USA Today skewered for article claiming pedophilia is 'misunderstood.' Newspaper deletes tweets, changes headline after being accused of attempting to 'normalize pedophilia.'



USA Today was lambasted this week for publishing an article framing pedophilia as "misunderstood." Swift backlash caused the publication to delete tweets promoting the article, which was originally titled "What the public keeps getting wrong about pedophilia," before being edited to "The complicated research behind pedophilia."

"Pedophilia is viewed as among the most horrifying social ills. But scientists who study the sexual disorder say it is also among the most misunderstood," the article begins.

"When most of the public thinks of pedophilia, they assume it's synonymous with child sexual abuse, a pervasive social problem that has exploded to crisis levels online," USA Today national correspondent Alia E. Dastagir wrote. "Researchers who study pedophilia say the term describes an attraction, not an action, and using it interchangeably with 'abuse' fuels misperceptions."

The article cites psychologist Anna Salter, who argues, "There are the people who are sexually attracted to children ... (and then) there are some people who molest kids who are not pedophiles. They molest kids because of anger. They molest kids because they're scared of adult women. They molest kids to get revenge, but they don't actually have an age preference for prepubescent children."

The article quotes James Cantor – a clinical psychologist, sex researcher, and former editor-in-chief of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. In 2018, Cantor advocated for pedophilia to be labeled as a sexual preference and be included in the LGBTQ+ collective.

"Speaking as a gay men [sic], I believe we SHOULD include the P. To do otherwise is to betray the principles that give us our rights," Cantor wrote on Twitter.

Speaking as a gay men, I believe we SHOULD include the P. To do otherwise is to betray the principles that give us our rights.
— Dr. James Cantor (@Dr. James Cantor) 1544300474

The article also cites Allyn Walke, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University. Walker was placed on administrative leave on Nov. 16 after referring to pedophiles as "minor-attracted people" or "MAPs."

On the topic of "minor-attracted people," Walker claimed, "There is no morality or immorality attached to attraction to anyone because no one can control who they're attracted to at all. In other words, it's not who we're attracted to that's either OK or not OK. It's our behaviors and responding to that attraction that are either OK or not OK."

Walker's bio states the assistant professor is a "white, queer, nonbinary trans person" with pronouns of "they/them."

Walker – who will leave Old Dominion University in May because of the controversy – said in a resignation statement: "My scholarship aims to prevent child sexual abuse. That research was mischaracterized by some in the media and online, partly on the basis of my trans identity."

The article states, "Allyn Walker argued destigmatizing the attraction would allow more people to seek help and ultimately prevent child sexual abuse. There is growing support in the field for Walker's point of view."

USA Today shared the article on Twitter with the caption: "We think we know what a pedophile is. There’s a lot we’re misunderstanding.”

“When most of the public thinks of pedophilia, they assume it’s synonymous with child sexual abuse," the since-deleted tweet posted on the USA Today Life Twitter account. "A pedophile is an adult who is sexually attracted to children, but not all pedophiles abuse kids, and some people who sexually abuse kids are not pedophiles."

USA Today deleted the entire Twitter thread.

"A previous thread did not include all information and the story it was written about is behind a paywall," the newspaper said in a later tweet. "We made the decision to delete the thread. The initial thread lacked the context that was within the story and we made the decision the pull down the entire thread."

USA Today deleted this thread, in which the publication defended pedophilia.pic.twitter.com/ssfLjoDklt
— Ian Miles Cheong (@Ian Miles Cheong) 1641932283

The USA Today article was bashed by critics who claimed the newspaper was attempting to "normalize pedophilia."

NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck: "Ah, yes. Here we go with the liberal media celebrating and trying to normalize pedophilia. That's right, folks. @USAToday, trying to destigmatize...grown adults having sex with little kids."

Donald Trump Jr.: "USA TODAY TRIES TO 'UNDERSTAND' PEDOPHILES!!! To me (and probably anyone who has been watching) this is nothing more than the first step of trying to normalize this kind of behavior."

Former congressional candidate Barrington Martin II: "So you’re deciding to double down on being pedophile sympathizers?"

Second Amendment Foundation editor Lee Williams: "Hey, @USATODAY -- you can't normalize and destigmatize pedophilia in context. It's a nonstarter. You should pull down the entire story, not just the Twitter thread."

Political commentator Rita Panahi: "Hey @USATODAY you deleted this tweet & the creepy thread that amounted to pedo propaganda. But why did you post it in the first place?"

Radio host Dana Loesch: "After deleting their tweet defending child predation, @USATODAY changed the headline on their story."

After deleting their tweet defending child predation, @USATODAY changed the headline on their story:pic.twitter.com/ovczSBTtHO
— Dana Loesch (@Dana Loesch) 1641933988

'Get politics out of math!': USA Today gets demolished for asking, 'Is math racist?'



USA Today was slammed online for a headline to an article asking if math is racist. The headline caused an eruption of negative reactions on social media, and the legacy media outlet decided to change the headline following the uproar.

Fox News reported the original headline for the paywall-hidden article from USA Today read: "Is math racist? As many students of color struggle with the subject, schools are altering instruction — sometimes amid intense debate."

The article calls for "bolder recommendations to make math more inclusive."

However, after the incendiary headline caused a stir and began trending on Twitter, USA Today changed the headline to read: "Is math education racist? Debate rages over changes to how US teaches the subject."

Peter Boghossian – who has taught philosophy at Portland State University for the past decade – wrote, "No, math is not racist. Major venues like @USATODAY even asking this question is a sign of cultural sickness. Racial disparities can be addressed (in part) by using the best evidence-based pedagogical practices that enable student learning. Please stop suggesting math is racist."

No, math is not racist. Major venues like @USATODAY even asking this question is a sign of cultural sickness. \n\nRacial disparities can be addressed (in part) by using the best evidence-based pedagogical practices that enable student learning. Please stop suggesting math is racistpic.twitter.com/aZHAC9L0rR
— Peter Boghossian (@Peter Boghossian) 1638953531

Eric Weinstein – who received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Harvard University and who previously served as a visiting research fellow at the Mathematical Institute of Oxford University – reacted by saying, "Q: Is Math Racist? Why do 'students of color struggle with the subject'? A: Congratulations to our first place US Math Olympiad team members Vincent Huang, Colin Tang, Edward Wan, Brandon Wang, Luke Robitaille, and Daniel Zhu. Pictured."

Q: Is Math Racist? Why do \u201cstudents of color struggle with the subject\u201d?\n\nA: Congratulations to our first place US Math Olympiad team members Vincent Huang, Colin Tang, Edward Wan, Brandon Wang, Luke Robitaille, and Daniel Zhu. Pictured.pic.twitter.com/Y5UwABU0Xu
— Eric Weinstein (@Eric Weinstein) 1638954366

Spanish professor and economist Daniel Lacalle asked, "Is this a joke?"

Is this a joke?pic.twitter.com/02DH4I4MrV
— Daniel Lacalle (@Daniel Lacalle) 1639001343

Podcast host Lauren Chen noted, "Unequal outcomes aren't always because of racism. Assuming such is actually a pillar of CRT. Believing that everyone should perform equally, despite the fact that even the same person performs differently on different days, is one of the greatest falsehoods progressives embrace."

Talk show host Kim Iversen said, "The left has become so racist they accuse everyone and everything of being racist including….math."

Republican congressional candidate J.D. Vance said, "Meanwhile, China is building hypersonic missiles and advanced artificial intelligence."

Political commentator Kmele Foster rephrased a quote from President George W. Bush, "The soft PUNISHING bigotry of low expectations."

Washington Times columnist Tim Young responded, "Math isn't racist... but the 'educators' who think it needs to be changed and made easier because some black kids struggle with it... ARE."

Daily Caller reporter Chrissy Clark wrote, "While Chinese students are excelling, our children are being told that '2+2=4' is a form of white supremacy because one right answer is an oppressive tactic. GET POLITICS OUT OF MATH!"

British author Andrew Sullivan proclaimed, "Remember: no CRT in schools. Except in everything."

Political consultant Ryan James Girdusky added, "This is critical race theory."

Journalist Eve Barlow quipped, "'Is math racist?' is not an article on The Onion."

Entrepreneur Daniel Bostic tweeted, "Good morning welcome to America also math is racist."

This isn't the first time that math has been deemed to be racist.

In October 2020, the faculty at Wake Forest University created a class titled "Racist/Anti-Racist Uses of Math & Stats," which will teach students about the many ways that mathematical and statistical models have been employed in racist methods.

Last month, The Post Millennial reported, "California is set to adopt new math teaching principles that are based in critical race theory. These changes, which include deemphasizing calculus and pulling programs for academically gifted students, will 'apply social justice principles to math lessons.'"

The guidelines claimed that mathematics has "developed in a way that has excluded many students."

"Because of these inequities, teachers need to work consciously to counter racialized or gendered ideas about mathematics achievement," the guidelines say.

A crushing two-thirds of independents disapprove of Joe Biden's job performance



President Joe Biden's approval rating has sunk to a new low as Republicans appear to be in a strong position to retake one or both houses of Congress in next year's midterm elections.

According to a USA Today/Suffolk University Poll taken last Wednesday through Friday, Biden's approval rating has fallen to just 38%, with his disapproval rating climbing to 59%, the worst numbers recorded by this poll for the president since he took office. It's even worse than the 41% approve (55% disapprove) rating the poll recorded in August during Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden took the hardest hit with independent voters, of whom an overwhelming 67% disapproved of his job performance.

More than two-thirds of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, and 45% of respondents said Biden is doing a worse job as president than they expected.

One in five survey respondents said the most important thing for Biden to do over the next year would be to resign, retire, or quit. But even if he did leave office early, it's not clear that Americans would view Vice President Kamala Harris as an improvement. The survey found that Harris has an even lower approval rating than Biden, just 28%, and a 51% majority of respondents said they disapproved of her job performance.

Biden Job Approval:\nApprove 38%\nDisapprove 59%\n.\nHarris Job Approval:\nApprove 28%\nDisapprove 51%\n\n.@Suffolk_U/@USATODAY, 1,000 RV, 11/3-5\nhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/07/biden-approval-falls-38-midterms-loom-usa-today-suffolk-poll/6320098001/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot\u00a0\u2026

— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) 1636309679

On the issues, a majority of registered voters said they disapprove of Biden's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, immigration, climate change, and foreign policy.

Biden's dismal job performance is seen as hurting Democrats down-ballot in last week's off-year elections. Virginia Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a state Biden won by 10 points last year, with Republicans winning statewide in the lieutenant governor and attorney general races as well. In New Jersey, a blue-collar Republican truck driver defeated a 20-year incumbent and president of the state Senate who was one of the most powerful Democratic legislators in the state.

Republicans feel they have the wind at their backs looking forward to 2022, and the USA Today/Suffolk University poll supports their optimism. In a generic congressional ballot test, which indicates how voters are feeling about either major party as a whole, Republicans topped Democrats as the party of choice: 46% of voters said they would support a generic Republican candidate for Congress, compared to 38% who would support a Democrat.

"That news should worry the moderate Democratic establishment, who are trying to steer their general elections through traffic and potholes without GPS, and while checking the rearview mirror for progressive Democratic primary challengers eager to overtake," wrote David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center.

Paleologos' advice to Biden (and Trump) is that they "can best support their party nominees in the general election without being physically visible." Neither politician is popular with most Americans; majorities said neither Trump nor Biden should run for president in 2024.

If either travels to support candidates down-ballot, Paleologos said it's best to do so in districts where their approval ratings exceed their disapproval.

"Absence makes the voters grow fonder, just ask Youngkin," he wrote.

The poll of 1,000 registered voters was taken by landline and cell phone and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

Ida kills at least 1, leaves more than a million without power. Louisiana governor's office expects 'many more' fatalities as trapped residents desperately post on social media for help.



Tropical storm Ida — which made landfall on Louisiana Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane — continued to batter the Gulf Coast on Monday, after killing at least one person and leaving more than a million others without power.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed on Monday that a 60-year-old male was killed after a tree uprooted by the storm fell on his house. It was the first reported death related to the devastating storm, but officials fear that more deaths could soon follow.

Christina Stephens, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, predicted Monday that given the level of destruction wrought by Ida, "We're going to have many more confirmed fatalities."

The governor's office added that the damage to the power grid appeared "catastrophic" and warned it could be weeks before power is restored.

According to NBC's "Today," several trapped Louisiana residents have turned to social media for help, desperately posting their locations in hopes that emergency responders can get to them.

Louisiana Residents Trapped By Ida Floods Turn To Social Media For Help www.youtube.com

Ida slammed Louisiana's coast on Sunday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., immediately blowing the roofs off buildings with winds up to 150mph and flooding several towns in its path. According to the Associated Press, the storm even reversed the flow of the Mississippi River.

New Orleans, Louisiana's most populous city, has been completely shut down and remains without electricity. In a Monday morning Twitter update, Democratic New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell informed residents that power is still out and access to 911 remains unavailable.

Morning #Ida updates in #NOLA:🚨911 remains out🔌Power remains out⚠️Downed trees & power lines in roads🦺Emergenc… https://t.co/s0HbnRMIax

— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) 1630324648.0

New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson on Monday warned criminals against taking advantage of the shutdown to loot and ransack.

"Without power, that creates opportunity for some, and we will not tolerate that," Ferguson said. "We will implement our anti-looting deployment to ensure the safety of our citizens and ensure the safety of our citizens' property."

"Now is not the time to leave your home," the New Orleans Police Department tweeted. "There is no power. Trees, limbs, and lines are down everywhere. It is not safe to leave your home right now. Please remain sheltered in place."

Other small towns nearby, including Houma, experienced raging winds and torrential downpours, as well.

Footage taken from a backyard in Houma, Louisiana, shows raging winds and rain from Hurricane Ida. https://t.co/B8F7MwJRLA

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) 1630297153.0

"This is not the kind of storm that we normally get," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday. "This is going to be much stronger than we usually see and, quite frankly, if you had to draw up the worst possible path for a hurricane in Louisiana, it would be something very, very close to what we're seeing."

I have never heard anything like this! Stay safe from Hurricane Ida everyone #Hurricane #HurricaneIda #ida… https://t.co/HuQU62Uiwc

— EvieAviation (@EvieAviation) 1630270234.0

The Louisiana National Guard activated 4,900 Guard personnel and readied 195 high-water vehicles, 73 rescue boats, and 34 helicopters in preparation for the storm's landfall. Local agencies have reportedly added hundreds more. Those teams are now performing search and rescue operations.

Footage in #GrandIsle, Louisiana from #HurricaneIda.#Ida #idahurricane #Hurricane_Ida #Louisiana https://t.co/7uCFxfsr5y

— M.H. Fahad (@MH_Fahad211) 1630265436.0

While most of the destruction is likely to occur in Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center on Monday reported that Ida, now a tropical storm, was moving northward into Mississippi.

The weather center warned that tornadoes could put residents in danger through Monday night, "mainly across southeast Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle."

Firefight involving US forces breaks out at Kabul airport, Afghan soldier killed, others wounded



An Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded after a firefight erupted at Kabul's international airport on Monday amid ongoing evacuation efforts by the U.S. military.

Germany's military said Monday that U.S. forces were involved in the exchange of gunfire with "unknown attackers." The incident happened as thousands of Afghans and foreigners including U.S. citizens sought entrance to the airport to flee the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

The U.S. military later confirmed to NBC News that no American or NATO coalition forces members were injured after the brief firefight. Navy Capt. William Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the incident "appeared to begin when an unknown hostile actor fired upon Afghan security forces."

The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan on Saturday advised U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport because of "security threats outside the gates."

President Joe Biden's administration faces mounting criticism for failing to guarantee the safe passage of American citizens and Afghan allies of the U.S. to the airport and out of the country following the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The administration was surprised when the Taliban seized control of Kabul on Aug. 15, triggering a humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands of people in the city sought to flee the country through the airport. According to Reuters, at least 20 people have been killed in shootings and stampedes as U.S. forces work to evacuate their citizens and Afghans who may be targeted by the Taliban in retribution for assisting the U.S.

President Joe Biden said Sunday that 28,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since Aug. 14, but an unknown number of Americans are still in the country. Evacuation efforts have a "long way to go and a lot could still go wrong," Biden told reporters at the White House.

""The evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be hard and painful no matter when it started, when we began," he added.

While acknowledging progress in evacuating people out of Afghanistan, President Biden said, "We have a long way to… https://t.co/SY9nin3dVv

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) 1629670768.0

U.S. troops are being assisted by some 600 Afghan security forces soldiers who are providing security around the airport. Monday's firefight, as described by Urban, exemplifies the dangers they face.

"The Afghans returned fire, and in keeping with their right of self-defense, so too did U.S. and coalition troops," he said, adding that one Afghan soldier was killed by the unknown assailants and several Afghans were wounded during the violence.

"The wounded are being treated at an airfield hospital and are reported to be in stable condition. Our condolences go out to the teammates and loved ones of the fallen Afghan soldier," Urban said.

Biden had initially insisted that U.S. forces complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31, regardless of the evacuation effort, but he said Sunday he is reconsidering that decision. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will ask Biden to extend the evacuation deadline when they speak at a virtual G7 Summit Tuesday, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has also called for the deadline to be extended, according to France 24.

The Taliban has warned Western nations against extending the deadline to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan.

"If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations — the answer is no. Or there would be consequences," Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday.

USA Today deletes 'hurtful language' from op-ed by female HS sprinter angry she's lost to biological males. What apparently was so 'hurtful'? She called them 'males.'



USA Today is feeling the backlash after deleting what it termed "hurtful language" from an op-ed by a female high school sprinter upset that's she's been forced to race against — and has lost to — biological males who identify as female. In short, transgender females.

And what apparently was so "hurtful"?

Whatever else she may have written, Chelsea Mitchell referred to her aforementioned opponents as "male" or "males" — and USA Today later cut those references from her piece.

See, in WokeWorld, that's known as "misgendering" — and it's a no-no.

What are the details?

Townhall said Mitchell's USA Today op-ed first ran over the weekend — but by Tuesday the paper added an editor's note at the top: "This column has been updated to reflect USA TODAY's standards and style guidelines. We regret that hurtful language was used."

Alliance Defending Freedom — which is representing Mitchell and other female Connecticut track athletes in a lawsuit over having to compete against transgender females — stated that USA Today editors "without notice to Chelsea, changed the word 'male' to 'transgender' throughout her piece."

Indeed, the Internet Archive reveals that the May 23 version of Mitchell's USA Today op-ed contains 11 references to "male" and "males" — but they all were either deleted outright or replaced with the word "transgender" in the piece's present form.

Here's one example from Mitchell's original piece: "Instead, all I can think about is how all my training, everything I've done to maximize my performance, might not be enough, simply because there's a runner on the line with an enormous physical advantage: a male body."

Catch those last three words? Well, they're gone now.

The new sentence uses the word "transgender" before "runner" — and the words "a male body" have vanished: "Instead, all I can think about is how all my training, everything I've done to maximize my performance, might not be enough, simply because there's a transgender runner on the line with an enormous physical advantage."

What's been the reaction?

As you might expect, folks got angry at USA Today. Christiana Holcomb of ADF certainly gave the paper what for:

What was the "hurtful language" that editors deleted from Chelsea's opinion piece three days after publication? The word "male." 2/3

— Christiana Holcomb (@ChristianaADF) 1622051367.0

Author Abigail Shrier — who knows something about the subject (and getting deleted for her views) — weighed in as well:

Outrageous. @usatoday changed Mitchell's words, post-publication, on the grounds that the word "male" is hurtful.… https://t.co/NGC4pG7cqX

— Abigail Shrier (@AbigailShrier) 1622082224.0

This is the second incident I've heard of where leftist propaganda outlets such as USA Today have altered words pos… https://t.co/vAKPlirBed

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) 1622080933.0

Absolutely incredible. You literally can't make an argument in corporate media with conceding to the terms set by t… https://t.co/on7IsOk7MG

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) 1622080384.0

And U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) was only too happy to crack that quip:

Hey @USATODAY, since you’ve decided to be a propoganda arm for the woke mob and silence a young female athlete, may… https://t.co/u3s8GQgvdw

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1622133846.0

Anything else?

The below video is one example of what Mitchell and other female athletes have been up against. It's from the 2018 Connecticut girls' 100-meter dash. Mitchell is the third runner from the left. The runners to her left and right — Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood — are transgender females.

The results? Mitchell came in fourth. Miller and Yearwood came in first and second, respectively. In fact, Miller set a meet record that day. But had Miller and Yearwood not been allowed to race against biological females, one might conclude that Mitchell would have finished higher that fourth.

Terry Miller of Bulkeley wins the 100m girls dash i. 11.72 (meet record). Andraya Yearwood of Cromwell 2nd, RHAM’s… https://t.co/ivpGzIFM5v

— GameTimeCT (@GameTimeCT) 1528145089.0