When he was nominated to be the Assistant Secretary for Health three years ago‚ Richard Levine (who‚ in his 50s‚ began using the name Rachel Levine) was asked a series of questions by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul wanted to know why Levine‚ as a medical professional‚ wouldn’t reject the idea of mutilating the genitals of minors in the name of “gender affirming care.” Here’s how the conversation went: That’s just a portion of the whole exchange. In the full clip‚ Levine evades the question multiple times. He just repeats the same rehearsed answer: He says that he’s more than happy to stop by Paul’s office at some later date to explain the “complex” science behind mutilating children. They go back and forth until Paul finally has to give up. And then at the end of it‚ as you saw‚ Democratic Senator Patty Murray from Washington congratulates Levine on his “thoughtful and medical informed” answers to Paul. Ten years ago‚ this would’ve been a scene from a dark comedy sketch about a dystopia that’s just too far-fetched to imagine in real life. This should have been the moment that Levine was disqualified from ever holding public office‚ much less becoming a senior official in the Department of Health and Human Services. But Democrats and even some Republicans — including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — didn’t see a problem with Levine’s answer. They voted to confirm Levine after hearing this. These are sitting U.S. senators who‚ evidently‚ have no problem with the fact that Levine supports the physical castration of children — even though he could present no evidence that it’s medically appropriate. WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show To be clear‚ Senator Paul was not misrepresenting Levine’s position in any way. This was not a “gotcha” question. Emails unearthed by Megan Brock show that in 2017‚ when he was the Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania‚ Levine went looking for data to justify so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors. Levine wrote to Nadia Dowshen‚ the co-founder of the gender clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia‚ that he was seeking information concerning‚ “the possibility of gender confirmation surgery for young people under 18 years of age.” Levine added that‚ “This could include top surgery for trans young men and top and bottom surgery for trans young women. Is there any literature to support this protocol? Please let me know if you have any references.” In response‚ Dowshen wrote‚ “Hi Rachel‚ I’m not aware of existing literature but it is certainly happening. I think we’ve had more than 10 patients who have had chest surgery under 18 (as young as 15) and 1 bottom surgery (17).” Needless to say‚ after reading that response‚ Levine did not put an end to these surgeries in Pennsylvania‚ even when he was told there was no medical evidence to justify them. Instead‚ Levine continued to hide behind the consensus of various self-appointed medical experts‚ including the several medical associations that have endorsed this butchery. That’s what Levine did at the hearing with Rand Paul. And it’s what he’s done ever since he assumed office. A little over a year ago‚ for example‚ Levine commented on a viral clip featuring Jon Stewart and the attorney general of Arkansas. I’ll play a little bit of it to provide some context for what Levine said: Jon interviewed Leslie Rutledge‚ Arkansas Attorney General‚ about why her state banned gender-affirming care for minors – ignoring the guidelines of major medical organizations and taking the decision out of parents’ hands. Watch the full interview on @AppleTVPlus pic.twitter.com/4SoH3orWa6 — The Problem With Jon Stewart (@TheProblem) October 7‚ 2022 You can see in that clip why the “appeal to experts” is so effective. Even people who are on the right side of this issue‚ like the Arkansas attorney general‚ don’t know how to respond to it. The best she can do is say‚ “well‚ my experts disagree with your experts.” But of course that’s the wrong response. The right response is that you don’t need to be an “expert” in anything to know that mutilating the genitals of children is wrong. And if anyone claims to be an expert and defends that butchery‚ then they lose “expert status” immediately. It’s that simple. But for some reason‚ many on the Right can’t bring themselves to say that‚ even as the “experts” lie to them about pretty much everything — from COVID to foreign affairs to climate change and even to the mutilation of children. In any event‚ Levine saw that clip‚ and decided it was yet another opportunity to promote these all-knowing medical associations and experts. Here’s what Levine wrote on Twitter: “Accredited medical professional groups agree that gender-affirming care is medically necessary‚ safe‚ and effective for trans and non-binary youth. States should translate this knowledge into more compassionate policies that protect rather than undermine youth mental health.” Accredited medical professional groups agree that gender-affirming care is medically necessary‚ safe‚ and effective for trans and non-binary youth. States should translate this knowledge into more compassionate policies that protect rather than undermine youth mental health. https://t.co/FCgy88o47x — ADM Rachel Levine (@HHS_ASH) October 12‚ 2022 This is a bluff that Levine has made over and over again‚ throughout his career. He repeatedly states that there’s a vast body of “knowledge” that justifies these surgeries and procedures. But this time‚ after that tweet‚ someone decided to call Levine out on it. A nonprofit watchdog group called “Protect the Public’s Trust‚” or PPT‚ filed a Freedom of Information Act request in response to Levine’s tweet. The request sought “records of scientific evidence‚ studies‚ and/or data to support the Assistant Secretary’s claim that ‘gender-affirming care is medically necessary‚ safe‚ and effective for trans and non-binary youth‚’” as well as “records of surveys of medical professionals regarding the value and importance of ‘gender-affirming care’ for minor children.” This week‚ more than a year after Levine’s tweet‚ the results are in. We finally have access to this data that Levine promised to show Rand Paul in his office‚ and which he talks about constantly. In response to the Freedom of Information Act Request‚ HHS produced a grand total of just one document. And it’s not a long‚ well-researched study that proves convincingly why we need to mutilate children. Instead‚ it’s a two-page brochure called “Gender-Affirming Care and Young People.” This is all they could produce a year later to support their position. And the brochure itself isn’t exactly the most compelling document. The brochure states‚ as a matter of fact‚ that puberty blockers are always reversible. But that’s not true. As even the New York Times reported recently‚ “A transgender adolescent in Sweden who took the drugs from age 11 to 14 with no bone scans until the last year of treatment developed osteoporosis and sustained a compression fracture in his spine‚ an X-ray showed in 2021. … ‘The patient now suffers from continued back pain‚’ medical records note‚ describing a ‘permanent disability’ caused by the blockers.” And that’s not even getting into potential issues with fertility. There are documented cases in medical literature of these drugs having permanent effects‚ and they’ve only been in use for a few years. So the claim in the brochure‚ which has no citation‚ is completely false. As more and more children are put on these “puberty blockers‚” and as time passes‚ that will be obvious to everyone. But the brochure provided by the Biden administration doesn’t stop there. It also claims that‚ “research demonstrates that gender-affirming care improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse children.” And as evidence of that claim‚ the brochure cites one study in a footnote. This single study‚ The Daily Wire’s Luke Rosiak reported yesterday‚ supposedly “showed that transgender-identifying young people were slightly less suicidal when receiving treatment.” Specifically‚ the researchers say that they found in a survey group that 51% of trans-identifying young people who were receiving cross-sex hormones were suicidal‚ compared to 62% who weren’t receiving hormones but wanted them. But even the authors of this study admit that it doesn’t prove anything about causation. They write‚ “causation cannot be inferred due to the study’s cross-sectional design. It is possible that those who historically have higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors are also less able to seek or obtain [cross-sex hormones].” This also says absolutely nothing about the long term psychological effects of this “treatment.” They offer no evidence‚ no research‚ on that question. None at all. This is the sum total of the evidence that the Biden administration was able to present to justify the castration of children. It’s a two-page pamphlet that links to a study from three years ago‚ in which the authors admit that their study doesn’t even mean anything. This is definitive proof — as if we needed it — that the Biden administration and the medical establishment‚ along with the entire American Left‚ jumped on board the “gender affirming care” racket without any solid evidentiary basis for doing so. That is a major problem‚ obviously‚ because they are harming children in horrific‚ unthinkable ways. But also because the burden of proof‚ for the people in favor of child castration‚ is especially high. Like I’ve explained many times‚ the burden of proof is on the people who came along claiming that we can turn boys into girls and vice versa. As they are the ones making an extraordinary claim that contradicts what everyone in the history of the world has always known to be true‚ they needed to have extraordinary evidence to support their position. Instead they had no evidence at all. Nothing.  Yet they were believed automatically‚ while the sane side was required to produce evidence refuting them. Suddenly the burden of proof was on us to prove that you shouldn’t mutilate and castrate children. Of course‚ we can prove our case a million times over‚ and we have‚ but the game was rigged against us from the start. The pro-child castraters wanted documented research showing the actual real world harm of these procedures on kids. But obviously we couldn’t immediately provide very much of that because we didn’t yet have real world data showing the harm that these drugs would do to kids‚ for the simple reason that nobody had ever done this to kids before. So they turned a whole generation of kids into lab rats. The kids themselves would become the data. The only way to explain how anyone fell for this scam is that trans activists are good at one thing‚ which is emotional manipulation. They perfected the art of emotional blackmail to the point that weak people have allowed this to go on for the better part of a decade. But the ruse isn’t working anymore. Now people are asking to see the evidence‚ and there isn’t any. All trans activists can do is screech as loudly as they can about “genocide‚” even though no one’s buying it anymore. We saw this phenomenon play out to a comical degree this week in Florida‚ which is preparing to pass a bill that would prevent people from changing their gender on their driver’s license. Watch how the completely calm and rational local trans activists and concerned citizens responded to this legislation: WATCH: Activists outraged over Florida bill that requires biological sex on drivers licenses "The only thing that this period of Florida history will be remembered for is the trail of body bags left behind." pic.twitter.com/uo5595HYjC — Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) February 5‚ 2024 No matter what the proposal is — whether it’s mutilating the genitals of children‚ or changing the gender on their driver’s license — the response is always the same. They claim you’re leaving a “trail of dead bodies” if you dare to disagree with their delusions. Trans activists wield their emotional fragility like a bludgeon. We see it constantly‚ which leads to the conclusion that one of two things is possible. Either it’s an act and they’re really just manipulative liars and therefore shouldn’t be taken seriously‚ or they actually are this insanely unstable and weak and immature and therefore shouldn’t be taken seriously. Whichever is the case‚ or if it’s a combination of the two‚ the conclusion is the same: we cannot take these people seriously. And we never should have.

A conservative watchdog group unveiled a report listing 14 recommendations for securing voting ahead of a critical 2024 election cycle‚ including cracking down on foreign funding of elections. Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told The Daily Wire that several red states had made strides since 2020 in improving election integrity‚ but there were still problems to address‚ including how foreign nationals can pour money into state-wide ballot races. “If you are a voter in a red state‚ the odds are your laws are significantly better than they were in 2020‚” Snead said. “There’s a lot of momentum on the Right for improving elections‚ for taking the slack out of voting laws.” One of the key recommendations highlighted in the report is that foreign money can go toward state ballot measures that have far-reaching policy ramifications. “Federal and state laws bar candidates and campaigns from receiving foreign donations‚ but these laws generally do not apply to ballot measures. Left-wing groups like the 1630 Fund routinely pour tens of millions into ballot measure campaigns while simultaneously accepting substantial donations from foreign nationals such as Hansjörg Wyss‚” the report said. As previously reported‚ Wyss nonprofits‚ including the Wyss Foundation and the Berger Fund‚ have spent $475 million influencing U.S. politics. “The Left has railed against foreign influence and yet at the same time they got themselves addicted to foreign money‚ and now they are using it to rewrite election laws in very fundamental and highly partisan ways‚” Snead told The Daily Wire. Snead praised an effort by Republicans in Ohio to ban foreign money from being used in state ballot initiatives. The lawmakers pointed to dark money funding for an initiative to put abortion into the state constitution‚ some of which may have come from Wyss. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Snead also warned about the push for ranked-choice voting to replace partisan primary elections and for it to be used in general elections. The report said that ranked-choice voting “makes it harder to vote‚ harder to understand the results of elections‚ and harder to trust the voting process.” “There is a concerted national campaign being pushed right by some liberal megadonors to essentially reinvent the electoral system‚” Snead said‚ adding that ranked-choice voting was “designed to harm conservatives” and push “politics to the Left.” Several conservative states‚ like Missouri‚ Idaho‚ and Montana are all set to vote on or consider votes on adopting a ranked-choice voting system in November.

A math and science school in Illinois runs an annual race-based retreat open only to black and “Latinx” students‚ according to a civil rights complaint filed to the Department of Education on Wednesday by a parent’s rights group. Parents Defending Education filed the complaint against the Illinois Math and Science Academy with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights over racially focused programs at the school centering around the Brotherhood Sister Circle (BHSC)‚ a club that appears to only be open for black and Latino students. The so-called “affinity” club has an annual retreat only open for students who are black or “Latinx‚” according to a complaint shared with The Daily Wire.  “PDE and its members oppose discrimination on the basis of race and political indoctrination in America’s schools‚” the complaint says. “Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is offering affinity group programming to some that is not offered to all. Admittance into the Brotherhood Sister Circle affinity group is solely based on individual’s race and sex. Specifically‚ the group is open only to ‘Black’ and ‘Latinx’ individuals and certain events are further divided based on the individual’s sex.” The complaint comes as schools across the country have faced scrutiny over emphasizing racial and sexual identity as opposed to education. A report last year showed that there were 53 schools in Illinois where there were zero students proficient in math. “The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy magnet school gives preferential treatment to students solely based on race and sex‚” Caroline Moore‚ vice president of PDE‚ told The Daily Wire. “The Brotherhood and Sisterhood Circle affinity group has a hard and fast rule that specifically forbids white male students.” READ MORE: More Than 30 Illinois Public Schools Have No Students Proficient In Math Or Reading The information on the affinity club and the retreat put on by the Illinois Math and Science Academy‚ an advanced public school in Aurora catering to about 650 students in grades 10-12‚ was obtained by PDE through public information requests. The school defended its program‚ saying it believes “in creating opportunities for students to celebrate their culture and discuss issues that reflect their identities.” “We are happy to address any questions with the Office for Civil Rights should they wish to inquire further about our student club activities‚” the school’s public affairs officer Tami Armstrong told The Daily Wire. The complaint says that the school is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act‚ which says federal funding cannot go toward racially discriminatory programming. According to the school‚ the program is intended to give “black and Latinx students an opportunity to celebrate and enhance their strengths‚ creativity‚ intelligence‚ promote networking‚ community involvement‚ financial literacy‚ resources‚ and academic success.” The club has a retreat every year‚ put on with the help of the school’s Coordinator of Diversity‚ Equity‚ and Inclusion‚ that is for “Black and Latinx students to engage in meaningful conversations‚ fun activities‚ and meet alumni‚” according to a flier for the retreat referenced in the complaint. Alumni who are black and Latino are also encouraged to register for the retreat. Flier: Parents Defending Education. In emails preparing for the retreat‚ school staff requested the contact information of black and Latino students while another requested that only a black or “Latinx” photographer be allowed to work the event.  “I would ask for Black/Latinx photographers so that pictures can be taken throughout the day‚” the school’s DEI director requested in an email in March 2022 before the retreat.   Parents Defending Education PDE’s Moore said the request reveals “deep-seated hate” from organizers. “The group even prohibited a white male yearbook staff member from taking their annual affinity group photograph‚” Moore said. “This shows deep-seated hate towards a specific demographic and cannot be tolerated.” At the retreat one year‚ there were breakout sessions focused on “men of color” and “women of color.” Another session was on “Black and Latinx Emotional Social Well-being in a Radicalized Society.”  “By intentionally separating students based on the basis of skin color and gender for educational programming‚ this unlawful practice perpetuates and condones discrimination in one of the state’s leading STEM institutions. This will have a long-term impact on the institution‚ as well as the individuals who inhabit it‚” the complaint says. 

A coalition of pro-life leaders are urging House Republican leadership to take up legislation that would repeal the FACE Act in the wake of the conviction of six pro-lifers over a peaceful demonstration at a Tennessee abortion facility. The letter‚ first obtained by The Daily Signal‚ asks House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) to take up legislation to repeal the FACE Act‚ a Clinton-era law that criminalizes the use of force or threats of force that prevent someone from accessing an abortion facility. “In the aftermath of additional pro-life activists being convicted by the Biden administration under the FACE Act for peacefully protesting outside an abortion business‚ we respectfully urge you to take immediate legislative action to protect peaceful pro-life activists from the Biden administration’s weaponized Department of Justice and an unconstitutional law‚” the letter‚ headed up by conservative group Advancing American Freedom‚ said. The letter is signed by Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America‚ Tom McClusky of CatholicVote‚ Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council‚ Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society‚ Ryan Anderson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center‚ Lila Rose of Live Action‚ and Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America. The letter noted that the FACE Act has been used almost exclusively to prosecute pro-lifers though the law is also supposed to protect churches and pregnancy centers. “We believe that the FACE Act is unconstitutional‚” the letter said. “It wrongly usurps police powers reserved to the states by the Constitution and allows the Department of Justice to swoop in to punish its political enemies‚ rather than equally applying the law. Additionally‚ the FACE Act protects abortion‚ when taking the life of the unborn is no longer and never rightly was a constitutional right.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Calls to repeal the FACE Act have amplified after Chet Gallagher‚ Coleman Boyd‚ Heather Idoni‚ Cal Zastrow‚ Paul Vaughn‚ and Dennis Green face over ten years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after being convicted of violating the FACE Act and conspiracy and against rights secured by the FACE by a jury in federal court in Nashville. The six were indicted by the Department of Justice after a protest that took place in a hallway outside of a Mount Juliet abortion provider on March 5‚ 2021. On that day‚ a group of demonstrators gathered on the second floor of an office building in the hallway outside the Carafem Health Center Clinic. The group prayed‚ sang hymns‚ and urged women showing up to the clinic not to get abortions. Legislation to repeal was previously introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and there have been efforts to renew congressional consideration.

Our friend Gina Carano‚ whom The Daily Wire hired after Disney fired her from “The Mandalorian” for the great sin of saying that people should not dehumanize one another‚ is suing The Walt Disney Company. Gina was fired from “The Mandalorian” after she posted a meme saying‚ essentially‚ that othering can end with murder. I thought that was a mainstream point of view‚ but Disney fired her. So‚ we hired her and she was in “Terror on the Prairie‚” a big win for all involved. According to Deadline Hollywood: Three years after ex-MMA fighter Carano was axed by the then Bob Chapek-run Disney for comparing the political climate in America to Nazi Germany‚ Carano on Tuesday sued Disney and Star Wars shingle Lucasfilm for dropping her from the bounty-hunter series – and the X/Tesla owner is paying for her lawyers. Elon is paying for her lawyers. I love it. According to the complaint filed in federal court: A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away‚ Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought‚ speech‚ or action was acceptable in their empire‚ and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated. And so it was with Carano. … The rule of law still reigns over the Defendants’ empire … and Carano has returned to demand that they be held accountable for their bullying‚ discriminatory‚ and retaliatory actions — actions that inflicted not only substantial emotional harm‚ but millions of dollars in lost income. You’ll recall that it was in February 2021‚ not long after she had been in “The Mandalorian‚” that Lucasfilm put out a scathing statement on their business with her: “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless‚ her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” By the way‚ there was no social media post denigrating anyone based on cultural or religious identity at all. WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show “Defendants also discriminated against Carano by treating her differently from her male co-stars who also made public‚ political statements on social media‚” the lawsuit states. That is absolutely true. Pedro Pascal‚ who is the star of “The Mandalorian‚” put out a meme basically about how illegal immigrants were being held in detention facilities like concentration camps. He put out that tweet — nothing. “Her male co-stars were not disciplined‚ let alone terminated in a way to destroy their careers even though some would find their statements ‘abhorrent‚’” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit notes Pascal’s statements as well as guest star Mark Hamill comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. So Carano is amplifying all that. And then Elon Musk put out a statement saying‚ “Please let us know if you would like to join the lawsuit against Disney.” Revenge is best served cold. Elon tweeted‚ saying‚ “If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC‚ ESPN‚ Marvel‚ etc)‚ just reply to this post to receive legal support‚” because he received from an anonymous source evidence that showed Disney general entertainment content and inclusion standards that looked like they violated basic civil rights law and seemed to create all sorts of racist hiring practices. People are going to take him up on that. I would not be surprised to see Disney sued from a thousand different directions over that because DEI (Diversity‚ Equity‚ Inclusion) must‚ in fact‚ die. Elon is doing God’s work on that one.

When life gives you lemons...

Trajan’s Basilica‚ a second-century Roman civic building‚ is receiving long-awaited restorations‚ though not without controversy over one key donor. The Uzbekistani-born Russian mining magnate Alisher Usmanov donated 1.5 million euros to restore the basilica in 2015‚ France 24 reports. In 2022‚ after Russia invaded Ukraine‚ Usmanov was sanctioned by the United States and European Union […]

'Ghislaine Maxwell was charged and in jail for trafficking to ... nobody?'

'High value target'

'Process of trimming expenses'