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Monday, April 17, 2023

Washington State Passes Bill Allowing State Officials to Remove Children from Parents

Townhall: Washington state passed a bill allowing children to legally be taken away from their parents for not consenting to gender transition procedures on their child. According to Senate Bill 5599, shelters could contact the Department of Children, Youth, and Families instead of parents for minors seeking reproductive health services or gender-affirming care. The proposal would pave the way for more of a “compelling reason” to conceal a child who seeks sex change operations or reproductive health services such as abortion (Townhall). Free Beacon: These measures come as transgender activists, social media personalities, and therapists encourage minors to sever ties with their parents if they don’t support medical transitions (Free Beacon).

Nike Continues to Involve Themselves in Leftism

Daily Wire: Athletic brand Nike is continuing to engage in Left-wing politics, sponsoring a “Queer Youth Field Day.” Participants of the Memphis-based event should identify as LGBTQ+ or an “ally” of the movement, and fall into the broad age range of 13 to 25 years old, according to a promotion of the event by OUTMemphis (Daily Wire). Daily Caller: Nike recently came under fire for partnering with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney. Mulvaney advertised the company’s Zenvy leggings and Alate sports bras in an April 4 Instagram post that identified Mulvaney as a “paid partner” (Daily Caller). Julia Song: What woman acts like this (Twitter)? National Review: In the 19th and 20th centuries, minstrel shows featuring white actors in blackface — dark makeup worn to make them look black — spread throughout the United States. This practice was laughed off as entertainment. Today, it’s considered to be racial appropriation and stereotyping. But aren’t men who impersonate women similarly guilty of appropriation and stereotyping? If blackface is racist, then surely “womanface” is sexist (National Review).

Riley Gaines Responds to Democrat Rep from California Who Asserts She is Only Speaking Up for Likes

Daily Wire: Swimming champion Riley Gaines responded to Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) over the weekend after Porter called out Gaines during a panel discussion and effectively accused her of just trying to get attention. The segment came after Gaines was attacked last week by radical transgender activists who swarmed her when she visited San Francisco State University to advocate for the rights of female athletes (Daily Wire). Eric Abbenante: Katie Porter randomly took a shot at Riley Gaines during Maher’s show, claiming the point of Riley’s activism is “Getting likes” “Riley is speaking up for herself.” “I think she’s speaking up for pretty much every female athlete in the world” (Twitter). Riley Gaines: I’m not speaking up for myself…I’m done playing sports. I’m not fighting for me. I’m actually supposed to be in dental school this year. But I’ve changed my life plans because I see what’s at stake if someone doesn’t fight for the present and next generation (Twitter).

VP Harris Makes Appearance in Los Angeles Pro-Choice Rally

Associated Press: Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday urged Americans to take action during “a critical point in our nation’s history” as thousands of protesters demonstrated across the country against new limits to abortion rights making their way through the courts. Saturday’s nationwide rallies were sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court’s actions the day before, when the high court intervened to delay rule changes that would have limited the way the abortion drug mifepristone could be used and dispensed. The limits were paused while the court reviews the case more thoroughly (Associated Press). Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass: We march today to keep abortion safe and legal — and to protect a women’s right to choose. Honored to have VP in Los Angeles standing with us for the fight of our lives (Twitter).

Mass Shootings Happen in Alabama, Kentucky Over the Weekend

Associated Press: A high school senior who planned to play college football was celebrating at his sister’s 16th birthday party Saturday night in Alabama when gunfire killed him and three other people and wounded several others. Police were gathering evidence Sunday at a dance studio where the party was held in downtown Dadeville. Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis’ party before he was shot to death. Dowdell’s mother was among those hurt in the shooting (Associated Press). Wall Street Journal: The Alabama shooting happened roughly an hour after a fatal shooting in Louisville, Ky. Shots were fired into a crowded park in that city, killing two people and wounding four others. Police responding to a 911 call at approximately 9 p.m. local time found two men who had been fatally shot in Chickasaw Park. Three other men and one woman were wounded but all are expected to survive. Hundreds of people were in the park at the time of the shooting, but authorities have yet to identify any suspects or motive. It was Louisville’s second deadly shooting in less than a week (Wall Street Journal).

Pete Buttigieg Suggests Traffic Deaths are a Result of Discrimination

RNC Research: Pete Buttigieg says traffic fatalities in the U.S. are on “a level that is comparable to gun violence” because of “a lot of reasons related to discrimination” (Twitter). Citizen Free Press: Pete Buttigieg tells Al Sharpton that minorities are more likely to die in car crashes for a variety of reasons including: “The way roads are designed and built” (Twitter). Forbes: Car accidents are annually responsible for approximately 1.3 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) projects there were an estimated 42,915 traffic fatalities in 2021, a 10.5 percent increase compared to 2020 and the highest annual percentage increase in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history. Fifty-five percent of motor vehicle deaths were the result of single-vehicle crashes. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and they are also the single greatest annual cause of death of healthy U.S. citizens traveling abroad (Forbes).

Montana Introduces Law to Outright Ban TikTok

CNN: Montana became the first US state on Friday to pass legislation banning TikTok on all personal devices, sending a bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte prohibiting TikTok from operating within state lines and barring app stores from offering TikTok for downloads. The legislation marks the furthest step yet by a state government to restrict TikTok over perceived security concerns and comes as some federal lawmakers have called for a national ban of TikTok. Lawmakers in Montana’s House voted 54-43 to give final approval to the bill, known as SB419. Should Gianforte sign the bill, it would take effect in January. The legislation specifically names TikTok as a target of the bill, and outlines potential penalties of $10,000 per violation per day. The penalties would also apply to any app store found to have violated the law. Individual users of TikTok, meanwhile, would not be penalized for accessing TikTok (CNN). CNBC: TikTok said it opposes the bill, adding that there’s no clear path for the Montana government to enforce it or punish violators (CNBC).

Mob of Teens Erupt in Violence in Chicago Streets

New York Post: A massive mob of rowdy teenagers clashed with cops near downtown Chicago’s Millenium Park on Saturday night, leaving two teens wounded and at least one bystander beaten. The unruly mob erupted in violence — trashing property, smashing windshields and torching cars while attacking at least one motorist — forcing cops to escort tourists to safety. Chicago police said two teens — 16 and 17 years old — were wounded by a gunman in the crowd, the outlet reported. The violence came a day after a 14-year-old boy was shot during another outburst of teen violence at 31st Avenue Beach (New York Post). Daily Mail: Police said most of the charges were for reckless conduct, but a 16-year-old boy was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon, and a firearm was recovered. An adult and a juvenile were also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. Cars were also left vandalized near East Washington Street in the Windy City, including a Tesla which worth about $120,000 (Daily Mail). Byron York: In recent mayoral election, Chicago, a city plagued by violence, voted for more violence. Now, mayor-elect is promising not to ‘demonize’ violent criminals (Twitter).

Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Heartbeat Bill into Law

Daily Signal: Within 15 minutes of receiving Florida’s heartbeat bill, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that pro-life legislation into state law, banning abortions in Florida once an unborn baby has a detectable heartbeat. The Heartbeat Protection Act prohibits doctors from “knowingly performing” an abortion on a baby whose age is determined to be more than 6 weeks. The bill provides exceptions if the mother is a victim of rape, incest, or human trafficking. The governor’s office praised the bill as a historic measure “to defend the dignity of human life and transform Florida into a pro-family state,” comparing Florida’s new pro-life legislation to that of states like New York and California, which have “legalized infanticide up until birth” (Daily Signal). Alliance Defending Freedom’ Denise Harle: Every human life is valuable, and every baby deserves to be protected. By enacting the Heartbeat Protection Act, Florida is continuing its work to preserve the lives of children and protect the wellbeing of mothers (Alliance Defending Freedom).

10.

Over 8,000 Nigerian Christians Killed or Kidnapped in 2022 and 1,041 to Begin 2023

Daily Wire: A new report has estimated that over 5,000 Nigerian Christians were killed in 2022 while over 3,000 were kidnapped. The report, put out by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), comes as some religious freedom advocates have said that the persecution of Christians in the African nation should be seen as genocide (Daily Wire). Intersociety: Intersociety is emotionally dedicating this special investigative Report to 1,041 slain and disappeared victims of the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and other Jihadists’ genocidal attacks carried out across Nigeria in the first 100 days of 2023 (Intersociety).