Trump admin launches team to safeguard children from gender ideology



President Donald Trump's Department of Education and Department of Justice released a joint statement on Friday announcing plans to launch a team dedicated to rooting out gender ideology.

The Title IX Special Investigations Team, also referred to as SIT, will "ensure timely, consistent resolutions to protect students, and especially female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities."

'To all entities receiving federal funding who continue to allow these illegal practices, we will not permit you to trample on women's rights any longer.'

"The Title IX SIT will streamline Title IX investigations by creating a specialized team of investigators from across ED and DOJ offices," the joint statement continued. "The establishment of the Title IX SIT will allow personnel to apply a rapid resolution investigation process to the increasing volume of Title IX cases and also enable ED and DOJ to work together to conduct investigations that are fully prepared for ultimate DOJ enforcement."

The action was in response to "a staggering volume of Title IX complaints," the departments noted.

The team will include attorneys from the ED's Office of Civil Rights and Office of General Counsel, as well as the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. The ED will also pull case workers from its Student Privacy and Protection Office and an FSA Enforcement investigator to join Title IX SIT.

ED Secretary Linda McMahon stated that the formation of the specialized team would "benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities."

She explained that the Office of Civil Rights, tasked with probing the Title IX cases, "takes months, even years" to complete its investigations.

"OCR under this Administration has moved faster than it ever has, and the Title IX SIT will ensure even more rapid and consistent investigations," McMahon stated. "To all the entities that continue to allow men to compete in women's sports and use women's intimate facilities: there's a new sheriff in town. We will not allow you to get away with denying women's civil rights any longer."

In a video posted to social media announcing the team's creation, McMahon appeared to warn that the administration is prepared to strip federal funding if necessary.

"To all entities receiving federal funding who continue to allow these illegal practices, we will not permit you to trample on women's rights any longer," she said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi called protecting women the "key priority" of the administration's DOJ.

"This collaborative effort with the Department of Education will enable our attorneys to take comprehensive action when women's sports or spaces are threatened and use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women's civil rights," Bondi remarked.

On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, declaring that the administration would "defend women's rights," in part, by recognizing that there are two sexes that are not changeable.

In February, Trump took additional executive action, signing Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, which barred males from competing in female sporting events.

"This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports," the EO declared.

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RFK Jr., McMahon share plans to slash government bloat with Sara Gonzales of BlazeTV



In an interview with BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon shared how their respective agencies are working to eliminate bureaucracy.

On a Monday episode of "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered," Kennedy and McMahon detailed the excessive bloat they have discovered at HHS and the Education Department.

Kennedy told Gonzales, "We have a sprawling bureaucracy that has all kinds of redundancies and a lot of administrative costs."

He explained that HHS under the Biden administration saw a 38% budget increase and a 17% increase in staff despite declining public health.

'Who would have thought four years ago that we could actually have done an audit of the United States government through people who are volunteering to come in and do it?'

Kennedy noted that he plans to consolidate the agency's more than 100 communications, 40 IT, and 40 human resources departments. He stated that with the extreme bloat, the agency had become "impossible" to govern, inspire, and unify its mission.

"These different agencies' divisions were living in silos. And sometimes they devolved into kind of fiefdoms where they were at war with each other," he continued. "I found out that medical information that is collected by one silo, they then sell it to the other groups in my agency, instead of sharing it and saying, 'How do we use this in a way to improve patient care? How do we use it in a way to make people healthy?'"

"We're cutting down 28 divisions into 15," he added.

Kennedy told Gonzales that under the Trump administration, HHS would focus on cleaning up the nation's food supply, including improving baby formula, ending the use of Generally Recognized as Safe standards, and removing dyes, chemicals, and seed oils contributing to the chronic disease epidemic.

He also stated that HHS is currently preparing new nutrition guidelines, which he estimated would include a three-page document advocating for whole foods.

McMahon revealed to Gonzales that she also noticed redundancies in the ED, noting that each department within the agency had its own human resources division.

She applauded Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency for conducting an outside audit "through very rapid use of technology" that exposed "a lot of the bloat."

She pushed back on Democrats' claims that eliminating the ED would hinder children's education.

"The Department of Education going away simply means — and this is what the president really wanted to focus on — we're just getting rid of the bureaucracy that is standing in between the kind of funding that is necessary to flow to the states while letting the states determine how they are going to educate their own children to have their own policies," McMahon told Gonzales.

She added that the ED had reduced its overhead by roughly half, saving U.S. taxpayers $500 million annually, noting that the majority of the cuts were "mostly redundancies."

"We'll operate more efficiently," McMahon declared. "Who would have thought four years ago that we could actually have done an audit of the United States government through people who are volunteering to come in and do it?"

She stated that Musk has sacrificed significantly to help trim the bureaucracy within the federal government and save taxpayers money.

"We owe him a debt of gratitude," McMahon said.

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Dept. of Education’s dirty little secret: It DEFIES its own law



As promised, President Trump is gearing up to slash the Department of Education, and as usual, the left is in a full-blown panic. It thrives on bloated bureaucracy.

And when you see the original legislation that created the ED, you’ll understand just how bloated and corrupt the department has become.

Glenn Beck reads from the Department of Education Organization Act of 1979 — the document that set the ED in stone.

“It is the intention of the Congress in the establishment of the Department to protect the rights of state and local governments and public and private educational institutions in the areas of educational policies and administration of programs and to strengthen and improve the control of such governments and institutions over their own educational programs and policies,” Glenn reads from Sec. 103.

“That is not what the DOE is doing,” he says.

Both he and co-host Stu Burguiere agree that while the law itself is pretty sound, the bureaucrats running the department have been doing the opposite of what it says.

“The establishment of the Department of Education shall not increase the authority of the federal government over education or diminish the responsibility for education which is reserved to the states and the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the states,” Glenn continues reading.

“This is not what the Department of Education is at all!” he exclaims, adding that he “wouldn’t necessarily have a problem” if the ED was run like the law says it should be run.

“No provision of a program administered by the Secretary or by any other officer of the Department shall be construed to authorize the Secretary or any such officer to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system, over any accrediting agency or association, or over the selection or content of library resources, textbooks, or other instructional materials by any educational institution or school system, except to the extent authorized by law,” Glenn reads.

If the ED held to the law, “Do you know how many problems would go away?” he asks.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above.

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Elon Musk mocks Alyssa Milano and other celebrities melting down over new verification rules



Tech billionaire Elon Musk mocked celebrities like Alyssa Milano who issued dire warnings about the changes in identity verification on Twitter.

Milano asked on Thursday if she had any legal recourse to sue Musk over the policy change.

"So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bulls***. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?" asked Milano.

Many pointed out that Milano has more than 3 million followers on Twitter, and it is unlikely that anyone will be fooled by a fake account pretending to be her with far fewer followers.

Milano's plight was taken up by left-wing activist Ed Krassenstein on Friday.

"The attacks on Alyssa Milano are out of line. She brought up a concern I think a lot of celebrities have," Krassenstein tweeted.

"While you may not agree with Milano's take on this, she brings up choices that virtually every celebrity has to make," he added.

He went on to say that celebrities didn't want to pay the $8.00 a month charge to keep verification in order to take a principled stand against Elon Musk.

Musk responded with a joke.

We’ve started a “save-a-celebrity fund” to pay their $8. We take this matter very seriously.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023

"We’ve started a 'save-a-celebrity fund' to pay their $8. We take this matter very seriously," he replied.

Krassenstein thought it was a good idea to have the public pay for celebrities' blue check marks in order to preserve their liberal principles.

"LOL! Actually I think this could be a solution, even though I'm not sure if you are serious." he responded.

\u201c@EdKrassen \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 It\u2019s a real thing\u201d
— Ed Krassenstein (@Ed Krassenstein) 1682077413

"It’s a real thing," Musk tweeted with two laughing emojis.

Other celebrities and online personalities have said they will leave Twitter completely because of the policy change.

Many on the the left have excoriated Musk and his defenders after he purchased the popular social media platform for $44 billion and promised to make the service more accountable to free speech principles.

Here's more about the verification meltdown:

A-list celebs, news orgs and White House say they won't pay for Twitter verification www.youtube.com

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Democrats don 'ABORTION' pins with heart-shaped cutouts



Democratic lawmakers are openly touting their pro-choice position by donning "ABORTION" pins.

Leftist Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts announced that he wore an "ABORTION" pin to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday — the lawmaker posted a photo of the pin, which spells out the word "ABORTION" and features a heart-shaped cut out in one of the letters.

"I'm wearing my abortion pin from @PPFA to tonight's State of the Union address. Abortion is essential healthcare and we need to codify this right," the Democrat tweeted.

\u201cI\u2019m wearing my abortion pin from @PPFA to tonight\u2019s State of the Union address. Abortion is essential healthcare and we need to codify this right.\u201d
— Ed Markey (@Ed Markey) 1675817800

The stunt elicited reactions of revulsion from many on social media, with Ben Shapiro calling the move "vile" and the House Judiciary GOP account labeling it "disgusting."

"What's disgusting is the GOP's obsession with controlling people’s bodies," Markey responded.

Others also commented on the senator's pro-abortion post.

"Democrat man wears pin showing his love of abortion, which violently ends human life in the mother's womb," Mollie Hemingway tweeted.

Circling the heart-shaped cutout in the pin, LifeNews.com noted, "Actually, abortion stops a beating heart."

"Love the cute little heart! WHOOPS! Next year why not just rebrand it as KILLKIDZ? And add a fun rainbow GROOMER pin!" Eric Metaxas sarcastically wrote.

"Nobody wears an American flag pin because they want patriotism to be safe, legal & rare," Dan McLaughlin tweeted.

In addition to wearing the pin, Markey said that he brought an "abortion rights activist" to the speech as his guest.

\u201c.@_KateDineen and I are ready to hear @POTUS give his SOTU address. With attacks on abortion rights in our courts and our states, it\u2019s never been more urgent to guarantee abortion access and codify this essential right. Thank you Kate for joining me and for sharing your story.\u201d
— Ed Markey (@Ed Markey) 1675819838

Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania also posted a photo of herself sporting one of the pins. "I say the word, I wear the word. Abortion care is health care. Abortion care saves lives," Dean tweeted on Tuesday. She chose an "abortion patient advocate" as her State of the Union guest.

"Every abortion stops a beating heart. Pretty ghoulish to support violence in the womb," Hemingway pointed out in response to Dean's post.

\u201cI say the word, I wear the word.\n\nAbortion care is health care.\n\nAbortion care saves lives.\u201d
— Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (@Congresswoman Madeleine Dean) 1675802099

"Because the Republican agenda is to keep our union divided, then it must be through the pursuit of justice that we will heal and strengthen it—economic justice, climate justice, health justice, and racial justice. That is the commitment President Biden is delivering on, and the future that Democrats in Congress must continue to build," Markey said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Angry Dem senator threatens Elon Musk after Musk savagely mocks him: 'Why does your pp have a mask!?'



Sen. Ed Markey threatened Elon Musk on Sunday after the world's richest man mocked the Massachusetts Democrat for complaining about Twitter impersonations.

After Musk took control of Twitter, he allowed users to get a blue verified checkmark if they subscribed to "Twitter Blue" for $8 per month. The service, however, was quickly abused, resulting in a wave of impersonations. Twitter has since suspended giving out the blue checkmarks.

What did Markey say?

Markey demanded answers from Musk about Twitter's verification process after the Democratic lawmaker colluded with a Washington Post writer to create a Twitter account impersonating him.

Considering all you needed was a credit card to purchase the blue checkmark, it worked. And Markey was upset.

In a letter, Markey demanded answers from Musk for the "haphazard imposition" of changes to Twitter because "[a]llowing an imposter to impersonate a U.S. Senator on Twitter is a serious matter that you need to address promptly." Of course, Markey failed to disclose in the letter that he gave the Washington Post writer permission to impersonate him.

Markey then drew attention to his complaint by going on Twitter to accuse Musk of "putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation."

\u201cA @washingtonpost reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating me\u2014I\u2019m asking for answers from @elonmusk who is putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation. Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again.\u201d
— Ed Markey (@Ed Markey) 1668198109

How did Musk respond?

Musk responded to Markey on Sunday by accusing his official Twitter account of being a "parody" and mocked him for wearing a face mask in his profile picture.

"Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?" Musk mocked.

"And why does your pp have a mask!?" he said.

\u201c@SenMarkey @washingtonpost And why does your pp have a mask!?\u201d
— Ed Markey (@Ed Markey) 1668198109

What was Markey's response?

Markey threatened Musk, suggesting that Congress will "fix" his companies.

"One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people," Markey responded. "And you’re spending your time picking fights online.

"Fix your companies. Or Congress will," he threatened.

\u201cOne of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you\u2019re spending your time picking fights online. Fix your companies. Or Congress will.\u201d
— Ed Markey (@Ed Markey) 1668356216

Markey was referring to the possibility that Musk may have violated the consent agreement with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has not yet commented on the matter.

Meanwhile, the National Highway Safety Administration has been investigating Tesla over fatal crashes in which drivers used the car's automated driving capabilities.

Facing party mutiny, British Prime Minister Liz Truss calls it quits just 44 days in — will likely be shortest-serving leader in UK history



Liz Truss has announced her intention to resign as British prime minister after 44 days in office, setting a record for the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the United Kingdom. The previous record-holder was George Canning, the Tory prime minister who died of tuberculosis after 119 days in office.

In recent weeks, Truss faced immense opposition from her own Conservative party, largely over her botched economic plan, which agitated the markets and resulted in the replacement of her treasury chief.

The internal tensions came to a head Wednesday night when a parliamentary vote concerning the future of fracking in the U.K. descended into chaos, exacerbated by claims that some Conservative members of Parliament had been forced to vote against the ban.

Yesterday's vote was reportedly originally regarded as a confidence motion. Some activists and MPs explicitly said it was an effort by some to "prop up a zombie prime minister."

Although Conservatives prevailed, defeating the ban (326 votes to 230), the session's poor handling proved a black eye for the party and its leader. One Conservative lawmaker, Charles Walker, denounced it as a "shambles and a disgrace."

Walker suggested that the people who put Liz Truss in office had done "extraordinary" damage to the Conservative Party.

Prior to making her Thursday announcement outside the prime minister's Downing Street residence, Truss notified King Charles of her intention to step down and spoke to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, about holding a leadership election "within the next week."

Brady has since stated that he spoke to the Conservative Party chairman and determined Tory members will be consulted by Friday next week on a possible new leader.

In her speech, Truss reflected upon the past two months, noting her government "delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance" and set "out a vision for a low tax high growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit."

Truss, who yesterday claimed to be "a fighter and not a quitter," noted that she had entered the role "at a time of great economic and international instability" and admitted she "cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative party."

The outgoing prime minister also indicated she would "remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen."

\u201cBREAKING: Liz Truss resigns after 44 days, making her the shortest PM in history, amid the collapse of her government due to gross economic mismanagement\u201d
— Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1666270207

If a leadership election is held next week as she has indicated, Britain will have its second new leader since Boris Johnson resigned after a similar party mutiny in July.

The leftist opposition in Parliament seized upon the opportunity to demand a general election.

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, tweeted, "We don't need another Conservative Prime Minister lurching from crisis to crisis. We need a General Election now and the Conservatives out of power."

\u201cWe don't need another Conservative Prime Minister lurching from crisis to crisis.\n\nWe need a General Election now and the Conservatives out of power.\u201d
— Ed Davey (@Ed Davey) 1666269375

Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, similarly called for a general election, only prior to Truss' announcement.

\u201cBritain can\u2019t afford the Tories\u2019 chaos. \n\nMy Labour government will provide the stability and leadership needed. \n\nFor our economy. For growth. For working people. \n\nGeneral Election, now.\u201d
— Keir Starmer (@Keir Starmer) 1666258857

After the announcement, Starmer issued a statement, saying, "The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people. They do not have a mandate to put the country through yet another experiment; Britain is not their personal fiefdom to run how they wish."

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, joined in on the call for an election.

\u201cThere are no words to describe this utter shambles adequately. It\u2019s beyond hyperbole - & parody. \nReality tho is that ordinary people are paying the price. \nThe interests of the Tory party should concern no-one right now. \nA General Election is now a democratic imperative.\u201d
— Nicola Sturgeon (@Nicola Sturgeon) 1666269910

On October 14, the Daily Star started a YouTube livestream pitting a head of lettuce against Truss' tenure.

\u201cA British newspaper has started a live stream on YouTube of Liz Truss\u2019s photo next to a lettuce to see which one lasts longer. I do love this country\u2019s sense of humo(u)r.\u201d
— Brian Klaas (@Brian Klaas) 1665754297

The channel is now in celebration mode.

LIVE: Can Liz Truss outlast a lettuce? youtu.be

Texas dad shoots two teens as they try to enter his family's car — which is carrying two infants in rear seat



A Texas dad shot two teenagers who tried to enter his family's car in northwest Harris County while two infants were in the rear seat, KTRK-TV reported.

What are the details?

Investigators said the family had just pulled up to their home in the 6800 block of Feather Creek Drive when a pair of 16-year-old males tried to enter the car through the rear doors, deputies told the station.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that the suspects opened one of the vehicle's rear doors.

But the dad fired multiple times at the suspects from inside the car while his wife drove away, KTRK said.

Security video from a nearby home recorded the incident, the station said, adding that one teen suspect was seen running away while the other was on the ground.

Everything unfolded just after midnight Monday, KHOU-TV reported.

Deputies said the suspects sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital in private vehicles, KTRK reported.

Gonzalez told the station that both teen suspects are stable and in fair condition.

KTRK said it spoke with the family, who said they were doing OK but didn't want to go on camera.

Video from the scene shows a bullet hole in the car's side, stemming from the shot the father took through his car's back window.

\u201cLast night, just after midnight, @HCSOTexas units responded to the 6800 blk of Feather Creek Dr in reference to a shooting. Preliminary: an adult male, his wife, and two infants arrived home. Two males, walked up to their SUV, and opened a rear door where their 1-yr-old was 1/3\u201d
— Ed Gonzalez (@Ed Gonzalez) 1657545423

Investigators spent time looking for video and additional evidence, KTRK said.

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Multiple media outlets and fact-checkers falsely claim that Clarence Thomas repeated a 'debunked' COVID-19 vaccine claim



Headlines at multiple news outlets misled readers on Thursday by claiming that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas repeated a "debunked" claim about COVID-19 vaccines in a dissenting opinion.

At least three mainstream news organizations falsely stated that Thomas claimed COVID-19 vaccines contain the cells of aborted babies in an opinion dissenting from the Supreme Court's refusal to take up a religious liberty case challenging New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate launched by 16 health care workers.

"Clarence Thomas claimed in a dissenting opinion that Covid vaccines are derived from the cells of 'aborted children,'" Politico tweeted Thursday, sharing an article with the headline, "Clarence Thomas suggests Covid vaccines are developed using cells of ‘aborted children.’"

\u201cClarence Thomas claimed in a dissenting opinion that Covid vaccines are derived from the cells of \u201caborted children.\u201d\n\nNo Covid vaccines in the U.S. contain the cells of aborted fetuses. \nhttps://t.co/13YartfO5Z\u201d
— POLITICO (@POLITICO) 1656612160

Similar headlines appeared at Axios and at NBC News, and the misleading claim was spread by Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler and others.

\u201cClarence Thomas suggests COVID vaccines are made with "aborted children" https://t.co/hHHG33qtQb\u201d
— Axios (@Axios) 1656623997
\u201cJustice Thomas cites debunked claim that Covid vaccines are made with cells from 'aborted children' https://t.co/o4lB6oRioa via @nbcnews\u201d
— Adam Edelman (@Adam Edelman) 1656608422
\u201cIt's good the fact checkers are on top of this... oh\u201d
— Stephen L. Miller (@Stephen L. Miller) 1656678922

These headlines are wrong. Thomas was not making a claim about the COVID-19 vaccines. He was quoting the petitioners' stated beliefs about how taking the vaccine would violate their religious conscience.

In 2021, a group of anonymous health care workers sued New York, arguing that the state's vaccine mandate violated their religious conscience rights. The state requires that all health care workers show proof of vaccination to continue in their employment.

“They object on religious grounds to all available COVID–19 vaccines because they were developed using cell lines derived from aborted children,” Thomas wrote in a dissenting opinion after the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Although Thomas was clearly citing the argument of the petitioners, reporters asserted he was himself claiming that COVID-19 vaccines contain cells from aborted children.

\u201cThomas dissenting opinion on the left. \u201cThey object\u201d\u2026\n\nAnd on the right is from the petition of cert he is citing. \n\nHe is literally quoting the argument of the petitioners, not making one himself or even agreeing with it.\u201d
— AG (@AG) 1656625852

Paradoxically, the facts in some of these reports support what Thomas wrote even though the sensational headlines suggest he was wrong.

In Politico's article, for example, breaking news reporter Kelly Hooper writes, "None of the Covid-19 vaccines in the United States contain the cells of aborted fetuses. Cells obtained from elective abortions decades ago were used in testing during the Covid vaccine development process, a practice that is common in vaccine testing — including for the rubella and chickenpox vaccinations." (Emphasis added.)

If it's the case that cell lines obtained from abortions decades ago were used in vaccine testing, then the petitioner's assertion that the vaccines "were developed using cell lines derived from aborted children," which Thomas quoted, is a factual statement.

Ed Whelan, a senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, observed that NBC News twisted Thomas' words to make it look like he was repeating a debunked claim, then later appeared to agree with what the justice actually wrote.

\u201cQuite a weird article by @abedelman @ariabendix. Claims at top that Justice Thomas said covid vaccines "are made with *cells from* 'aborted children.'" But he said they were "developed using *cell lines derived* from aborted children." Not same--and authors agree with latter! 1/\u201d
— Ed Whelan (@Ed Whelan) 1656621698

"Perhaps authors are claiming that Thomas's phrasing somehow means that the cell lines used now must have been immediately, rather than ultimately, derived from aborted children. But that's a bad-faith reading of what he wrote," Whelan said.

Clarence Thomas' dissenting opinion quoted the arguments made by petitioners to the Supreme Court for a case concerning whether New York's vaccine mandate violated religious liberty rights. He did not advance a claim for himself that COVID-19 vaccines were made using cells from "aborted children."

Headlines suggesting that he did are false.

Democrat senator calls for new laws to 'promote algorithmic justice' over the 'dangerous' influence of Elon Musk and other billionaires



Democrat U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts called for new laws to "promote algorithmic justice" after Elon Musk bought Twitter and promised to support free speech on the social media platform.

"Elon Musk and a handful of billionaires now have dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms. They can't be trusted, and self-regulation has failed," tweeted Markey.

Elon Musk and a handful of billionaires now have dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms. They can't be trusted, and self-regulation has failed. We must pass laws to protect privacy and promote algorithmic justice for internet users, especially for kids.
— Ed Markey (@Ed Markey) 1650992433

"We must pass laws to protect privacy and promote algorithmic justice for internet users, especially for kids," he added.

The phrase "algorithmic justice" refers to bias that enters into digital platforms because of implicit assumptions in the creators that discriminate against minorities and women. Some lawmakers have already called for laws that would hold tech companies responsible for disparities from algorithmic bias.

Critics of the senator mocked the use of the phrase.

"Laws to 'promote algorithmic justice' for the sake of the children. It’s like a parody but from an actual senator," responded Justin Amash the former member of Congress.

"Washington currently has dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms. And Washington most certainly can't be trusted. So we should be very worried when they promise to pass laws, especially in the name of 'algorithmic justice,'" replied Kimberley Strassel.

"Democrats take any topic, add a few buzzwords, and act like they’ve created a new civil rights movement," said another critic.

"What is algorithmic justice? This nonsensical term is right up there with tree equity. Also where was this vitriol when ever the opposing side was getting silenced through the algorithm?" read another popular response.

Others used the occasion to make fun of Markey.

"Algorithmic Justice, Tuesdays on CBS," joked Josh Barro.

"'Algorithmic justice' is a lesson to all you activists and matchstick men that politicians will say whatever ridiculous shit you come up with. Can't be too far out. Just go nuts. Really explore the space," read another popular response.

Here's more about the Musk Twitter takeover:

Left Can't Handle FREE SPEECH After Elon Musk Buys Twitter | The News & Why It Matters | 4/25/22www.youtube.com