Oct 11, 2021

Happy Monday! This week, we take a look at the deeply troubling move by the Biden administration to intimidate parents who are speaking out against leftist propaganda in public schools. We also expose the actual agenda of the vaunted Facebook “whistleblower.” And our election expert, Hans von Spakovsky, says that Arizona still needs to investigate the serious problems that turned up during its election audit. Don’t forget to check out the events, podcasts, and other items of interest featured below.

Biden’s Attorney General Threatens Parents, Abuses Power
Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered federal authorities to investigate cases where parents have spoken out at school board meetings on topics like critical race theory. Heritage experts responded swiftly to condemn this move, with one saying that it is “nothing less than an attempt to chill debate.” Heritage legal fellow GianCarlo Canaparo and senior advisor Mike Howell say that what Garland is doing is deceptive as well. “Maybe Garland doesn’t actually intend to use the FBI to go after parents—maybe he knows that he doesn’t have that power. In that case, he’s trying to trick parents into thinking that he does,” write Canaparo and Howell. Read their full commentary to learn more about the actual implications of Garland’s memo.

Don’t Be Fooled by Facebook ‘Whistleblower’
The now-famous Facebook “whistleblower” Frances Haugen may have seemed at first glance like she was striking a blow against Big Tech when she testified before Congress last week. The truth is that what she and paid Democrat consultants are doing is nothing to celebrate. Lora Ries, director of Heritage’s Center for Technology Policy, says we should pay attention to “what (Haugen) advocated for in the hearing; namely, more censorship of ‘misinformation.’” Read Ries’ full commentary to understand the real takeaway of Haugen’s testimony. Curious about the truth behind why and how Facebook operates? Check out this explainer video with Kara Frederick, Heritage research fellow and former Facebook employee.

Here’s What Needs to Happen After Arizona’s Election Audit
With the end of the Arizona election audit bringing no change to the outcome of the 2020 election results, many people are now dismissing the audit as unnecessary. That, says Heritage senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky, is an egregious mistake. “Election officials in Arizona should not simply dismiss this audit,” he said on Newsmax. "What they need to do is take the audit report and investigate those mistakes, those discrepancies, those problems to see (if they) did occur, and if so, they need to change their procedures to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Watch the full interview to find out exactly what steps election officials should take with the audit report.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nearly 800 young leaders are trained each year at Heritage through our Young Leaders Program and The Academy, congressional fellowships, and seminar and training programs. Learn more.

Newsmax recently released a new documentary, “Socialism in America," featuring an exclusive interview with James Carafano, vice president of Heritage’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy. Learn more.

Immigration Federalism: What  Can  States  Do to  Secure  Their  Borders? Wednesday, noon. Featured speakers include Chad Wolf, former acting secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and Heritage visiting fellow; Ken Cuccinelli, former deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security; and Aaron Reitz, deputy attorney general for legal strategy with the Texas attorney general. Register for this event.

This week on “Heritage Explains,” Stephen Moore, a former economic adviser to President Donald Trump and Heritage distinguished visiting fellow (on leave), talks about the recent news that his beloved Chicago Bears might move their stadium out of Chicago. He discusses how cities like Chicago must return to sound fiscal principles, law and order, and school choice if they want to continue to grow. Listen to the podcast.

Merrick Garland Is Trying to Use FBI to Scare Parents
Mike Gonzalez, Heritage‘s Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum fellow, appeared on “NewsNation” to discuss Attorney General Merrick Garland's outrageous order for federal authorities to assess vague, unspecified threats against public schools and school board members. Watch the interview.

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