The Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter warning states and schools that they must eliminate discriminatory “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) trainings and curriculums and end racial preferences in hiring and admissions — or lose federal education funds.

The letter was sent on February 14 by the DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor and applies “to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance.”

The letter, from the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights, warned, “Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.”

The letter began with a clear statement, “Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible.”

Trainor then went on to explain two ways schools have violated federal non-discrimination laws. First, they have done this through “race-based preferences” and second, in using DEI in teacher training and classroom instruction.

Regarding race-based preferences, Trainor’s letter explained:

“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families.”

Conservative actor Tim Allen has finished reading the entire Old Testament for the first time after beginning to read the Bible nearly one year ago.

“After nearly a year I have finished entire Old Testament and the experience of re-reading, dedicated focus and no drifting has made this a humbling overwhelming experience,” the actor shared. “What a treasure.”

“Three days into New Testament,” he added.

The actor is well-known for playing Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on the sitcom Home Improvement, as well as the masculine Mike Baxter on Last Man Standing.

Allen also starred as Santa Claus in The Santa Clause film trilogy and in the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses, and he voiced Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story.

Lately, the actor has been hard at work producing and starring in his new ABC comedy Shifting Gears, which premiered on January 8.

When not working, Allen has given periodic updates about his journey through Scripture. Last August, he first shared that he had begun reading Scripture.

“Never took the time in all my years to ever read and really read the Bible,” Allen said.

“Currently almost through the Jerusalem Bible Old Testament and almost done with the Prophets. Next up to New Testament.”

Speaking at the White House following his confirmation and swearing-in as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. struck a powerful and poignant note as he looked both back and then ahead to his tenure at the agency.

“For 20 years, I’ve gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I can end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country,” Kennedy said.

The new secretary of HHS was referencing a turning point in his life, a spiritual transformation where he tackled various addictions threatening to spiral out-of-control.

Previously describing these eye-opening events in his life at a “Socrates in the City” event hosted by Eric Metaxas, RFK, Jr. said he “had to change at a deep, fundamental way [and] … I knew that was going to require a spiritual awakening.”

But he added, “After you have a spiritual awakening — you can’t live off the laurels of the spiritual awakening. You have to renew it every day. … You have to renew it by staying in that posture of surrender.”

At times, that “posture” has placed.

Kennedy at odds with prevailing wisdom and societal norms. During the campaign, he pledged to “Make America Healthy Again” by examining and evaluating the safety of our food supply and even challenging those who believe pharmaceuticals should serve as our first line of defense against disease. But talking with Laura Ingraham after Thursday’s events, RFK, Jr. suggested that food and exercise are only part of the problem and solution.

We know that mothers and fathers are fundamentally different when it to comes to creating children. Everyone knows that no one exists without a major contribution from a mother and a father. The difference in moms and dads is essential to successful procreation.

It’s an interesting contradiction that many people believe the difference in mom and dad ends there.

They honestly believe there is no real meaningful difference between men and women when it comes to parenting. This is what is behind the simplistic and relativistic claim “love makes a family!”

This assumption is contrary to an overwhelming body of careful medical, psychological and social science research on the importance of mothers and fathers to healthy child development.

Yale University’s Kyle D. Pruett is one of the leading scholars doing foundational work on mother/father differences in parenting. Writing in the medical journal Pediatrics in 1998, Professor Pruett explains that children, from earliest ages, can distinguish between whether it is their mother or father interacting with them and are drawn to either’s unique nature depending on their needs.

Babies aged seven to 13 months tend to respond more excitedly to being held by their fathers because father-love is simply more stimulating, thrilling and unpredictable.

Mother-love tends to be more predictable and soothing.

This is essential for children’s development.