'I had a knee brace and my back is messed up. But the movie is gonna be special'

'Tackling the climate crisis'

'not consistently candid'

Have you ever walked into your bedroom only to find your cat has left a smelly surprise on your bed? Let’s dive into why your feline friend might be turning your bed into their personal litter box and how you can help them kick this unpleasant habit. In this article‚ we’ll delve deep into the...

Adoption is a beautiful decision that should always be celebrated‚ but especially in November‚ during National Adoption Month. From the first time I unexpectedly saw that positive pregnancy test‚ I knew that I was destined to become a birth mom and give another woman the chance to experience the beauty of motherhood. Growing up in my Christian household‚ adoption was always discussed and viewed as a gift‚ and without the shame or secrecy that is‚ sadly‚ often associated with it. Having known many people who adopted‚ we never questioned or judged how families came to be‚ but rather cherished the light they brought to our corner of Minnesota.    Knowing that I wanted my child to grow up in a loving family‚ I found New Life Adoption and made an appointment when I was three months pregnant.    I was assigned a personal social worker who interviewed me about what I was looking for in a family: What kind of life did I want my child to be brought into? Did I want there to be a faith foundation? What kind of schooling would she have? Would she be raised in an athletic family?   After my interview‚ I was handed a stack of books‚ filled with details and pictures of families that matched what I wanted. Looking down at the stack‚ the maroon book on top seemed to instantly call to me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it‚ but something was telling me this was the family meant to raise my child.    Wanting to give the others a fair chance‚ I put the maroon book on the bottom of the stack and continued my search. I gave the stack to my parents‚ family‚ friends‚ and co-workers. All of them independently chose the same maroon book from the pile.    Unable to ignore the signs pointing toward this family‚ I set up an interview to meet with them. After getting to know them and learning that the son they already had was adopted as well‚ I knew in my heart that my baby belonged with them.     As the months passed and my womb grew‚ I began spending more time with the family. We would meet for dinners and doctors’ appointments‚ and I made sure to involve them in every step of the process‚ including the naming of our baby girl. Sitting down and seeing that we had come up with similar names‚ and spontaneously agreeing on “Avery‚” I was again assured that this was the right family.    As I met their relatives‚ and they met my uncles‚ aunts‚ and sisters‚ we never felt like strangers‚ but instead like extended family.    Going into labor‚ I was relieved knowing that I was bringing a child into the world with an entire family full of love and support waiting to welcome her with open arms.    I wanted Avery’s parents to experience each part of the birth‚ and so I opted to have two hospital rooms. When it came time to have Avery‚ her new mom was in the room‚ as well as my own mother and best friend.    Once Avery’s sweet cries blessed our ears‚ I didn’t want to risk changing my mind and urged the nurses to place her in a crib. As Avery took her first breath‚ I told the woman next to me to go see her baby‚ as she was now a mom to a beautiful healthy girl. Avery’s family was able to spend the night holding her‚ just as any other newborn parents would have the opportunity to do.    Now‚ 11 years later‚ Avery has grown‚ and she reflects my personal creativity and zeal for life. She is being raised in a strong family of faith‚ full of patience and care‚ all while knowing who I am and the immense love that I have for her. I remain close with her family‚ and see them for holidays‚ birthdays‚ and random lunches‚ as they live just 40 minutes away.    I am grateful that in my family we do not treat adoption as a word that must be whispered‚ but celebrate it as a chance for new life‚ happiness‚ and unconditional love. Having control over the birth and getting to choose the family who would raise my child gave me an immense sense of peace and empowerment‚ as well as the confidence and certainty that my child has the best life possible.    The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Sharing the Selfless Blessing of Life and Motherhood During National Adoption Month appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Jewish students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report fearing for their lives after pro-Hamas protesters blocked entrances to a central building‚ called for ethnic cleansing‚ and surrounded students holding Israeli flags. One Jewish student‚ who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal‚ told The Daily Signal that he is afraid of sitting in class with “classmates and teachers who were just calling for my death—as the university did nothing.” MIT acknowledged that it didn’t suspend students participating in a pro-Hamas protest Nov. 9 because those students likely would have been deported. A left-wing group called Coalition Against Apartheid organized a large protest event in Lobby 7 of MIT’s campus in Cambridge‚ Massachusetts‚ a violation of university policy forbidding students from doing that due to safety concerns and fire hazards.  MIT warned the pro-Hamas coalition days beforehand that holding a protest in Lobby 7 would violate school policy and lead to consequences‚ including suspension. The pro-Hamas group held the protest anyway‚ and so far the only consequences from MIT include a promise of an investigation from MIT President Sally Kornbluth and a temporary restriction from “participating in non-academic campus activities” after the fact. This protest joins a growing list of marches and demonstrations that have resulted in antisemitic incidents on college campuses around the country since Hamas terrorists’ Oct. 7 massacre of 1‚200 civilians in Israel. The MIT protesters‚ who called for jihad and the slaughter of Jews by chanting the phrases “Globalize the intifada” and “Raise up your two fists and sacrifice everything for Palestine‚” have not been condemned by the university. In 2020‚ MIT issued diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion statements denouncing discrimination against black and Asian students. Protesters at MIT also chanted “Resistance is justified when people are occupied‚” in reference to Hamas’ bloody attacks on Israel over what the terrorist organization claims is Israel’s “occupation” of the Gaza Strip. Israel has not occupied Gaza‚ which shares a border with Egypt‚ since 2005. Hamas terrorists have controlled the government there since 2007. Kornbluth‚ MIT’s president‚ described the pro-Hamas protesters’ calls for ethnic cleansing‚ and the Israeli response to it‚ as “complex.” Talia Khan‚ president of the MIT Israel Alliance‚ told The Daily Signal in an interview that she was shocked that students on her campus could shout support for Hamas.“We knew they hated Israel‚” she said‚ “but their supporting Hamas terrorism was something we didn’t understand rational people could even do.” The anonymous student who spoke to The Daily Signal said he was “horrified” at the open antisemitism of the pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian protesters.  “I couldn’t even get to my classes‚” he said. “They marched around me yelling for intifada.” Already‚ several staff members have written a letter condemning any action MIT might take against the pro-Hamas protesters. In a revealing statement‚ MIT officials acknowledged that they chose not to enforce policies because they feared that doing so would put participating students at risk of deportation. Foreign nationals residing in the U.S. on student visas are not allowed to foment terrorism. At one point during the protest in Lobby 7‚ pro-Hamas demonstrators surrounded a smaller group of students with Israeli flags and pictures of hostages taken by Hamas. They chanted slogans and yelled at the supporters of Israel‚ marching around them in circles.  This action and other protests in front of entrances and stairs prevented Jewish students from attending classes. Khan says that part of MIT’s current epidemic of antisemitism is a result of the “administration’s feckless inability to respond according to the rules that they set.” Khan contends that MIT staff and department heads openly tell pro-Hamas students that‚ although they know the protesters violated school policy‚ the university’s employees will make sure the students won’t be punished for it. Sarah McDonnell‚ deputy director of media relations for MIT‚ responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by providing Kornbluth’s statement promising an investigation of complaints filed “against individual students‚ on both sides of the conflict.” 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 ‘CALLING FOR MY DEATH’: Jewish MIT Student Opens Up About Fears After Pro-Hamas Protest appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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After omitting the story on their morning and evening newscasts on Thursday‚ Friday was the day NBC’s Today finally decided that they should mention that the China-own social media platform TikTok had been promoting a letter written by late Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. But instead of piling on the criticism of the app used by the Chinese Communist Party to harm Americans‚ NBC senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson ran defense by parroting TikTok’s deflection to other platforms. “It might sound stunning that a letter written two decades ago by a terror leader is now getting traction online in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But that is the reality with social media companies now scrambling to pull down those posts‚” Jackson announced ahead of her report.     After noting that the letter criticized “U.S. support for Israel and policies on Palestinian territories and citing anti-Semitic and homophobic tropes‚” Jackson noted that the far-left‚ U.K.-based newspaper “The Guardian‚ which published the letter in 2002‚ removing it criticizing how it's been ‘widely shared without the full context.’” Stepping up to defend the Chi-Com app‚ Jackson added: “TikTok now stripping the hashtag #lettertoAmerica from its search function.” In a statement on X‚ formerly Twitter‚ TikTok tried to claim the trend didn’t originate on their platform and tried to shift blame to their competitors (bolding theirs): “The number of videos on TikTok is small and reports of it trending on our platform are inaccurate. This is not unique to TikTok and has appeared across multiple platforms and the media.”   Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism. We are proactively and aggressively removing this content and investigating how it got onto our platform. The number of videos on TikTok is small and reports of it trending on our… https://t.co/n9Zo7l94r2 — TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) November 16‚ 2023   Without mentioning that that was TikTok’s line defense‚ Jackson used her report to make that argument for them and shifted the blame to X and YouTube: New research shows searches for Bin Laden up 400 percent on YouTube and X‚ formerly Twitter‚ references to him up 4‚000 percent since Tuesday. One journalist's post on that platform compiling some of the videos getting more than 25 million views. TikTok saying interest spiked only after tweets and media attention from fewer than 2 million views to 13 million on its app. A spokesperson telling NBC News‚ “Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism‚” adding‚ they’re proactively and aggressively” removing it. YouTube saying‚ “Our community guidelines apply consistently‚” guidelines which prohibit terrorist content. X did not respond to our request for comment. Jackson did note that “Jewish celebrities and creators confronted TikTok executives about doing more to fight anti-Semitism on that platform” with TikTok telling NBC “in a statement‚ ‘Leadership has been meeting with creators and experts and others for feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community‚ discovery‚ and sharing authentically.’” But she failed to inform viewers that TikTok was controlled by the Chinese government and that there was growing talk about cracking down on the app and possibly banning it in America. Banning TikTok was even brought up by moderators at the third GOP debate hosted by NBC News. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: NBC’s Today November 17‚ 2023 7:10:57 a.m. Eastern HODA KOTB: Now to an unexpected and troubling trend on social media tied to the war that has social media companies cracking down on posts about Osama Bin Laden. NBC Senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson is on the story. Hey‚ Hallie‚ good morning. HALLIE JACKSON: Hey‚ Hoda‚ good morning. It might sound stunning that a letter written two decades ago by a terror leader is now getting traction online in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But that is the reality with social media companies now scrambling to pull down those posts. [Cuts to video JACKSON: The videos‚ viral this morning. UNIDENTIFIED TIKTOKER: I need you to stop what you're doing and go read “A Letter to America.” JACKSON: Referencing Osama Bin Laden’s so-called “Letter to America” written by the late terrorist leader about a year after the 9/11 attacks. And now‚ the propaganda getting new attention on social media in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Bin laden‚ in the decades-old letter‚ criticizing U.S. support for Israel and policies on Palestinian territories and citing anti-Semitic and homophobic tropes. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The way it's going viral is giving me the greatest sense of relief. JACKSON: The Guardian‚ which published the letter in 2002‚ removing it criticizing how it's been “widely shared without the full context” and TikTok now stripping the hashtag #lettertoAmerica from its search function. New research shows searches for Bin Laden up 400 percent on YouTube and on X‚ formerly Twitter‚ references to him up 4‚000 percent since Tuesday. One journalist's post on that platform compiling some of the videos getting more than 25 million views. TikTok saying interest spiked only after tweets and media attention from fewer than 2 million views to 13 million on its app. A spokesperson telling NBC News‚ “Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism‚” adding‚ they’re proactively and aggressively” removing it. YouTube saying‚ “Our community guidelines apply consistently‚” guidelines which prohibit terrorist content. X did not respond to our request for comment. The issue even reaching the White House with a spokesperson saying‚ “There is never a justification for spreading the repugnant‚ evil and anti-Semitic lies that the leader of Al Qaeda issued just after committing the worst terrorist attack in American history.” It all comes as demonstrations‚ pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian‚ stretch coast to coast. [Cuts back to live] All of this puts yet another spotlight on the issue of moderating content at a time of war. The New York Times is now reporting‚ overnight‚ this “Letter to America” came up during a private meeting Wednesday night in which Jewish celebrities and creators confronted TikTok executives about doing more to fight anti-Semitism on that platform‚ according to a recording obtained by The Times. TikTok tells us in a statement‚ “Leadership has been meeting with creators and experts and others for feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community‚ discovery‚ and sharing authentically.” Hoda‚ back to you. KOTB: All right. Hallie Jackson for us there in D.C. Hallie‚ thank you.