An analysis piece from The New York Times this week admitted that Republicans by and large were correct — and Democrats were wrong — about policies that kept children out of school during the coronavirus pandemic. The report said that today there is “broad acknowledgment among many public health and education experts that extended school closures did not significantly stop the spread of Covid‚ while the academic harms for children have been large and long-lasting.” The report also stated that remote learning was highly damaging to children’s ability to learn during the pandemic and that the finding held true regardless of income level. Both at the state and local levels there was a strong correlation between remote learning and a drop in test scores‚ the report said‚ according to analysis by the Times‚ Harvard‚ and Stanford. A separate study of 10‚000 schools reached the same conclusion. “Such losses can be hard to overcome‚ without significant interventions‚” the analysis said. “The most recent test scores‚ from spring 2023‚ show that students‚ overall‚ are not caught up from their pandemic losses‚ with larger gaps remaining among students that lost the most ground to begin with. Students in districts that were remote or hybrid the longest — at least 90 percent of the 2020-21 school year — still had almost double the ground to make up compared with students in districts that allowed students back for most of the year.” The report noted that Democrats have tried to claim that their approach to education during the pandemic was centered around “their commitment to safety” among other things. However‚ experts told the Times that there was strong evidence that closing schools did little to stop the spread of the pandemic. The report sought to let Democrats off the hook for how their policies hurt children‚ claiming “there were no easy decisions at the time.” Among Republicans‚ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis led the country in pushing back against tyrannical measures that were disrupting people’s lives during the pandemic. In late Spring 2020‚ DeSantis introduced his plan to reopen schools in the state and get kids back in the classroom.

Billionaire entrepreneur and X owner Elon Musk tried several times to explain the inherent risks of Diversity‚ Equity‚ and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in medicine to Don Lemon‚ but the former CNN anchor just didn’t get it. Musk argued that forcing DEI could potentially lead to lowered standards for medical school and board certification exams — and said that if standards were lowered‚ the end result was likely to be more people dying because the care they were receiving was substandard. WATCH: Elon Musk tries to explain how lowering the standards for doctors could result in more deaths. Don Lemon is unable to grasp the concept. This entire exchange is incredible. pic.twitter.com/QJ3efuvVAb — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 18‚ 2024 “I believe that if we lower the standards for what it takes to become a doctor —” Musk began. “If we lower the standards‚” Lemon interrupted. “Do you believe people are dying because the standards are being lowered?” “I don’t think that it’s yet an issue‚ but it could become an issue‚” Musk replied. “Ok‚ but the actual evidence in history shows the exact opposite‚” Lemon claimed‚ although he did not provide any such evidence. Instead he argued that DEI was needed because of the racism inherent the medical system. “If you look at how minorities are treated by the medical system‚ most doctors — most doctors now are white‚ and there are lots of mistakes in medicine‚” Lemon continued‚ saying that he did not understand Musk’s logic. Musk replied with an example‚ saying that if standards were lowered‚ surgeons who were not qualified under the previous — higher — standards might be able to pass their board certification exams. That‚ he explained‚ was likely to result in a lower standard of care at best — and‚ at worst‚ patients dying. “The probability that someone will die‚ I think at some point‚ is high‚” he said. Lemon said he understood that‚ but that it was simply a “hypothetical” situation. “That doesn’t mean it’s happening.” “I didn’t say it was happening‚” Musk shot back. “You didn’t say it was happening‚” Lemon repeated. Musk shrugged: “I said it will. I said if we lower standards‚ people will die.” Lemon‚ visibly frustrated‚ asked why Musk would “put something out there” if it had not yet happened. “Because I don’t want it to happen‚” Musk pushed back. Lemon pivoted back to his claims of racial discrimination in medicine‚ noting that the majority of American doctors are white and only 5% are black. “If the majority of doctors are white‚ are you saying that — and there are still these inequities‚ right? And people still — there are still mistakes. Are you blaming DEI for that?” Lemon asked. “No‚” Musk said‚ repeating again that he was only predicting the logical outcome if standards were lowered to accommodate DEI initiatives. “More people will die than if we don’t lower the standards. Therefore we should not lower the standards.” Lemon tried once more‚ asking Musk whether he believed that standards would be lowered for minority doctors or for women. “That’s what that article suggested‚ yes‚” Musk replied. “At Duke University.”  

Any medical school that has diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion (DEI) incorporated in their admissions or instruction could lose access to all federal funds if a new bill set to be introduced in Congress is passed. The bill from Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC)‚ the only practicing physician in the U.S. Congress‚ would bar graduate medical schools from receiving federal funding if they have policies that deprive medical students of opportunities “on the basis of race‚ color‚ or ethnicity.” Institutions that compel students‚ staff‚ or faculty to affirm their allegiance to ideological tenets associated with the DEI agenda would also lose funding‚ according to a copy of the bill‚ obtained first by Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro. The bill comes weeks after Shapiro’s investigation into the DEI practices at Duke University Medical School and the greater effort in the medical community to recruit more minority surgeons and stop hiring so many “walls of white men. Murphy said the DEI obsession at Duke was “repulsive.” “Duke’s attempt to obliterate a fair and colorblind admissions process to hurt white‚ male applicants is repulsive‚” Murphy told Shapiro. “This is not art school for goodness’ sake. Lives are on the line in operating rooms‚ hospitals‚ and clinics.” 1/ BREAKING: Following my reporting on rampant DEI in medical schools‚ U.S. Congressman Greg Murphy‚ MD‚ is introducing legislation to end federal funding — including student loan funding — for any medical school that practices DEI. 🧵https://t.co/KyIik5rC0j — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 18‚ 2024 “Color and gender have absolutely nothing to do with the ability to successfully diagnose and treat patients. Such attempt to inject this notion into medicine is beyond sinister‚” he added. “My bill will put an end to this nonsense once and for all.” In order to receive federal funding under the legislation‚ medical schools would have to confirm that they have not established “a  privilege or benefit for students solely on the basis of race‚ color‚ or ethnicity” and do not offer courses for students “solely on the basis of race‚ color‚ or ethnicity.” Medical schools would also be barred from receiving federal funding if they compel students‚ faculty‚ or staff to affirm their allegiance to a number of different tenets of the DEI movement‚ including that the United States is systemically racist or “that any sex‚ race‚ ethnicity‚ religion‚ color‚ or national origin makes an individual a member of oppressed or oppressor categories.” The legislation received support from Do No Harm‚ an organization committed to keeping identity politics out of the medical field. “Allowing rebranded race-based discrimination to infiltrate medical education is dangerous for future doctors and patients alike‚” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb‚ the Board Chairman of Do No Harm told The Daily Wire. “I have witnessed firsthand the alarming rate at which DEI ideology has spread through medical schools across the country. If we fail to stop it‚ we risk a generation of physicians ill-equipped to meet the needs of their patients.” “Do No Harm applauds Congressman Murphy for taking this critical first step to end harmful DEI practices and make academic excellence the priority for medical schools once again‚” Goldfarb added.  Discrimination in medical schools has recently become a national conversation‚ with Elon Musk warning that lowered standards in the medical field in pursuit of equity would put people’s lives at risk. Elon Musk tries to explain how lowering the standards for doctors could result in more deaths. Don Lemon is unable to grasp the concept. This entire exchange is incredible. pic.twitter.com/QJ3efuvVAb — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 18‚ 2024 Data published by the Association of American Medical Colleges reveals that the average grades and test score scores vary significantly by race‚ with whites and Asians needing to receive higher scores to be competitive in admissions than black or Hispanic applicants.

London’s Victoria &; Albert Museum took some serious backlash over the weekend after it was reported that an exhibit on British humor had included the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher alongside Osama bin Laden and Adolf Hitler in a short list of “contemporary villains.” The exhibit‚ which was meant to show how British humor had evolved over time‚ showcased Victorian “Punch &; Judy” puppets along with a caption that included the following: Over the years‚ the evil character in this seaside puppet show has shifted from the Devil to unpopular public figures including Adolf Hitler‚ Margaret Thatcher and Osama bin Laden‚ to offer contemporary villains. Critics were quick to address the issue‚ with many noting that whatever people thought of Thatcher — Britain’s first female prime minister — she hardly belonged on a short list of “villains” that only included 9/11 architect and al Qaeda terrorist bin Laden and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nile Gardiner‚ former aide to Thatcher‚ argued that the museum should lose access to any government funding over the display. “The V&; A should have its public funding taken away because it’s engaging here in political activity‚” he said. 'The V&;A should have its public funding taken away because it's engaging here in political activity.' Former aide to Margaret Thatcher‚ Nile Gardiner‚ reacts to the V&;A exhibition listing Margaret Thatcher as a 'contemporary villain' alongside Hitler and Osama Bin Laden. pic.twitter.com/ZEXjmguHIv — GB News (@GBNEWS) March 18‚ 2024 Deputy leader of Reform UK‚ Ben Habib‚ argued that whatever one thought of Thatcher’s politics‚ she was an important part of Britain’s history. He added‚ “Whoever made this decision should be sacked.” 'Whoever made this decision should be sacked'. Deputy leader of Reform UK‚ Ben Habib‚ reacts to a V&;A exhibition that named Margaret Thatcher‚ alongside Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden‚ as a 'contemporary villain'. pic.twitter.com/yjsshZVRLR — GB News (@GBNEWS) March 18‚ 2024 “It’s staggeringly offensive to bracket Britain’s first female Prime Minister with a genocidal maniac and a terrorist‚” Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey wrote. 🖊 "Why does the V&;A think Margaret Thatcher is a villain equivalent to Hitler?" "It’s staggeringly offensive to bracket Britain’s first female Prime Minister with a genocidal maniac and a terrorist" Read the full column from @CamillaTominey below ⬇️ https://t.co/lsbcPbJ630 — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 16‚ 2024 “Whoever wrote that caption should be called out publicly for being a moron‚ or perhaps more usefully sent to read a Ladybird book of modern world history. It is sadly symptomatic of the woke‚ luvvie-dom nonsense that persists in our public institutions‚” Sir Connor Burns‚ a former trade minister and Conservative MP said. “They should be given a serious rap across the knuckles and a clarion instruction to grow up.” According to a report published Sunday by The Daily Mail‚ the V&;A took in the majority of it’s funding from the government through the Department of Culture — to the tune of £67 million — in the last year.

President Joe Biden is reportedly becoming anxious about his reelection odds against Republican Donald Trump as poll after poll shows Biden struggling against the former president. Biden has lashed out at allies in strategy meetings and begun to question his intuition as his record fails to draw in more support. The White House and Democratic officials see the president’s primary shortcoming as that of messaging‚ according to NBC News. The president believes that his record in the White House should be enough to win reelection if only Americans knew about it. Some see the messaging failure as a responsibility of locally elected Democratic leaders for not championing Biden’s policies enough; others say that the White House bears the blame‚ according to NBC. Biden’s poor poll numbers are making some Democrats increasingly frustrated with the president‚ who is 81-years-old and also struggling to overcome concerns about his age and mental acuity. “Biden stood up in front of the whole world and said‚ ‘I’m ready. I’m the guy who can take down Donald Trump‚’” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) told NBC. “So‚ he godd*** well better do it. We don’t have time for him to be worried about whether or not people are saying things right or the poll numbers are where they should be. I want focused energy and not defensive anger.” While the White House has backed away from scrutinizing the president’s record‚ polls suggest that voters have not. The president lags behind Trump as the candidate voters trust to handle issues such as immigration‚ the economy‚ and crime‚ according to a February 2024 YouGov poll. Biden has an edge on Trump on issues such as the environment‚ education‚ and LGBT issues‚ according to the poll. Biden’s approval rating is deep underwater. The president’s average approval rating sits at 38.6%‚ a lower rating even than every president who has gone on to lose reelection in modern American history. Biden’s disapproval rating sits at an average of 55.4%‚ according to FiveThirtyEight. In a New York Times/Siena poll published earlier this month‚ many more Americans reported that Trump’s policies were helpful to them than Biden’s. Forty percent of people told pollsters that Trump’s policies “helped you personally‚” according to the poll. Just 18% said the same of Biden.

William Shatner revealed what it would take to get him back on the USS Enterprise to reprise his role as a “Star Trek” captain after more than 30 years away from the role. The 92-year-old actor — who is probably best known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” franchise — spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about his most famous role and whether he would be up for reprising it‚ if the right opportunity presented itself.  “Leonard [Nimoy] made his own decision on doing a cameo [in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 ‘Star Trek’]‚” Shatner said. “He’s there for a moment‚ and it’s more a stunt that Spock appears in a future.” “If they wrote something that wasn’t a stunt that involved Kirk‚ who’s 50 years older now‚ and it was something that was genuinely added to the lore of ‘Star Trek‚’ I would definitely consider it‚” he added. Shatner landed the role of Kirk in 1966‚ but the series was canceled after just 3 seasons. Despite being short-lived‚ the show earned a cult following and eventually spawned a movie franchise and numerous subsequent TV series like “Star Trek: The Next Generation‚” “Star Trek: Enterprise‚” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‚” among many others. William Shatner on #StarTrek V‚ his only film as a director: “In my mind‚ I failed horribly. When I’m asked‚ ‘What do you regret the most?’ I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture” https://t.co/8bVjvdf0UA — The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 18‚ 2024 Shatner also spoke about those various “Star Trek” series that have come along since his was canceled and explained why he thought the creator of the original sci-fi series‚ Gene Roddenberry‚ wouldn’t like them at all. “He was in the military‚ and he was a policeman‚” the famous actor said. “So there was this militaristic vision of ‘You don’t make out with a fellow soldier.’’There are strict rules and you abide by the rules. Around that‚ [the writers] had to write the drama. But within that was the discipline of ‘This is the way a ship works.'” “Well‚ as ‘Star Trek’ progressed‚ that ethos has been forgotten [in more recent shows]‚” he added. “I sometimes laugh and talk about the fact that I think Gene is twirling in his grave. ‘No‚ no‚ you can’t make out with the lady soldier!” In 2021‚ Shatner famously went from playing a character who had ventured out of our world to being a real-live spaceman when he became the oldest person to travel to space as part of the crew with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spacecraft. Speaking after he returned to earth‚ Shatner became emotional talking about how vast and empty it was outside of our planet. “I was weeping uncontrollably for reasons I didn’t know‚” Shatner told THR.  “It was my fear of what’s happening to Earth. I could see how small it was. It’s a rock with paper-thin air. You’ve got rock and 2 miles of air‚ and that’s all that we have‚ and we’re f***ing it up. And‚ that dramatically‚ I saw it in that moment.” Related: William Shatner Answers Whether He Plans To Return To Space

The Biden administration will likely complete regulations this week designed to punish gas-powered vehicles and pave the way for electric vehicles‚ whose average cost is roughly more than twice as expensive as average subcompact car. In its proposed rules published in May 2023‚ the Environmental Protection Agency wrote that it wanted to target vehicles that would phase-in over model years 2027 through 2032‚ stating‚ “EPA finds it appropriate to set new standards for model years after 2026 for both criteria pollutants and GHG at this time‚ rather than continuing its prior approach of coordinating the standards but setting them in separate regulatory actions. “It certainly won’t do anything to improve human health. It won’t do anything to reduce pollution‚” American Energy Institute president and CEO Jason Isaac‚ told Fox News Digital. “We’ve proven in this country that we’re already a world leader in clean air. All it’s going to continue to do is push the costs of electric vehicles on to purchasers of internal combustion engine vehicles. This is purely being done for campaign reasons — to really appease the leftist large donor base that are the climate alarmists that are driving this movement towards really what is a forced energy transition‚ which is just increasing the cost of everything.” “President Biden has been clear since 2020 that he intends to use his federal agencies‚ and the State of California‚ to eliminate sales of new gas cars‚” American Fuel &; Petrochemical Manufacturers president and CEO Chet Thompson added. “While multiple administration policies push us toward this end‚ the EPA’s passenger vehicle standards will do most of the damage on their own — requiring approximately 70% of new car sales to be electric in less than eight years. This policy is bad for consumers‚ the economy and national security. It will sacrifice our hard-won U.S. energy strength for even greater dependence on China and the EV battery and mineral supply chain China controls.” “In 2022‚ California finalized the Advanced Clean Cars II rule that will require‚ by 2035‚ all new light-duty vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles‚ with New York‚ Massachusetts‚ and Washington state following suit‚ likely to be followed by Oregon and Vermont as well‚” the EPA wrote. “Several other states may adopt similar provisions as members of the International Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance.” “For light-duty vehicles‚ EPA is proposing standards that would increase in stringency each year over a six-year period‚ from MYs 2027–2032‚” the EPA stated. “The proposed standards are projected to result in an industry-wide average target for the light-duty fleet of 82 grams/mile (g/mile) of CO2 in MY 2032‚ representing a 56 percent reduction in projected fleet average GHG emissions target levels from the existing MY 2026 standards.” “EPA is proposing more stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants for both light-duty and medium-duty vehicles for MYs 2027– 2032‚” the agency wrote‚ adding: For light-duty vehicles‚ EPA is proposing non-methane organic gases (NMOG) plus nitrogen oxides (NOX) standards that would phase-down to a fleet average level of 12 mg/mi by MY 2032‚ representing a 60 percent reduction from the existing 30 mg/mi standards for MY 2025 established in the Tier 3 rule in 2014. For medium- duty vehicles‚ EPA is proposing NMOG+NOX standards that would require a fleet average level of 60 mg/ mi by MY 2032‚ representing a 66 percent to 76 percent reduction from the Tier 3 standards of 178 mg/mi for Class 2b vehicles and 247 mg/mi for Class 3 vehicles. EPA is proposing cold temperature (Â¥7 °C) NMOG+NOX standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles to ensure robust emissions control over a broad range of operating conditions. For both light-duty and all medium- duty vehicles‚ EPA is proposing a particulate matter (PM) standard of 0.5 mg/mi and a requirement that the standard be met across three test cycles‚ including a cold temperature (Â¥7 °C) test.

An illegal alien from near the Middle East was arrested last week in North Carolina after opening fire at a business and subsequently attacking law enforcement officers. Awet Hagos‚ 32‚ was charged in Gates County with three counts of assault on a government official‚ three counts of resisting a public officer‚ and one count of carrying a concealed weapon with more potential charges forthcoming. Police were called to a Quick Stop convenience store where they discovered Hagos discharging a firearm‚ according to The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. The suspect allegedly attacked law enforcement and managed to fight off tasers that that sheriff’s deputies used on him As he fled to his residence — where he remained barricaded for hours — he allegedly tried to take a sheriff’s deputy’s rifle. “Upon arrival‚ the deputies and a Trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol attempted to take the suspect into to custody‚” said Gates County Sheriff Ray Campbell. “However‚ the suspect became extremely combative and at one point attempted to disarm a deputy of their firearm. The suspect then fled into a small camper located adjacent to the business.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reached out to the Gates County Sheriff’s Office and informed them that Hagos is in the the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS) – also known as the terrorist “watchlist”. WAVY TV 10 reported that Hagos is from “an area of Africa near the Yemen border” and had previously lived in Haiti. Prior to coming to North Carolina‚ he lived in the sanctuary state of California. He is being held on $100‚000 bond in the Albemarle District Jail and ICE officials have lodged a detainer request against him‚ indicating that the suspect is in the U.S. illegally and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are waiting to deport him. Related: Illegal Alien Caught At Border Says He’s A Hezbollah Terrorist‚ Planned To ‘Make A Bomb’: Report

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