Christopher Rufo fires back after woman claims a banyan tree-inspired mascot resembles 'an angry, threatening brown individual'



Democratic Public Education Caucus of Manasota President Robin Williams has authored a piece suggesting that New College of Florida's new mascot, the "Mighty Banyan," is problematic.

The mascot, which is a human-like tree that has bulging arm muscles, a chest, and a face, is a reference to the banyan trees on the school's campus.

Williams took issue with the mascot, suggesting that it looks like an mad and threatening brown person.

"To anyone with even a cursory knowledge of racial stereotypes, the new mascot should have set off alarms. It turns out the original student version of the mascot was very different in appearance and was unlikely to have raised any concerns. Yet Interim President Richard Corcoran and the New College Board of Trustees, which includes culture warrior Christopher Rufo among its members, supported and chose an altered mascot that depicts a tree that has been anthropomorphized to closely resemble an angry, threatening brown individual," Williams wrote.

"It is an image that is also reminiscent of the historically offensive imagery perpetuated by the 'Tarzan' books, which featured a main character who lived in an African jungle and boasted of being a 'killer of beasts and many black men.' Though generations have passed, there is no getting around the reality that the 'Tarzan' literary series remains one full of vile racial stereotyping, with Black men portrayed as 'primitive natives' and 'savages,'" she continued.

"'The Mighty Banyan' mascot also appears to bear similarities to race-oriented memorabilia that was especially popular during the Jim Crow era in the United States and, unfortunately, served to ingrain racial stereotypes in the American psyche," she added.

Rufo hit back at Williams' criticism, tweeting, "Advice for white libs: if you see a tree and immediately think 'looks like a scary minority to me,' you might be the racist."

\u201cLocal affluent white female liberal claims that the New College mascot, a banyan tree, "closely resemble[s] an angry, threatening brown individual."\n\nAdvice for white libs: if you see a tree and immediately think "looks like a scary minority to me," you might be the racist.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1687194433

According to New College, the new mascot is based on a student's design. Corcoran noted that "we are proud that this mascot was born from one of our student’s designs."

The Conservative Counter-Revolution Begins in the Universities www.youtube.com

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Texas Children’s Hospital announces ‘heart-wrenching,’ ‘painful’ plan to end sex-change program for minors — CEO vows to refer patients out of state



Texas Children’s Hospital announced on Wednesday that it would be making changes to its sex-change program to comply with recently passed legislation.

The hospital’s president and CEO, Mark Wallace, called the changes “heart-wrenching” and “painful” in an email posted to Twitter on Wednesday. He vowed to refer minor patients out of state so that they could continue to receive the so-called treatment.

Wallace blamed the recent passage of Senate Bill 14, which “prohibits procedures and prescription treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment and gender dysphoria” of minors.

The bill passed the state legislature earlier this month, and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has stated that he plans to sign it into law. The pending legislation will go into effect on September 1.

\u201cSCOOP: Texas Children's Hospital CEO Mark Wallace announces plans to discontinue the hospital's child sex-change program, in accordance with new legislation. He calls the decision "heart-wrenching," defends child sex changes as "high-quality," and will refer kids out of state.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1684946006

In the leaked email, Wallace stated that the bill would have “clear and direct programmatic implications.”

“Over the next few months, Texas Children’s will modify the gender-affirming care we offer to comply with the new law,” Wallace continued. “We will work with patients and their families to manage the discontinuation of hormone therapies or source appropriate care outside of Texas.”

“The transition we will embark on is going to be immensely heart-wrenching, but we will lead through this adversity and navigate these next steps together with grace, love and compassion like we always do,” he added.

One of the authors of the legislation, Republican Senator Donna Campbell, told Fox News Digital, “Children need counseling and love, not blades and drugs.”

“Both as a doctor and Senator I carefully crafted SB 14, with Dr. and Rep. Tom Oliverson, to protect children from social experimentation and exploitation. SB 14 Prevents the use of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and mutilating surgeries. Gender dysphoria is a soft description for mental delusion,” Campbell added.

The hospital’s announcement also comes amid an investigation launched by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton following reports that the hospital was performing mutilating surgeries on children in violation of state law.

Whistleblower documents released earlier this month accused the hospital of providing minors with surgeries, cross-sex hormones, and puberty blockers, despite previous claims that it had stopped providing the procedures.

Paxton stated that so-called gender-transitioning operations “constitute child abuse under Texas law.”

“Though many unhinged activists compromising the healthcare field think otherwise, children are not to be treated as science experiments,” he stated. “Doctors and hospitals should not be pushing mutilative and irreversible ‘gender transitioning’ procedures that will negatively impact innocent children for the rest of their lives.”

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Texas legislators introduce bill to ban 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' programs in state schools



A bill that would "prohibit" diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at "public institutions of higher education" in Texas has been introduced by a Republican legislator, as first reported by Christopher Rufo of City Journal.

Texas H.B. No. 1006 seeks to diffuse all legislation in relation to DEI and prevent the promotion, funding or sponsorship of the ideology in state-funded post-secondary schools.

Introduced by state House Representative Carl Tepper (R-Texas), the document puts an emphasis on a commitment to intellectual diversity and a variety of viewpoints.

Specifically, the bill seeks to prohibit "the funding, promotion, sponsorship, or support of" any office of diversity, equity, and inclusion. It also seeks to prohibit the above for any "initiative or formulation of diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond what is necessary to uphold the equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution."

The bill also seems to endorse a more historical definition of equality, stating that it "prohibits" the "endorsement or dissuasion of, or interference with, any lifestyle, race, sex, religion, or culture. "


\u201cBREAKING: Texas legislators have introduced a bill to abolish "diversity, equity, and inclusion" in the state university system. D.E.I programs have become offices of racialist ideology, speech suppression, and political indoctrination\u2014and deserve zero taxpayer support.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1671211695

Should any institution be found guilty of non-compliance, the bill permits the victim to bring action upon the institution, forcing it to pay the person's court costs and attorney fees:

"A person may bring an action for injunctive relief against an institution of higher education to compel the institution to comply with this section. If the person prevails in the action, the court shall award reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs to the person," the bill reads.

"The institution shall pay the fees and costs from the budget of the office of the chief executive officer of the institution or the institution ’s system, as applicable," it concludes.

The legislation comes as Texas state Republicans battle investment group BlackRock over "woke" investment practices, referring to environmental, social, and governance scoring that demands businesses and governments make commitments to left-wing social and political ideologies in order to gain access to capital.

The bill's author, state Representative Tepper, won election in a run-off for Texas House District 84 in May 2022, garnering nearly 59% of the vote.

According to his campaign website, Tepper was endorsed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, as well as a senator and two state representatives. Showcasing a photo with President Trump on the homepage, Tepper's platform included securing the border, protecting gun rights and election integrity.

Associated Press reporter canned over erroneous report suggesting Russia had launched a missile into a NATO country



An award-winning Associated Press reporter got the boot on Monday after claiming that a "senior U.S. intelligence official" had said Russia fired a missile into Poland. Before the AP offered a correction, 35-year-old James LaPorta's report — containing an erroneous suggestion with potentially catastrophic and nuclear repercussions — was widely circulated, generating panic and stoking geopolitical tensions.

The facts

On Nov. 15, Russia launched a brutal missile barrage targeting energy infrastructure in western Ukraine. During the attack, Ukrainian air defenses reportedly fired an errant missile into Poland.

The resultant explosion rocked the Polish village of Przewodów, just five miles away from the Ukrainian border. Two farm workers were killed.

NATO, Polish, and American leaders suggested shortly after the explosion that it was not a direct Russian attack.

Polish presidential adviser Jakub Kumoch told Poland's TVN24 channel days later that there "are many indications that one of the (Ukrainian) missiles used to shoot down a Russian missile missed the target. Its self-destruct system did not work, and this missile unfortunately led to a tragedy."

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called the claim that the explosion was Ukrainian-caused a "conspiracy theory."

Fake news, real consequences

Hours after the incident, the Associated Press issued a news alert co-bylined by LaPorta and reporter John Leicester, which stated, "A senior U.S. intelligence official says Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people."

A Russian attack on Poland would have been sufficient to trigger articles 4 and 5 of the NATO charter, potentially putting the U.S. into direct conflict with the nuclear power.

The Washington Post noted that the AP report had been sent to and seen by thousands of news outlets. News organizations frequently reprint reports from the AP.

CNN firmed up the narrative, reporting that Poland "confirms a Russian-made missile" was behind the explosion. CNN reportedly omitted any mention of how the Ukrainian military also uses Russian-made weapons.

Fox News and the Daily Mail similarly carried the AP reporter's suggestion, the former running a piece entitled, "Russian missiles cross into NATO member Poland, kill 2: senior US intelligence official," and the latter stating, "'Russian bombs' kill two in POLAND."

CBS Evening News tweeted "RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE: Two Russian missiles crossed over the Ukrainian border into Poland, a NATO country, killing two civilians."

\u201cRUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE: Two Russian missiles crossed over the Ukrainian border into Poland, a NATO country, killing two civilians. Ukraine\u2019s president says the world \u201cmust act\u201d and the head of NATO called for an emergency meeting for tomorrow morning.\u201d
— CBS Evening News (@CBS Evening News) 1668556095

Extra to cable news channels and print news organizations spreading the erroneous information, social media influencers began banging the drums of war on the basis of the AP report, signaling that Russia's war on Ukraine had finally spilled out into a NATO country.

For instance, Irish writer Jennifer Cassidy advanced the AP's claim to her 167,000 or more Twitter followers:

\u201cSenior U.S. intelligence official says Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two. Many people now mentioning triggering Article 5. We must ALL keep a calm, and collected head here. Putin wants WWIII. He\u2019s in this war, until his end. We cannot give him that.\u201d
— Dr. Jennifer Cassidy (@Dr. Jennifer Cassidy) 1668540127

Although it is unclear whether he spoke out on the basis of the AP report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a forceful statement, saying, "Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of our friendly country. People died."

\u201cZelensky: \u201cTerror is not limited to our national borders. Russian missiles hit Poland. \u2026 To fire missiles at NATO territory. This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a very significant escalation. We must act.\u201d\u201d
— Christopher Miller (@Christopher Miller) 1668543105

Were LaPorta's news alert true, then millions of people would have been promptly informed of the facts of the matter. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Retraction

After having updated the initial report several times, the AP indicated that a new assessment from three U.S. officials "contradicts information" in the original article. Shortly thereafter, the article was reportedly taken offline.

The AP issued a retraction later that day, writing: "In earlier versions of a story published November 15, 2022, The Associated Press reported erroneously, based on information from a senior American intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity, that Russian missiles had crossed into Poland and killed two people. Subsequent reporting showed that the missiles were Russian-made and most likely fired by Ukraine in defense against a Russian attack."

On Nov. 21, LaPorta, a former U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan, was fired. Co-byliner Leicester reportedly is still working at the AP.

An AP spokesman did not comment on LaPorta's firing, but told the Daily Beast that the "rigorous editorial standards and practices of The Associated Press are critical to AP’s mission as an independent news organization. To ensure our reporting is accurate, fair and fact-based, we abide by and enforce these standards, including around the use of anonymous sources."

Customarily, the AP "requires more than one source when sourcing is anonymous," with an exception when a source is an authoritative figure who "provides information so detailed that there is no question of its accuracy."

The Washington Post reported that LaPorta had received and shared the alleged U.S. intelligence official's tip in an electronic message around 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.

One editor asked whether to issue an alert on the basis of LaPorta's tip or to seek "confirmation from another source and/or Poland?"

A second editor said she "would vote" for publishing an alert, noting she couldn't "imagine a U.S. intelligence official would be wrong on this."

Although this exchange may suggest wider culpability, the Post reported on the basis of an anonymous source at the AP that LaPorta allegedly told his editors that a senior manager had already vetted the source of his tip, even though that manager had not reviewed the missile story.

AP spokesman Lauren Easton indicated there will likely be no discipline for any AP editor.

Poland, NATO: Missile 'very likely' fired into Poland by Ukrainian forces in 'tragic incident'



American and European officials now believe the explosion that killed two people in Poland near the country's border with Ukraine was "very likely" caused by Ukrainian air defenses. Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that "there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side."

What are the details?

Amid a brutal Russian missile barrage targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Tuesday, an explosion rocked the Polish village of Przewodów, just five miles away from the Ukrainian border. Two farm workers were killed.

Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of a "major escalation."

While Polish combat planes were scrambled, Warsaw summoned Russia's ambassador.

A Russian attack on Poland would have been sufficient to trigger articles 4 and 5 of the NATO charter, potentially putting the U.S. into direct conflict with the nuclear power.

Duda, President Joe Biden, and the leaders of other allied countries held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to collectively determine their next steps. In the talks, Biden condemned the "scores and scores of missile attacks in western Ukraine."

Hours later, the Polish president indicated on Twitter that the explosion was instead an “unfortunate accident” caused by a "S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side."

Barron's reported that the Russian defense ministry corroborated the Polish president's statement, stating, "Photographs of the wreckage ... were unequivocally identified by Russian military experts as fragments of a guided anti-aircraft missile of a Ukrainian S-300 air defence system."

"It is highly probable that it was fired by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense," added Duda.

Duda noted that "there are many indications that it was an air defense missile, which unfortunately fell on Polish territory."

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claim that the explosion was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile, calling it a Russian "conspiracy theory."

According to Kiev, Russia launched over 90 missiles into Ukraine on Tuesday, 77 of which the Ukrainian military allegedly shot down.

The Guardian reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg similarly suggested that, on the basis of preliminary analysis, it appears that "the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks."

"We have no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack," said Stoltenberg, "and no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO."

While it may have been a Ukrainian missile, Stoltenberg stressed that the "tragic incident" is "not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine."

This sentiment was also expressed by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski, who indicated that "we are dealing with a consequence of Russia's actions."

In concurrence with Duda and Stoltenberg, Biden suggested Wednesday morning that it is "unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that [the missile] was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”

\u201cNOW - Biden says "preliminary" information suggests it is "unlikely" missile that killed two in Poland was fired from Russia.\u201d
— Disclose.tv (@Disclose.tv) 1668564301

'Be calm'

In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a forceful statement, saying, "Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of our friendly country. People died."

Zelenskyy, keen on NATO's formal induction into the war, said, "The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats there will be to anyone within reach of Russian missiles. To fire missiles at NATO territory! This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a very significant escalation. We must act!"

\u201cZelensky: \u201cTerror is not limited to our national borders. Russian missiles hit Poland. \u2026 To fire missiles at NATO territory. This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a very significant escalation. We must act.\u201d\u201d
— Christopher Miller (@Christopher Miller) 1668543105

The Russians also jumped to conclusions.

The Washington Post reported that the Russian defense ministry intimated that the explosion was a false flag attack, calling it "a deliberate provocation in order to escalate the situation."

Polish President Andrzej Duda did not, however, jump to conclusions. He indicated that an investigation was under way and advised people to "be calm."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki suggested that it may not be necessary to invoke NATO's Article 4. Nevertheless, NATO is set to meet on Wednesday at the request of Poland.

Elon Musk drops BRUTAL response to Ukraine ambassador who told him to 'F*** off' — then flips his own script



Earlier this month, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk caused a whole lot of bipartisan outrage by daring to propose a plan to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine. In response to Musk's Twitter poll about possible conditions for negotiating peace, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, told the Tesla CEO to "f*** off."

\u201c@elonmusk Fuck off is my very diplomatic reply to you @elonmusk\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1664813743

Predictably, Musk was accused of siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite having frequently spoken out in support of Ukraine and providing the nation with thousands of free Starlink satellite units and free satellite service after Russia attacked Ukraine's communications system early in the war.

On “The Rubin Report,” BlazeTV host Dave Rubin shared a clip of CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert attacking Musk with the baseless accusation that he's suddenly a stooge for Putin.

Stephen Colbert Attacks Elon Musk with a Vicious Accusation | DM CLIPS | Rubin Reportwww.youtube.com

In response to an article in the "Financial Times" that criticized the provided communications systems and claimed they were, in part, "purchased by the U.S. government or crowdfunded by donors," Musk revealed that SpaceX has already spent $80 million to help Ukraine and that the costs will "exceed $100 million by the end of the year."

\u201c@ChristopherJM @FT @MehulAtLarge @felschwartz Bad reporting by FT. This article falsely claims that Starlink terminals & service were paid for, when only a small percentage have been. \n\nThis operation has cost SpaceX $80M & will exceed $100M by end of year.\n\nAs for what\u2019s happening on the battlefield, that\u2019s classified.\u201d
— Christopher Miller (@Christopher Miller) 1665157100

But it looks like Musk's charitable contributions may be coming to an end. According to a CNN report, a SpaceX director sent a letter to the Pentagon last month saying the company can't continue to fund the Starlink service without some funding from the Pentagon.

A correspondent for "The Kiev Post" noted that Starlink's move came after Melnyk's poorly judged jab at his country's benefactor.

“We’re just following his recommendation,” Musk replied.

\u201c@officejjsmart @MelnykAndrij We\u2019re just following his recommendation \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d
— Jason Jay Smart (@Jason Jay Smart) 1665722842

In the end, though, Musk seemed to have a change of heart. "The hell with it ... even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free," he tweeted.

\u201cThe hell with it \u2026 even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we\u2019ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1665857180
\u201c@DavidSacks Even so, we should still do good deeds\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1665857180
\u201c@gainzy222 Fate loves irony\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1665857180

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Medical students’ woke oath promises to promote a ‘culture of anti-racism,’ condemns ‘inequities’ of ‘white supremacy, colonialism, the gender binary’



University of Minnesota Medical School students recited a revised version of the Hippocratic Oath during an August white coat ceremony. The pledge was packed with woke references to climate change and anti-racism.

Students vowed to recognize the “inequities built by past and present traumas rooted in white supremacy, colonialism, the gender binary, ableism, and all forms of oppression.”

During the ceremony, a program handout with the oath was provided to the medical students and their friends and family attending the event. The program noted that fifteen incoming medical students wrote the modified pledge.

Minnesota’s WDIO reported that 240 students attended the white coat ceremony, including “19% first-generation students, 54% women, and 41% BIPOC students.”

Associate dean for undergraduate medical education Robert Englander led the class of 2026 in reciting the oath.

UMMS media relations manager Kat Dodge told Campus Reform that “it is a common practice at medical schools in the United States to build upon the intent of the Hippocratic Oath to promote humility, integrity, and beneficence.”

“Each year at the UMMS, the incoming students work with faculty to write an oath that reflects these core elements, values, and ethics the class aspires to uphold,” Dodge stated.

The beginning of the student-composed pledge read, “Our institution is located on Dakota land. Today, many Indigenous people from throughout the state, including Dakota and Ojibwe, call the Twin Cities home; we also recognize this acknowledgment is not enough.”

The incoming medical students promised their commitment to “uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the healthcare system.”

“As we enter this profession with opportunity for growth, we commit to promoting a culture of anti-racism, listening, and amplifying voices for positive change,” the oath read.

Students reciting the pledge swore to “honor all Indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by Western medicine” and commit themselves to “healing our planet.”

The medical students also vowed to collaborate with “social, political, and additional systems to advance health equity.”

\u201cUniversity of Minnesota medical students swear an oath to "honor all Indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by Western medicine" and to fight "white supremacy, colonialism, [and] the gender binary."\n\nThey are being inducted in the cult of CRT.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1665513660

'I do not have a minimum age of any sort in my practice': Plastic surgeon performs gender surgery on minors



As radical leftist gender ideology metastasizes in the U.S., there really are people performing gender surgeries on minors.

"The Gender Confirmation Center and Dr. Scott Mosser have some of the strictest criteria in the USA for operating on people below the age of 18. If the criteria are met, then the surgeons of the GCC will perform some forms of gender surgery on adolescents, and only with full consent of all legal guardians," according to genderconfirmation.com. "Stay positive, Dr. Mosser has performed FTM/N top surgery on many patients under 18 who were able to secure their surgery using insurance," the site says.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire drew attention to Mosser: "Let me introduce you to Dr. Scott Mosser, who cuts the breasts off of adolescent girls. Many surgeons across the country will and do inflict 'top surgery' on minors. Mosser assures us that he follows very 'strict' guidelines before performing double mastectomies on children," Walsh tweeted.

Christopher Rufo shared a video in which Mosser noted that he does not have a minimum age requirement a young person must meet in order to get a surgery. A slide during his presentation noted, "puberty & diagnosis, not age, determines surgery candidacy."

"I do not have a minimum age of any sort in my practice. There's no chronological age that says you don't get surgery," he said in the video. He noted that he does not believe he had ever performed a consult for a 12-year-old, then added, "but we would, if one came our way. We just haven't had reason to."

\u201cWhile Matt Walsh has it trending: Dr. Scott Mosser has performed "over two thousand top surgeries" on girls and women, and says that there is no age limit for beginning the "gender journey."\nhttps://t.co/Io9f8XuR9g\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1661887166

The fact that the practice of performing such procedures on children is a hotly debated issue in modern society demonstrates how far the radical leftist gender movement has advanced.

The Gender Confirmation Center, like other proponents of the ideology, uses terms such as "gender confirmation surgery" and "gender affirming care" — the Orwellian terminology refers to practices which do literally the opposite of affirming and confirming an individual's immutable biological sex.

Worst ad ever? DCCC seeks to target Latinos with ad in which one of the characters says that 'Democrats seem so out of touch'



With Americans facing soaring inflation and sky-high gas prices, it's entirely possible that the Democratic Party could be cruising for a bruising at the ballot box during the 2022 midterm elections — but an ad that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hopes will appeal to Latino voters may not improve the party's chances of avoiding an embarrassing drubbing during the election.

The DCCC shared an ad in which a woman, who complains of back and neck pain, says that she cannot slow down because she needs to earn more money because of high gas prices and her children's need for daycare. She notes being "so stressed out," and says that she does not "know what else to do."

Another character in the ad advises the woman to vote for Democrats, saying, "These Republican extremists have no plan to help us."

The overworked woman responds by saying that "Democrats seem so out of touch."

"Not true. These MAGA Republicans are only working for rich people. Democrats know firsthand that even small price increases are hard on working families like ours. Democrats are finding solutions, unlike the Republicans," the other character replies. "What you could do is vote for Democrats."

It seems unlikely that the ad will inspire voters to get excited about voting for Democrats.

One person on Twitter commented, "this might be the worst ad i've ever heard. woof. without the tag it could be a republican spot."

\u201cthis might be the worst ad i've ever heard. woof. without the tag it could be a republican spot\u201d
— Christopher Hooks (@Christopher Hooks) 1659025117

"First of all, this ad is terrible. But more importantly, it represents the terrible position in which Democrats find themselves in South Texas and the RGV. The Dem brand is ruined--completely destroyed. They have to attack both parties. This means they are going to lose," someone else tweeted.

In a press release, the DCCC announced that it is shelling out a seven-figure sum for digital, print, and radio ads to attract Latino support in "battleground districts."

"The first radio advertisements will run in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, and will spotlight Republicans’ extreme plans for America and highlight the historic accomplishments Democrats have delivered to communities," the press release declared.

"Democrats refuse to take Latino voters for granted and this latest investment will join the DCCC’s cycle-long commitment to court, build and expand Democrats’ relationship and commitment to the Latino electorate," DCCC Senior Advisor for Latino Engagement Mariafernanda Zacarias said, according to the press release. "At a time when Republicans lie and try to deceive voters, especially in Latino communities, the DCCC is going to continue making the case that Democrats are the best for our families and our freedoms."

Chris Rufo REVELS in NY mag writer's humiliation after magazine issues 'very embarrassing' correction



Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo celebrated a "win" on Twitter after New York magazine finally issued a correction on an Intelligencer article from April that misquoted him.

"Winning," Rufo wrote. "New York Magazine's @jonathanchait fabricated a quotation in an attempt to smear me, but I caught him red-handed and his editors had to retract the false statement and issue a correction. Very embarrassing for him.

\u201cWinning: New York Magazine's @jonathanchait fabricated a quotation in an attempt to smear me, but I caught him red-handed and his editors had to retract the false statement and issue a correction. Very embarrassing for him.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657834203

"Funny how Chait 'misquoted' my remarks using completely different words and changing the entire meaning of my sentences in a way that just so happened to turn me into the villain in his narrative. It's one of our country's greatest ironies that Jonathan Chait's columns appear under the header 'Intelligencer,'" Rufo added.

\u201cIt's one of our country's greatest ironies that Jonathan Chait's columns appear under the header "Intelligencer."\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657834203

Jonathan Chait, the article's author, was incensed. Apparently, he doesn't consider misquoting a person and intentionally changing the meaning of his words to be all that big a deal. In fact, it was a "minor" mistake, not embarrassing at all, and by the way he has "standards."

"In fact, the misquote said virtually the same thing as the original. The misquote was minor (I will quote both in a follow-up) but we corrected because, unlike Rufo, we have standards.

\u201cIn fact, the misquote said virtually the same thing as the original. The misquote was minor (I will quote both in a follow-up) but we corrected because, unlike Rufo, we have standards.\u201d
— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657838373

Rufo was happy to help Chait understand the error of his ways.

"Regime journalism 101: 'Yes, I absolutely fabricated the quotation to push a pre-conceived narrative, but it's not a big deal. Trust me,'" Rufo tweeted, before posting a side-by-side comparison of his actual quote and Chait's misleading version, complete with the explaination:

"On the left is Chait's fabricated quote, which suggests that I 'instructed' conservatives to 'create an atmosphere' of school distrust. On the right is my real quote, which says that teachers unions and school bureaucracies have already created distrust. These are not the same."

\u201cOn the left is Chait's fabricated quote, which suggests that I "instructed" conservatives to "create an atmosphere" of school distrust. On the right is my real quote, which says that teachers unions and school bureaucracies have already created distrust.\n\nThese are not the same.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657840213

Nope, these are clearly not the same.


\u201c@morenlh @realchrisrufo "You need to scare people into believing that there could be potholes in every road they drive on."\n\nis not the same as:\n\n"When people notice that they're driving over potholes all the time, remind them that the public works dept. should have filled them."\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657840213
\u201c@jonathanchait If they said the same thing, you wouldn't have had to retract it. Clearly they are communicating two very different points.\u201d
— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657838373
\u201c@jonathanchait Virtually the same thing? Sure. Then in which way(s) was the quote 'virtually' different?\u201d
— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657838373
\u201c@jonathanchait Lmao, these are completely different.\n\nThis is like saying "create" and "assume" are the same word.\u201d
— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657838373
\u201c@realchrisrufo No they are not the same or even close (if this quote on left, was only lifted from the text on the right). Where does the get the \u201che instructed his audience..? etc\u201d\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657840213
\u201c@jonathanchait \u201cOperate from a premise of\u201d vs. \u201ccreate an atmosphere of\u201d are quite different things. \n\nThe latter takes an active, primary role; the former simply assumes its presence, which may have arrived from multiple causes.\u201d
— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657838373
\u201c@realchrisrufo You know you've made it when they start making shit up about you.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657840213
\u201c@jonathanchait If you have standards then why'd you misquote the man in the first place?\u201d
— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657838373

Why indeed.


\u201cIt's incredible that Chait boasts about his "standards" in the same tweet in which he admits to fabricating a quotation to push a pre-conceived narrative. This is why the public has zero trust in regime media: lies, hubris, and hypocrisy all wrapped into one.\u201d
— Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f (@Christopher F. Rufo \u2694\ufe0f) 1657842498

Rufo recently joined Dave Rubin, Spencer Klavan, and Josh Hammer on “The Rubin Report” to talk about the cost-of-living crisis most Americans are facing and why it’s important to stand up to people like Jonathan Chait or BNC News’ Marc Lamont Hill who try to smear anyone who doesn't share their leftist world view.

Watch the video clip below to hear more from Dave. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.


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