University Caves, Removes Research Suggesting Being Transgender Is a Result of Peer Pressure

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Brown University retracted research suggesting that young peoples’ decisions to transition from one gender to another is influenced by their peers and social media after angering the transgender community.

The university published behavioral and social sciences professor Lisa Littman’s research, “Rapid-onset gender dysphoria in adolescents and young adults,” revealing that students and young people considering transitioning may be affected by their peers.

Littman conducted her study by posting a 90-question survey on three websites where parents had reported rapid onsets of gender dysphoria. The responses were recorded anonymously and 256 parent-completed surveys met the study’s standards.

In nearly 40 percent of the friendship groups described, the majority of the members became “transgender-identified.”

Over 60 percent of the transgender adolescents had been diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder or neurodevelopmental disability prior to the onset of their gender dysphoria, according to the study’s results. (Read more from “University Caves, Removes Research Suggesting Being Transgender Is a Result of Peer Pressure” HERE)

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Homeless Man Sues Couple Who Raised Him $400,000 for Allegedly Mishandling Funds. Here’s Their Side of the Story.

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A New Jersey couple raised thousands of dollars for a homeless man on GoFundMe. Now that homeless man is suing the couple, claiming they’ve stolen money that rightfully belongs to him.

Mark D’Amico and Katie McClure set up the account in gratitude for Johnny Bobbitt after he gave McClure his last $20 when she found herself stranded on a Philadelphia highway with an empty gas tank. The story captivated the nation and the GoFundMe raised some $400,000.

Bobbitt is now claiming the couple mishandled the funds, allegedly spending the money on personal vacations and a new car, and has filed suit against them. . .

D’Amico and McClure have denied the allegations, telling Megyn Kelly on “Megyn Kelly Today” that they used hundreds of thousands of dollars from the fund on shelter and necessities for Bobbitt, but fear giving him any more large sums of cash since he blew through past offerings on drugs.

“If he needed anything, he got it, there was never a question,” D’Amico told Kelly. The couple said they spent a large chunk of the funds on a camper for Bobbitt (which was originally parked on land owned by McClure’s family), clothing, food, a laptop, a television, and hotel bills. There is currently around $150,000 left in funds, they said. (Read more from “Homeless Man Sues Couple Who Raised Him $400,000 for Allegedly Mishandling Funds. Here’s Their Side of the Story.” HERE)

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Texas Police Search for Mystery Woman Recorded Ringing Doorbell in Only a T-Shirt and What Appears to Be Restraints

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A neighborhood in Texas has been consumed with mystery after a security camera recorded a barefoot woman wearing only a T-shirt and what appears to be wrist shackles frantically ringing the doorbell of a home in the early hours of the morning.

The incident, which occurred after 3 a.m. on Friday, was captured by a doorbell cam recently installed at a home in the Sunrise Ranch subdivision, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. The unidentified woman, seeming somewhat panicked, appears suddenly out the bushes and rings the bell a few times before the seconds-long clip cuts out.

The home’s resident later reviewed the footage from a private security system and passed it along to authorities, who are now working to find and identify the woman, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Another homeowner in the area, who did not wish to be identified, said her doorbell rang at least 20 times Friday night, prompting her husband to make his way downstairs and to their front door. . .

Since authorities shared the footage — which was also published on the neighborhood’s Facebook page over the weekend — they’ve received numerous tips suggesting the woman could be a missing person in various cases, some of them as far away as Canada, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Spencer told the Chronicle. (Read more from “Texas Police Search for Mystery Woman Recorded Ringing Doorbell in Only a T-Shirt and What Appears to Be Restraints” HERE)

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Establishment Media Reams Ivanka Over Kindness to Jacksonville Victims

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Ivanka Trump led with her heart Sunday and wound up once again being the target of abuse on social media.

“As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting,” the first daughter — a mother of three — tweeted even as most of America was waiting for details to emerge about the shooting that took place in Florida, the New York Post reported.

That call for humanity ignited more than 3,000 comments, many directed against President Donald Trump for his position on gun rights, CBS reported.

In the incident, David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, shot 12 people, killing two, before killing himself, CNN reported. The guns were legally purchased in Maryland.

The criticism Ivanka Trump received for her tweet was covered by multiple major media outlets, such as Newsweek, which headlined its report, “Ivanka Trump Slammed for Jacksonville Shooting Tweet: ‘Vapid Heartless Nonsense.’”

Some voices fired back.

One commentator noted that the hatred directed at both Ivanka Trump and first lady Melania Trump misses the point that both routinely disagree with the president both privately and publicly.

“Unfortunately, because of the polarizing nature of political discourse, and because both women openly support Trump in other areas, their individual moments of dissent are not widely appreciated,” wrote Kimberly Ross in an Op-Ed posted by the Washington Examiner. “Those who feel that standing against the president should occur more often within his inner circle are sure to be disappointed. While I routinely differ from Ivanka Trump’s personal and professional political stances, I admire this stand of hers.”

Ross pointed to Ivanka Trump’s difference of opinion with her father about the media as evidence that they do not think in lockstep.

“The hatred that a fair amount of individuals on the left have for these two women is palpable. Neither is an elected official and both are quite limited in how much influence they have on this administration. By publicly objecting to certain attitudes within the Trump White House, and doing so with a measure of grace, they show that civil discourse is possible,” Ross wrote. (For more from the author of “Establishment Media Reams Ivanka Over Kindness to Jacksonville Victims” please click HERE)

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California Eliminates Bail System so That ‘Rich and Poor Alike Are Treated Fairly’

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California will no longer have a bail system for suspects awaiting trial beginning next year, after Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill aiming to treat suspects more equally, according to The Hill.

Senate Bill 10 will go into effect in October 2019 and replace the current bail system with a “risk assessment” procedure that will determine whether a suspect is released.

“Our path to a more just criminal justice system is not complete, but today it made a transformational shift away from valuing private wealth and toward protecting public safety,” said state Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), who authored the bill along with Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda). “Thanks to the collaboration of the governor, chief justice and the Legislature, we are creating a system that is fairer for all Californians.” . . .

Nonviolent misdemeanor suspects will be released within 12 hours after being booked, with exceptions being made for people with recent violent felony convictions, failures to appear, or domestic violence allegations.

For other suspects, local courts will conduct a risk assessment. Those found to be at a low risk of further criminal activity or fleeing will be released. Medium-risk suspects may be released at the discretion of the court, and high-risk suspects will be detained. (Read more from “California Eliminates Bail System so That ‘Rich and Poor Alike Are Treated Fairly’” HERE)

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About 1 in 7 U.S. Adults Reported Using Marijuana Last Year, and Many Believe It Has Health Benefits

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Nearly 15 percent of adults in the U.S. reported using marijuana last year, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal.

Researchers found that 1 in 7 adults used some form of cannabis in 2017, up slightly from 13 percent in 2016. In states where marijuana is legal for recreational use, the rate of users was as high as 20 percent.

The survey of the 9,003 adults found that Americans have a more favorable view of marijuana than existing scientific evidence supports, the study’s authors wrote. . .

Thirteen percent of adults in the U.S. reported using pot in 2016, according to a Gallup poll published earlier this month. In 2013, only 7 percent said they used it.

Sixty-six percent of respondents perceived pain management to be the most common benefit of marijuana use, followed by treatment for diseases such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (48 percent). Forty-seven percent believed it treats depression and anxiety. (Read more from “About 1 in 7 U.S. Adults Reported Using Marijuana Last Year, and Many Believe It Has Health Benefits” HERE)

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Mother Alleges That ICE Is Responsible for Her Toddler’s Death

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Jazmin Juarez, 20, and her 18-month-old daughter, Mariee, came to the U.S. from Guatemala via the Rio Grande in March. They were detained by ICE and placed in the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. Mariee soon developed a respiratory infection which “went woefully under-treated for nearly a month,” according to Juarez’s lawyers. Facility workers reportedly gave her Tylenol to alleviate her symptoms, but it did not help. The toddler died six weeks after the family’s release.

“A mother lost her little girl because ICE and those running the Dilley immigration prison failed them inexcusably,” the lawyers told CNN. “We are working with Yazmin and her family to obtain justice for the failures by ICE and others, and to ensure that no other family suffers such a needless and devastating loss.”

They provided a timeline of Mariee’s deteriorating condition.

But her lawyers say Mariee’s symptoms became worse, losing weight, vomiting as well as developing fever and diarrhea. During their nearly three weeks at the facility, Juarez sought medical attention for Mariee at least five times, according to her attorneys. During her time there, Mariee received various other diagnoses that included acute bronchiolitis and an ear infection.

“After it became clear that Mariee was gravely ill, ICE simply discharged mother and daughter. Yazmin immediately sought medical care for her baby, but it was too late. Mariee died following six agonizing weeks in the hospital after leaving Dilley,” according to her lawyers. (Read more from “Mother Alleges That ICE Is Responsible for Her Toddler’s Death” HERE)

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Bag With Apparent Human Remains Found in the Bronx for 2nd Time in a Week

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Police are investigating what appear to be human remains found inside two plastic bags in the Bronx Tuesday night.

This is the second time within the past week that body parts have been discovered in the Bronx.

Police received a 911 call just after 7:30 p.m. from a person who discovered the bags inside Barretto Point Park at Barretto Street and Viele Avenue in the Hunts Point section.

One bag appeared to have a human leg, while the other also appeared to have human remains. . .

Human remains were found in two bags on a sidewalk in the Claremont section Friday afternoon. (Read more from “Bag With Apparent Human Remains Found in the Bronx for 2nd Time in a Week” HERE)

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Just How Popular Is the ‘Abolish ICE’ Movement?

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A new poll revealed how little support the “Abolish ICE” movement has, even among Democrats, despite the mainstream media attention that the advocates have received. . .

The poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that even among Democrats only 25 percent support the policy to abolish the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The “Abolish ICE” movement gathered steam after the media focused on the families affected by the “no tolerance” policy the Trump administration enforced on immigration law. This led to family separations of some immigrants petitioning for amnesty, and also of illegal immigrants. . .

Despite the lack of support for abolishing ICE, a majority of self-described Democrats have an unfavorable view of the agency (57 percent). Among those who describe themselves as liberal, ICE is even less popular, with nearly three fourths reporting an unfavorable view. . .

President Donald Trump has taken up the defense of ICE as part of his political platform. In various speeches and on social media he has decried the vilification of an office he sees as essential to the defense of the nation. (Read more from “Just How Popular Is the ‘Abolish ICE’ Movement?” HERE)

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‘Pro-Life’ Senator Struggles to Defend His Vote Against Defunding Planned Parenthood

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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) struggled during a radio interview Monday to defend his vote last week to keep Planned Parenthood funded despite labeling himself a “pro-life Democrat.”

He was asked three times by Hoppy Kercheval on MetroNew’s Talkline to explain his vote against Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) amendment to defund Planned Parenthood. Manchin continually insisted that his vote was about funding healthcare for women in his state and that he didn’t believe the money went directly to abortions.

“How can you continue to argue that you are pro-life when you voted against that amendment that would’ve stopped funding for Planned Parenthood which performs abortions,” Kercheval initially asked. “I know that the money does not go specifically for abortion but it does go to support Planned Parenthood which is the largest abortion provider in the country.”

“First of all there’s not a penny of public dollars that go to support abortions from Planned Parenthood,” Manchin insisted. “I’ve checked it inside and out, with the Hyde Amendment it can’t happen it’s against the law.”

“I am pro-life and I think everyone knows I mean look at my record, I voted with Lindsey Graham on the 20-week ban on abortion,” he added. (Read more from “‘Pro-Life’ Senator Struggles to Defend His Vote Against Defunding Planned Parenthood” HERE)

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