we want to know‚ but it will never be used against American citizens. Well‚ of course‚ now we know it has been at scale. That law‚ FISA‚ has made it possible. So that law is now up for reauthorization in the House of Representatives. And amazingly‚ the new speaker of the House‚ Mike Johnson of Louisiana‚ has spent the last couple of weeks doing all he can to get that law reauthorized. In other words‚ to allow the federal agencies to continue to spy upon and punish people who disagree with them. In other words‚ Mike Johnsons own party. Republicans‚ Trump voters. Mike Johnson has been working to do that‚ and that effort failed [Wednesday] because members of Congress heard from their constituents or came to their senses‚ saw the truth in a dream. Whatever happened‚ they stopped Mike Johnson from doing that for the moment. So thats a good thing. And you ought to be celebrating. And even if you didnt know it was happeningand a lot of people didnt because it got very little media coverage. But of course‚ this is a temporary victory. Like all bad things‚ like that Chlamydia you got in a hot tub in Cabo in college‚ it will come back.This attempt to spy on you‚ an American citizen‚ without a warrant because youve been politically disobedient. Why will it come back? Because its what they really care about. And so‚ before it does come back‚ its worth just a very quick autopsy. What just happened? What do we just see so we can learn a couple of important lessons? The first lesson were going to learn is that a lot of powerful people in the Congress are liars. They lie without shame‚ in fact‚ with pride. And they do so at the behest of or because of blackmail instituted by the intel agencies. And at the head of that list would be the chairman of the House intel committee‚ Mike Turner of Ohio. Were going to play a clip from Mike Turner of Ohio saying exactly the opposite of what is true here. Is Mike Turner reassuring you that face‚ it would never‚ under the face of law‚ the U.S. government would never be allowed to spy on you without a war‚ because thats unconstitutional. It never happened. It never will happen. And if you think otherwise‚ youre probably one of those UFO-believing nutjobs who want to stop doing ayahuasca.Heres House intel committee‚ pawn of the intel agencies‚ Mike Turner of Ohio:They arewe are not surveilling foreigners in the United States. Were not surveilling Americans‚ United States. Those individuals who say that is a warrantless search of Americans data are just not telling the truth. These are foreigners abroad. Theyre a select group of individuals who are a national security threat. If youre an American and youre corresponding with ISIS‚ yes. If were‚ if were spying on ISIS‚ your communications are going to be captured. And you would want us to do that. All Americans would want us to try to to make certain that we keep ourselves safe from these terrorist‚ outside terrorist groups‚ organizations. We are not spying on Americans. This is not a warrantless surveillance program. This is foreigners who are abroad only.Every word of that a lie. And we dont need to guess. And I hate to use that pronoun‚ but I specifically dont need to guess‚ because that actually happened to me. The [National Security Agency] broke into my text messages‚ read them‚ passed them to news organizations in order to discredit me‚ and then admitted that they did that. They spied on me and they did it under FISA because I was daring to text with a foreigner outside our borders. So Mike Turner knows that‚ hes the chairman of the intel committee. He knows hes lying‚ but hes doing it anyway because its that important to preserve that core power. If you have the power to spy on someone and then to leak the information that you gather or manipulated and then leak it in order to control that person‚ thats a major power. In fact‚ thats a bigger power than any voter in this country has. And so hes acting on their behalf when he lies to you. And so it shouldnt surprise you that they want to keep that power. They want to keep it so badly that over the last week‚ U.S. government officials did something that may not have precedent in Washington. They lobbied members of Congress directly. They‚ in the words they used in Washington‚ they whipped the bill. Officials from the Department of Justice called‚ among others‚ [Rep.] Chip Roy of Texas to demand that he vote for FISA reauthorization. Imagine thatDOJ‚ Department of Justice‚ the federal law enforcement agency‚ called Chip Roy and said‚ You got to do this. Think about that. Is there any group in this country more powerful than the Department of Justice? They can put you in jail‚ and theyve shown a willingness to do that. They could put kiddy porn on your computer. Theyve probably done that too. And everybody who serves in Congress knows that‚ and everybodys afraid of themalong with the CIA and NSA and a bunch of other‚ three other agencies. Members of Congress are afraid of them because they know the consequences of disobedience. And so for them to call directly a member of Congress would be like the FBI coming to your House on Election Day and demanding that you vote for their designated candidate. And then having access to the record of who you actually voted for‚ as they do in the Congress. Can you imagine? Youd be highly motivated to vote for their candidate‚ wouldnt you? Yes‚ you would. So theyre willing to do anything to get this enshrined in law‚ because it gives them legal cover to subvert democracy‚ which is their program‚ of course.The Daily Signal publishes avarietyof perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Read the full transcript at TuckerCarlson.com.The post Congress Is Lying to You About FISA appeared first on The Daily Signal.