FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey this week ordered a local school district to “cease and desist” teaching students about human sexuality‚ including gender ideology‚ without parental consent ahead of time. In a letter Monday exclusively obtained by The Daily Signal‚ Bailey also ordered the Webster Groves School District to review all classroom materials for compliance with the law. “Failing to notify parents in advance‚ failing to provide parents with the content of the instruction and materials‚ failing to clearly offer an opportunity to opt out‚ or failing to uphold a parent’s opt-out decision violates Missouri law and represents a direct assault upon parents’ rights‚” Bailey‚ a Republican‚ wrote to John Simpson‚ superintendent of schools for the Webster Groves district.  Tenth-graders at Webster Groves High School‚ in the suburbs of St. Louis‚ were required to watch a slideshow on “oppression and privilege” that appeared to violate state law by using information from a Planned Parenthood affiliate that lists abortion clinics on its website‚ The Daily Signal reported in October.  The website of the Planned Parenthood affiliate‚ Teen Health Source‚ tells teens about “porn literacy” and “hookups” for casual sex. The organization defines abortion as “a safe medical procedure that ends a pregnancy” and suggests “trangender care” clinics that offer minors sterilizing hormone therapy and referrals for transgender surgery.  “My office has received reports that Webster Groves School District has provided materials related to human sexuality to students without notifying parents in advance‚ without providing a clear opportunity for parents to opt-out their child‚ and in some instances refusing to honor parents’ opt-out decisions‚” Bailey says in his letter to Simpson.  The Missouri attorney general describes the slideshow presentation as discussing gender identity‚ sexual orientation‚ and abortion‚ all topics of “human sexuality.”  “Missouri law requires every school district and charter school to notify each student’s parent or guardian before providing any human sexuality materials or instruction to students‚” Bailey writes to the Webster Groves superintendent‚ citing specific provisions of law. “Schools must provide to parents the content of any human sexuality materials or instruction and give parents the opportunity to opt their child out.” 240202_Bailey-Webster-Groves-LetterDownload Derek Duncan‚ communications director for the school district‚ confirmed Friday that Simpson had received Bailey’s letter.  “We did receive a notice from the AG’s office‚” Duncan told The Daily Signal. “We will address and respond to the concerns raised in a cooperative and transparent manner.” Parents have the “natural right” to direct their children’s upbringing and education‚ Bailey tells Simpson in the letter: According to long-established Supreme Court precedent and Missouri state statute‚ schools must respect parents’ rights concerning human sexuality instruction and materials. Specifically‚ this means that schools must notify parents in advance and provide them with information about the instructional content and materials that will be shared with their children in order to give each parent a clear opt-out opportunity. Plainly stated‚ parents get to make decisions about the kind of human sexuality education their children will receive and schools are legally obligated to respect parents’ decisions.  Bailey ordered the district to “cease and desist” its use of human sexuality materials that have not been approved by parents in advance and to review all its class materials.  “Moreover‚ Webster Groves School District must immediately review all instructional resources‚ including reading lists‚ classroom and campus libraries‚ and any diversity‚ equity‚ inclusion‚ and belonging materials that address issues of human sexuality‚ to ensure they comply with state law‚” Bailey writes.  This is a developing story and will be updated. 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 EXCLUSIVE: Missouri AG Orders School District to Cease Teaching Radical Gender Ideology Without Parents’ OK appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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In a story that warms the heart‚ we meet Maggie‚ a Bernedoodle whose love for her human brother goes beyond simple companionship. This touching narrative showcases the powerful impact pets have on our lives‚ teaching us about the joys of unconditional love‚ patience‚ and happiness. Maggie’s arrival into her family marked the beginning of a... The post Fluffy Bernedoodle melts hearts hugging brother when he gets off school bus appeared first on Animal Channel.

A sad video that shows a little boy getting puberty blockers is gaining lots of traction online. It’s a heartbreaking clip‚ and viewers are calling out the transgender ideology for what it really is: "pure evil." The video was in response to another video that Libs of TikTok shared in which a doctor explained that transgender “care” for kids is “lifesaving.” The video about the little "girl" now has close to 2 million views.  In it‚ a mother and her 11-year-old son Joseph‚ who they refer to as “Josie‚” visit a transgender specialist named Dr. Olsen‚ who insists that "Josie" is at a “perfect place” to begin puberty blockers to stop the young boy’s body from going through male puberty. Research has shown that puberty blockers can and do slow or completely stop the development of a child’s reproductive system‚ as well as the child’s brain and his or her bones. They can cause irreversible damage‚ but none of that seemed to alarm Josie's mother enough to not go through with the procedure. During the video‚ Josie gets the blockers implanted in his arm and cries out in pain from the injection.  Doctor tells 11 year old girl she is in the “perfect place” to begin taking puberty blockers to become TRANS. Should this doctor be sent to prison for child abuse?pic.twitter.com/zV2POGwHiH — Oli London (@OliLondonTV) February 1‚ 2024 To make matters worse‚ the doctor insisted that she promised to get Josie on estrogen shots in two years when the child turns 13. Related: Judge Revokes Parents Custody After CPS Kidnapped &; Transitioned 14-Year-Old Josie’s mother was thrilled.  “A lot of time it strikes me that‚ had this happened 20 years ago‚ I wouldn’t have been able to give her blockers and she would’ve had to go through male puberty. That terrifies me. I don’t know that she would have survived male puberty‚” the child-abusing mother confessed.  People on X couldn’t agree less.  “This BOY is being abused by the doctor and his mom. They both belong behind bars‚” one user wrote. “The mom is 100% a total enabler‚” another insisted while one more called it “pure evil.” Even Elon Musk commented an explanation mark to widen the reach of the heartbreaking video. The video was part of a three-part segment by NBC News back in 2012 detailing how Josie’s parents began his transition around six years old when he was “diagnosed” with gender dysphoria. According to a Reddit thread‚ Josie has since  changed his name to "Sadie" and is still attempting to convince people that he’s a she. On Instagram‚ Sadie is now 21 years old and adds “#trans” to many of his posts.  While this video is old‚ it’s important to continue bringing to light as these practices have become even more popular and accepted. Transitioning minors is “pure evil” and children who experience it‚ just like Joseph/Josie/Sadie‚ are victims of child abuse. Follow us on Twitter/X: Woke of The Weak: Cutting Off Genitals &; Songs About Pronouns Does anyone else feel like the pool of crazies is getting larger? These wackos are doing their best to make that argument for us. pic.twitter.com/syyaJuFPY2 — MRCTV (@mrctv) January 30‚ 2024

On Thursday‚ the Pentagon press corps were able to question Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the first time since his secret December hospitalizations and prostate cancer diagnosis he hid from the American public and President Biden until early January. There were plenty of tough questions‚ but most notable was NBC’s Peter Alexander (pinch-hitting for Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kube‚ who was reporting from Qatar). Better yet (and unlike with tense White House press briefing exchanges)‚ Alexander’s hardballs to Austin on both his lack of transparency and whether the Biden administration bears responsibility for allowing Iranian proxies to kill U.S. soldiers last weekend made it onto both Thursday’s NBC Nightly News and Friday’s Today.     Alexander first asked about the cancer bout‚ which arguably became a scandal in and of itself. The NBC White House correspondent was extremely blunt on the double standard between Austin keeping his job without repercussions and if someone else in the military had done this: [Y]ou were hospitalized for days before you informed the White House or the commander in chief of your condition and your absence. Anyone else within the military chain of command would have faced reprimand or even dismissal. Why shouldn’t that same standard apply to you‚ sir? Austin shrugged it off‚ reiterating from earlier in the briefing that “we didn’t get this right” and “I take full responsibility for — for the department’s actions.” As for why he didn’t tell the President or his team‚ he insists “that information was available‚ I’m not sure‚ at this point‚ what exactly happened‚ but I think details will play out as a review is — is conducted.” On Iran‚ Alexander pointed out there had “been more than 160 strikes on American targets across the region‚ as you noted‚ since October‚” so what’s the U.S. doing “wait[ing] until American service members were killed to escalate its response.” Austin again downplayed matters by insisting “we’ve responded a number of times and taken out” targets and that the past attacks by Iranian proxies were “ineffective” with the U.S. able to bat them down. To NBC’s credit‚ they gave Alexander the dignity of running his cancer hardball on both flagship newscasts. So often‚ the press will grill this administration at a briefing‚ then either downplay or flip the script and suck up to them when it comes time for when viewers actually tune in. As mentioned‚ the briefing had other tough questioners. The Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Lubold acknowledged to Austin that even though “you didn’t direct your staff to hide this truth or lie‚” he wondered if this instead was a case of “creat[ing] a culture of secrecy that then the staff kind of interpreted your desires or your intentions when it came to you getting sick.” Austin rejected that because while some “may perceive that they’re doing things in my best interests‚” he wouldn’t “speculate” other than to assert “I have a great staff‚ and they always want to‚ intend to do the right things”. A few minutes after both Alexander and a softball from The New York Times’s Helene Cooper about whether his silence “reinforces this culture of secrecy among black men about prostate cancer‚” PBS’s Nick Schifrin made himself useful on behalf of taxpayers with a brutal question to Austin about “how could you possibly think that it was okay” to keep this under wraps (click “expand”):  SCHIFRIN: Mr. Secretary‚ I’ve seen what you’re going through up close‚ among loved ones. So‚ again‚ we wish you a full recovery and I know it is possible‚ so thank you. You described this as a gut punch‚ your instinct to privacy. But if I could ask you bluntly‚ you had nearly a month between the time you learned of your cancer and the time that this came out to inform the President‚ how could you possibly think that it was okay not to tell him‚ if I could be blunt? (....) AUSTIN: So‚ my diagnosis was made‚ the doctor highlighted you have a finite window of time to actually get this done. If you go beyond that — that window‚ then you’ll have a problem. Christmas holiday’s coming up. For me‚ to be as little impact on — on what we’re doing in the department‚ Christmas was a time for me to take a look at getting that done. It was a tough decision for me and I did not decide until‚ you know‚ very close to when the procedure was done to actually do the procedure. In terms of informing the President‚ again‚ I admit that that was a mistake to not talk to him about that early on. The President of the United States‚ you got a lot of things on your plate. And so putting my personal issue on — adding to his — all the things he’s got on his plate‚ I just didn’t feel that was — that was a thing that I — I — I should do at the time‚ but‚ again‚ I recognize that that was a mistake‚ and I should have done that differently. To see the relevant transcript from February 1‚ click “expand.” Pentagon press briefing [via MSNBC] February 1‚ 2024 10:44 a.m. Eastern GORDON LUBOLD: Mr. Secretary‚ you say you didn’t direct your staff to hide this truth or lie‚ but did you create a culture of secrecy that then the staff kind of interpreted your desires or your intentions when it came to you getting sick? DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN: Yeah‚ I — I — I don’t think I’ve created a culture of secrecy. I think there will be security officers — there will be other staff members who may perceive that they’re doing things in my best interests. And‚ you know‚ I can’t — I can’t predict or — or determine or ascertain what those things may be. I just know what I said and did not say. And‚ of course‚ you know‚ I have a great staff‚ and they always want to‚ intend to do the right things‚ but in terms of what one may or may not have perceived at any one point in time‚ I won’t speculate on that. (....) 10:46 a.m. Eastern LUIS MARTINEZ: And a question on your recovery‚ sir. At any point did you feel that your situation had caused you to consider possibly resigning given all of the political attention that had developed as a result of it? AUSTIN: In terms of resignation‚ the answer is no. (....) 10:49 a.m. Eastern HELENE COOPER: You mentioned during your opening statement this is an opportunity to talk about prostate cancer‚ especially in the black community. I wonder‚ though‚ do you have any regret that your silence on this reinforces this culture of secrecy among black men about prostate cancer? AUSTIN: Yeah — and you mentioned that — and it’s probably not an issue of secrecy as much as it is an issue of privacy. And this is — this is a very‚ cancer‚ period‚ is — is very private‚ and there may be cancer survivors amongst us in this room right here and I know there is at least a couple. There are at least a couple‚ but — but you know how private that — that is‚ and — and you know what the initial diagnosis feels like‚ and so‚ among the black community‚ though‚ it’s — it’s even more a thing that people wanna — wanna to keep private. And‚ again‚ it is more about privacy than secrecy. In my case‚ I should have informed my boss. I did not. That was a mistake. And — and again‚ I apologize to him for not doing so. (....) 10:52 a.m. Eastern PETER ALEXANDER: Mr. Secretary‚ first of all‚ we wish you good health and thank you for taking your questions. And we hope you have a quick recovery. I have two questions. First on your hospitalization‚ you were hospitalized for days before you informed the White House or the commander in chief of your condition and your absence. Anyone else within the military chain of command would have faced reprimand or even dismissal. Why shouldn’t that same standard apply to you‚ sir? AUSTIN: Well‚ let me just say that — thanks for the question — that — that we didn’t get this right. And‚ as I said‚ I take full responsibility for — for the department’s actions. In terms of why on the second notification was — was not made to the White House‚ that information was available‚ I’m not sure‚ at this point‚ what exactly happened‚ but I think details will play out as a review is — is conducted. ALEXANDER: And if I can follow-up about the situation overseas right now‚ and the deliberation in regards to strikes. There have been more than 160 strikes on American targets across the region‚ as you noted‚ since October. Why has the U.S. waited until American service members were killed to escalate its response? AUSTIN: Well‚ as you know‚ we’ve responded a number of times and taken out — first of all‚ their attacks‚ many of them‚ most of them are going to be ineffective. And most of them we're going to defend ourselves against. And whenever we conduct a strike‚ we're going to hit at what we're aiming at‚ we're going to take away capability‚ we're going to do what we're desiring to do. And so‚ this — this particular attack was egregious in that it‚ you know — the attack was on a sleeping area of one of our base. And‚ again‚ we have — we’ve — Kataib Hezbollah and — and other elements continue to‚ you know‚ attack our troops and‚ again‚ I think at this point we should — it’s time to take away even more capability than we have taken in the past. And in terms of the — you use the term escalation. We’ve not described what our response is going to be‚ but we look to hold the people that are responsible for this accountable and we also look to make sure that we continue to wait — take away capability for them as we go forward.  (....) 11:03 a.m. Eastern NICK SCHIFRIN: Mr. Secretary‚ I’ve seen what you’re going through up close‚ among loved ones. So‚ again‚ we wish you a full recovery and I know it is possible‚ so thank you. You described this as a gut punch‚ your instinct to privacy. But if I could ask you bluntly‚ you had nearly a month between the time you learned of your cancer and the time that this came out to inform the President‚ how could you possibly think that it was okay not to tell him‚ if I could be blunt? (....) 11:03 a.m. Eastern AUSTIN: So‚ my diagnosis was made‚ the doctor highlighted you have a finite window of time to actually get this done. If you go beyond that — that window‚ then you’ll have a problem. Christmas holiday’s coming up. For me‚ to be as little impact on — on what we’re doing in the department‚ Christmas was a time for me to take a look at getting that done. It was a tough decision for me and I did not decide until‚ you know‚ very close to when the procedure was done to actually do the procedure. In terms of informing the President‚ again‚ I admit that that was a mistake to not talk to him about that early on. The President of the United States‚ you got a lot of things on your plate. And so putting my personal issue on — adding to his — all the things he’s got on his plate‚ I just didn’t feel that was — that was a thing that I — I — I should do at the time‚ but‚ again‚ I recognize that that was a mistake‚ and I should have done that differently.

Former president and current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump emphasized the dangers of artificial intelligence in a new interview. Despite experts’ warnings on the serious risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI)‚ including for free speech‚ Big Tech companies have been scrambling to develop and expand their AI offerings. But Trump didn’t mince words when speaking to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. Trump said AI could be “the most dangerous thing out there” because “there’s no real solution.” AI development continues to hurtle on‚ even as the risks to free speech‚ jobs and other key societal aspects increase. Bartiromo asked Trump about the dangers of central bank digital currency (CBDC)‚ a type of government-tracked digital form of exchange many governments have aimed to implement. Even the Biden administration has issued an executive order to explore the “infrastructure and capacity needs” for the “potential” development of a U.S. CBDC. In China‚ digital currency enables the government to track and enforce financial censorship via a social credit system. “Very dangerous. It’s very dangerous. One day you don’t have any money in your account. It can be a very dangerous thing‚” Trump described CBDCs. He has pledged to reject a CBDC if elected. Trump then brought up another digital threat: AI. “And the other thing that I think is maybe the most dangerous thing out there of anything‚ because there’s no real solution — the AI‚ as they call it. It is so scary‚” Trump emphasized. “Something has to be done about this‚ and it has to be done fast‚” or AI will present a severe security risk‚ he added. The presidential candidate noted that AI can distort various media‚ including videos‚ images and voices‚ to spread confusion. “I saw somebody ripping me off the other day where they had me making a speech about their product‚” Trump explained. “I said‚ ‘I’ll never endorse that product.’ You can’t even tell the difference. It looks like I’m actually endorsing it.”  AI is likely to play a key role in the online information and censorship battle heading into the 2024 election. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us at the Media Research Center contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.