🇮🇱 We are horrified not only by the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, including brutal, violent sexual assault and rape of women and girls but also by the failure in too many quarters to condemn these acts.

Silence is whitewashing the gravity of these crimes and sending a message that women are battlefields, and the dehumanization and degradation of their bodies are legitimate. This is wrong. It is grotesque. And it threatens women’s safety and progress around the world.

That's is why Independent Forum sent a letter to the White House Gender Policy Council and to UN Women on Friday calling on all advocates for women and girls to speak out unequivocally in condemnation of Hamas's willful dehumanization, murder, and abuse of women and girls.

Friday evening UN Women answered our calls and released a statement on their website and on X.. but what next?

Two months after the horror, groups like the National Organization for Women and the National Women's Law Center have yet to speak up. Silence is consent.

TAKE ACTION

CHAMPION MESSAGE

HURTING NOT HELPING

Does Portland Teachers Union Care About Learning Loss?

“The party won’t stop until we get a contract,” the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) declared while advertising a tailgate and dance party in the midst of prolonged school closures. The teachers union in Portland, Oregon, launched a strike on November 1st, closing all schools in the district. Parents were justifiably frustrated that over 40,000 students were shut out of school for almost the entire month. Read More

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

The Faulkner Focus | Sorority Suit Over Transgender Student Appealed Watch

National Report | Fiery Hearing on Preserving Female Sports Watch

O’Connor & Company | Big State Governors With White House Hopes, DeSantis & Newsom, Face Off Listen

Washington Examiner | Teachers Union Support for Hamas Is Further Evidence for School Choice Read

Washington Examiner | Democrats: The Economy Is Either Great or Republicans’ Fault Read

National Review | The New Car ‘Kill Switch’ Should Have Been DOA Read

DID YOU KNOW

U.S. Suicides Hit Record High in 2022—Underscoring Need for Healthcare Competition, Telehealth

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released provisional data Wednesday showing a tragic 49,449 people committed suicide in the United States last year. Unfortunately, this is a 3% increase from 2021 and the highest level ever recorded in America. Men, especially senior men, are more likely to die by suicide, but the suicide rate rose more rapidly in 2022 for women—especially women ages 25 to 34. Suicides by children and teens, however, decreased year-over-year. Read More

Trending Now: Today’s Economic Realities: Inflation, Debt, and Economic Fears Read

IN THE NETWORK

December Policy Focus: Israel

The well-coordinated terror attack on Israel two months ago resulted in significant loss of life, and Israel is now dismantling Hamas. These events led to a geopolitical shift, with increased drone and rocket attacks on U.S. forces in the region and heightened military posture. This conflict highlights the instability in the region and the U.S.’s crucial role in supporting Israel.

Nuclear Power

How much do you know about nuclear power? Can you spot the lie?

A. Nuclear energy is the most reliable source of energy in the world.
B. Russia and China are winning the race to nuclear modernization.
C. Nuclear energy is not a “clean” form of energy.

CHECK YOUR ANSWER

Just In: Fact Check: Are Lead Bans on Public Lands Backed Up by Science? Read

CAPSULE REVIEW

Progressives Want To Cancel the Author of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’

Montgomery County Public Schools have identified seven district schools that are named after slave owners, and now school board members and parents are attempting to decide which problematic historical figures have got to go. Americans are likely to recognize one particular name on the county’s list of problematic people: Francis Scott Key, author of the national anthem.

Tennessee Should Adopt Governor Lee’s Education Freedom Expansion

Governor Bill Lee wants to build on the school choice revolution in Tennessee, a state where Education Savings Accounts (ESA) are already codified but have room to grow. Fittingly named the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, Lee’s legislation would award potentially 20,000 students $7,000 each to attend an alternative to public school by 2024-2025. The sum would help cover private school tuition, fees, uniforms, textbooks, and curricula, as well as instructional materials, tutoring services, and computer hardware.