Anheuser-Busch stock slips in wake of Bud Light's transsexual marketing fiasco and boycott
ESG-conscious executives at Anheuser-Busch may have discounted the initial backlash against Bud Light's partnership with female impersonator Dylan Mulvaney, but they are unlikely to ignore the Monday morning drop in their company's share price.
The stock price for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (BUD) closed last week at $66.34 per share. Monday morning, the price fell precipitously, opening at $64.99. As of the time of publication, the price continued to slide.
ScalpIt, a Twitter account that discusses investment opportunities, suggested last week that it might be a good "time to short $BUD" as merchandisers noted the consumer backlash to Bud Light's reported partnership with Mulvaney was having a visible impact.
An individual claiming to work for an Anheuser-Busch affiliate recently noted online that few if any are now buying the company's various alcoholic beverages. Other images circulating on Twitter appear to anecdotally corroborate his claims.
\u201cJUST IN: Anheuser-Busch affiliate, whose primary sales is bud light says NO ONE IS BUYING THE PRODUCTS and when this happens he can\u2019t feed his family.. \n\n\u201cThey DON\u2019T KNOW their clientele\u2026 \u201cThanks, Anheuser-Busch.\u201d\n\n\u201d— Chuck Callesto (@Chuck Callesto) 1680959190
TheBlaze previously reported that the initial announcement — that a TikTok performer who simultaneously boasts about having become a "girl" and sporting a "bulge" would be a spokesman for the Bud Light — sparked outrage and disbelief.
Townhall columnist Derek Hunter wrote that Bud Light is now "the groomer of beers," a knock on Budweiser's old claim to be "king of beers."
Jaimee Michell, founder of Gays Against Groomers, tweeted, "Dylan Mulvaney is the new (botched) face of Bud Light [clown emoji] @budlight either doesn't know their customers or they do and just don't give a sh**. I'm guessing the latter. What a disgrace."
Rock music artist Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, came out against the announcement with guns blazing.
In a now-viral video, Ritchie said, "Let me say something to all of you and be as clear and concise as possible," then fired numerous shots at several cases of Bud Light beer.
He concluded by saying, "F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch. ... Have a nice day!"
Country music legend Travis Tritt went much farther than Ritchie's full metal jacket, announcing last week that he would "be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same."
Tritt's tweet was retweeted over 21,700 times and liked over 210,000 times.
Tritt noted that he had been sponsored by Budweiser in the past but that those days are gone: "A great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a shame."
TheBlaze reported that esteemed country music singer John Rich similarly revealed he would be ditching Bud Light at his Nashville bar following the company's woke initiative.
Rich polled his followers online, asking them, "Are you thirsty for a Bud Light now?"
With 30,842 votes cast, the result was resoundingly, "Hell Naw."
\u201cAre you thirsty for a Bud Light now?\u201d— John Rich\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@John Rich\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1680567448
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh called on conservatives to band together to boycott woke businesses, suggesting that efficacy was dependent upon picking a company, ganging up on it, and making "an example of it."
"We can't boycott every woke company or even most of them," tweeted Walsh. "But we can pick one, it hardly matters which, and target it with a ruthless boycott campaign. Claim one scalp then move onto the next."
Podcaster Tim Pool noted that those interested in boycotting Anheuser-Busch must target several brands:
\u201cand these\u201d— Tim Pool (@Tim Pool) 1680784200
TheStreet reported that despite the Monday drop, Anheuser-Busch stock continues to outperform the shares of its peers. It is unclear whether the stock will rally or whether the Monday slip signals the beginning of a trend.
This video is part of what spurred the reaction and the boycott:
\u201cBud Light knows hiring Dylan Mulvaney won\u2019t help sales \u2014 but that\u2019s not why they hired him. \n\nIt will, however, significantly improve their ESG score. That\u2019s why they did it. \n\u201d— Mythinformed (@Mythinformed) 1680487838
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Pro-abortion Antifa activists face lawsuit for attacks against crisis pregnancy centers in Florida
Two pro-abortion activists associated with Antifa have been sued by the Florida attorney general in connection to vandalism at several crisis pregnancy centers in the state.
On Wednesday, Ashley Moody, the Republican attorney general of Florida, filed a civil lawsuit against Caleb Hunter Freestone, 27, and Amber Marie Smith-Stewart, 23. Last year, the couple, both members of Antifa and the radically pro-abortion group Jane's Revenge, allegedly attacked three Floridian crisis pregnancy centers: the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center in Hollywood, the LifeChoice crisis pregnancy center in Winter Haven, and the Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah.
"Antifa and Jane’s Revenge are criminal organizations and must answer for their crimes in Florida," Moody said in a statement. "I am taking action to hold their members accountable for attempting to intimidate and threaten law-abiding citizens in our state."
In the weeks and months leading up to the Dobbs decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade, dozens of pro-life centers around the country were attacked by militant pro-abortion activists who were "spray painting their walls, breaking their windows, and even setting fire to their buildings," the lawsuit stated.
In January, a federal grand jury indicted Freestone and Smith-Stewart for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act by targeting "pregnancy resource facilities and vandaliz[ing] those facilities with spray-painted threats," the Department of Justice claimed. According to reports, the defendants spray-painted various threatening messages, including:
- "If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you,"
- "YOUR TIME IS UP!!,"
- "Abortion 4 ALL," and
- "WE’RE COMING for U."
With the defendants facing criminal prosecution at the federal level, Moody has moved to hold them civilly liable for the attacks as well. The lawsuit seeks $170,000 from both Freestone and Smith-Stewart and wants the court to prohibit them from going within 100 feet of any crisis pregnancy center in Florida in the future.
\u201cHere\u2019s the woman who was charged: Amber Stewart-Smith\u201d— Chuck Ross (@Chuck Ross) 1674605779
Leftist politicians waste no time declaring 'bigotry,' 'white supremacy' as motives for mass killing in Asian-majority community. Then a pesky fact emerges.
Leftist politicians wasted no time blaming "bigotry" and "white supremacy" for Saturday's mass killing in the predominantly Asian community of Monterey Park, California — and before the facts came out about the shooter.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) on Sunday tweeted that he was "heartbroken" over the tragedy and that America "must stand up to bigotry and hate wherever they rear their ugly heads ..."
\u201cI'm heartbroken by the news of the shooting in Monterey Park amid Lunar New Year celebrations\n\nI'm praying for the victims, their families, the 1st responders\n\nWe must stand up to bigotry and hate wherever they rear their ugly heads, and we must keep working to stop gun violence\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1674410280
Democrat U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California highlighted "bigotry toward [Asian American and Pacific Islander] individuals as a possible motive."
\u201cTen dead in Monterey Park. I am sickened.\n\nA horrific example of needless gun violence. With bigotry toward AAPI individuals as a possible motive. \n\nThe families are in my prayers as we seek information by law enforcement.\n\nWe\u2019ll never quit demanding real action on gun safety.\u201d— Adam Schiff (@Adam Schiff) 1674403899
Democrat Francesca Hong of the Wisconsin State Assembly tweeted: "This tragedy is beyond hate. We are broken as a nation to have mass shootings and white supremacy reign terror."
\u201cHeart is beyond heavy for the victims and their loved ones. \n\nLunar New Year is a time of togetherness, celebration and love. \n\nThis tragedy is beyond hate. \nWe are broken as a nation to have mass shootings and white supremacy reign terror.\n\nOur community is shattered.\u201d— Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815 (@Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815) 1674380577
Police on Sunday night identified the alleged shooter as Huu Can Tran — a "72-year-old male Asian," according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
You'd think the facts about the suspected shooter would crush the "bigotry" and "white supremacy" theories floated by Schumer, Schiff, and Hong — but their tweets on the subject were still posted as of Tuesday morning.
Unfortunately for the trio, that opened the door for a just a few critiques. Such as:
\u201c@SenSchumer -@chuckschumer logic\n\nAll white people should be ashamed of this Asian guy who killed 10 Asian people.\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1674410280
\u201c@RepAdamSchiff It was ASIAN on ASIAN CRIME. \n\nNice try bigot!\u201d— Adam Schiff (@Adam Schiff) 1674403899
\u201c@FrancescaHongWI The shooter was an Asian male. Guess he's a white supremacist! \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815 (@Francesca Hong \ud64d\uc724\uc815) 1674380577
Not to be outdone, the Los Angeles Times on Sunday published the following headline: "Lunar New Year massacre raises fears of anti-Asian hate even as detectives seek motive." The story's second paragraph even says, "Authorities said based on a preliminary description that the gunman was an Asian male."
As you might guess, folks on Twitter took notice of the headline and let the Times have it:
- "Even though the person of interest is Asian?" one commenter wondered.
- "You do know that the shooter is also Asian?" another user asked. "But [of] course you do. You are just engaged in fear mongering."
- "It is so irresponsible for you to dream out a motive," another commenter said, before adding an "LAntifaTimes" hashtag.
- "The authorities are stating the suspect is an Asian male," another user noted. "Reporting a hate crime won’t help."
Moving the goalposts
Amy Tan — a medical doctor and "scholar/activist" whose tweets are protected — apparently posted the following to Twitter on Sunday, the day police identified the Monterey Park shooter as an Asian male: "Collective grief & trauma is real. The San Gabriel Valley is a beautiful Asian-majority ethnic community. Misogyny & internalized racism are part of white supremacy. [People] don't have to be white to uphold white supremacy. I hate that I have to tweet this on Lunar New Year's [Day]."
\u201c.@AmyTanMD\u2019s profile brags about San Gabriel being a \u201cmajority-minority\u201d community. So \u201cdiversity\u201ddoesn\u2019t mean much if you\u2019re in the majority. But to exploit a mass murder this way is really sick & of course, Asian on Asian crime is the fault of whites. She\u2019s a repulsive racist.\u201d— Josh Namm (@Josh Namm) 1674560057
Left-wing mouthpiece Media Matters for America on Monday posted a story with the following headline: "Right-wing media are exploiting the ethnicity of the Monterey Park shooter to downplay dangers of white supremacy and anti-Asian hate." Uh-huh.
Oh, and not that it matters to the left, but beyond the suspected shooter's Asian ethnicity, KABC-TV said a "prominent member of the community with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce believes the suspect's possible motive may be related to a domestic dispute."
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Former DHS disinformation czar Nina Jankowicz registers as foreign agent, goes to work countering 'gendered disinfo' overseas
Nina Jankowicz was President Joe Biden's controversial pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security's Disinformation Governance Board for the entirety of its three-week existence. Undaunted in her desire to become a state-funded arbiter of truth, the 33-year-old self-described "Mary Poppins of disinformation" is now registered as a foreign agent so that she can combat undesirable speech abroad.
What are the disinformation-free details?
Jankowicz, who previously suggested the Hunter Biden laptop story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign, announced on Sept. 23 that she would be working with an organization allegedly "dedicated to protecting democracy, peace, and truth."
\u201cBack from maternity leave and thrilled to be working with an organization that is dedicated to protecting democracy, peace, and truth.\u00a0\n\nI will be focusing on building CIR\u2019s portfolio countering gendered disinfo and supporting CIR\u2019s ongoing work responding to foreign influence.\u201d— Nina Jankowicz \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Nina Jankowicz \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1663939591
That organization, the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), is a U.K.-based nonprofit founded by British citizen Adam Rutland and U.K.-U.S. national Ross Burley, which claims to focus on "countering disinformation & exposing human rights abuses."
The CIR is financed in part by grants from the U.K. government, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
According to foreign agent registration documents dated Nov. 17, in this new role Jankowicz "supervises research, executes business strategy, oversees the establishment of CIR's research, communicates with the media, and briefs individuals and officials on CIR's research."
The registration documents also indicated that Jankowicz will receive £450 for 12 months and be expected to act as an ambassador for the foreign organization "on the Hill, within the Federal Government, media, among tech companies / Silicon Valley, on "K Street", and among potential philanthropic organisations."
\u201cNINA JANKOWICZ registers as a foreign agent for the U.K.'s Centre for Information Resilience, which tracks disinfo. \n\nShe'll serve as their "ambassador" to American policy makers and a media representative. https://t.co/1KrG5KrKUy\u201d— Chuck Ross (@Chuck Ross) 1669216330
Managing disinformation overseas
The CIR suggested on Twitter that Jankowicz would lead the CIR's efforts in countering "hostile state efforts to distort the information space" and that she would be launching the Hypatia Project.
Citing claims that Vice President Kamala Harris "slept her way to the top" as an example of "online abuse and lies," Jankowicz's London-based Hypatia Project will target so-called gendered disinformation, defined as a "subset of online gendered abuse that uses false or misleading gender and sex-based narratives against women, often with some degree of coordination, aimed at deterring women from participating in the public sphere."
While various politicians and female leaders are referenced on the project's site as examples of female women who have faced swatting attacks, online abuse, or denigration by fellow politicians, not one American conservative or Republican is named.
The Hypatia Project will "advocate for private and public sector policy solutions to make the internet ... safer and more civil for everyone" and "document the relationship between gendered disinformation and coordinated hostile state activity online."
Managing disinformation at home
Jankowicz, an advocate for de-platforming former President Donald Trump, was previously executive director of the DHS' Disinformation Governance Board, which was announced on April 27. She did not last long in the role.
\u201cCat's out of the bag: here's what I've been up to the past two months, and why I've been a bit quiet on here.\n\nHonored to be serving in the Biden Administration @DHSgov and helping shape our counter-disinformation efforts. \n\nhttps://t.co/uN20vl7qqV\u201d— Nina Jankowicz \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Nina Jankowicz \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1651058235
The board was "paused" three weeks later, culminating in its demise and with Jankowicz's resignation on May 18.
The board had been likened to the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984" and faced significant opposition.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tweeted, "The Federal Government has no business creating a Ministry of Truth. The Department of Homeland Security's "Disinformation Board" is unconstitutional and unamerican, and I'll be introducing a bill to defund it."
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) called Jankowicz a "political hack" and tweeted that the board was "seriously dangerous and wholly unconstitutional."
\u201cBiden's dystopian Disinformation Governance Board is seriously dangerous and wholly unconstitutional.\n\nI'm demanding Congress investigate DHS' Ministry of Truth\u2014NOW.\u201d— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep. Andrew Clyde) 1651156805
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) similarly denounced the board, tweeting, "The Biden administration just took one more step towards Communism. DHS’ 'Ministry of Truth' is a crackdown on our Constitutional right to Free Speech."
An opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal pointed out that in "a twist too implausible for fiction, the abbreviation [for the board] is DGB, one letter off from KGB. ... The incentives are clear. Truth experts at the DGB will proclaim grave threats around every turn even when any 'threats' are minor to nonexistent."
Taylor Lorenz, writing for the Washington Post, suggested that the widespread concern over the disinformation board's potential for abuse was itself a "textbook disinformation campaign."
Although arguing that the board was not intended to police speech, Lorenz quoted a Hill staffer who said, "Nina's role was to come up with strategies for the department to counter this type of campaign" — to counter criticism of the government.
Jankowicz, denied the opportunity to seek out such "threats" with the DGB, said in a statement obtained by Insider, "With the Board's work paused and its future uncertain, and [sic] I have decided to leave DHS to return to my work in the public sphere. ... It is deeply disappointing that mischaracterizations of the Board became a distraction from the Department's vital work."
Given Jankowicz's registration as a foreign agent and new role, it would appear "Marry Poppins" is back in London.
\u201cYou can just call me the Mary Poppins of disinformation \ud83d\udc81\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d— Nina Jankowicz \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Nina Jankowicz \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1613597750
Explosive Matt Walsh report on pediatric transgender 'care' from Vanderbilt University Medical Center leads to demands for investigation
Tennessee Republicans are speaking out against the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Gov. Bill Lee (R) has called for an investigation of the clinic after an explosive report by the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh revealed appalling details of so-called gender-affirming "care" provided to children.
On Tuesday, Walsh posted video and archived webpages from Vanderbilt in which doctors discuss how transgender hormone regimens for minors and sex-change surgeries are a "big money maker" for the clinic. Additional video shows that staff members were warned that any "conscientious objection" to the transgender "care" would be frowned upon.
“The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” Governor Lee told the Daily Wire in a statement. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.”
Walsh summarized his investigative findings in a Twitter thread posted Tuesday.
"My team and I have been investigating the transgender clinic at Vanderbilt here in Nashville. Vanderbilt drugs, chemically castrates, and performs double mastectomies on minors," Walsh wrote.
He shared video of a 2018 Medicine Grand Rounds lecture given by Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor, a physician at the VUMC Clinic for Transgender Health. In the lecture, Taylor discusses how sex-change surgeries "make a lot of money."
A female-to-male chest masculinization surgery, also called "top surgery," can bring in as much as $40,000, Taylor states. She also notes that a patient receiving "routine hormone treatment" will visit the clinic just a few times each year but "can bring in several thousands dollars ... and actually makes money for the hospital."
\u201cVanderbilt opened its trans clinic in 2018. During a lecture the same year, Dr. Shayne Taylor explained how she convinced Nashville to get into the gender transition game. She emphasized that it's a "big money maker," especially because the surgeries require a lot of "follow ups"\u201d— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1663703694
Taylor goes on to describe how vaginoplasty surgeries, in which a man is castrated and doctors surgically create a fake vagina using tissue from his penis, can make as much as $20,000 in revenue, citing data from the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery. She excitedly states that figure is likely an "underestimate" given costs for hospital stay, post-op visits, anesthesia, and other associated medical bills.
She adds that female-to-male "bottom surgeries," in which doctors take skin and other tissues from a woman's forearm or thigh to create a fake penis, can make as much as $100,000 in hospital revenue.
"These surgeries are labor-intensive, there are a lot of follow-ups, they require a lot of our time, and they make money,” Taylor told the audience. “They make money for the hospital.”
In a separate Medicine Grand Rounds lecture, Vanderbilt health law expert Ellen Wright Clayton warns hospital staff that asserting a "conscientious objection" to performing transgender "care" has "consequences" for the patients.
“If you are going to assert conscientious objection, you have to realize that that is problematic,” Clayton said. “You are doing something to another person, and you are not paying the cost for your belief. I think that is a … real issue.”
She said that conscientious objectors would be accommodated to the extent they can find someone else to perform a sex-change surgery.
\u201cIn case the objectors hadn't gotten the memo, Vanderbilt unveiled a program called "Trans Buddies." The "buddies" are trans activists from the community who attend appointments with trans patients, monitoring the doctors to guard against "unsafe" behavior such as misgendering\u201d— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1663703694
“I just want you to take home that saying that you’re not going to do something because of your conscientious — because of your religious beliefs, is not without consequences, and should not be without consequences,” she said. “And I just want to put that out there.”
She tells staffers that if they don't want to perform this kind of work, they shouldn't work for Vanderbilt.
Walsh also revealed details about the medical center's "Trans Buddy" program, in which Vanderbilt provides trained "peer advocates" for gender-dysphoric patients who visit for doctor's appointments or other health care services.
"The 'buddies' are trans activists from the community who attend appointments with trans patients, monitoring the doctors to guard against 'unsafe' behavior such as misgendering," Walsh reported.
"Vanderbilt makes their Trans Buddies available to children, too. They make lots of 'services' available to children, including chemical castration. Though at some point in the last month they removed explicit admission of this fact from their site," he tweeted, sharing an archived screenshot from the Vanderbilt Pediatric Transgender Clinic website.
\u201cVanderbilt makes their Trans Buddies available to children, too. They make lots of "services" available to children, including chemical castration. Though at some point in the last month they removed explicit admission of this fact from their site. Here's the archived screenshot\u201d— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1663703694
Video from the Vanderbilt Psychiatry YouTube channel unearthed by Walsh shows Vanderbilt professionals recommending that "gender-affirming hormones" be given to children as young as 13 to prevent them from going through puberty.
\u201cAfter they have drugged and sterilized the kids, Vanderbilt \u2014 as explained in this video presentation by plastic surgeon Julien Winocour and Physician\u2019s Assistant Shalyn Vanderbloemen \u2014 will happily perform double mastectomies on adolescent girls.\u201d— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1663703694
Another video shows plastic surgeon Julian Winocour and physician’s assistant Shalyn Vanderbloemen explaining that the clinic will perform "top surgeries" on girls as young as 16 if they provide parental consent and have been taking testosterone.
"So, let’s review. Vanderbilt got into the gender transition game admittedly in large part because it is very financially profitable. They then threatened any staff members who objected, and enlisted a gang of trans activists to act as surveillance in order to force compliance," Walsh wrote.
"They now castrate, sterilize, and mutilate minors as well as adults, while apparently taking steps to hide this activity from the public view. This is what 'health care' has become in modern America," he concluded.
\u201cThey now castrate, sterilize, and mutilate minors as well as adults, while apparently taking steps to hide this activity from the public view. \n\nThis is what "health care" has become in modern America.\u201d— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1663703694
Multiple state and federal Republican lawmakers expressed shock and outrage at Vanderbilt following Walsh's report.
"This evil can not stand in TN," said state Rep. Jason Zachary. "The Legislature must address such abuse of children and act to protect those who face consequences for their religious objections. This will be a priority for me in 2023."
\u201cThis evil can not stand in TN.\nThe Legislature must address such abuse of children and act to protect those who face consequences for their religious objections. \nThis will be a priority for me in 2023.\u201d— Rep. Jason Zachary (@Rep. Jason Zachary) 1663723043
"We are shocked by what we have seen in these videos," Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tweeted. "We would hope that VUMC would make better decisions. There is nothing healthy about mutilating the bodies of minor children. We need an investigation into VUMC putting profits ahead of children immediately."
\u201cWe are shocked by what we have seen in these videos. We would hope that VUMC would make better decisions. There is nothing healthy about mutilating the bodies of minor children. We need an investigation into VUMC putting profits ahead of children immediately.\u201d— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@Sen. Marsha Blackburn) 1663713782
Republican Rep. Chuck Fleischmann called the report "incredibly disheartening and completely unacceptable."
"Tennessee children deserve better than what's happening at VUMC, and I stand alongside Governor @BillLeeTN in demanding a thorough investigation," Fleischmann said.
\u201cThe news uncovered by @MattWalshBlog is incredibly disheartening and completely unacceptable. Tennessee children deserve better than what's happening at VUMC, and I stand alongside Governor @BillLeeTN in demanding a thorough investigation. https://t.co/lMPYJnQ62O\u201d— Chuck Fleischmann (@Chuck Fleischmann) 1663767511
Shortly after Walsh published his Twitter thread, the website for Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Pediatric Transgender Clinic was taken down.
\u201cBREAKING: After my report, Vanderbilt\u2019s transgender clinic has deleted their entire website. Literally the whole thing. They\u2019re removing everything.\u201d— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1663728192
Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following statement:
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is now the subject of social media posts and a video that misrepresent facts about the care the Medical Center provides to transgender patients.
VUMC began its Transgender Health Clinic because transgender individuals are a high-risk population for mental and physical health issues and have been consistently underserved by the U.S. health system.
We have been and will continue to be committed to providing family-centered care to all adolescents in compliance with state law and in line with professional practice standards and guidance established by medical specialty societies.
VUMC requires parental consent to treat a minor patient who is to be seen for issues related to transgender care, and never refuses parental involvement in the care of transgender youth who are under age 18.
Our policies allow employees to decline to participate in care they find morally objectionable, and do not permit discrimination against employees who choose to do so. This includes employees whose personal or religious beliefs do not support gender-affirming care for transgender persons.
The Trans Buddy program mentioned in the video has received national acclaim. Its purpose is to provide peer volunteers who support persons who are seeking highly personal care in an unfamiliar environment, and who may have been refused medical services in the past or avoided seeking them out of fear of being met with hostility.
Walsh responded on Twitter: "They do not specifically deny anything in my report. Their only defense for drugging and mutilating kids is that their parents allegedly consent to it," he said. "That’s all the confirmation you need."
'Coward': Schumer boasts that he refused to debate Tucker Carlson — but Tucker gets the last laugh
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer boasted Tuesday that he declined a request from Fox News host Tucker Carlson to debate a letter the New York Democrat sent top Fox News executives.
What happened?
On Tuesday, Schumer sent a letter to Fox leadership demanding the network "immediately cease the reckless amplification of the so-called 'Great Replacement' theory."
Schumer claimed the white supremacist conspiracy theory "has been injected into the mainstream" of American discourse because of "a dangerous level of amplification" by Fox News. Schumer did not cite any evidence to corroborate his claims. In fact, he only pointed to an Associated Press poll and a New York Times investigative story on Carlson.
Still, Schumer told Fox leadership, "I implore you to immediately cease all dissemination of false white nationalist, far-right conspiracy theories on your network."
In a letter to Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, Fox CEO Suzanne Scott, and Fox president Jay Wallace, Chuck Schumer says he urges Fox News to "immediately cease the reckless amplification of the so-called 'Great Replacement\u2019 theory\u2026"pic.twitter.com/9FbUYrMtBi— Oliver Darcy (@Oliver Darcy) 1652801535
After Schumer sent his letter and railed against Fox News on the Senate floor, Carlson's team reached out to him and invited him to debate the letter on Carlson's nightly show. But, for reasons unknown, Schumer declined the invitation.
".@TuckerCarlson invited me on his show tonight to debate the letter I sent to @FoxNews. I'm declining. Tucker Carlson needs to stop promoting the racist, dangerous ‘Replacement Theory’," Schumer boasted.
.@TuckerCarlson invited me on his show tonight to debate the letter I sent to @FoxNews.\n\nI'm declining. Tucker Carlson needs to stop promoting the racist, dangerous \u2018Replacement Theory\u2019.— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1652810316
What was the reaction?
While Schumer's stance may have won him brownie points within his tribe, the decision to reject Carlson's invitation left many others scratching their heads.
After all, if Carlson is promoting racism and Schumer is on the "right side" of the issue, why would he refuse the opportunity to enlighten Carlson and his more than 3 million nightly viewers?
- "Why would you be afraid to debate Carlson if you really believe you have the facts, politics and morality on your side?Oh wait," one person said.
- "Nothing says 'I have courage in my convictions' quite like refusing to discuss them publicly," one person mocked.
- "okay…..but you understand that he is not going to stop, right? So basically you had the perfect opportunity to go give his crowd an alternate viewpoint and said no for literally no reason. Am I missing anything?" another person said.
- "I don't agree with either you or Tucker on everything, but it would be better if you went on and talked in good faith," one person observed.
- "So you’re bragging about making accusations but being unwilling (afraid) to explain or defend them? I think we all know why," another person observed.
- "So you turned down the opportunity to talk to 3.5 million Americans? Well you really showed them. That'll teach them," another person mocked.
- "If @TuckerCarlson is as disgusting as you claim, why would you turn down the chance to prove him wrong in front of millions of his viewers?Oh, because you know you’re full of crap? Got it," another person reacted.
- "Given the chance to confront the person Dems believe to be so dangerous, they opt instead to tweet and send letters. Profiles in courage," another person mocked.
- "Isn't debating someone you disagree with the best way to sort out the issue?How does silencing the other side or refusing to engage help anyone? Seems very counterproductive," one person observed.
Carlson responded to Schumer on his show Tuesday evening, calling him a "coward," and quipped of Schumer's ego, "This is the only media appearance probably in history he's turned down."
Numerous Democrats call for an end to the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade
A chorus of Democratic congressional candidates and incumbent lawmakers are calling for an immediate end to the Senate filibuster and federal legislation that would codify abortion rights following a report that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
On Monday night, Politico published what it said was a draft Supreme Court opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case concerning Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” the purported draft opinion by Alito states, referring to two landmark abortion rulings that created a constitutional right to kill preborn children in America.
Politico's report caused a political earthquake, with Republicans welcoming the news — but expressing concerns over the unprecedented leak of a Supreme Court majority opinion — and Democrats shrieking their outrage.
“If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years – not just on women but on all Americans,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement. "The Republican-appointed Justices’ reported votes to overturn Roe v. Wade would go down as an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history.”
Several conservative Justices, who are in no way accountable to the people, have lied to the Senate, ripped up the Constitution, and defiled precedent and the Court\u2019s reputation\u2014all at the expense of women who could soon be stripped of bodily autonomy and constitutional rights.pic.twitter.com/0PaVWBD2oz— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1651549226
Many Democrats, including several candidates for U.S. Senate, called on the Democratic Senate majority to immediately end the legislative filibuster — a 60-vote requirement to end debate and pass major legislation. They also demanded that Congress pass legislation that would codify abortion rights in federal law, which would prevent state governments from enacting new pro-life laws restricting abortion in the post-Roe America.
Let's be clear: The right to an abortion is sacred. \n\nDemocrats have to act quickly - get rid of the filibuster to pass the Women's Health Protection Act + finally codify Roe into law.\n\nWe cannot afford to wait.— John Fetterman (@John Fetterman) 1651541001
"Control of the Senate has never been more important: it's time to end the filibuster, pass the Women's Health Protection Act, and fight like hell to make sure all Ohio families are free to make these critical decisions without interference from politicians in Columbus or Washington," said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), another Senate candidate.
Others echoed these demands, including Senate candidates in Missouri, Wisconsin, and other states, as well as numerous incumbent House lawmakers.
Democratic Senate candidates across the country are calling on the filibuster to be eliminated in response to Politico obtaining a draft of a SCOTUS decision striking down Roe v. Wade pic.twitter.com/PYmsB9nUwP— Julia Manchester (@Julia Manchester) 1651543089
"Democrats need to end the filibuster, codify Roe, and defend reproductive freedom," said Wisconsin state treasurer and Democratic Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski.
Roe v. Wade wasn\u2019t the beginning of women getting abortions. It was the end of women dying from unsafe abortions.\n\nDemocrats need to end the filibuster, codify Roe, and defend reproductive freedom.\n\nThat\u2019s what I\u2019m out here fighting for\u2014because we sure as hell aren\u2019t going back.pic.twitter.com/gRB9Z0knvR— Sarah Godlewski (@Sarah Godlewski) 1651548980
"Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW. And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, and there are not, we must end the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes," said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"People elected Democrats precisely so we could lead in perilous moments like these- to codify Roe, hold corruption accountable, & have a President who uses his legal authority to break through Congressional gridlock on items from student debt to climate," added Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
If we don\u2019t, what message does that send? We can\u2019t sit around, finger point, & hand wring as people\u2019s futures + equality are on the line.\n\nIt\u2019s time to be decisive, lead with confidence, fight for a prosperous future for all and protect the vulnerable.\n\nLeave it all on the field.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1651544948
But these demands are not realistic. The 50-50 Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate lacks the votes to end the filibuster because Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) are opposed to doing so. And Manchin, a pro-life Democrat, has already voted with Republicans to block legislation that would codify Roe.
There is no reason to believe Manchin is about to reverse his position after he has repeatedly refused to do so under enormous pressure from his colleagues.
President Joe Biden is aware of this, which is why in a statement released Tuesday, the president said that "if the Court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation's elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman's right to choose. And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November."
"At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law," Biden said.
CNN’s Brian Stelter says Fox News 'really actually' must STOP picking on Mickey Mouse
CNN host Brian Stelter argued on "Reliable Sources" that "the talking point on the right “going into midterm elections "is about protecting kids from the dangers of the Walt Disney Company" and that horrible Fox News hosts are picking on Mickey Mouse in an attempt to "demonize Disney."
"We're seeing a theme of the midterm elections emerging," Stelter began. "The theme, the talking point on the right, is about protecting kids from the dangers of [pause for dramatic effect] the Walt Disney Company. Really."
He went on to explain how Disney is being targeted by angry conservatives because the company has come to represent the "growing acceptance of gay and transgender people."
Stelter backed his brilliant argument with articles written by other so-called "journalists" at CNN who parrot the fake leftist argument that Republican lawmakers are all about passing bills to attack the LGBTQ community.
"Some of those bills are framed as 'parental rights' bills," Stelter complained. "They're really actually anti-gay bills."
"We're seeing a theme of the midterm elections emerging," @brianstelter says. "The theme, the talking point on the right, is about protecting kids from the dangers of... The Walt Disney Company."pic.twitter.com/xmoM4n81Cl— Reliable Sources (@Reliable Sources) 1649279899
Really actually?
Presumably, Stelter thinks he's really actually talking about the ongoing clash between Walt Disney Co. and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, which has falsely been labeled the "Don't Say Gay bill" to dupe dopes like CNN's most unreliable source who don't bother to read the laws they publicly oppose.
Several people on Twitter were quick to point out who really actually initiated the Disney-DeSantis battle:
The left picked the fight with Disney, Disney caved, then the Right is accused of picking a fight with Disney— VinnyVici (@VinnyVici) 1649282070
This might not matter once your show is canceled, but didn't Disney strike first? Not only is "don't say gay" not in the bill, but Disney is not mentioned either.— JB (@JB) 1649281075
I mean, Disney picked the fight.— JRP (@JRP) 1649281118
Last I checked disney brought them selves into this not the other way around— WaywardBiscuit (@WaywardBiscuit) 1649326876
The left literally brought Disney into this and it\u2019s still not the theme of the midterms. Enjoy the upcoming red wavepic.twitter.com/OBSL87dZIp— \ud835\ude93\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude96\ud835\udea2 \ud835\ude8d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude91\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b (@\ud835\ude93\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude96\ud835\udea2 \ud835\ude8d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude91\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b) 1649284904
Others pointed out a certain irony in the CNN host's defense of Disney:
Not just Disney. We want to protect kids from CNN too.pic.twitter.com/gzcg5vS5H0— \u5730\u7344\u30b1\u30fc\u30ad(Hokusaist)\ud83c\udf70\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\ude9e (@\u5730\u7344\u30b1\u30fc\u30ad(Hokusaist)\ud83c\udf70\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\ude9e) 1649280721
Yeah right...pic.twitter.com/5Tv7OxOb1c— John Alex (@John Alex) 1649304028
Ironic that anyone from CNN would touch this topic considering the perverted activities and individuals inside CNN.https://www.citizensjournal.us/latest-teen-sexual-predator-at-cnn-identified-as-jake-tappers-producer/\u00a0\u2026— Western Sentry Journal (@Western Sentry Journal) 1649304093
It happened to him and look how great he turned out: a mind like a bowl of Jello with a body to match.— K Hansen (@K Hansen) 1649290600
It\u2019s up to the parents to decide what should be taught to their kids not to a bunch of wokes bureaucrats. If parents want to explain LGBTQA1+ to their kids they\u2019re free to do it but outside classes. Disney is wrong— Richard (\u00e7a/it) (@Richard (\u00e7a/it)) 1649281757
Woah woah woah! I find that highly offensive! I DEMAND YOU APOLOGIZE TO POTATOES EVERY WHERE! Potatoes have made numerous positive contributions to humanity unlike this walking talking cancerous tumor caked in make up!— Chuck Finley (@Chuck Finley) 1649304305
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