Court Stunner! Girl Must Use Girls Locker Room

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Rejecting eight years of “gender identity” politics under President Obama, a Missouri appeals court ruled a biological girl must use a locker room for girls.

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, this week affirmed the dismissal of a complaint by a female identified by the court only as R.M.A.

She had sued the Blue Springs R-IV School District and its board of education because, after adopting a male name and changing the gender reference on her birth certificate, she still was being required by the school district to use facilities designated for females . . .

The girl alleged her exclusion from the boys’ restrooms and locker rooms subjected her “to different requirements for accessing the services of the school” due to gender.

However, the school argued that the Missouri Human Rights Act, under which the claim was filed, “does not extend its protection to claims based on gender identity.” (Read more from “Court Stunner! Girl Must Use Girls Locker Room” HERE)

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Bad News for LGBTQ: Plan to Take Back Rainbow

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Many thousands of years before the “gay” movement claimed the rainbow as its emblem, God fashioned the brilliantly colored banner of light and painted it across the sky as a beautiful symbol of his enduring covenant with mankind.

Six millennia later, bare-skinned “gay” men would strut their stuff on parade floats wearing nothing but rainbow Speedos, tutu skirts and body paint, celebrating their homosexual “pride” by proudly displaying the spectrum through America’s public streets.

Now, after decades of witnessing the colors splashed across “gay” parades, flags, bumper stickers and even the White House in 2015, one prominent Christian has announced his plan to “take back the rainbow.”

Ken Ham is president of Answers in Genesis, which created the Ark Encounter, a massive reproduction in Kentucky of the biblical Noah’s Ark. Described as the largest timber frame structure in the world, the project re-created Noah’s Ark at 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high . . .

Ham announced on Twitter that the ark will be lit with a massive rainbow every evening. (Read more from “Bad News for LGBTQ: Plan to Take Back Rainbow” HERE)

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Creepy New ‘Smart Toys’ Allow Pedophiles to Track and Talk Directly to Kids

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A particularly ominous warning was put out by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center this week alerting people to the potential dangers Internet-connected toys pose to adults and children alike. Not only do these ‘spy toys’ have the potential to record kids’ conversations, track their movements, reveal their location — they even allow perverts to TALK to children directly.

The alert, titled: CONSUMER NOTICE: INTERNET-CONNECTED TOYS COULD PRESENT PRIVACY AND CONTACT CONCERNS FOR CHILDREN, warns users of the security risks and vulnerabilities posed by this new line of smart toys that connect via WiFi or Bluetooth to your home network.

The toys, according to the warning, typically contain sensors, microphones, cameras, data storage components, and other multimedia capabilities – including speech recognition and GPS options.

According to the FBI, “microphones could record and collect conversations within earshot of the device. Information such as the child’s name, school, likes and dislikes, and activities may be disclosed through normal conversation with the toy or in the surrounding environment. The collection of a child’s personal information combined with a toy’s ability to connect to the Internet or other devices raises concerns for privacy and physical safety.”

Given how easily children give out their information — especially considering they think they are engaging with a harmless toy — the implications for abuse from criminal and government actors are damning.

The deliberate or accidental vulnerabilities inside these toys present a unique opportunity for sickos who want to spy on or otherwise engage in conversation with unsuspecting children.

According to the FBI, these “devices could pose a risk for unauthorized access to the toy and allow communications with a child user.”

In other words, pedophiles could access these toys and talk to children, potentially luring them out of the home and into the arms of their attacker. Given the fact that many of these spy toys use GPS, the predators would easily be able to locate their victim.

However, it’s not just children that are unprotected, these toys are vulnerable to exploits which could allow hackers access to the microphone and cameras — essentially allowing for unauthorized surveillance of their unwitting victims. These exploits would then pave the way for identity theft, bank fraud, or even violent crimes against adults and children alike.

The FBI notes that “Security safeguards for these toys can be overlooked in the rush to market them and to make them easy to use.

“Consumers should perform online research of these products for any known issues that have been identified by security researchers or in consumer reports,” the FBI recommended.

Even if you do all your research and pick out the safest spy toys on the market, however, the data collected and security measures are all out of your hands and in the hands of the manufacturer or server operations.

As the tech site Slash Gear points out, unfortunately, server security is on the manufacturer or their third-party partner responsible for storing the data, and it certainly seems that in a lot of cases, security of these servers is put on the back burner until a breach actually occurs.

As with any Internet-connected devices, allowing children unsupervised access from the start is a terrible idea. And, if you must have them, it is your responsibility to supervise your children, secure your internet access, and make sure that these toys aren’t wholeheartedly spying on you and your kids.

Ironically enough, these toys sound like the FBI’s wet dream.

As TFTP reported last year, a formal complaint filed with the FTC by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, the Center for Digital Democracy, and the Consumers Union notes that the “toys subject young children to ongoing surveillance,” in violation of privacy and consumer protection laws — and, worse, the nature of the company Genesis Toys employs for that purpose.

“Nuance Communications,” the aforementioned groups state in a complaint to the FTC, “represents itself as a leader in voice technology, including speech recognition software and voice biometric solutions that allow a search of the company’s 60 million enrolled voiceprints for a voice match from recorded conversations to be performed within minutes. Nuance markets its technology to private and public entities and delivers its voice biometric technology to military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies.”

“Both Genesis Toys and Nuance Communications unfairly and deceptively collect, use, and disclose audio files of children’s voices without providing adequate notice or obtaining verified parental consent,” the complaint stated.

While the FBI lists a myriad of different ways consumers can limit their risks of exploitation from these toys, conveniently absent from their list is the simple option of not buying them. (For more from the author of “Creepy New ‘Smart Toys’ Allow Pedophiles to Track and Talk Directly to Kids” please click HERE)

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Think a Charlie Gard Situation Can’t Happen in the US? Think Again

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For weeks, the world has been watching in rapt attention the saga of Charlie Gard—the case involving a desperately ill child fighting for survival in the face of U.K. government efforts to block treatment.

Charlie’s parents have been relentless in fighting the government and seeking help abroad.

Their efforts are already bearing fruit. Most recently, a judge has agreed to re-evaluate a previous decision barring the parents from seeking alternative treatment for their son in the United States.

Here at home, opinions differ, but the general reaction is one of outrage that a government official could make a decision about what’s best for a child over the objections of the child’s parents, combined with a sense of relief that this is not the status quo in the United States.

Unfortunately, this is not quite accurate.

Under a little-known regulation referred to as “certificate of need,” a majority of states actually place unelected government officials in the position of deciding what types of medical facilities and treatment options are available in local communities.

While the Charlie Gard case involves other issues as well, government intervention in care is at the heart of the dispute.

And under certificate of need laws, any provider that wants to expand certain types of facilities and medical technology or purchase additional equipment must first ask the state for permission.

The original rationale for these regulations was to prevent providers from competing with one another based on the size or luxuriousness of their facilities, and then passing the cost for those bells and whistles down to their patients.

Lawmakers were also assured by many community hospitals that the institutions would be able to provide more charity care to the uninsured and underinsured because those efforts would be subsidized by wealthier patients who would have no choice but to use the community hospitals.

However, research has shown that states with certificate of need laws actually have more expensive health care and provide a lower quality of medical services.

Additionally, many of the hospitals in certificate of need states do not provide additional charity care as a result of the laws. Instead, the laws end up protecting local monopolies by allowing providers to charge more for less service.

Things have gotten so bad that under successive administrations of both parties, the Federal Trade Commission has sent letters to states urging them to end their certificate of need programs because they are anticompetitive.

Most states have ignored this sound advice, sometimes with devastating consequences.

One heartbreaking example includes the case of a prematurely delivered infant dying while waiting for transport because the hospital where the child was born lacked a neonatal intensive care unit, and doctors needed an incubator to stabilize the newborn.

The twist, however, is that just a few years prior, the hospital’s request to build such a unit was rejected by Virginia on the basis that it was “not in the best health interests of the community”—a chilling precursor of the British Supreme Court decision that denied Charlie treatment because it determined it was “not in his best interests.”

The biggest difference between the high-profile case in the U.K. and certificate of need programs in the United States is that most of us never realize that the government has denied us access to certain health care options.

For lawmakers in certificate of need states tweeting about the ills of the U.K. health care system, now is the time for some serious introspection about how our own state governments are getting in the way of improved patient care.

The lives of their constituents might depend on it. (For more from the author of “Think a Charlie Gard Situation Can’t Happen in the US? Think Again” please click HERE)

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State Dept Blames Israel for Causing Palestinian Violence

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Rex Tillerson’s State Department added blistering anti-Israel language to this year’s “Country Reports on Terrorism,” adopting a tone not seen even during the hostile Obama era.

On Wednesday, Tillerson submitted the annual report to Congress. This year’s report may come as a shock to the overwhelmingly pro-Israel majority that elected Donald Trump president.

The report appears to blame Israel for the lack of peace between the two sides, pointing to a “lack of hope” as a “driver” for Palestinian violence.

Tillerson’s State Department concluded that Palestinian terrorism is motivated by “Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the perception that the Israeli government was changing the status quo on the Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount, and IDF tactics that the Palestinians considered overly aggressive.”

Continuing its pro-Palestinian posture, the next paragraph of the State Department memo commends the Palestinian Authority chairman for condemning acts of violence.

“Explicit calls for violence against Israelis, direct exhortations against Jews, and categorical denials by the PA of the possibility of peace with Israel are rare and the leadership does not generally tolerate it,” the memo states.

The aforementioned statement is simply not true. Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party have a long history of promoting violence against Israel, and using inciting language to fan the flames of terror against its Jewish population.

In fact, organizations like Palestinian Media Watch and the Middle East Media Research Institute find almost daily examples of Palestinian state media waging incitement campaigns.

The State Department report does label Israel a “committed counterterrorism partner.” However, the sometimes-positive language toward America’s closest Middle East ally does not excuse the morally reprehensible act of sanctioning Palestinian violence against innocents.

By excusing Palestinian terrorism as motivated by a “lack of hope,” the State Department is helping to create a morally paradoxical environment in which the Israeli victim becomes the perpetrator and the Palestinian perpetrator becomes the victim.

Conservative Review looked through the Obama-era State Department country reports on terrorism and found that the Tillerson-led assessment added the aforementioned anti-Israel language.

Last year’s report under Obama said the Palestinians argued that terrorism is sometimes caused by frustration over “occupation.” But that report was much less accusatory because it makes clear that the position is reflecting the views of Palestinian officials, and not the U.S. government.

Tillerson continues to shock supporters of Israel with his pro-Palestinian policy promotion.

In May, the embattled secretary of state blackmailed Israel, using the debate over its embassy move as a bargaining chip for Palestinian statehood. That same month, he described Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, as the “home of Judaism.”

Unlike U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Tillerson refuses to recognize that the Western Wall is in Israel. Moreover, his State Department continues to reject Israeli claims over the city of Jerusalem. (For more from the author of “State Dept Blames Israel for Causing Palestinian Violence” please click HERE)

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Comey Went Outside FBI Protocol With Leaks

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Former FBI Director James Comey’s actions in leaking to the media his own memos about meetings with President Donald Trump were not in keeping with how the Department of Justice operates, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Wednesday.

During a Fox News interview, Rosenstein said he would not directly address Comey’s actions. However, he was forthright when asked by Martha MacCallum on The Story whether he would ever consider it proper for an FBI director to leak notes to the media regarding a meeting with a president.

“As a general proposition, you have to understand the Department of Justice. We take confidentiality seriously, so when we have memoranda about our ongoing matters, we have an obligation to keep that confidential,” Rosenstein said.

Rosenstein also said the principle of confidentiality is basic to the work of the Department of Justice.

“I think it is quite clear,” he said. “It’s what we were taught, all of us prosecutors and agents.”

During the interview, he also defended hiring special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, something Trump has denied for months.

“I’ve got to explain that I made the decision to appoint Director Mueller based upon his reputation. He had an excellent reputation. Really bipartisan support for his integrity. That’s why I made that decision,” Rosenstein said. “But I can assure you that if there were conflicts that arose because of Director Mueller or anybody employed by Director Mueller, we have a process within the department to take care of that.”

Rosenstein said Mueller’s probe should be judged once it completes its work.

“The Department of Justice, we judge by results, and so my view about that is, we’ll see if they do the right thing,” Rosenstein said.

Comey said he believed the memos he wrote were his to do with as he pleased, but the FBI has indicated it has a different view. Four of the seven memos Comey wrote contained classified information, the FBI has told Congress.

FBI policy forbids an agent from sharing classified information without prior written permission, and all records created during official duties are government property.

Columbia University professor Daniel Richman, a Comey friend who leaked part of one memo to The New York Times, has said no rules were broken.

“No memos were given to the press, and no memos were classified at the time I received them,” Richman said, adding that the physical memo was never shared, only its “substance.” (For more from the author of “Comey Went Outside FBI Protocol With Leaks” please click HERE)

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Wasserman Schultz Negotiating With Police Over Hacking Probe

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Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is “negotiating” with the Capitol Police over whether to stop blocking access to a computer seized from her as part of a criminal cybersecurity investigation, Fox News reported Wednesday.

Soon after resigning as head of the Democratic National Committee in wake of it being hacked, the Florida Democrat’s top information technology (IT) aide, Pakistan-born Imran Awan, was named as the lead suspect in a separate information breach involving House data.

But instead of cooperating with Capitol Police, she used a hearing on the law enforcement group’s budget to threaten “consequences” for Police Chief Matthew R. Verderosa unless he returns her a computer taken in the investigation. Wasserman Schultz appeared visibly distraught in the televised hearing.

The computer was not returned, but it was reported Wednesday that investigators have not been able to examine contents of the equipment.

Now, after months of refusals, a lawyer representing the Florida lawmaker said she is “negotiating” with Capitol Police over whether she will grant them access, Fox reported. (Read more from “Wasserman Schultz Negotiating With Police Over Hacking Probe” HERE)

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Media Straight-Up Ignore Scandal

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It’s been 72 hours since one of the left’s most prominent political organizations declared its support for a convicted murderer and domestic terrorist on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and not one establishment media outlet has covered it.

As reported by TheDC on Monday, Women’s March declared its support for convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur on Sunday afternoon, calling her a “sign of resistance” and wishing the “revolutionary” a happy birthday.

CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal — as well as every major television network besides Fox News — all left their readers and viewers in the dark for three days (and counting) about the leftist organization’s support for a terrorist.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper sent a handful of tweets criticizing Women’s March and asked if there were any “progressives out there condemning this?” But Tapper’s own network has ignored the story for three straight days.

CNN, which found time to cover a Saturday Night Live writer’s tweets at Trump, has published zero articles about the scandal, which reflects negatively on prominent Democrats who have declared common cause with Women’s March. CNN’s on-air coverage — including Tapper’s show — featured zero mentions of the story. ABC, NBC, CBS and MSNBC similarly ignored the March’s support for a terrorist. Only Fox News gave the story any airtime. (Read more from “Media Straight-Up Ignore Scandal” HERE)

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Actress Pleads for Ban on Mutilation of Girls

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When the news broke in April that federal investigators in Detroit had arrested two doctors in the nation’s first case of female genital mutilation, it was widely reported in the local and national media that the cases were part of a “tiny sect” of Islam . . .

While American feminists have been largely silent about the atrocity of female genital mutilation, stressing the need for “cultural sensitivity,” the cause of banning the procedure in all 50 states has gained a new high-profile ally in Kelly Carlson, a Hollywood actress with family ties to Maine.

Carlson, who is best known for her role as Kimber Henry on the FX drama series “Nip/Tuck,” pulls no punches in championing the cause against FGM, calling out the American Civil Liberties Union for its support of the practice.

Carlson pointedly takes on the ACLU, which has made various excuses for legislators’ inaction in Minnesota and Maine.

One such excuse is that there is no need for a state-level prohibition of FGM, given that it is already a crime under federal statute. In fact, in testimony earlier this year on behalf of the Maine Prosecutors Association, Kennebec and Somerset Counties District Attorney Maeghan Maloney argued strongly that she and her colleagues need lawmakers in Augusta to adopt a state law criminalizing female genital mutilation. (Read more from “Actress Pleads for Ban on Mutilation of Girls” HERE)

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Trump Says He Wouldn’t Have Picked Sessions If He Knew He’d Recuse Himself

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President Trump said he never would have picked Attorney General Jeff Sessions if he’d known he would recuse himself in the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian meddling.

In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times Wednesday, Mr. Trump also accused fired FBI Director James Comey of trying to use a dossier of compromising information as leverage to keep his job. The interview is likely to only add fuel to the Russia story, even as the White House attempts to downplay it and focus on things like health care and jobs.

“Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which frankly I think is very unfair to the president,” the president said in the 50-minute interview. “How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, ‘Thanks, Jeff, but I’m not going to take you.’ It’s extremely unfair — and that’s a mild word — to the president.”

Sessions declined to comment on the story.

Mr. Trump also said he believes Comey told him about the dossier to make it clear he had leverage over the president. Mr. Trump fired Comey in May, and the White House offered conflicting explanation for his removal. (Read more from “Trump Says He Wouldn’t Have Picked Sessions If He Knew He’d Recuse Himself” HERE)

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