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Civics Studies: Why They Matter, What Parents and Teachers Think, and How They Can Reclaim Truth – Civics education in America is in crisis, and Americans should recommit themselves to the teaching of civics in the classroom and at home. A new Heritage survey finds that parents are willing to improve the quality of their children’s civics education and foster appreciation of the nation’s founding principles. Students must learn the truth about America’s heritage, which includes its imperfections as well as its remarkable strengths and successes. Through this, students will come to safeguard the sanctity of the American idea and appreciate the validity and relevance of its ideals to all Americans, especially to those who have lost confidence that their nation is a place of hope, opportunity, and community for all. Heritage expert: Lindsey Burke

China And The Coronavirus: America Must Uncover The Truth – As new evidence emerged over the last few weeks, the once pooh-poohed theory that the COVID outbreak may have initiated in a Chinese government lab is now being treated seriously. It is vital that we determine the truth of the virus’s origin and spread. Sadly, the Biden administration seems to be looking for ways not to have to confront China. The U.S. needs to lead a concerted and sustained intelligence effort to investigate the origins of COVID and punish the Chinese regime for its many misdeeds by standing up for our vital interests. Additionally, the U.S. should spearhead a global effort to delay and move the Olympic games. In holding China accountable, the world must ensure it has global health surveillance in place to identify, prevent, and mitigate future outbreaks. Heritage expert: Jim Carafano

Biden Divides Us. Here Are 12 Principles That Can Unite Us. – A tidal wave of identity politics has swept America toward resegregation, to politicized curricula that rewrite our history, and to laws that dictate biological males must be allowed to play on women’s sports teams. This tide threatens to entrench division and enforce a new political orthodoxy rather than build unity within our communities. This is harmful to all Americans. We should be focusing on building families and communities, not on making the nation wards of the government and having Washington dictate how we live our lives.  Biden is constantly telling us we are divided—and that he will unite us. The reality is his policies divide us. What unites us are the foundational principles of liberty, justice, and equality—and policies rooted in that heritage that would make America a “more perfect union.” It is already clear that this is what everyday Americans want. It’s time for our leaders to commit to this, too. Heritage expert: Charmaine Yoest

There Is No Way Joe Biden Should Have A Summit With Vladimir Putin – For nearly 50 years, Joe Biden has gotten it wrong on foreign policy, and, in dealing with Russia, he has a reputation for prioritizing tough talk over meaningful actions. In light of Russia’s USAID hack, it would be far more prudent for Biden to cancel the summit and focus instead on hardening American cyber defenses, enhancing our own offensive cyber capabilities to respond to Russian cyber-attacks, and increasing the pressure on Putin’s regime more generally. Unless the pain inflicted on Putin exceeds his perceived gains from fomenting chaos and undermining the international order, there is no reason for him to stop misbehaving. Biden should categorically state that the U.S. will not tolerate Russian interference in America’s cyber networks and will respond with asymmetrical force when its networks are threatened. Heritage expert: David Shedd

ACLU Is Putting Trans Rights Ahead of Women’s Rights. That’s Wrong. – A sex binary—male vs. female—is the foundation upon which the entire statute’s operation rests. Title IX’s use of the words “both” and “either” to address educational disparities within its regulations reinforces the understanding that there are only two sexes, and opportunities for both must be equal under the law. Title IX requires educators to see women as they see men. And it ensures that girls and women, at long last, can finally experience sex equality in their educational pursuits. But with an onslaught of national efforts to gut the very mission and purpose of Title IX’s protective effects, it has fallen to the states to remind organizations like the ACLU that the law means exactly what it says it means. Recently criticized by the left-of-center New York Times for abrogating its free speech roots, the ACLU might do well to reevaluate the things it values and defends. Judging by its spate of lawsuits against states passing sex-specific sports bills, it appears biological women aren’t one of them. Heritage expert: Sarah Parshall Perry

Young Children Are Being Targeted With Sexual Content. The Equality Act Would Make It Worse. – Policies like the Equality Act and Fairness for All, which enshrine radical gender ideology in civil rights law, would only lead to the increased sexualization and harm of young children. The Equality Act would especially open the door for a mandate to include sexual orientation and gender identity ideology in school curricula, while not allowing states or parents to opt out of this kind of curricula. This is why parents and lawmakers have signed “The Promise to America’s Children,” a commitment to oppose legislation that harms children and to protect their minds, bodies, and relationships with their parents. Stopping the Equality Act and any policy that includes radical gender ideology in law will help protect children from the harms of premature exposure to sexual content. Ultimately, parents are the ones best suited to determine the right timing to tell their children about sensitive sexual issues, not a cereal company or kindergarten teacher. Heritage expert: Jared Eckert

Trump Park-Clearing Story Latest in Long Line of Media Narratives to Fall Apart – Reporters are human and they make mistakes. But we see a disturbing tendency for members of the news media to report the same things, with the same claims and conclusions, all at once, and with great conviction. This is called pack journalism, and it establishes a narrative that is extremely difficult to shake. Reporters with doubts about a particular story are likely to stifle those concerns out of fear of being the only one to stray from the pack. No, the press enjoys safety in numbers. It’s the American people who are in danger of being misinformed by the media, which often is wrong but certain of its righteousness. Heritage expert: Tim Murtaugh

Celebrating the 246th Birthday of America’s Army – For more than 246 years, the Army has played a vital role in the history of the United States. The Army flag has 190 campaign streamers today, ranging from the well-known Battle of Normandy that occurred from June to July 1944, to the more obscure Battle of Peking, which occurred during the 1900 China Relief Expedition. Most recently, the Army manned COVID-19 vaccination sites, co-led Operation Warp Speed’s efforts to develop vaccines, built additional hospital capacity, and helped run test sites. The Army, particularly the National Guard, supports the nation when natural disasters, including the likes of Hurricane Katrina, occur. If you see a soldier today, please wish him or her a very happy birthday. Heritage expert: Tom Spoehr