Hillary Clinton just claimed that the state of Florida "isn't safe" for Black people or LGBTQ+ people.
Clinton made the claim Tuesday on Twitter.
She wrote:
Ron DeSantis's ultra-MAGA Florida isn't safe for people of color, LGBTQ+ people, or even multi-billion dollar corporations. pic.twitter.com/1sxKM5W9ol
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 23, 2023
Clinton attached to her Twitter message two screenshots: one regards Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) ongoing battle with Disney and the other regards the recent travel warnings issued by civil rights groups.
DeSantis recently signed several bills targeting the political left's woke agenda. One bill, Senate Bill 266, looks to remove from higher education any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Another bill, Senate Bill 254, bans gender-related "surgical procedures and experimental puberty blockers" on minors.
These are just some of the bills that DeSantis recently signed. More can be found here.
In response, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued travel advisories for the state of Florida.
NAACP's travel advisory can be found here. And, LULAC's, here.
The NAACP's travel notice reads:
Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.
NAACP Board of Directors chairman Leon W. Russell immediately faced pushback, following the release of the travel advisory, after it was discovered that he lives in Florida.
During an MSNBC appearance, he denied being a hypocrite, and he claimed, "We haven’t told anybody to leave." Russell added:
In fact, the NAACP is encouraging folks to stay here and fight. If there was ever a reason to stand your ground, it’s Black people, LGBT community, the immigrant community, women, need to stand our ground in Florida and fight, and understand that that fight is a political fight.
DeSantis responded to the NCAAP's travel warning on Wednesday, saying, "Claiming that Florida is unsafe is a total farce."
DeSantis continued:
I mean, are you kidding me? You look at cities around this country, they are awash in crime. In Florida, our crime rate is at a 50-year low. You look at the top 25 cities for crime in America, Florida does not have a single one amongst the top 25. And if you look at cities like Baltimore and Chicago, you got kids more likely to get shot than to receive a first class education. Yet, I don't see the NAACP batting an eye about all the carnage that's happening in those areas.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Texas Children's Hospital continues to perform "gender transition services" on adolescent youth, including administering "puberty blockers" – which the Texas Attorney General deems "child abuse" – despite pledging to stop them in March, a conservative writer has learned.
"I have obtained exclusive whistleblower documents showing that, despite its public statements, the Houston-based children’s hospital – the largest in the United States – has secretly continued to perform transgender medical interventions, including the use of implantable puberty blockers, on minor children," Rufo reported in an article on his Substack page published Tuesday.
The redacted medical records supplied by the whistleblower cite Richard Roberts, "a University of Virginia-trained endocrinologist and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine who co-presented the grand rounds ... as performing transgender medical procedures on minors at TCH," Rufo writes. "According to these records, Roberts has managed patients ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old for 'gender identity' and 'gender dysphoria,' with indications for 'medication,' 'testosterone levels,' 'medicine refill,' and 'specialty services.'"
Texas lawmakers are on the verge of passing legislation that would ban puberty-blockers and cross-sex, trans "hormone treatments" for minors, a development that has energized conservatives but scandalized LGBT activists and allied "progressives" in the state.
"Despite the hospital’s statement that it had ceased these practices, Roberts has continued to manage a heavy caseload for 'gender-affirming care,' including multiple patient visits in a single day last week for 'gender dysphoria' and 'gender identity,' and another for 'HRT [hormone replacement therapy],'" according to Rufo.
The senior fellow for the New York-based Manhattan Institute has been a leader among conservatives in exposing trans "gender ideology" and the agendas connected to it, none of which is more radical than encouraging gender-confused children to embrace the idea that they were born into the wrong sex, and then take "medical" steps to "transition" to the opposite sex.
Rufo reports:
"Another doctor at Texas Children’s, a Harvard-trained surgeon and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine named Kristy Rialon, has also been involved in conducting transgender surgical procedures on minors. The records indicate that Rialon inserted and removed “non-biodegradable drug delivery implant[s]” for “gender dysphoria in pediatric patient[s]” throughout 2022 and 2023 – including one procedure on an 11-year-old “female-to-male transgender person,” listed in records for three days after the hospital had announced that it had stopped performing “gender-affirming care.”
Rufo tried to get a comment from the hospital, but spokeswoman Kelley Carville responded, "We have no comment."
Rufo reports that "TCH and Baylor College of Medicine, which works in partnership with the children’s hospital, hosted a 'pediatric grand rounds' presentation titled 'Medical and Psychological Care of Gender-Diverse Youth,' describing the process of sex-change interventions, from puberty blockers to cross-sex hormones to genital surgeries."
The presentation describes "puberty blockers" and "hormone therapy" as first steps in lifelong gender-identity "transition": "TCH and Baylor College of Medicine encouraged doctors to begin treatment with puberty blockers and hormones during adolescence, and then consider surgeries, including breast removal and genital reconstruction, in adulthood – though the presenters explained that some surgical procedures could be appropriate for “adolescents on [a] case-by-case basis.”
Earlier this month, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is opening an investigation into another medical center, Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, Texas, "over its alleged performance of gender transition procedures on minors," as Daily Caller News Foundation reported.
Paxton's action stemmed from a Project Veritas undercover video from April in which a social worker from the center told an undercover PV reporter that it has patients “as young as 8" that have started "transitioning."
Rufo similarly called for an investigation of the TCH "gender affirmative care" procedures performed on youth and exposed by the whistleblower.
Responding to Rufo's article in the City Journal, where it was originally published Tuesday, "StoneRamon" wrote: "That this is happening in America is perfectly Orwellian and Naziesque at the same time. I'm reminded of Dr. Josef Mengele and his horrific experiments. ... Mutilating healthy adolescent bodies instead of treating adolescent confusion as a common and normal aspect of the transition to adulthood is a crime against humanity."
The Washington Examiner reports that the recently-leaked Pentagon documents reveal the extent to which the United States has penetrated Russian intelligence.
The documents were leaked on Twitter, Telegram, and other online sites on Friday.
The documents appear to be official U.S. classified documents, and the documents contain intelligence that the U.S. government has gathered on China, Ukraine, and others.
But, here, the focus is going to be on the leaks related to Russia - particularly to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The leaked documents, according to the Examiner, show that the U.S. has penetrated Russian intelligence to such an extent that the U.S. has been able to warn Ukraine about attacks that Russia was planning to launch before Russia launched them.
The Examiner reports:
The documents detail Russia’s weaknesses as it struggles to overcome Ukrainian forces in its 14-month invasion, indicating several compromises in the military’s communications. The documents show several instances in which U.S. intelligence agencies have been tipped off about Russian strikes, allowing the U.S. to warn Ukraine ahead of time.
In the same vein, U.S. intelligence has also gathered information about Ukraine, including about Ukraine's military weaknesses.
But, the Examiner reports that "the reports indicate that U.S. officials have a far deeper understanding of the Russian military than that of Ukraine."
Something also worth noting is that the reports indicate that the leaked documents do not appear to contain any information that would undermine Ukraine in its battle with Russia. The documents also do not contain information about how the United States went about obtaining this intelligence.
In recent weeks, documents like the ones detailed above, have been leaked online, leading to concerns among American officials.
According to military analysts, the leaked documents do appear to be genuine. But, analysts have indicated that, in some places, the leaked documents also appear to have been altered.
At the moment, the source of the leak remains unclear.
Some U.S. officials - and some Ukrainian officials - have suggested that, perhaps, Russia or a Russia-backed group leaked the documents. The officials have suggested that the leaks have all the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign. But, this theory has not been confirmed.
An ongoing investigation into the leak is being led by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The DOD told the Examiner:
The Department of Defense is actively reviewing the matter, and has made a formal referral to the Department of Justice for investigation.
The White House just issued a statement "affirming transgender kids" in honor of the "Transgender Day of Visibility."
Never heard of the "Transgender Day of Visibility?"
U.S. President Joe Biden, on Thursday, issued a proclamation establishing March 31, 2023, as the "Transgender Day of Visibility."
Biden, in his statement, went so far as to claim that "transgender Americans shape our Nation's soul" - an incredible statement considering that transgender individuals are estimated to make up far less than 1% of the entire U.S. population.
Biden, in his proclamation, wrote:
Transgender Day of Visibility celebrates the joy, strength, and absolute courage of some of the bravest people I know — people who have too often had to put their jobs, relationships, and lives on the line just to be their true selves. Today, we show millions of transgender and nonbinary Americans that we see them, they belong, and they should be treated with dignity and respect. Their courage has given countless others strength, but no one should have to be brave just to be themselves. Every American deserves that freedom.
That is only a small part of Biden's proclamation, which is eight substantial paragraphs long.
Biden, however, did not stop there.
Biden followed Thursday's proclamation with a substantially longer "fact sheet," titled, "White House Honors Transgender Day of Visibility."
This fact sheet appears to have two main goals: first, to criticize "conservative politicians [who] have advanced hundreds of anti-transgender laws," and, second, to demonstrate the ways that Biden and his administration are "uplifting transgender communities."
Biden, as part of this effort, signed an executive order "to advance equality for LGBTQI+ people, especially children and families."
Regarding children, in the fact sheet, Biden and the White House strongly come out in favor of "affirming transgender kids" - an idea that Republicans have firmly opposed. Referring to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Biden claims, "there is conclusive scientific evidence that affirming a transgender or LGBTQI+ child’s identity is vital to protecting their mental health."
Biden, in the fact sheet, also made it clear that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will look to use its resources to "intervene legally when states violate the rights of transgender youth and their families."
The efforts that Biden and his administration are taking toward advancing transgenderism - including "affirming transgender kids" - are expansive, to say the least - just take a look at the fact sheet.
One can't help but think that if Biden and his administration put even half as much energy into the major problems that America is facing the country wouldn't be in such bad shape.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An award-winning Christian music artist who has performed with the likes of Michael W. Smith and Toby Keith has put a new anthem online – and it's blown past 1 million views in just two weeks.
It also delivers a blunt, no-nonsense message to the nation as the 2024 presidential election approaches.
In that race, President Donald Trump already is a candidate, while the incumbent Democrat, Joe Biden, continues to pursue his agenda points of abortion for all and body-mutilating transgender surgeries for children.
But Natasha Owens' anthem declares: "Trump Won, and You Know It."
A commentary at the Gateway Pundit points out, though, that the FBI is "perplexed on how to retaliate."
"Natasha’s latest release highlights the popular belief that the 2020 election was stolen and Joe Biden is an imposter. Natasha mixed her belief with a catchy tune. You will love it," the report explained. "It is not clear yet how the FBI and deep state will react to Natasha’s forbidden speech. Surely they are holding meetings and paying social media to clamp down on such heresy."
Publicist Brian Mayes explained, in the Gateway Pundit report, that "Owens is doubling down with her boldest political anthem to date, 'Trump Won.' Quietly released on Youtube and Rumble with no announcement or fanfare, the video has received over 950,000 views within the first 2 weeks and continues to grow in view counts each day."
Actually, the number was approaching 1.2 million heading into this weekend.
In the statement, Owens said, "Everyone I know was so excited to have 4 more years of President Trump’s America First Agenda. Thousands of people filled stadiums for President Trump while no one was showing up for the Joe Biden rallies. We all stayed up watching the election and we were so hopeful.
"But we all woke up to unexplainable events that happened overnight. In the months and years that followed, there wasn’t much that was investigated and wrongs were not righted. Every time the topic came up people would say, 'You know Trump won' and 'Everyone knows it'. When the film '2,000 Mules' debuted I went to watch it. There was so much proof in that 2-hour documentary that Trump won. It just seemed that people were afraid to say it publicly. So I decided, it’s time for someone to sing about what is not talked about. Trump Won and You Know It."
The artist's most recent album is called "American Patriot," which combines a love of country with themes of faith and family.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has revealed the extent of potential criminal evidence against Hunter Biden that has been shared with Congress.
The senator disclosed to Attorney General Merrick Garland that lawfully protected whistleblower disclosures to his office indicate that the Justice Department and FBI had over a dozen sources who provided potentially criminal information relating to Hunter Biden, according to The Daily Caller.
Grassley said that the alleged volume and similarity of the information would demand that the Justice Department investigate the truth and accuracy of the information.
He also asked Garland what steps the Justice Department has taken to determine the truth and accuracy of the information given to Grassley’s team.
Grassley made the disclosure during a hearing with Garland held by the Senate Judiciary Committee after asking hypothetical questions about protections for whistleblowers who match the description of the people who came forward to his office.
The senator asked Garland what steps the Justice Department has taken to determine the truth and accuracy of the information given to Grassley’s team. Garland largely refused to give detailed answers about the active investigation into President Joe Biden’s adult son, deferring to Delaware’s U.S. Attorney David Weiss.
The attorney general said any information about Hunter Biden should have gone to Weiss and the “FBI squad” assisting him.
He insisted that if Weiss needed to go to another jurisdiction to bring a case, he would “assure” that the U.S. attorney would be able to do so.
While Hunter Biden has said he expects to be cleared of wrongdoing, Republicans have raised concerns about influence peddling, particularly regarding his Chinese business dealings and access to areas where classified documents have been located.
Hunter Biden, 53, is under federal investigation for possible tax fraud, illegal foreign lobbying, money laundering, and lying about his drug use on a gun-purchase form.
Investigators reportedly believe they have enough evidence to charge him with tax crimes and lying on the gun form. Hunter and his uncle, first brother James Biden, have a history of seeking business in countries where Joe Biden holds sway over US policy, such as China, Russia, Mexico, and Ukraine, creating conflicts of interest and corruption concerns.
Grassley later cast doubt on Garland’s claims that the probe by Weiss — one of the few still-serving US attorneys appointed by President Donald Trump — was truly independent.
Grassley asked if Weiss, the US attorney in Delaware, sought permission from another US Attorney’s Office, such as in the District of Columbia or California, to bring charges. Garland didn't know the answer to that but insisted that Weiss has been told that he is not to be denied anything that he needs.
Hunter Biden reportedly still owns a 10% stake in BHR Partners, which manages $2.1 billion in assets. The company has “unique mixed ownership,” which combines the resources and platforms of China’s largest financial institutions, and the networks and know-how of the US-based investment fund and advisory firm shareholders. In 2016, BHR Partners facilitated a deal in which a Chinese firm bought a Congolese cobalt mine from US and Canadian companies.
Sen. John Fetterman's office reported that after reaching a "solution" with the "intelligence community" and Office of Senate Security, the senator's auditory processing difficulties were accommodated during secret briefings.
According to reports, Fetterman's Hill staffers employ mobile devices with text-to-speech capabilities to help the senator with his auditory processing issues, according to Fox News.
FOX News Digital asked Fetterman's office whether he uses these portable devices for voice-to-text closed captioning during confidential briefings because of the damage done by a stroke he had in May 2022.
Joe Calvello, a Spokesperson for Fetterman's office, told FOX News Digital that "Senator Fetterman requested assistance from the Office of Senate Security for an appropriate accommodation in a classified setting."
"Senate Security, in coordination with the Intelligence Community, identified a solution that exceeded all requirements for safeguarding classified information," Calvello said.
FOX News Digital followed up with a question to Fetterman's office seeking clarification on the agreement reached between Fetterman, the "intelligence community," and the Office of Senate Security.
When FOX News Digital emailed the Office of Senate Security on Friday afternoon to inquire whether Fetterman's accommodation allowed the use of a gadget, they did not respond right away.
This year, there have already been a number of secret briefings in Congress held in sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) or other places with comparable security restrictions.
Due to security reasons, electronic devices, including phones and mobile devices, are not permitted in certain places. It's not known if Fetterman will be able to utilize an electronic gadget as part of his lodging.
When a senator's health declines, there are several special accommodations that can be made to allow them to continue working in the Senate. These accommodations are designed to ensure that the senator can continue to perform their duties. Some of the most common special accommodations made for senators in this situation include:
Remote voting is sometimes provided for those who are unable to attend senate sessions in person due to health reasons.
Special Access to Committee Hearings if a senator is unable to attend committee hearings in person due to health reasons may be given special access to these hearings through teleconferencing or other means.
Priority Seating, meaning that senators with health concerns may be given priority seating in the Senate chamber to allow them to attend sessions and participate in debates without undue strain.
Senators may also be given Special Scheduling, in some cases, which would allow them to set their own schedules or have more flexible schedules to accommodate their health needs.
The federal government, by way of a special counsel, is investigating former President Donald Trump over two separate things -- his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his alleged unauthorized retention of classified documents after leaving office.
That same special counsel has now reportedly included former Vice President Mike Pence in the ongoing probe and issued a subpoena against him on Thursday, according to Breitbart.
It is believed that the subpoena relates to the part of the special counsel's investigation focused on the 2020 election and Jan. 6 Capitol riot of 2021, which is odd given that Pence famously disagreed with Trump's contention that the election was fraudulent, refused to go along with the alleged plan to reject electors from disputed states, and was a target of the riotous mob that briefly invaded the Capitol building to disrupt and delay the certification of the 2020 election results.
Recall that it was in mid-November that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former federal prosecutor Jack Smith to serve as an independent special counsel tasked with investigating the former president and others around him in regard to two separate potentially criminal issues.
Per that announcement, the first issue is "whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote," while the second issue is in regard to the probe of Trump's possession of documents marked as classified "as well as the possible obstruction of that investigation."
Fast-forward to Thursday, and ABC News reported that Special Counsel Smith had issued a subpoena against former Vice President Pence for certain documents and testimony that, per unnamed sources, relating to "the failed attempt by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol."
The outlet noted that the subpoena had been issued following "months of negotiations" between federal prosecutors under Smith and Pence's attorneys.
ABC News further reported that this appeared to be a "major escalation" of the special counsel's probe which suggested that it had "entered a more advanced stage," but could also potentially provoke a "lengthy and contentious legal battle" if Pence attempts to assert claims of executive privilege over the subpoenaed materials.
Meanwhile, aside from now apparently being roped into the special counsel's investigation of Trump over the 2020 election and Jan. 6, Pence has also become embroiled in a developing classified documents scandal of his own.
NBC News reported Friday that the FBI was conducting a search of the former vice president's home in Indiana for any potentially classified materials, just one day after Pence had been subpoenaed by Special Counsel Smith in regard to the separate matter of the election and riot.
The search stems from Pence's admission last month that outside attorneys he had hired in light of the classified documents scandals for Trump and President Biden had discovered a "small number" of classified documents in his Indiana home.
According to the outlet, the FBI had been granted "consent" to search Pence's home without a warrant following a negotiation between the Justice Department and Pence's attorneys that laid out certain "ground rules" and stipulations on how that search would be conducted.
Former Vice President Pence has not yet officially declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 but is widely expected to do so soon, and most of the polls on the impending GOP primary battle show him consistently holding down third place behind former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
However, per Yahoo News, this new development with the special counsel subpoena -- not to mention the FBI search for classified documents -- could "complicate" things and scuttle any chance Pence may have had at the White House before he can even formally launch his campaign.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Ronna McDaniel, recently re-elected as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, says Joe Biden will be gone following the 2024 election.
Because under his leadership, Americans are poorer and less safe.
In a commentary at Fox News, she explained Biden "must be living in a different reality than the Americans he claims to represent."
"Here’s the truth," she said, reacting to Biden's self-congratulatory State of the Union this week. "This country is hurting, and it’s because Biden has been an abject failure as president. No amount of spin can conceal the facts."
She noted, "Under Biden’s failed leadership, Americans are poorer and less safe. Our southern border is wide open, and deadly drugs are pouring into our communities. Our children are still suffering the devastating effects of Democrat-led school lockdowns."
He, however, has "no interest" in fixing the crises he's created.
"Biden tried to paint a rosy picture of the economy, but Americans from coast to coast see right through his dishonesty. According to a new ABC News poll, a record number of people say they are financially worse off under Biden. And according to a recent CBS News poll, 76% of Americans are concerned about inflation, and 61% of Americans rate the economy as 'bad,'" she explained.
She continued, "The numbers don’t lie: Since Biden took office, real wages, incomes, and savings are all down across the board. Americans have lost $9,300 on average paying for the increased cost of living since Biden took office. Biden’s economy is leaving folks behind, and no canned applause line can ease the pain that families are feeling on a daily basis."
further, there's his crisis with an invasion of illegal aliens at the southern border, drug cartels expanding their reach, skyrocketing inflation, high energy prices, his plans for new taxes, and other issues.
"When it comes to crises that have occurred on his watch, he either ignored them completely or misrepresented the situation. He mentioned COVID-19, but failed to mention that our kids are suffering devastating long-term effects from Democrat-led school lockdowns that his administration worked with far-left teachers unions to uphold," she said.