Vanderbilt University Halts Sex Change Surgeries for Children As New Tennessee Law Becomes Effective July 1

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) pediatric transgender clinic is no longer offering sex change procedures for minors following the passage of a key Tennessee law banning the practice, parents confirmed to the Nashville Post.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation into law March 3. Parents were sent an email from VUMC confirming the clinic will no longer be serving patients, according to the Nashville Post.

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Concerns That Transgender Culture Has Gone Too Far Make for Unusual Pride Month

Pride Month in the U.S. and elsewhere has historically been, for many, a celebration of gay rights and equality. But this year’s annual festivities have been undercut by concerns from consumers and others who believe transgender culture is being pushed upon them and their children, which has resulted in some companies and governments pulling back their support.  

The recent backlash over heartland brands that appeared to alienate long-time core customers began in earnest earlier this year when Bud Light entered into a paid partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. 

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Women Who Start Birth Control Pill as Teens 130 Percent More Likely to Show Depression: Study

Women who started taking birth control pills as teenagers showed depression symptoms at a 130% higher rate than those who never used oral contraceptives (OC), according to a new study of more than a quarter of a million women.

Women who began taking oral contraceptives as adults had a 92% higher rate of depressive symptoms compared to those who never took the pill, while women who started taking the birth control pill “before or at the age of 20 had 130% higher rate of depressive symptoms,” according to a U.K. study published Monday by Cambridge University Press.

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Tennessee Representative Introduces Bill Aimed at Prohibiting Trigger Leads in Homebuying Process

Tennessee U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) introduced a bill on Friday that would ban trigger leads, with some exceptions, when consumers apply for financing through lending companies.

Trigger leads occur when credit bureaus sell the information of consumers who have applied for financing – such as a personal loan or mortgage – to other lenders without the consumers being notified.

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American Medical Association Pledges to Work with Activists to Push Child Sex Changes

The American Medical Association (AMA) pledged to ramp up its support for cross-sex medical interventions for minors with gender identity issues in a resolution its House of Delegates approved this week.

The AMA already supported cross-sex medical interventions for children, but the new resolution makes this stance more proactive in response to state-level restrictions on such procedures; it passed Monday, according to the Endocrine Society, which sponsored the resolution. The organization pledged to work with special interest groups to fight state and federal limits on cross-sex medical procedures, which it euphemistically referred to as “gender-affirming care.”

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Biden DOJ Says Minneapolis Police Engaged in Unconstitutional, Racist Practices

The Department of Justice  (DOJ) announced the results of a years-long probe Friday finding that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) repetitively violated the rights of residents prior to the death of George Floyd.

“The Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law,” the DOJ wrote in its report.

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Georgia Representative’s ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Bill on Minors Illegal Included in Republican Committee’s FY 2024 Budget Proposal

Georgia U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) announced this week that her Protect Children’s Innocence Act was included in the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) FY 2024 Budget Proposal.

Greene’s bill would make performing “gender-affirming care” on minors illegal, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex-change surgeries. 

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New Polls Show Trump with Significant Lead over DeSantis, Republican Presidential Field in Iowa, Nationally, Despite Latest Indictment

The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be eroding his support among conservatives. New polling shows “Teflon Don” continues to hold a substantial lead over his closest Republican presidential nomination rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in Iowa — the first-in-the-nation caucus state — and the rest of the nation.

A poll by Victory Insights shows Trump leading DeSantis by 23 points in Iowa, 44.3 percent to 21.3 percent in a full-ballot contest. When the field is narrowed to just Trump and DeSantis, the spread between the two candidates decreases, but not by much.

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College Board Declines to Alter AP Courses to Comply with Florida Law

The College Board, the organization that oversees the administration of Advanced Placement (AP) tests and courses, has declined to alter the contents of its materials to comply with Florida law restricting the discussion of certain sexual topics in public schools.

Florida bars discussion of those matters from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. The state previously limited such discussion from kindergarten through the third grade, but expanded the measure. The state had previously asked the College Board to review its materials to determine which of its courses would require adjustment to comply with the expanded state guidance.

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Evers Hints at Third Run for Wisconsin Governor

Just months into his second term, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is already dropping hints about a potential 2026 reelection run.

“Some things have changed since our last convention,” Evers recently told onlookers at the Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention in Green Bay. “Some people have called me two-term Tony. You can call me governor. You can call me Tony. You can call me two-term Tony or three-term Tony, I don’t mind.”

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Commentary: DeSantis’ Plan to Tear Down the DOJ Is What All the Candidates Need

This is, on the surface and even a little below it, a column about Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis and the 2024 GOP primary. But it’s about more than that, and if you’ll leave the partisan preferences at the door for a bit, hopefully we can come to some sort of larger understanding that we’ll need as the next presidential race looms.

All we’re really talking about this week is the indictment of Trump down in Miami and its political ramifications — none of which are good. Is this a pristine example of weaponized government? Did Trump put himself in the position to get indicted? Is this actually a good thing for him? Does it force Republican voters to rally around Trump in a way they might otherwise not do, and is that the design of the Machine that controls our institutions of power? Is the Pump-and-Dump-Trump strategy real? Is it inevitable? 

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Pennsylvania Representatives Blast Biden on Quality-of-Life Issues Ahead of His Philadelphia Visit

One day before Joe Biden heads to a Saturday Philadelphia rally, U.S. Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14) and Dan Meuser (R-PA-9) excoriated him in a press call over quality of life issues. 

Joined by Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Lawrence Tabas, the two lawmakers blasted the president for seeking reelection in 2024, insisting Biden has made life worse for Americans on virtually every facet affected by public policy. They mentioned that inflation rages, real wages slump, energy production languishes, gas prices rise, fentanyl use spreads, reading and math scores tumble and crime swells. 

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Arizona Legislative District Censure of Republicans Who Contributed to the Expulsion of Rep. Liz Harris Divides Republicans

Republican precinct committeemen in Legislative District 23 voted unanimously Wednesday evening to censure 24 Republicans for their roles in the ouster of State Representative Liz Harris (R-Chandler). Eighteen were state representatives who voted to expel Harris, three (including one of the 18) served on the House Ethics Committee, which found that Harris had violated House Rule 1 prohibiting impugning other members, and the other four were the Republican members of the Maricopa County Supervisors (MCBOS) who chose her replacement.

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Wisconsin Congressmen on House Judiciary Committee Expect Some Startling Revelations from Durham Testimony Next Week

The House Judiciary Committee next week will hear testimony from Special Counsel John Durham on his report into the Russia-Trump collusion hoax, and two Wisconsin congressional members on the committee say they expect some startling revelations to come out.

Released last month, Durham’s scathing report found the Department of Justice and FBI “failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity of the law” when they launched an investigation against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016.

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Virginia AG Leads Coalition on Recommendations for Artificial Intelligence Governance

A bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general, co-led by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, submitted a letter advising the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on governance policies on artificial intelligence. 

As part of creating policy recommendations on AI, the NTIA invited policymakers and subject matter experts for expertise and commentary.

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Protesters Interrupt Ohio House Session to Demand an East Palestine Disaster Declaration

Protesters interrupted a session of the Ohio House this week demanding that Governor Mike DeWine declare a state of emergency in East Palestine as a result of the catastrophic train derailment earlier this year.

The group’s Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing gathered to pressure the Ohio governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) July 3rd deadline. Also, the groups protested in the Rotunda at the Ohio Capitol Building and marched into DeWine’s offices.

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Commentary: Almost Two-Thirds of Federal Arrests Involve Noncitizens

Customs and Border Protection encountered over 275,000 illegal aliens crossing our borders nationwide in April alone, setting a distressing precedent for increased illegal entries under the Biden administration. While the majority of illegal aliens seek a better life, the undeniable link between increasing illegal immigration and crime poses a significant threat to American communities.

President Joe Biden’s decision to grant mass parole for millions of aliens, allowing them to remain illegally in the United States, only amplifies the devastating effects of increased illegal immigration on our society.

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NYC Teachers Union Gets Massive Pay Raise as Student Math Scores Plummet

The New York City teachers union struck a deal Monday guaranteeing a large pay raise in their new contract with the city while students’ math test scores continue to plummet, according to Reuters.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the United Federation of Teachers agreed to a $6.4 billion, five-year contract that includes a 15% pay raise for teachers over the period of the contract, according to Reuters. The new contract comes as just 38% of the city’s third through eighth graders met math grade-level expectations in 2022, an almost eight point decline from 2019, according to the Chalkbeat New York.

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Commentary: January 6 Pipe Bomber Story Goes Boom

It remains the greatest unsolved mystery related to the events of January 6: Who placed pipe bombs near the headquarters of both the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee the night before?

Shortly before the joint session of Congress convened at 1 p.m. to debate the results of the 2020 Electoral College vote, a woman on her way to do some laundry looked down and spotted a device in an alley adjacent to the RNC building. Karlin Younger ran to notify security guards, who then called police. Law enforcement conducted a search of the area and located another device outside the DNC building.

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