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The steady flow of Cabinet picks from Mar-a-Lago signals that President-elect Donald Trump, fresh off his election victory, is wasting no time. And for good reason: Trump’s team will inherit a mountain of to-dos on Day One. The Biden-Harris administration aggressively pursued policies that threatened our fundamental liberties: religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, the right to life, and equal opportunities for women and girls. Alliance Defending Freedom had a front-row seat to this assault. We faced off regularly against the Biden-Harris administration and its allies in courtrooms and legislatures nationwide.  These next four years will provide a strategic opportunity to reclaim lost ground and forge new paths to protect our fundamental freedoms. ADF encourages the new Trump-Vance administration to focus on three critical areas.  First, reject censorship and protect free speech from all threats, foreign and domestic. From pressuring social media companies to deplatform individuals to weaponizing the government against parents who oppose gender ideology in schools, the Biden-Harris administration repeatedly used censorship to punish and silence dissent. Free speech is the most basic test of any free society. It allows us to debate ideas, seek truth, expose lies, and ultimately prevent tyranny. It’s a global imperative that the United States protect this God-given right. There are already positive signs the new Trump administration plans to tackle censorship head-on.  Trump said recently that he plans to dismantle the “Censorship-Industrial Complex” or CIC—a network of government, nonprofit, for-profit, and media entities that collude to censor vast swaths of speech under the guise of fighting “misinformation” and “disinformation.”  The Republican Party also trained its sights on the CIC in its official platform, stating: “We will ban the Federal Government from colluding with anyone to censor Lawful Speech, defund institutions engaged in censorship, and hold accountable all bureaucrats involved with illegal censoring. We will protect Free Speech online.” Fulfilling this pledge would push back the tide of authoritarianism both here and abroad. Second, uproot dangerous gender ideology from public policy, protecting women, children, and parental rights. The Biden-Harris administration’s infusion of gender ideology into federal policy threatened the well-being of women and girls. Its Title IX rule, which sought to open up girls’ spaces to boys in public schools, sparked a national outcry. No political agenda can alter truth. We are immutably created male and female. Denying this reality has caused immeasurable harm, but embracing it is the surest path to restoring equality and respect for all people. Trump can rescind the current administration’s Title IX rule and adopt the new Trump administration’s own rule restoring protections for women and girls.   We’ve seen encouraging signs that the next administration has made this a priority, with Trump saying recently in response to a question about males playing in women’s sports: “It’s such an easy question . . . We’re not going to let it happen.” The president-elect also has vowed to go after medical providers that perform irreversible “transition” surgeries on minors and has called for a national ban on these barbaric procedures. Third and finally, fortify the rule of law, protect the integrity of our judiciary, and shrink the bloated administrative state. Far from defending democracy, the Biden-Harris administration continually undermined core principles of the Constitution such as federalism and the separation of powers. It even entertained the radical notion of packing the Supreme Court. Thankfully, we’ve been given at least four years to block this power grab and return power to states, communities, and families.  The Supreme Court, in its June 28 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, struck a necessary blow against the administrative state, placing a greater burden on agencies to justify their rulemaking. But there is more work to be done. Let’s hope the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, co-led by entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, implements the kind of innovative thinking we need to tame Leviathan.  For our part, Alliance Defending Freedom will continue advocating for every person’s God-given rights in courtrooms, legislatures, and the public square as we enter this new season. But the work of “keeping our republic” ultimately falls to all Americans.  That work takes place when we insist on a limited government that protects our freedoms. And it takes place at our kitchen tables as we raise the next generation to understand what true freedom is, what it costs, and why it matters.  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post A 4-Year Vision for Generational Change appeared first on The Daily Signal.

One of the defenses that leftists in the media have offered for President Joe Biden's decision to issue a blanket pardon for his son Hunter Biden is to point to Donald Trump's pardon of Charles Kushner in 2020. Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump's...

We rented a 2008 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure from Twisted Road, and we spent several days riding Ohio’s Windy 9. (Photos by the author) Recently I had an opportunity to fly from California to Ohio to visit my 97-year-old great aunt and to ride Ohio’s Windy 9, a network of nine motorcycle routes that originate in Athens, Ohio. My plan was to fly into Columbus, rent a motorcycle, and ride an hour south to Athens. There aren’t any brick-and-mortar motorcycle rental locations in Columbus, so I hopped on the Twisted Road website. Twisted Road listing for the BMW I rented. Twisted Road is a nationwide peer-to-peer motorcycle rental network. Similar to vacation rentals through Airbnb or Vrbo, when you rent a bike through Twisted Road, you rent from an individual owner. Twisted Road vets motorcycle owners before allowing them to rent out their bikes on the site. Before someone can rent a bike, they must provide their driver’s license number and a credit card, and Twisted Road verifies that owners have valid motorcycle endorsements. All rentals are covered by up to $40,000 for damage and up to $1 million for liability. Related: Austin Rothbard, Twisted Road | Ep. 73 Rider Magazine Insider Podcast Since I would be riding lots of curvy roads for several days (the “windy” in Windy 9 refers to twisty, not gusty), I wanted a sport-touring or adventure-touring bike. When I searched for rentals, of the seven motorcycles available to rent near Columbus, four were cruisers, one was a trike, one was a little Honda Monkey, and one was a 2008 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure. The GSA was perfect – it was a bike I’d put many thousands of miles on, and it was equipped with a full set of aluminum luggage. During our ride on Ohio’s Windy 9, we stopped at Dirty Girl Coffee Roasters in Gloucester. Highly recommended! My plan was to pick up the BMW on a Sunday morning and return it the following Friday. The rental price was a reasonable $100 per day. I had never rented through Twisted Road before, so as with all first-time rentals, I was credited one free day, which reduced the total cost from $500 to $400. There are also multiday discounts, and with Twisted Road’s One, Two, Free program, renters earn one free day after completing two rides. I submitted my rental request, which was quickly approved by the owner, Eric. He was very responsive when I asked a few questions, and we exchanged messages through the Twisted Road website to confirm pickup and drop-off times. The BMW R 1200 GSA was clean, full of gas, and waiting for me when I arrived from the airport. After taking a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Columbus, I took an Uber to Eric’s house, which is in a suburb north of the city. When I arrived, the bike was in the driveway, and it was clean and had a full tank of gas. We did a quick walk-around of the bike and snapped a photo of my driver’s license next to the odometer as well as photos of all sides of the bike to verify its condition. The bike handover took only a few minutes. After packing my gear, I was on the road. Scott’s BMW R 1200 RT, Greg’s rental BMW R 1200 GSA, and Eric’s BMW R 1200 GSA. For the next five days, I had a great time on the GSA. In Athens, I got to visit my great-aunt Jean, who has been in a nursing home for the past year. Even at 97, she’s still a lively, lovely lady! I also spent several days with Rider’s contributing editors, Eric Trow and Scott Williams, riding the Windy 9 routes. They were both on BMWs as well – Eric on a GSA, Scott on an RT – so my rental bike was in good company. On the day before I was to return the GSA, I texted the owner to confirm the drop-off time. He generously offered to drive me to the airport, which saved me some time as well as the expense of another 25-mile Uber ride. Downtown Nelsonville, Ohio, which is just north of Athens. Before returning the bike, I did my best to clean it up (we had ridden through some rain) and I filled the tank. The return process was simple, and Eric was friendly and easy to deal with. During our drive to the airport, I asked why he decided to rent out his motorcycle. He had rented a bike through Twisted Road during a multiday layover in Las Vegas (Eric is an airline pilot), and he enjoyed the experience so much that he wanted to provide that opportunity to other riders. Kiser’s BBQ in Athens, Ohio. Also highly recommended! If you’ve got a trip coming up – a family vacation, a business trip, etc. – and you can spare an extra day or two to do some riding, I suggest renting a bike through Twisted Road. Or like I did, you could plan a motorcycle vacation in a faraway place and save yourself the time and hassle of transporting a bike. Depending on your location, the selection may be limited, or you may need to travel a bit to pick up and drop off the bike. Larger cities or metropolitan areas will have more options, so that may be something to consider in your trip planning. For more information about renting a bike or listing your own bike for rent, visit the Twisted Road website. The post Renting a Motorcycle Through Twisted Road appeared first on Rider Magazine.

According to GMO Free USA, a “UK-based biotech corporation specializing in genetically engineered insects, has submitted an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the approval to commercially sell GMO mosquitoes directly to consumers across every state in America.” The outlet says the EPA’s approval of the application by Oxitec would make the GMO mosquitoes available for consumers across the United States in stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. The company has billionaire investors, including Bill Gates.  With EPA approval, Oxitec would sell boxes of GM Aedes aegypti mosquitoes under the brand name “Friendly.” The GMO mosquitoes are categorized as a “biopesticide.” “After customers add water to the boxes, the GM mosquitoes hatch and take flight,” The Defender noted. NO!!! Can we please return sanity back to the FDA?! There is no studies that show this is safe! “A U.K.-based biotech company is seeking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval to sell genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes directly to U.S. consumers as a “biopesticide.” pic.twitter.com/vtGTMaTfoJ — Dr. Kat Lindley (@KLVeritas) December 2, 2024 Oxitec writes: The Friendly technology platform delivers a targeted, non-toxic and environmentally sustainable solution for controlling pests that spread disease, threaten food production or harm ecosystems. Friendly males carry a self-limiting gene that when passed on, prevents their offspring from surviving to adulthood. With regular releases of Friendly males, the number of offspring – in most versions of the technology, specifically the damaging female offspring – is reduced, resulting in a reduction in the pest insect population. Friendly males, and offspring carrying the self-limiting gene, can be tracked through the linked fluorescent marker gene. This method can be applied to all kinds of pests, from the mosquitoes that transmit such diseases as dengue and Zika, to moth caterpillars that destroy maize fields. Oxitec is now developing a Friendly tick, and the technology has the potential to be applied to animals beyond arthropods. “We need your help urgently! Stop Oxitec’s GMO Mosquitoes from infesting America. Learn more and SIGN the petition by Dec 2!” GMO Free USA wrote. Red AlertWe need your help urgently! Stop Oxitec’s GMO Mosquitoes from infesting America. Learn more and SIGN the petition by Dec 2! Share with everyone you know: https://t.co/khx6J4IHKj pic.twitter.com/irLAiAaF0C — GMO Free USA (@GMOFreeUSA) November 30, 2024 From GMO Free USA: In 2021, after years of public outcry and resistance, Oxitec was given the green light by the EPA, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) to conduct an uncontrolled experimental release of their GMO Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. The mosquitoes are categorized as a “biopesticide.” On March 7, 2022, EPA managers approved Oxitec’s application for a second and larger round of experiments, ignoring safety concerns expressed by scientists, public health experts and environmental groups. The 2022 Experimental Use Permit (EUP) allowed the for-profit British corporation to release an estimated 1.5 billion GMO mosquitoes in Monroe County, Florida, and 2.5 billion GMO mosquitoes in Stanislaus, Fresno, Tulare, and San Bernardino Counties in California. Luckily, regulators in California did not allow the risky and unnecessary experiments to move forward and Oxitec withdrew their California application. But in Florida, FDACS and FKMCD again ignored public concerns and allowed Oxitec to proceed. The EUP allowed Oxitec to place boxes of larvae in the backyards of residents to release approximately 1.5 billion GMO mosquitoes into the Keys through April 30, 2024. The experiments have since concluded. Public interest groups requested and were promised relevant data on the impact of the experiments on mosquito populations and the environment. Despite our repeated requests, we have not received a single bit of data. Nothing. Not from Oxitec, FDACS, FKMCD, or the EPA. The public has been kept in the dark. Now Oxitec wants to rush their GMO mosquito biopesticide product to market, into stores across America. Before the EPA is legally able to consider any further releases of genetically engineered biopesticide mosquitoes, a public comment process is required by law. The EPA is required to notify the public when a pesticide registration comment docket opens. The Agency posted a public comment docket during the summer, but failed to notify the public. It was only after we, along with other concerned public interest organizations, asked about the process did they tell us that a public comment docket had been opened. But by that time, the deadline to comment had passed. After we protested, the EPA re-opened the public comment docket. “It is mind-boggling that the EPA would consider the commercialization of a biopesticidal organism that has potentially consequential impacts on human health, endangered species and our environment without thorough study. No such studies have been performed,” GMO Free USA Founder and Executive Director Diana Reeves told The Defender. URGENT! Stop Oxitec’s GMO Mosquitoes from Infesting America: https://t.co/khx6J4IHKj The deadline is tonight at 11:59PM Eastern Time, Monday, December 2. We've made it quick and easy to comment. Use the pre-written text or use your own words. Either way, please comment now! pic.twitter.com/QolT0Tdq97 — GMO Free USA (@GMOFreeUSA) December 2, 2024 The Defender reports: Oxitec has a long history of pushing its products, regardless of informed consent issues and a lack of scientific evidence showing the products are safe. In 2020, the EPA granted Oxitec an experimental use permit to release 750 million GM mosquitos in the Florida Keys in April 2021, despite concern and outrage from Florida residents and environmentalists. Oxitec received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the trial. Since then, Oxitec has released more GM mosquitos in Monroe County, Florida, which encompasses the Keys, as an experimental means of mitigating the spread of Zita and Dengue. In 2022, Oxitec claimed the project was a “success” — but critics said the company failed to provide proof. “There is no evidence of any benefit from a recent experimental release of 1.5 billion mosquitoes in Monroe County, Florida,” Reeves said. Barry Wray, executive director of the Florida Keys Keys Environmental Coalition who has fought Oxitec’s GM mosquito projects in Florida for years, told The Defender there are “serious questions” about Oxitec’s credibility.