Emma Watson opened up about stepping back from acting and explained that when she was surrounded by all those famous people at the height of her career‚ she realized that no level of success would make her happy unless she was true to herself. In an interview for British Vogue‚ the 33-year-old actress said her new-found freedom would not have been possible if she’d stayed in front of the camera and on the big screen. “I’m just so glad that I did‚” Watson told the outlet of taking a break. “Because I have this feeling of having my own voice and creative space and sovereignty in some way that I don’t think I did before—more autonomy.” “I’m so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what’s next]‚ because the knowing that I’ve come to‚ I wouldn’t trade that for anything‚” she added. Forever the month of fresh starts and new beginnings‚ the January 2024 issue of #BritishVogue is focused on a re-energised commitment to mindful fashion. So who better to begin proceedings with than actor and activist #EmmaWatson. Read about her personal and professional reset… pic.twitter.com/T8rmdKTBYK — British Vogue (@BritishVogue) December 14‚ 2023 “I get a front row seat [with] some of the most successful‚ beautiful‚ incredible people in the world‚” Emma said of being part of Hollywood. “And when you have that seat it becomes very‚ very clear that there is just absolutely no level of success that will make you in any way happy or content if you do not like who you are or enjoy what you’re doing when no one’s watching.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Watson — who became a world-wide celebrity after landing the role of Hermoine Granger in the “Harry Potter” franchise at 10-years-old — has mostly stepped away from acting following her appearance in the 2019 “Little Women” remake. Earlier this year‚ the actress said she left Hollywood because she “wasn’t very happy.” “I think I felt a bit caged‚” Watson said. “The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over. … It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process.” “I was held accountable in a way that I began to find really frustrating‚ because I didn’t have a voice‚ I didn’t have a say‚” she added. “And I started to realize that I only wanted to stand in front of things where if someone was going to give me flak about it‚ I could say‚ in a way that didn’t make me hate myself‚ ‘Yes‚ I screwed up‚ it was my decision‚ I should have done better.'” She has since tried her hand at directing‚ E! News noted. Related: ‘I Wasn’t Very Happy’: ‘Harry Potter’ Darling Explains Long Absence From Hollywood

Here's my take!

‘When I talk to grownups‚ I take my hat and my glasses off’

'It is understandable why he wants to go fast'

'I didn't receive any help from the NRA'

‘Continually Fail’: GOP To End Debate Season In The Arms Of CNN‚ Disney Media

'Massive threat to consumer welfare'

'True-blue conservative'

To borrow from an old saying‚ nothing can be certain except for death and taxpayer funding for the abortion industry. At the request of pro-life members of Congress‚ the Government Accountability Office released the latest round of data detailing how much taxpayer funding goes to Planned Parenthood and other international abortion organizations. From 2019 through 2021‚ Planned Parenthood in the U.S. received $1.7 billion in taxpayer subsidies. Congress has been requesting GAO reports on Planned Parenthood’s public financing dating back to 1994. Over the last 29 years‚ American taxpayers have been on the hook for at least $7.9 billion in subsidies for Planned Parenthood’s dominance in the abortion industry. This all while the number of Planned Parenthood facilities has been declining yet its share of the abortion market has been increasing. When the GAO began publishing these reports in 1994‚ Planned Parenthood was receiving $163 million a year while performing around 9% of all abortions in the U.S. Now‚ as the federal government continues to increase the amount of taxpayer funding Planned Parenthood receives‚ it is now performing over 40% of all abortions in the U.S. The American Life League publishes annual surveys of the amount and kind of Planned Parenthood facilities in operation. The total number has been declining since 1995; however‚ the share of facilities that perform abortions is increasing. In 2021‚ Planned Parenthood had 567 facilities‚ of which 391 performed abortions. Most notable is the increase in chemical abortion-only (abortion pill) facilities‚ which now outnumber the facilities that perform surgical abortions. In 2021‚ American taxpayers paid an average of $1.4 million to each Planned Parenthood facility that performs abortions. Despite many positive executive actions to curb federal funding for the abortion industry under the Trump administration‚ Planned Parenthood still hauled in over $550 million each year from 2019-2021. One of the signature policy victories for the Trump administration was the Protect Life Rule‚ which properly interpreted the Title X Family Planning statute to require complete physical and financial separation between Title X clinics and abortion facilities. Planned Parenthood and other organizations receive Title X dollars specifically for the distribution of contraceptives and other family planning‚ not for abortions. After a lengthy court battle‚ this new rule went into effect in 2019. Rather than comply with the new standards and separate its business into abortion facilities and family planning clinics‚ Planned Parenthood chose abortion over helping women in need of family planning services and backed out of the Title X program altogether. In doing so‚ it sacrificed an estimated $60 million a year. Many abortion-friendly states stepped in to help make up the lost federal funds‚ and as this GAO report shows‚ Planned Parenthood more than made up the difference in Medicaid funds. In 2018‚ according to a previous GAO report‚ Planned Parenthood received $467 million from Medicaid. Its Medicaid funding jumped dramatically to around $530 million in both 2020 and 2021‚ an increase of $63 million each year. Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood are not an annual grant like the Title X program‚ but rather as individual Planned Parenthood facilities perform Medicaid-eligible services like sexually transmitted disease tests or contraception prescriptions for individuals‚ they are reimbursed through Medicaid. This figure is constantly changing‚ depending on how many people on Medicaid use Planned Parenthood and what services they use it for. In the last few years‚ Medicaid reimbursements to the abortion giant have been trending upward. Interestingly‚ in November 2020‚ the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld actions from Texas and Louisiana that prohibited Planned Parenthood from being a Medicaid-eligible provider after it was revealed it bought and sold aborted fetal tissue for profit. This was the first time that any state was able to successfully cut out Planned Parenthood completely from the Medicaid program. Despite this‚ the abortion chain was still able to haul in $530 million from Medicaid in 2021. This shows that no matter what federal or state policies are in place‚ if Planned Parenthood is still an eligible Medicaid provider in any state‚ it will continue to receive millions of dollars a year in taxpayer subsidies. This large increase in Medicaid funding starting in 2020 and 2021 could have been due to Planned Parenthood’s increased involvement in providing COVID-19 services and the increased federal match for Medicaid established in the CARES Act‚ which was a response to the pandemic. Another CARES Act program‚ the Paycheck Protection Program was yet another funding source that Planned Parenthood tapped into. That program provided taxpayer funding for businesses to keep paying their employees during the pandemic shutdowns. Despite Sen. Marco Rubio working with pro-life members in Congress to ensure the text of the CARES Act made clear that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates would not be eligible to receive Paycheck Protection Program loans‚ 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates applied for‚ received‚ and eventually were forgiven $90 million in loans. This was only possible because of a major failure by the Small Business Administration to not follow the clear intent of Congress to exclude Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is an organization that has a known eugenics past‚ has proved to choose abortion ideology over serving its patients with family planning needs‚ and openly flouts federal law to receive taxpayer-guaranteed loans‚ and yet our elected representatives think it necessary to underwrite its bottom line. If only pro-life pregnancy resource centers had an ounce of the public backing and financial support as Planned Parenthood‚ they would be able to serve even more expecting mothers and their unborn children. Instead‚ the federal government has turned a blind eye to the physical threats of violence and vandalism these pro-life centers face‚ and some members of Congress openly attack them with visceral lies about the services they provide. In the end‚ no matter how many political or legislative victories the pro-life movement may have‚ the abortion industrial complex will be alive and well so long as the American taxpayer is forced to prop up this barbaric industry. 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 As Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Market Share Goes Up‚ So Does Its Taxpayer Funding appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A brewery that aims its beer at conservative consumers recently announced it will sell a 2024 calendar featuring “real” women who happen to be conservative. Models for the calendar marketed by Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right beer include former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines‚ NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch‚ businesswoman and former GOP congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik‚ and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales. Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right brewery‚ founded in April during transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney’s controversial partnership with Bud Light‚ says it sells only “100% woke-free beer.” A noble and novel mission‚ yes. But Ultra Right’s new endeavor leaves much to be desired. Although I respect the tremendous work these women have done‚ and what the Ultra Right brand does to fight liberal nonsense‚ the brewery can‚ and must‚ do better. We don’t need a “conservative” version of Sports Illustrated’s celebrated swimsuit edition. In selling a calendar that includes soft porn in the name of celebrating “conservative women who are fighting woke extremists to preserve real women‚” Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right falls short.   Yes‚ conservative women are beautiful. Yes‚ “real” (and conservative) women look much different and are much easier on the eyes than a man masquerading as a woman‚ with the help of makeup‚ plastic surgeries‚ and fake body parts. But selling a collection of sexually explicit photos of women‚ even if the proceeds go to the worthiest of causes (10% of proceeds reportedly will go to the Riley Gaines Center to protect women’s sports) isn’t the way to go about it. Conservatives‚ representing a movement that is pro-life‚ pro-family‚ and pro-civil society‚ should never be inviting lust in any way‚ shape‚ or form. Yes‚ we can and should highlight the women who make our movement the strongest‚ best‚ most attractive movement in the world. But doing so by flaunting their bodies is absolutely not the way.  According to a 2014 report by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education‚ 79% of men between the ages of 18 and 30 view pornography monthly; 67% of men between 31 and 49 view it monthly; and 49% of men between 50 and 68 do so. Saddest of all‚ according to the report‚ men who say they are Christians watch pornography at work at the same rate as the national average. We live in a broken world‚ and my criticism isn’t meant to shame anyone who struggles with this issue‚ nor any of the women who chose to be part of this limited edition “calendar.” It is a call‚ however‚ to do better. Conservatives can’t expect to change our culture if we run the same plays as the Left does‚ be it to raise more money‚ get more clicks‚ grow our audience‚ or whatever. We can’t say we’re different from the woke Left if we do the same kinds of things it does‚ only with a different label. While not every photo in the “calendar” is sexually explicit‚ some are. We have become so callous as a society to the constant broadcasting of sex everywhere that we don’t even bat an eyelash anymore to sexual exploitation‚ especially if it’s “soft.” Most research indicates that boys are first exposed to pornography between ages 8 and 10. The conservative movement shouldn’t be responsible for facilitating the gateway to that exposure‚ even if it is for a good cause. Perhaps more disturbing‚ though‚ is the fact that this calendar is marketed to dads. Men should honor women‚ and fathers especially have a duty to honor the mother of their children‚ and to set an example for those children both in public and in private. Anything that invites lust is dishonoring. Conservatives who claim to love family‚ and pride themselves on being part of a movement that is going to change the culture‚ lose credibility in moments such as these. It’s hard to respect a movement that says it wants to protect women‚ build strong families‚ and change the culture when it does the same things that contribute to the downfall of the culture—but with “conservative” packaging.   The Left has no problem with sexually exploiting women to its own advantage‚ whether biological women or those who claim to “identify” as a woman. Women are sexually exploited to sell everything‚ from movies to food to clothes to alcoholic beverages—you name it‚ it’s been done. As conservatives‚ we shouldn’t stoop to that level. Women are more than their parts‚ as beautiful as they are. Why not honor them by showing off what they do‚ rather than objectifying their beauty? True masculinity honors women. We can’t say we’re trying to build a more civil society with strong families‚ strong marriage‚ and strong communities when we encourage the very thing that often destroys relationships‚ marriages‚ and families. Pornography is a “quiet family killer‚” according to research featured in the Huffington Post (of all places) that was conducted by Patrick Fagan‚ senior fellow and director of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute at The Catholic University. Although Fagan’s research found that watching pornography does indeed contribute to infidelity‚ the pornography addiction of a spouse “was a factor in 56% of divorces.” We can do better. If we truly want to change the culture‚ build strong families‚ and eliminate wokeness‚ we must. 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 Conservative Women Shouldn’t Be Calendar Girls for a Beer Company. We Can Do Better. appeared first on The Daily Signal.