Photo of the Week
Totally grassroots, college kid-led protest at Columbia University. I wonder if they have matching Stanley cups, too.
Senate Passes FISA Surveillance Bill
Fox News reported the Senate passed the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) 40 minutes after it lapsed, with a vote of 60-34. The provision allows the government to gather intelligence on foreign subjects through electronic communication service providers. Once again, Senate leaders, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, were on the same page and supported the re-authorization. Yay, more bipartisanship! Although some like Senator Rand Paul raised concerns, amendments to the bill failed to pass, and the measure was signed by President Biden.
What Biden’s Title IX Change Means
The Biden administration recently revised Title IX to include gender identity, potentially affecting sports, prisons, and education. When I first started writing on Title IX in the 1900s (ok, 1999), it was against it because on of it was being used to mandate equality in school spending on sports, which in some instances eliminated sports like football and wrestling because there wasn’t a female equivalent. Now conservatives are sounding the alarm again on why Biden’s rule change is erasing women’s achievement and safety in sports, among other areas.
From Jordan Boyd at The Federalist:
“The final regulations will help to ensure that all students receive appropriate support when they experience sex discrimination and that recipients’ procedures for investigating and resolving complaints of sex discrimination are fair to all involved,” the rules claim.
The regulations do even more damage, however, such as by undoing Trump-era due process safeguards for those accused of sexual misconduct, which could include merely using accurate pronouns. They also encroach on parents’ rights and threaten academic free speech by incentivizing schools to censor students and teachers with traditional views on sex and marriage so they don’t lose federal funding.
In a recent article for The Telegraph, Caroline Downey highlighted concerns about transgender policies and their impact on various aspects of society. She wrote:
With this overhaul, any educational institution that receives federal dollars will be forced to allow boys to compete in girl’s sports unless the schools prove that it would compromise safety. In advance of the announcement, several Republican states passed laws to protect the women’s division. But muddying the waters is a hodgepodge of court rulings, federal statutes and regulations, and policies adopted by the various athletics governing bodies. Many of these conflict with each other, making it increasingly necessary for the Supreme Court to intervene.
Gender ideology has disenfranchised women, but it has sacrificed children completely. Following the Biden administration’s cues, progressive states have pushed the medicalisation of gender-confused minors despite growing concern within the international scientific community about its long-term risks.
Check out XX XY Athletics — the first athletic brand to stand up for women’s sports. I am proud to work with this brand and look forward to sharing more on their mission and products with BRIGHT readers. Use code BRIGHT75 for free shipping.
Students Fleeing Elite Universities As Antisemitism Surges
Antisemitism has surged on elite campuses, with protesters at Columbia threatening Jewish students, leading to numerous arrests. The Free Press noted that dissatisfied students are doing the same as the discontented in blue states: leaving.
From The Free Press:
Both Brown and Harvard saw dips in their application numbers this year—by 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively. (Early decisions to Harvard were down 17 percent.) And while applications to private colleges in mid-Atlantic (25.3 percent) and New England (29 percent) states have risen since 2019, the gains have been small compared to Southern colleges, which saw a 42 percent increase overall. The surge is even more pronounced at state schools. Public colleges in the South saw a total 62.4 increase in applicants, more than double their Northern counterparts, according to Common App data from earlier this month.
Southern colleges are also seeing a surge in applicants from northern out-of-state students. In 2023, for example, about 19 percent of total enrollment at Clemson in South Carolina came from New York and New Jersey—a big change from 2017, when the top out-of-staters were from the Carolinas and Georgia. Almost half the undergraduates from University of Miami in Florida came from out of state in 2023, with students from New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts taking three of the top five slots. Meanwhile, more than half of Elon University’s entire enrollment for 2023 hailed from northeastern states, with Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York leading the charge.
Earlier this week Columbia seemed to acknowledge what many students know — the school can’t guarantee students’ safety. Columbia announced that remote classes would be offered for the rest of the school year. The university’s provost said, “Safety is our highest priority.” However, the university is punishing those who want to be at school while keeping the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” in tact.
If you’re an alum of a university not standing up for students’ safety during protests and looking to donate elsewhere, Mike Rowe has a great suggestion:
For a guy who runs a foundation that sends young people to trade schools all over America – trade schools where I’m pleased to report, no one is calling for the extermination of Jews – today’s headlines are once again offering another excellent reason to consider redirecting whatever financial support you might earmark for the Ivy League, to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation. Why? Because the Ivy League has truly lost its mind.
Check out mikeroweWORKS.org. Also consider introducing kids to opportunities in skilled trades!
RELATED: Once Again, With Feeling: Decolonize Academia Now! (Hot Air)
News You Can Use: The 5 Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
StudyFinds compiled a list of the top five recommended cookies according to food experts. Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies lead the pack with their buttery, crispy texture and rich flavor. Trader Joe’s Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies offer a bite-sized burst of joy, while they say Annie’s Organic Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites provide a flavorful, organic option. Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for crunch lovers, and Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies offer a nostalgic taste.
Clearly, we’re in our thin and crispy era. One of my favorite thin chocolate chip cookies was shared here in BRIGHT from Kelsey Bolar — Barefoot Contessa’s Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Dinner and a Movie 🕶
Many years ago, I wrote that Risky Business was the definitive Gen X movie — “Many of us raised ourselves, so why not a movie where the parents are absent?” A recent article by Mark Judge has it on my mind again. He wrote:
“Hardened and malicious” describes Lana and her crew of pimps and hookers in Risky Business. Rebecca De Mornay is excellent in the role, playing it with exactly the right cool edge. Even when hugging an obviously distraught Joel, she seems aloof and unfeeling. She is exactly the kind of woman who would bear false witness against Joel if it meant a payday. Risky Business isn’t a sly indictment of capitalism. It’s a warning about crazy women and the power of sex to destroy men. Considering what has happened in our politics over the last couple decades, the film was far ahead of its time.
I’ve been getting bored with my three or four go-to chicken dinner recipes. This Magnolia recipe with a peach barbecue sauce caught by eye!