Caution Urged as Transgender Surgeries Skyrocket

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Skeptics are standing athwart the transgender movement, yelling stop, as a new study shows sex-reassignment surgeries are on the rise.

The number of procedures, including the removal and construction of external genitalia, increased nearly fourfold from 2000 to 2014, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Surgery.

Joseph Backholm, president of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, said there is “no conclusive evidence” that these procedures lead to beneficial outcomes for transgender patients.

“People who go through gender-masking surgeries — you can’t actually change your gender — still experience disproportionate levels of stress, anxiety and suicidality,” Mr. Backholm said. “It calls into question whether rushing into this is actually helpful.”

The study’s authors, who are affiliated with Harvard University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, looked at data compiled in the National Inpatient Sample from more than 1,000 hospitals. They identified nearly 38,000 patients who were classified under transsexualism or gender-identity disorder diagnosis codes between 2000 and 2014. (Read more from “Caution Urged as Transgender Surgeries Skyrocket” HERE)

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Sessions to Make Major Announcement on Sanctuaries

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to be in Sacramento on Wednesday to make what his office describes as a “major sanctuary jurisdiction announcement,” just blocks from the state Capitol, where a new law making California a sanctuary state was passed and signed.

Sessions did not provide advance details of his announcement, but his Justice Department has been in an escalating legal battle with California, dozens of cities and counties in the state, including San Francisco, and hundreds nationwide whose laws and policies restrict local police and jailers from taking part in federal immigration enforcement.

His targets have included the local and state sanctuary laws, already the subject of court battles, as well as local officials like Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who publicly warned the immigrant community Feb. 24 of an impending Bay Area raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Acting ICE director, Thomas Homan, who previously threatened pro-sanctuary politicians with criminal prosecution, compared Schaaf to “a gang lookout.” President Trump’s press secretary said the Justice Department was looking into Schaaf’s actions.

Sanctuary laws predate the Trump administration — they spread nationwide during the presidency of Barack Obama, who deported record numbers of immigrants — and have won support from many law enforcement groups because they encourage noncitizens to report crimes without fear of deportation. (Read more from “Sessions to Make Major Announcement on Sanctuaries” HERE)

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Top Muslim Leaders Arrested at Speaker Ryan’s Office

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Declaring their solidarity with the children of illegal immigrants, a prominent Muslim activist and several leaders of a U.S. front-organization for the Muslim Brotherhood were among the people arrested Monday in a protest outside the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan in which they demanded a meeting to express their concerns.

Capitol Police led away in handcuffs Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and two CAIR chapter leaders along with Linda Sarsour, the former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, who drew national attention last year as co-chairman of the Women’s March . . .

The other protesters arrested Monday were Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR Michigan; Zahra Billoo, civil-rights attorney and the executive director of CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area chapter; Omar Suleiman, president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research; Mujahid Fletcher, CEO of the advertising agency FocusPoint Studios; and Talib Shareef, president and imam of the Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, in Washington, D.C.

Suleiman said Trump administration immigration policies are “creating real fear,” explaining he and his colleagues are fighting white supremacy because “Islamophobia,” racism and hostility against immigrants all stem from the same roots, reported Al Jazeera.

The White House and Republican and Democratic congressional leaders are engaged in negotiations over the status of nearly 700,000 children in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, established through a constitutionally questionable executive order by President Obama. Trump announced last year a plan to phase out the program and set a deadline of March 5 for Congress to decide the fate of the illegal immigrants. However, a lower court ordered the administration to continue to accept renewal applications indefinitely, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined last month to take up the administration’s appeal. (Read more from “Top Muslim Leaders Arrested at Speaker Ryan’s Office” HERE)

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Top Economic Adviser Resigns From Trump Team

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White House chief economic advisor Gary Cohn has resigned from President Donald Trump’s administration.

The former Goldman Sachs president and free trade advocate Cohn, whose departure date will come in a few weeks, decided to quit after Trump announced he would impose stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

In a prepared statement, Cohn said, “It has been an honor to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform.”

“I am grateful to the President for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the Administration great success in the future,” Cohn said.

In his own statement, Trump said, “Gary has been my chief economic advisor and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again. (Read more from “Top Economic Adviser Resigns From Trump Team” HERE)

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Dems to Let Same-Sex Couples Buy Children

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The facts of biology, refusing to bend to the political agenda of the five lawyers on the U.S. Supreme Court who created same-sex “marriage,” still pose an obstacle for same-sex duos who have a wedding and say they are a family . . .

Now lawmakers in the state of Washington are attempting to fix that by creating surrogacy rules that would allow wealthy same-sex duos to buy babies.

Their report on bill ESSB 6037, called the Uniform Parentage Act, asserts changes are needed “due to the lack of equal treatment for same sex couples.”

“Marital rights do not transfer into parental rights nationwide,” the bill’s summary of public testimony explains. “Currently, when a lesbian couple has a child through assisted reproduction, the nongenetic mother must go through an expensive and time-consuming second-parent adoption to establish parentage that will be recognized in other states.”

While the bill report states, “A person may not enter into a surrogate parentage contract for compensation, and any such contract is void as against public policy,” a few paragraphs lower it specifically allows that, “A surrogacy agreement may provide for payment of consideration.” (Read more from “Dems to Let Same-Sex Couples Buy Children” HERE)

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Airline Sending Employees to Compassion Training

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. . .The airline recently rolled out a new program called “core4.” Thousands of employees will go through an ambitious four-hour training session that aims to teach workers to be efficient (think on-time departures), ensure operations are safe and do it all with a smile.

Airlines face near-instant backlash from consumers as on-board incidents go viral thanks to ubiquitous smartphones.

United was embroiled in a public relations disaster last year when passenger David Dao was violently dragged off a flight to make room for a commuting crew member. Its handling of the incident, including a botched apology, drew further ire on social media.

As it is trying to improve its image and how employees treat customers, United is also trying to remain as efficient as possible to convince skeptical investors that it can grow its operations and expand profit margins.

Roughly 30,000 customer-facing employees such as flight attendants will be required to take the course. Core4 draws its name from the four characteristics: caring, safe, dependable and efficient. (Read more from “Airline Sending Employees to Compassion Training” HERE)

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Conservative Actor Brings Forward Plan to Win Back California

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. . .Many in Hollywood and the movie industry secretly support President Trump, Antonio Sabato Jr. divulged to WND, and they’re itching to take California back from the grips of socialist Democrats.

“I can focus on the negative that is coming from Hollywood or focus on the positive: People in Hollywood are waking up,” Sabato told WND. “People are calling me and saying, ‘You are doing the right thing; we’re behind you. We might not be able to speak at the moment because we don’t want to get fired or lose our jobs.’” . . .

Sabato, who says he knows exactly what socialism looks like, explained why he believes conservatives will ultimately win the culture war against socialist Democrats:

[The culture war] can be won. Socialists, socialist countries, socialism in general, has never worked – it will never work. We are a republic. We follow laws. We have the greatest country in the world because we actually have laws on the books that make sense; we just have to start following them. We also have to have American people start voting for people who actually work for them. I am eager to go in November and go to Washington and work for you – not the other way around. I am going to stand up, I am going talk for you and I am happy to do so.

They are already taking God away from our kids’ schools. Next, the flag. Next, the American anthem. Next, our policies – and who knows – our freedoms will be taken away, one after the other. I believe the American people are going to rise up. We are doing this together. My campaign, personally, is not about me. My slogan is, “It’s about you, the American people.” I am going to protect my county and do everything I can to do so.

(Read more from “Conservative Actor Brings Forward Plan to Win Back California” HERE)

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Woman Makes Joke About Islam – Now Facing Jail Time

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A 32-year-old woman from Gothenburg could be locked up for 2 years after making some Facebook jokes about Islam, Swedish newspaper Friatider reports.

According to police reports, the woman is charged with “talking in a negative or threatening way about a group of people” after she posted cartoons about Islam on Facebook.

A preliminary investigation was started after she was reported to the police. The woman had to undergo a “degrading” interrogation and had to submit DNA as well. During the police hearing, the woman apologized for her post and said she had nothing against ordinary Muslims, but only against ISIS. (Read more from “Woman Makes Joke About Islam – Now Facing Jail Time” HERE)

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In His Own Words: Pro-2A Parkland Survivor Nails Why the MSM Won’t Give Him the Time of Day

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While the mainstream media abuses some teen survivors of the Parkland school shooting to push for gun-control measures and shut down debate, it ignores others like Kyle Kashuv. The media is not helping survivors speak out; CNN and other networks are exploiting survivors by only letting certain kids tell their story — and spread misinformation — because it furthers a pro-gun control narrative.

Kashuv, 16, recently was interviewed by Townhall’s Guy Benson and spoke about why the mainstream media won’t have him on television to talk about his pro-Second Amendment views.

“Maybe because I don’t use inflammatory language. I speak calmly and logically without much emotion. I don’t necessarily make the very best headline,” Kashuv tells Benson.Here’s the other side of the story:

Kashuv is a “very strong Second Amendment supporter.” “As of right now, my main goal is to meet with legislators and represent to them that there are big Second Amendment supporters in our community. Through this entire thing, my number one concern has been making sure that the rights of innocent Americans aren’t infringed upon.”

He did not want to enter the debate about guns. “I feel somewhat obligated to do this because the other half of America needs to be heard. I’m doing this because I have to.”

Other members of the “Never Again” movement against school shootings are taking an “us vs. them” mentality. “It’s quite saddening because I support this Never Again movement in some aspects. Everything that isn’t for gun control, I fully support. But a lot of people in the movement, they view it as ‘you’re with us or you’re against us.’ There’s no middle ground.”

Kashuv says the “ineffective” CNN town hall on guns divided America. “It was so counterproductive because Republicans would answer back, and they weren’t really able to voice logical concerns and [talk about] what they wanted to do because they were just booed. It was simply counterproductive. That’s the only word for it.”

“The only way change will be accomplished is if we stop using inflammatory language, we sit down and have a logical discussion, we don’t call the person the enemy, we don’t shout at them, and we don’t boo them. That’s the only way a positive change will be made.”

You can read the full, excellent profile over at Townhall.com. Kyle Kushuv also spoke to CRTV’s Steven Crowder. You can watch that full interview here.

(For more from the author of “In His Own Words: Pro-2A Parkland Survivor Nails Why the MSM Won’t Give Him the Time of Day” please click HERE)

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The Media Admits Trump Was Right

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Crumbling narrative… The United States media has systematically denied the existence of “no-go zones” in Europe. These zones are areas that neither police nor citizens of those countries dare to go into. Take for example this piece in The Atlantic from 2015, “Why the Muslim ‘no-go zone’ myth won’t die.” Except it is not a “myth.” Just last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly recognized the existence of “no-go areas” in her country. NewsBusters has the details. For the media, these “no-go zones” are counter to the narrative; that’s why reporters just deny the very existence of something that has been provable for a long time.

Oh, THAT crime problem… In the same vein as the non-coverage of the “no-go zones” is the ever-escalating migrant violence problem in Sweden. PowerLine’s Paul Mirengoff recounts how the New York Times slammed President Donald Trump in February 2017 after his CPAC speech, in which he mentioned the Swedish crime problem. Now that very same New York Times has documented the horrific crime wave that Trump was talking about. How bad is it? Forget guns, as Mirengoff explains: “According to the Times, there have been more than 100 incidents involving military-grade explosives in the Stockholm metro area that police have attributed to an ‘arms race’ among immigrant gangs.” The apology from the Times to Trump must be in the mail.

What socialism? … On Sunday the New York Times’ Sunday magazine featured a profile of the Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. In the long feature, the current problems of Venezuela are discussed. Our friends over at NewsBusters noticed a very peculiar thing, however. There was no mention of how socialism is at the root of the problems in Venezuela. It was completely glossed over. Again, many in the media believe in left-wing ideologies like socialism. Publishing information that shows socialism in a bad light is counter to their narrative.

Collusion delusion …

Shot … The New Yorker magazine just published a lengthy profileChaser … In the second episode of LevinTV host Mark Levin’s new Fox News show, “Life, Liberty, & Levin,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R. Calif., appeared for the full hour. Levin and Nunes discussed how the Obama administration used Steele’s dossier to spy on domestic political opponents. It’s must-see TV. The American Thinker has an in-depth look at the interview, which it says “raises the bar.” Here’s what Nunes had to say about the media:

The media in this country is dead. It no longer exists, and the American people need to understand this. I don’t know where it’s going to all end – if it’s dead forever – but 90% of the media is far-left-wing, and they are totally reliant on getting clicks and playing to their base and to their owners to support what their owners want.

That sounds about right.

March sadness …

My beloved UMass-Lowell Riverhawks made the jump from NCAA Division II to Division I beginning in the fall of 2013. After a four-year probationary period, all teams are finally able to participate in the postseason. This weekend, after jumping out to a 49-38 halftime lead over the UMBC Retrievers, the UML men’s basketball team cratered and ended up losing by double digits. This is my first taste of what it feels like to have your team lose during what I’m calling March sadness. I have a feeling it won’t be the last. of Christopher Steele, the former British spy responsible for the DNC/Hillary Clinton campaign-funded Trump dossier. One of the claims made in the profile is that “Steele told friends that Trump supporters were using him as a ‘battering ram’ to ‘take down the whole intelligence community.’”

The piece is heavily slanted towards the narrative that any questions about Steele’s work, how FISA warrants were obtained, and the notion that Trump colluded with the Russians in 2016 are totally unwarranted. It tries to paint Steele, whose dossier has not been verified, in a good light. (For more from the author of “The Media Admits Trump Was Right” please click HERE)

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