Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was set to announce new legislation Tuesday to expand school choice in his state to 20‚000 more students next year—with plans to make a pilot program’s scholarships available statewide in 2025. In a statement to The Daily Signal before making his scheduled announcement at 3 p.m. EST about offering more education savings accounts‚ Lee said he believes Tennessee has “made great strides in education‚ but there is more work to do.” “To ensure Tennessee continues to lead the nation‚” Lee wrote‚ “it’s time for a statewide school choice plan that empowers parents‚ equips students for success‚ and allows Tennessee taxpayers to decide how their own dollars are invested.” Lee’s move follows that of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders‚ a fellow Republican‚ who in March signed into law a bill providing universal school choice in her state. Since 2019‚ Tennessee has allowed low-income students in Nashville‚ Memphis‚ and Chattanooga to access $9‚000 a year to pay for alternative schools and education opportunities. Parents of students in that program largely have been positive about it. Airedale‚ a mother of two young men in Memphis‚ told The Daily Signal that she was worried that high tuition would force her to choose between “feeding my family and our education choice.” After receiving the state’s scholarships‚ she says‚ her sons are flourishing. In a phone interview Tuesday‚ Airedale told The Daily Signal that the younger son is thriving in his new school—giving him the opportunity to take civics and “Life Skills” courses while participating in a diverse range of extracurricular activities. “We are so grateful for this amazing opportunity‚” Airedale said. “And we hope to see this program expand throughout the region.” Unlike several states with voucher programs that can be used only for annual tuition costs—such as Indiana‚ Georgia‚ and Louisiana—Tennessee’s education savings account program may be used for curriculum materials‚ tutoring services‚ transportation fees‚ testing fees‚ and educational therapy services‚ including testing for learning disabilities. Expanding Tennessee’s school choice program from its pilot test in three inner-city environments to a broader range of students would bring those benefits along with it‚ state officials say. If the Legislature advances  Lee’s proposed legislation in the next session‚ Tennessee could join the growing list of states that expanded school choice opportunities in the past few years—among them Arkansas‚ Arizona‚ Iowa‚ Utah‚ and West Virginia. The Heritage Foundation ranks Tennessee as seventh in the nation overall on its Education Freedom Report Card‚ while the state’s “Education Choice Rank” sits at 17. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.) Heritage’s analysis states that Tennessee could “improve its ranking by expanding eligibility for and boosting participation in its private education choice policies and eliminating unnecessary regulations on participating private schools‚ including the state test mandate.” It is not clear how far Lee’s legislation would eliminate regulations such as state standardized testing mandates on private schools in Tennessee. “My kids were in public school‚ private school‚ and home-schooled‚” Lee told The Daily Signal. “Parents know best and should have the freedom to choose the right education for their child‚ regardless of income or ZIP code.”  “A quality education has the power to change the entire trajectory of a child’s life‚” the governor added. “There’s no question‚ now is the time to bring statewide school choice to Tennessee.” 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 Tennessee Governor Calls for Expanded School Choice Programs appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A coalition of nearly 4‚000 auto dealers on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden explaining why his plans to force Americans into electric vehicles are unworkable. The bottom line: Despite subsidies to car manufacturers to make the EVs‚ and tax credits for drivers to buy the cars‚ only 7% of new vehicle sales are electric vehicles‚ compared with Biden’s goal of 60% in 2030 and 66% in 2032. The auto dealers wrote that “the supply of unsold [battery electric vehicles] is surging‚ as they are not selling nearly as fast as they are arriving at our dealerships—even with deep price cuts‚ manufacturer incentives‚ and generous government incentives.” Their letter follows the announcement last month from GM and Ford that they are cutting back on projections of EV sales and lowering production targets for the cars and batteries because Americans prefer to buy other cars. Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler‚ who postponed $12 billion in EV investments‚ said‚ “Given the dynamic EV environment‚ we are being judicious about our production and adjusting future capacity to better match market demand.” Similarly‚ GM described “evolving EV demand” as a reason for slowing production of electric pickup trucks. Ford and GM describe EV demand as “dynamic” and “evolving‚“ but in reality‚ it is static and devolving. Auto dealers are getting stuck with the unwanted cars. Dealers have to pay in advance‚ and if the cars sit on the lots without being sold‚ their funds are tied up‚ and they don’t have room for better-selling vehicles. Because Congress will not pass laws mandating purchases of EVs‚ Biden has proposed regulations from the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. These regulations would penalize automakers for selling gasoline-powered cars. California is going further‚ requiring all new-vehicle sales to be electric after 2035. But‚ as the dealers say in their letter‚ “Some customers are in the market for electric vehicles‚ and we are thrilled to sell them. But the majority of customers are simply not ready to make the change.”  There are reasons that most Americans prefer to buy cars with internal combustion engines. The primary one cited is the difficulty of charging while on long trips or in homes that don’t have charging stations. Most people who love their EVs recharge them at home overnight. But not everyone has a garage at home. Some live in apartments and homes without garages. Many of those people have to rely on charging stations for their EVs if they can’t run extension cords from their residences to the parking lot. There are few charging stations in rural areas‚ where driving distances are longer. Also‚ while gasoline-powered cars can be refueled in five or 10 minutes at a gas station‚ recharging an electric vehicle can take 45 minutes or longer for a full charge. Wait times are longer if someone else is at the charging station‚ and if some charging stations are out of order. Most people don’t want to let their EV battery go below 20%‚ and the charging rate goes down when it is charged over 80%. In addition‚ batteries lose range in cold weather. A study by truck manufacturer Autocar shows that electric vehicles lose‚ on average‚ a third of their range in the winter‚ which reduces the typical 240-mile range to 160 miles. If a heat pump is added to the car‚ the loss is less‚ but still‚ the 240-mile range would shrink to 180. Only 380 North Dakota residents chose EVs in 2021‚ and Alaska had just 1‚300. New electric vehicles also cost more than gasoline-powered vehicles. The electric version of the base version of the Ford F-150 pickup truck‚ the best-selling vehicle in America‚ costs an additional $26‚000. And Tesla’s base prices start at about $40‚000 for a Model 3 and go up to almost $100‚000 for a Model X. Few Americans can afford these vehicles. Dealers also cite lack of minerals available for EV batteries as a reason for pausing on the push for electrification. China has most of the minerals for batteries‚ and almost 80% of batteries are made in China. China is buying up many of the world’s mines where rare earth minerals used in batteries are found. The forced push to EVs is making America weaker and China stronger. Should Biden’s EV goal come to pass‚ America would become more dependent on China for electric batteries and associated components‚ rather than using abundant domestic oil and natural gas. That means sacrificing energy independence. The Biden administration’s push for EVs is to supposedly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But in order to produce supplies of batteries for EVs and other components‚ China is increasing its construction of coal-fired power plants. America has 225 coal-fired power plants (which the Biden administration is trying to put out of business)‚ and China has 1‚118 (half of all the coal-fired plants in the world). Research by Kevin Dayaratna‚ chief statistician and senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation‚ has shown that even completely eliminating all fossil fuels from the United States would result in less than 0.2 of a degree Celsius in temperature mitigation by the year 2100. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Biden says that EVs will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that regulations on tailpipe and power plant emissions reduce global warming. But that’s a fantasy. Emissions will not be reduced until the biggest producers of so-called greenhouse gases—China‚ India and Russia—reduce their emissions‚ which they show no signs of doing. The dealers conclude their letter: “Mr. President‚ it is time to tap the brakes on the unrealistic government electric vehicle mandate. Allow time for the battery technology to advance. Allow time to make [battery electric vehicles] more affordable. Allow time to develop domestic sources for the minerals to make batteries.” They are speaking not only for themselves‚ but for the vast majority of American drivers. 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 Auto Dealers Call on Biden to Hit Brakes on Unrealistic‚ Unachievable Electric Vehicles Mandate appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Read the original post "Troubleshooting Einkorn Flour" on A Modern Homestead. Having issues with your einkorn baking efforts? This troubleshooting guide will help you overcome the learning curve often associated with einkorn flour‚ and lead you into the abundance of einkorn success! For the last 10 years‚ it's been my near-full-time job to experiment with and perfect the art of einkorn baking. And along the way‚... Read More The post "Troubleshooting Einkorn Flour" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Women's Groups Silent As Rape Is Used As an Act of War

Everything the Germans Touch Is Coming Up Fahrvergnügies

Imagine the shock at Beirut’s airport when an unmarked wooden box‚ left unattended for a week‚ revealed its astonishing contents. The box‚ a mere 16 inches tall with a few holes‚ seemed ordinary until security personnel decided to investigate. What they found inside was nothing short of extraordinary. Out tumbled three Siberian tiger cubs‚ an... The post Mysterious wooden box with holes sat at the airport for a week before anyone opened it appeared first on Animal Channel.

MRC President and Founder Brent Bozell slammed Big Tech censorship in a Tuesday interview‚ detailing the harrowing election interference of social media platforms to aid the scandal-ridden Biden administration. In an interview with Stuart Varney on Fox News’s Varney &; Co‚ Bozell did not mince words in response to MRC Free Speech America’s exposé into Big Tech’s draconian censorship of President Joe Biden’s political opponents ahead of the 2024 presidential election. “It’s extraordinary‚” Bozell said‚ referring to an MRC study showing how Biden’s political rivals were censored a whopping 162 times. “This is all about free speech.” Bozell did not mince words in detailing the enormity of the issue. “We looked at this since the beginning of the campaign through Thanksgiving. The number one most-censored man is Vivek Ramaswamy because he's taken the position questioning the Biden position on climate change‚” Bozell added. “Number two is RFK Jr. (17 times) who has taken a position questioning the Biden administration on its COVID mandates. Number three is Nikki Haley‚ interestingly enough. But the majority of it is because she is the least pro-life Republican candidate calling only for a ban on late-term abortions‚ and for that‚ she was censored six times by YouTube.” Bozell described the widespread censorship running rampant across nearly all major social media companies‚ but drew particular attention to anti-free speech YouTube‚ which is owned by Google. “Here's the interesting one that I think‚ if you look at all the censorship taking place‚ it's not coming from TikTok‚ it's not coming from Twitter or X‚ it's not coming from Facebook. Twenty-two percent of it is coming from YouTube. Sixty-nine percent of it is coming from Google. Google owns YouTube [...] 91% of the censorship that is taking place is coming from one company and one company alone and it’s Google. As detailed by the MRC report‚ all 23 presidential candidates have been impacted. However‚ the censorship has disproportionately impacted the social media accounts of the individuals seeking to replace Biden in 2024. Among those affected include former President Donald J. Trump‚ tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy‚ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Biden’s chief Democratic Party rival RFK Jr who has since decided to run as an independent. Bozell ripped Big Tech for how incumbent Biden was treated compared to RFK Jr. “Biden was censored over really silly stuff‚ production technicalities having to do with a couple of his videos. But in the case of RFK Jr.‚ if he talked about either COVID‚ questioning COVID‚ the administration on COVID or even talking about his opinion of his own father's assassination‚ if it went against what Big Tech‚ what Google thinks is truth‚ he wasn't allowed to have a say. This is all about free speech.” Bozell also reacted to bombshell reports that embattled first son Hunter Biden agreed to publicly testify before the House Judiciary Committee. “He wants the attention‚” Bozell said of the first son requesting a public congressional hearing. “He's pretty good on his feet. I think he's going to be able to make this a show with all the Democrats supporting him against the Republicans.” Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency‚ clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

On today's Morning Joe‚ Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough both scoffed at the desirability of having a 40-or-50-year-old "straight-A student" as president. Makes sense: Biden's the guy who lied about earning three degrees and finishing in the top half of his law school class. In fact‚ he finished near the bottom: 76th in a class of 85. Instead of smarts‚ Joe‚ Mika‚ and Willie touted how wonderful it is‚ given the current foreign policy crises‚ to have someone with Biden's long experience‚ and his "mature mind." Mature—like a banana that's been left on the shelf for two weeks. Pro Tip for Mika: when speaking about Biden‚ eschew any mention of his "mind." Brings bad images to the public's mind. MIKA: Would I want a man who's got‚ straight-A student in his 40s or 50s out there? Or do I would I want someone with 40‚ 50 years of experience on the world stage? That includes decades of wins and losses‚ politically and geopolitically. And I can't think of somebody else out I'd want. You name 'em. Somebody name a better at this point‚ more mature mind that can attack these problems and address them with all the different levels of emotion that need to come to the moment. And‚ and he does it! As for Biden's supposedly invaluable foreign policy experience‚ consider the opinion of Robert Gates. In addition to serving as the CIA director under President George H.W. Bush‚ Gates was Secretary of Defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In that latter position‚ Gates was in a position to observe Joe Biden's foreign policy judgment firsthand. And Gates's opinion is that: "[Biden has] been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” Among Biden's foreign policy blunders that Gates has pointed to were his "opposition to "every one of Ronald Reagan’s military programs to contest the Soviet Union." Reagan would no doubt be shocked to learn that Cold War peacenik Biden and the Detente Democrats support war on the Russians in Ukraine‚ no matter how long it takes.  More recently‚ of course‚ was Biden's precipitous‚ disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan‚ leading to the immediate takeover of the country by the Taliban‚ the death of 13 Marines‚ and the abandonment into Taliban hands of $7 billion worth of military equipment.  The show displayed a curious and very telling statement from Biden in which he claimed: "I have remained deeply engaged over the last few days" in the hostage negotiations. That smacks loudly of the president who doth protest too much. Why would Biden feel the need to trumpet his involvement -- unless behind the scenes the likes of Blinken and Sullivan are actually carrying the load‚ as Biden takes his "mature mind" to the basement? Morning Joe discounting the importance of a straight-A student as president‚ instead touting Joe Biden's foreign policy experience‚ was sponsored in part by Liberty Mutual‚ and AT&;T. Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 11/28/23 6:01 am ET JOE SCARBOROUGH: Mika‚ you know‚ you said something yesterday that really‚ really struck a chord with me‚ and I think with a lot of people who were watching‚ when you said‚ you know what‚ for people who want to make age an issue‚ you're damn right‚ it is an issue. And we're getting through this process of negotiating with some very difficult‚ very dangerous‚ in some cases‚ very terrible people‚ and the process is still moving forward because Joe Biden knows all the players. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Yeah. I mean‚ this is the big stage‚ the world stage‚ and with everything at stake on two separate fronts. Two wars‚ Ukraine and Israel‚ literally putting everything on the line for the rest of the world‚ for global security. Would I want a man who's got‚ straight-A student in his 40s or 50s out there? Or do I would I want someone with 40‚ 50 years of experience on the world stage? That includes decades of wins and losses‚ politically and geopolitically. And I can't think of somebody else out I'd want. You name 'em. Somebody name a better at this point‚ more mature mind that can attack these problems and address them with all the different levels of emotion that need to come to the moment. And‚ and he does it! . . .  SCARBOROUGH: Right. These are the days‚ these are the days where‚ actually‚ experience is extraordinarily important. And after it being discounted by voters for far too long‚ and look what we've gotten for it over the past 20 years‚ it's good to have somebody in the White House who knows what he's doing and knows all the players on the world stage. WILLIE GEIST: And can project at least some sense of calm‚ publicly standing with the Israeli people while privately pushing Benjamin Netanyahu on the way he's prosecuting the war. Richard Haass is with us‚ we'll have some thoughts on that in a moment. But to your point‚ more hostages expected to be released today‚ now that Hamas and Israel have agreed to extend the temporary truce. Qatari officials‚ who've been mediating the talks‚ announced yesterday that both sides have agreed to extend the pause in fighting for an additional two days. The original pause was set to expire today. President Biden released a statement welcoming the new extension. He said he: remains "deeply engaged" in the deal to make sure it continues to deliver results. Adding‚ he will‚ quote‚ not stop until all of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists are released‚ end quote.

Colby Hall‚ the founding editor of left-leaning Mediaite.com‚ reports that Brian Stelter's new Fox-trashing book Network of Lies is selling well below expectations‚ like a Disney blockbuster. It's a dud!  Published on November 14‚ Stelter’s book sold 3‚807 copies in its first week‚ according to Nielsen BookScan. Those numbers are down 82% from his previous book about Fox (Hoax)‚ which saw first-week sales of 20‚832 in August 2020‚ according to BookScan. Mediaite has learned that Stelter’s latest will not make the New York Times bestseller list. As of publishing‚ it is currently ranked 6‚638th on Amazon’s Best Sellers list‚ despite his numerous appearances on cable news and several podcasts‚ including Mediaite. Stelter has been on CNN and MSNBC and PBS and NPR and NewsNation and Univision and a plethora of podcasts to plug his "epic saga" -- we're still waiting for the NewsBusters Podcast‚ come on‚ pal -- but it's not moving the needle. Hall tried to soften the blow by saying Michael Wolff's anti-Fox book did even worse in its first week in September‚ and Stelter's return to CNN airwaves was "seamless." And hey‚ "there is always the lucrative route of optioning the rights for a miniseries on Apple+ or some other streaming platform‚" as Stelter's book Top of the Morning was optioned by Apple.  This came despite New York Times book reviewer Dwight Garner gushing over this “thrilling account” two weeks ago‚ even claiming Stelter’s latest Fox-trashing tome “reads like one of Bob Woodward’s mightier books.” In Garner's gaze‚ Stelter is basically Dudley Do-Right: "He’s like a Canadian Mountie who has stumbled upon a gerbil-stomping ring. For Stelter‚ journalism might be a humble calling‚ but it is a patriotic and noble one. It burns him to see its ideals perverted." Garner really‚ really hates Fox: Fox News‚ at this point‚ resembles a car whose windshield is thickly encrusted with traffic citations. Yet this car (surely a Hummer) manages to barrel out anew each day‚ plowing over six more mailboxes‚ five more crossing guards‚ four elderly scientists‚ three communal enterprises‚ two trans kids and a solar panel.... His Fox News is a nightly Russell Stover assortment of ginned-up grievances and predictions of cataclysm and collapse. The network delivers insinuation instead of reason‚ in this account‚ irritable gestures instead of journalism‚ a great deal of voice and little of mind. Fox News is biased against expertise and culture. Its hosts patrol and destroy‚ as white blood cells do in the body‚ any hint of sequential reasoning. They deliver the kind of shallow and primitive totalitarian propaganda that George Orwell‚ in 1984‚ called prolefeed. In Network of Lies it is a dead-end grotto of the human spirit….. Democrats are led by the brain‚ the old saw goes‚ while Republicans are led by the gut. This has‚ by and large‚ been a healthy balance in America. But what happens when the Republican gut becomes merely colon‚ rectum and anus‚ this book asks‚ and hot filth pours from it? Reading Stelter‚ I was reminded of a tweet that made the rounds a few years ago: “Fox News did to our parents what they thought video games would do to us.” Liberal journalists think of themselves as the souls of civility‚ but a feisty opposition clearly spurred Garner into what can literally be called a "s--t fit."

Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler has found a topic on which to consistently shame President Joe Biden: being too much against Hamas. Earlier‚ Kessler condemned Biden for not trusting Hamas’s casualty reports despite admitting combatant deaths are lumped in with non-combatants and on Wednesday‚ Kessler added the claim that Hamas beheaded Israeli babies. After paragraphs of exposition‚ Kessler warns‚ “In many conflicts‚ there are reports of atrocities against babies or children. As horrific as any such atrocities are‚ accounts can be exaggerated.” Eventually getting to specifics‚ Kessler writes‚ “The manner of death in many cases is still unclear.” To that end‚ he interviewed the notoriously anti-Israel academic Rashid Khalidi who tried to cast doubt on Hamas’s barbarity of October 7‚ “We are still waiting for forensic evidence about the destruction of life and property in border settlements and cars: was all of that caused by the light arms and RPGs Hamas fighters had with them‚ or was some of it caused by the tank artillery and Hellfire missiles employed in retaking them?” Further casting doubt‚ Kessler adds‚ “If Hamas‚ a disciplined militia group‚ engaged in beheadings‚ it would be a new terror tactic for the organization. Experts said Hamas has not previously been tied to beheadings.” Hamas is not a militia group; it is literally the Gaza government. It is a terrorist organization with an army that controls a sort-of proto-state. That aside‚ after several quotes from these experts‚ including Tareq Baconi‚ Kessler gives a history of beheadings from John the Baptist to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine‚ which did decapitate a three-month old in 2011 to say that it is possible that October 7 “allowed Palestinians not associated with Hamas to opportunistically join the attacks.” After over 1‚400 words‚ Kessler finally gets around to eye-witness testimony‚ “In a video posted on Oct. 26‚ Israel Defense Forces Col. Golan Vach told reporters that at Kibbutz Beeri he had encountered a woman shot in the back‚ who was covering a ‘small baby’ about 1 or 2 years old. ‘The baby was decapitated‚’ he said. ‘I carried the baby in my own hands.’” When asked why no photo exists‚ Vach replied that “I have limits. I do not take a picture of a decapitated baby.” Additionally‚ “on Oct. 28‚ Eli Beer‚ president and founder of United Hatzalah of Israel‚ a first-responder organization‚ told the Republican Jewish Committee: ‘I saw little kids who were beheaded. We didn’t know which head belongs to which kid.’ He did not describe the ages.” Kessler concludes‚ “There is little dispute that many of the civilians killed by militants on Oct. 7 died in especially brutal ways. But caution is still warranted‚ especially at the presidential level‚ about statements that babies were beheaded. The available evidence does not need exaggeration.” While Kessler ends his article there‚ fellow fact-checker Sara Swann also revisited the claim of beheaded babies on November 21‚ and she notes “The Media Line‚ an American news agency covering the Middle East‚ reported Oct. 20 that Dr. Chen Kugel‚ the [National Center for Forensic Medicine’s] director‚ said the victims ranged in age from 3 months to 90 years old‚ and many bodies are without heads.” In that report Aaron Poris adds that includes babies and the only questions are how and when. Ironically‚ Swann’s report came after PolitiFact was shamed for excluding Israeli statements‚ such as Kugel’s‚ in report the previous day.