A Chicago police officer is suing the city to change his race from “white” on official records after the police department started allowing cops to change their gender identity. Mohammad Yusuf‚ 43‚ filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last week saying that he wants to change his race on police records from “Caucasian” because he “currently identifies as Egyptian and African American.” “Yusuf wishes to correct the racial designation listed on his police personnel file‚ which currently indicates that he is Caucasian‚ to accurately reflect his race‚ as North African‚” the lawsuit reads. The Chicago Police Department has refused Yusuf’s request‚ he claims. The veteran cop claims that back in 20o4 when he joined the force‚ police records provided limited selections for race — only Caucasian‚ Hispanic‚ and African American. At the time‚ he chose Caucasian‚ but now there are more options. Yusuf even provided his 23andMe results to prove his ethnicity‚ but the police department continued to refuse his request‚ he says. The lawsuit accuses the police department of having a “double standard‚” noting that officers are allowed to change their gender identity on official records. “While other CPD officers are afforded the opportunity to have their gender identity corrected to match their lived experience‚ Officer Yusuf and others in similar positions are barred from obtaining accurate racial designations that align with their racial identity‚” the suit says. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP One of the main issues is that Yusuf claims his career has suffered because he identified as white. The lawsuit says that despite the Chicago police department claiming to have a race-neutral and merit-based promotion system‚ Yusuf has been “repeatedly bypassed” for promotions in favor of less qualified black officers who had “disciplinary issues.” So far‚ Yusuf has not obtained the promotion to sergeant that he wanted‚ the suit says‚ despite scoring in the “first promotional tier” on the sergeant’s exam in 2019. “We do not comment on pending litigation‚” the Chicago Police Department said. Yusuf’s attorney Gianna Scatchell Basile‚ who is married to a Chicago police detective‚ said the city’s approach has been “arbitrary.” “I think the City of Chicago was on the right track when they allowed people to change their gender identity‚ and allowed them to identify as the proper gender‚ but then when it comes to race‚ it’s just very arbitrary‚” Basile told The Daily Beast. The lawsuit calls race a “social construct.” “The idea of even having to prove race is wrong‚” Basile said. “Race is not scientific.”

“Harry Potter” actor Gary Oldman revealed in a recent interview that he was not terribly impressed with his own performance in the popular film series‚ calling his acting “mediocre” and suggesting that he might have been better prepared for the role if he “had read the books” like some of his colleagues. Oldman — who portrayed Harry’s godfather Sirius Black through several of the films — spoke with host Josh Horowitz on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast‚ where he downplayed his own performance‚ but had nothing but the highest praise for the late actor Alan Rickman‚ who played the role of Severus Snape. “I think my work is mediocre in it‚” Oldman said of the series as a whole‚ but said that he might feel differently — or he might have approached his character differently — if he had taken the same steps to prepare that Rickman had going into the project. “Maybe if I had read the books like Alan‚ if I had got ahead of the curve‚ if I had known what’s coming‚ I honestly think I would have played it differently‚” Oldman said‚ also noting that Rickman had spent time with series creator JK Rowling discussing Snape’s future‚ possibly giving him a better grasp of his character’s individual story arc. Oldman did offer one caveat‚ adding that he was often critical of his own work — and probably would have judged himself just as harshly even if he had felt better prepared for the role. “I’ll tell you what it is‚ it’s like anything. I think if I sat and watched myself in something and said‚ ‘My God‚ I’m amazing‚’ that would be a very sad day‚ because you want to make the next thing better‚” he explained. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP WATCH: Oldman also admitted‚ during a recent appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show‚” that the role in the “Harry Potter” films had been a godsend — coming just after a divorce that left him a single father. “At 42 years old‚ I woke up‚ you know‚ sort of divorced and I had custody of these boys‚” he told Barrymore‚ explaining that‚ in a way‚ “Harry Potter” and “The Dark Knight” had “saved me‚ because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids.” WATCH:

Taylor Swift’s representative responded to allegations that the singer’s dad‚ Scott Swift‚ was involved in an altercation with paparazzi while she was on tour in Australia. In a statement on Monday to Entertainment Weekly‚ a spokesperson for the 34-year-old superstar singer said‚ “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor [Swift]‚ grabbing at her security personnel‚ and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”  The New South Wales Police Force confirmed to the outlet that an investigation was underway about an alleged assault that occurred on Sydney’s North Shore in the early hours of Tuesday morning‚ without confirming whether the “Blank Space” hitmaker and her father were involved. “Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am (Tuesday 27 Feb. 2024)‚ before leaving the location‚” a statement from the police force read. Taylor Swift’s 71-year-old dad is accused of assaulting a photographer. Her team say an Australian photographer ‘threatened to throw a female staff member into the water’‚ before her father Scott allegedly punched the man in the face. 🎥 Matrix AU pic.twitter.com/ZWRTYUOmYF — Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 27‚ 2024 “The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command‚” the statement added. “The man did not require medical treatment.” The Daily Mail reported that a photographer named Ben McDonald filed the complaint against Swift’s dad over the alleged altercation. “She [Taylor] got off the boat‚ she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces‚ and then he charged‚” McDonald told the Daily Mail. McDonald also reportedly said he “originally thought it was a security guard and was shocked when he realised the alleged attacker was the pop star’s dad‚” the outlet reported. “In 23 years of taking pictures‚ I have never seen anything like it‚” McDonald told the Daily Mail. Scott Swift has been part of the “Love Story” hitmaker’s “The Eras Tour” shows in Australia. In one video that came out of Swift’s international concerts‚ Taylor’s dad is shown handing out sandwiches and fruit at one of the Sydney shows in what appeared to be the VIP section‚ the Hollywood Reporter noted. The singer first performed several concerts in Melbourne before she flew to Sydney where she did a few more shows — including one that was attended by boyfriend Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.  Kelce — whose relationship with Swift has dominated headlines since the superstar singer showed up at that first game in September — recently revealed that he thinks people are so interested in their romance because of the values the couple shares‚ as previously reported.

Actor Gary Sinise delivered a glowing tribute to his late son‚ McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise‚ nearly two months after he died of chordoma‚ an extremely rare cancer that attacks the spine. The “Forrest Gump” actor began with Mac’s decision to join the Gary Sinise Foundation — and how proud he was of his son’s desire to work with veterans‚ first responders‚ and their families. He also mentioned Mac’s love of music and his talent on the drums‚ which occasionally put him on the road with Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band. A message from Gary. https://t.co/Bb2ji85bSi pic.twitter.com/Jhlrx6q9W9 — Gary Sinise (@GarySinise) February 27‚ 2024 But just one year after Mac joined the Foundation‚ both he and his mother Moira Sinise were diagnosed with cancer — her with Stage 3 breast cancer‚ and him with chordoma — just two months apart. “What was happening? What is Chordoma? I had never heard of this. And two cancer patients‚ mother and son‚ within two months of each other? A real punch in the gut‚” Sinise wrote‚ adding that he immediately went into research mode to learn everything that he could. And while Moira went into remission and has been cancer-free ever since‚ Mac’s cancer returned and spread. Despite eventually being paralyzed from the chest down‚ Mac was able to complete a piece of music he had begun composing in college years earlier‚ titled “Arctic Circles‚” with the help of former classmate Oliver Schnee and two Lt. Dan Band members — pianist Ben Lewis and violinist Dan Myers. The piece was finally recorded in July of 2023 at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. “With music so deep in his heart‚ unable to play drums now‚ Mac’s mother Moira suggested he get a harmonica‚ which he did‚ and he started teaching himself how to play. I have a dear friend‚ Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis‚ who plays harmonica and tells a story of learning to play ‘Shenandoah’ while in the jungles of Vietnam‚” Sinise continued — and Mac recorded that as well. “Both these pieces of music began a collaboration that expanded to a vision Mac had of doing an entire album of music entitled Resurrection &; Revival‚ with a theme of bringing something that was old or unfinished back to life‚” Sinise added. But sadly‚ Mac would never see the finished product. “The week the album went to press‚ Mac lost his battle with cancer. He died on January 5‚ 2024 at 3:25pm‚ and was laid to rest on January 23rd.” “Like any family experiencing such a loss‚ we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can. As parents‚ it is so difficult losing a child‚” Sinise wrote‚ adding that he had seen a lot of loss over the years‚ working with the families of fallen heroes. “It’s heartbreaking‚ and it’s just damn hard.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP He went on to compare his son’s long battle — more than five years — with a battle scene from the movie “1917.” “Mac loved movies‚ and we always told him he reminded us of the soldier at the end of the extraordinary film 1917‚ running through the battlefield‚ bombs going off all around him‚ knocking him down one after the other‚ yet he keeps getting back up‚ refusing to quit and keeps running forward.” “Mac was a man who loved his Catholic faith‚ and there is no doubt that his strong faith sustained him through the awful 5 ½ year battle with this crippling Chordoma cancer‚” Sinise added‚ sharing a favorite quotation of Mac’s from St. Augustine: “You have made us for yourself oh Lord‚ and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” “I am so blessed‚ fortunate‚ and proud to be his dad‚” he said.

When Dani Stacy stepped onto The Voice stage during the blind auditions‚ the coaches had no idea what they were in for. This singer’s powerful rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s hit song “I Will Survive” had all four chairs swiveling around. That was before she could even finish the first verse! While the celebrity musicians were already impressed‚ Dani was just warming up. She and her acoustic guitar received a standing ovation from the audience. Coaches showered her with positive feedback‚ too! “I think you’re spectacular‚” said Reba McEntire‚ who unfortunately was blocked by her fellow coaches from adding the contestant to her team. “I can hear all kinds of genres in your voice‚ talent‚ range‚ tone‚ attitude. I’m glad you’re on The Voice.” Although the rest of the coaches were all vying for this singer’s favor after her incredible performance of “I Will Survive‚” she could only choose one team to join. After some deliberation‚ Dani Stacy decided to spend her time on The Voice working with Chance the Rapper. He couldn’t have been more excited to recruit her! “I think we’re going to have a lot of fun‚” the artist said. Screengrab from YouTube Dani Stacy is well on her way to making a name for herself on The Voice. We don’t know what she’ll be singing next‚ but judging by her cover of “I Will Survive‚” we think she’ll probably nail it! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Dani Stacy Nabs 4-Chair Turn — Something Tells Us She “Will Survive” On “The Voice!” appeared first on InspireMore.

'That's ridiculous'

Kellogg's exec faced backlash on social media for tone-deaf remarks.

Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson reacted Tuesday to a new report from The Daily Signal on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections housing a transgender prisoner‚ a child rapist‚ with women. “Housing biological males in women’s prisons is insane‚” Johnson said Tuesday. “Forcing a woman to share a cell with a biological male is even worse.” “When will America reject these radical left policies destroying our country?” he asked. The senator was referring to The Daily Signal’s report on Katie McGraw‚ a woman incarcerated in Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac‚ Wisconsin. Recently she began sending distressed messages to her fiance‚ Raymond Slater II‚ describing a transgender prisoner named “Mark Campbell” with whom she shares both a cell and a bunk bed. McGraw expressed extreme anxiety as she described her cellmate’s constant masturbating‚ sexual comments‚ and aggressive behavior‚ and she asked her fiance to find out what exactly got Campbell locked up. Her fiance said he stumbled on The Daily Signal’s September report on Campbell‚ a man who now identifies as a woman‚ who raped his own daughter‚ and is a registered sex offender convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a child. Since Campbell identifies as transgender‚ the Wisconsin Department of Corrections has housed him in a women’s prison‚ Taycheedah Correctional Institution‚ since August 2022. The Wisconsin DOC has ignored many requests for comment from The Daily Signal on its incarceration of men who identify as women with females. DOC also did not respond to a request for an interview with Campbell.   Court documents allege that Campbell would sexually assault his daughter while her little brother was home and that “her little brother would sometimes come into the room while the sexual assault was occurring.” Campbell first requested transgender surgery to attempt to become a woman in 2013‚ according to a Wisconsin outlet‚ but the DOC denied his request at the time. In 2016 he filed a lawsuit accusing Department of Corrections officials of being indifferent to his medical needs by not allowing him to get so-called sex-change surgery‚ the publication reported. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2019 that the DOC officials couldn’t have anticipated that denying such a surgery to Campbell would violate his rights. However‚ in December 2020‚ a federal judge ruled that Wisconsin must offer Campbell taxpayer-funded transition surgery and must move him to a women’s prison while awaiting that surgery. The DOC housed Campbell in men’s prisons until August 2022‚ according to the inmate locator. In August 2022‚ authorities moved him to Taycheedah Correctional Institution‚ which “provides female inmates with a safe and secure environment that is gender-responsive‚” according to the prison’s website. Some of McGraw’s graphic descriptions of Campbell’s masturbation habits indicate that Campbell may have undergone a vaginoplasty‚ wherein surgeons remove the penis‚ testicles‚ and scrotum‚ rearranging tissue to create a faux vaginal canal and external genitalia. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post ‘Insane’: Ron Johnson Slams Wisconsin DOC for Housing Transgender Prisoners With Women appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The New York Times raised questions about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness after the bombshell special report explaining why there would be no criminal charges against Biden for unlawful possession of documents. Special counsel Robert Hur wrote‚ “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury‚ as he did during our interview with him‚ as a sympathetic‚ well-meaning‚ elderly man with a poor memory.” This Times coverage about Biden’s mental fitness prompted former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan to write: Is there no one at these major outlets who is capable of taking a step back and exercising some judgment? How about a note from New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger to two key people who report to him directly—the opinion editor and the top newsroom editor—that goes something like this: ‘Katie and Joe‚ I’m concerned that we’re going overboard with both coverage and commentary about Biden’s age. Let’s keep this in better perspective and tone it down.’ Believe me‚ those two sentences would make a world of difference. In other words‚ note to the legacy media‚ particularly to the influential New York Times‚ “Back off! Circle the wagons!” This elevates the importance of outlets like the Elon Musk-owned X‚ formerly known as Twitter. Musk uncovered the extent to which Twitter suppressed posts of conservatives; suppressed posts questioning the then-conventional wisdom of the COVID-19 vaccine‚ masking‚ and shutdowns; and even briefly shut down the New York Post’s account for its reporting on the Hunter Biden laptop story. When Musk bought Twitter‚ things changed immediately. Conservatives saw a quick and substantial uptick in followers. But‚ since then‚ many conservatives say they experience pre-Musk sluggish growth. So‚ I recently posted on X the following: Dear @elonmusk‚ I can’t be the only one? I believe conservatives are STILL being suppressed—and that new followers are only painstakingly added—because of the anti-conservative‚ anti-Trump hostility of your deep state Twitter employees. This is a shout out to other conservatives/libertarians on your platform‚ please tell me if you’ve ALSO experienced the same sluggish growth in new followers‚ a stark contrast from what happened when Musk first took over when I—and many other conservatives—had an explosion of new followers. Please comment! The comments were fast and furious: —“I think people are afraid Big Brother is watching.” —“Larry is correct‚ @elonmusk. #throttled.” —“I agree‚ my new followers have slowed down. I was sent a message that my tweets would be made less visible because of the content I was posting. Twitter felt I was trying to manipulate others. I asked for a review‚ but no response—nothing has changed.” —“I agree. Mine have slowed down‚ lost followers‚ etc.” —“Yeah‚ I assume that there is a slew of typical San Franciscans still working at X and doing what they can to sabotage conservatives every way they can.” —“I’ve had a surge in followers‚ but they’ve suspended me from following back 3 days and some limitations on what I can like. I got tired of this during the last election and closed my account and came back thinking things were fixed. They said it’s an algorithm issue.” —“Looks like Mr. Musk needs to clean house again!” —“Dead right. Elon still has some house cleaning to do—and it won’t happen with the current commie CEO.” (This refers to the hiring of former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino.) —“Yep. As soon as he put that liberal woman in charge‚ it went almost right back to what it was pre-Elon.” —“Been saying this for quite a while now… it’s pretty obvious at times…” —“I feel the same way. Can’t tell if anyone even sees my posts most of the time.” —“I’m still constantly being told that other people wouldn’t say what I have to say. I thought Elon was for free speech. Free speech tends to be things that other people wouldn’t say.” —“Yep! VERY SLOW GROW‚ if any at all.” —“My numbers never change.” —“I was banned under old regime and reinstated but definitely receive zero feedback on posts. Still shadow banned for sure.” Bottom line‚ Mr. Musk‚ a lot of conservatives still detect a serious deep state problem at X‚ a platform we need now more than ever. COPYRIGHT 2024 LAURENCE A. ELDER DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Hey‚ Elon Musk‚ You May Have a ‘Deep State’ Problem appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Left‚ and even many Republicans‚ have misrepresented the Alabama Supreme Court recent decision in the LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine case involving frozen embryos.The court sided with parents who pursued a wrongful-death lawsuit against a negligent in vitro fertilization clinic‚ where their frozen embryos were killed when a patient entered the unsecured cryogenic nursery‚ removed several embryos from the freezer‚ and dropped them on the floor after the patient’s hand was freezer-burned from handling them. In response‚ even many pro-life Republicans have responded to the fake news by defending IVF without qualification. They’re missing the point. The inconvenient underbelly of the IVF industry is that millions of embryos are created every year in the U.S.‚ but most of them die during the IVF process and others are frozen indefinitely. Far more meet this fate than ever result in a live birth. A bill proposed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth‚ D-Ill.‚ is far too extreme since it contains a sweeping definition of “assisted reproductive technology‚” which goes beyond the deregulation of the IVF industry‚ and would legalize human cloning‚ surrogacy‚ gene editing‚ human-animal chimera hybrids‚ and other abuses of human embryos. It would force religious and pro-life organizations to violate their beliefs by waiving protections they currently have under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It would also prevent age restrictions or parental involvement in such procedures. It would legalize the buying‚ selling‚ and destruction of human embryos‚ and deny parents legal recourse if their embryonic babies are destroyed out of negligence.  The general public knows too little about the process of IVF and its toll on human life. As long as there are IVF fertility clinics‚ they should be strictly regulated. First of all‚ a woman is pumped with hormones so that she super-ovulates‚ leading to moderate to severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in 1% to 5% of IVF cycles‚ with an incidence of up to 20% in high-risk patients. A U.K study and a Swedish study both found that a median of nine eggs are harvested per IVF cycle‚ with some harvesting up to 25 eggs each cycle. IVF clinics generally put the fertilization rate of the eggs at 80%.  At the moment of fertilization‚ when the sperm and the egg fuse‚ marked by a zinc spark‚ a new human life begins. Assuming that the U.S. has comparable median egg-retrieval rates and using the conservative number of nine eggs harvested‚ seven new human beings are created in each IVF cycle‚ based on the post-fertilization rate. They are left to develop for a few days‚ but the greatest attrition rate happens between Day 3 and Day 5 of development‚ when only 30% to 50% of these human embryos survive. So‚ of the seven embryos created‚ an average of two to 3.5 of them survive. The clinics then do pre-implantation screening and testing of the embryos and further decide which ones are “optimal.” Depending on the wish of the parents‚ some are implanted‚ while other ones are frozen for later use or “donated to science” for research. After implantation‚ further attrition happens either due to miscarriage or to selective reduction.  According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2021‚ there were 413‚776 assisted reproductive technology cycles done. Of those‚ 167‚689 were egg or embryo banking cycles‚ in which all resulting eggs or embryos were frozen for future use; therefore‚ 246‚087 cycles were done at least in part for immediate use. If we assume that seven human embryos are created out of each cycle‚ that would amount to 1.7 million embryos created in 2021 in the U.S. These cycles resulted in 112‚088 pregnancies‚ but due to either miscarriage or selective reductions‚ 97‚128 infants made it to live birth in the 453 reporting clinics in the U.S.  What happened in Alabama‚ where embryos were destroyed out of the clinic’s negligence‚ should never happen anywhere else. Parents should have legal recourse if a fertility clinic destroys their embryos out of sheer negligence. We also must regulate how many embryos are created and implanted‚ as other countries do. Couples struggling with infertility should also be given their full medical options‚ the first of which is getting to the root cause of infertility. Infertility issues can be addressed more easily and cheaply by doing a hormone analysis blood panel and the subsequent regulation of hormones with an endocrinologist (to address issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome)‚ progesterone supplementation (for those who have suffered early pregnancy miscarriages in the past)‚ and surgical solutions to address issues such as endometriosis.  There are medical ways to address the root issue of infertility that lead to subsequent natural conception without sacrificing human embryos. We should extend our compassion to couples bearing the cross of infertility. The good news is that there are ethical alternatives‚ and we should direct our funding‚ education‚ and support for alternatives that are cheaper‚ ethical‚ and less invasive‚ instead of giving the IVF industry a continued free pass to abuse human life. Instead of supporting fertility clinics that are already severely underregulated‚ and which create and destroy human embryos at will‚ there are other options that are truly pro-life and support both the desire of parents to have children and the dignity of each preborn person. No pro-life Republican should support the Duckworth bill as it stands. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post IVF Isn’t the Pro-Life Option for Addressing Fertility Issues. Duckworth’s Senate Bill Isn’t the Solution. appeared first on The Daily Signal.