Students at a woman-only private liberal arts college in Massachusetts supported a non-binding referendum on Tuesday that would allow women who identify as men and &#8220;non-binary&#8221; individuals to apply to the institution.
Student body officials at Wellesley College, which includes alumnae Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright, voted unanimously last month to advance the Gender Inclusivity Ballot, which would allow students to &#8220;express their views&#8221; on the 150-year-old institution&#8217;s admissions policy while making its language more inclusive to such students. However, school officials said the student vote wouldn’t have any impact on the school’s policies or practices.
The college already accepts transgender-identifying students who were born male, but the controversial referendum expands the application process for women who identify as men.
&#8220;We&#8217;re just asking the administration to put on paper what&#8217;s already true of the student body,&#8221; Alexandra Brooks, the student body president, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/us/wellesley-college-trans-nonbinary.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. &#8220;Trans men go to Wellesley, nonbinary people go to Wellesley, and they kind of always have.&#8221;
Elizabeth Um, a senior and president of the campus&#8217; pro-life group, Wellesley For Life, told the Times that she enrolled at the liberal arts college due to its close proximity to home and its identity as a women&#8217;s college.
&#8220;If you don&#8217;t think you can fit in here, then you have your pick of thousands of other coed colleges in the country or the world,&#8221; Um said. &#8220;We&#8217;re a women&#8217;s college. That&#8217;s the core identity of the school, and we can&#8217;t start watering that down.&#8221;
Um did not disclose to the outlet whether she opposed the referendum, noting that it would pass and speaking out against the ballot on campus would be &#8220;social suicide.&#8221;
Wellesley already admits &#8220;cis, trans, and nonbinary students—all who consistently identify as women,&#8221; the college&#8217;s president, Paula Johnson, wrote in a <a href="https://blogs.wellesley.edu/announcements/2023/03/06/affirming-our-mission-and-embracing-our-community/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> last week on the college website.
Johnson opposed the referendum and warned students that the results would not impact its admissions policy.
&#8220;We are not a &#8216;historically women&#8217;s college,&#8217; a term that only applies to women&#8217;s colleges that have made the decision to enroll men,&#8221; Johnson wrote. &#8220;We have chosen a different path, one that aligns with peer institutions, including Barnard, Smith, and Bryn Mawr colleges.&#8221;
&#8220;In accordance with our admission policy, Wellesley admits applicants who identify and live consistently as women, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth,&#8221; she added.
Roughly 2,500 students attend Wellesley college, which is located in the suburbs of Boston. It is not known how many of those students claim to be the opposite sex or &#8220;non-binary.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s important that all members of this community feel seen. Some transgender male and nonbinary students whose identities have evolved during their time here say they feel excluded by the College&#8217;s use of the words ‘women’ and ‘alumnae’ — and feel that their individual identities are not embraced,&#8221; Johnson wrote. &#8220;At the same time, many students who are committed to Wellesley&#8217;s mission as a women&#8217;s college and who identify as women have been publicly criticized for their view and have felt pressured to describe Wellesley as a historically women&#8217;s college.&#8221;
The Wellesley News editorial board disapproved of Johnson&#8217;s letter, calling it &#8220;the College&#8217;s transphobic rhetoric.&#8221;
&#8220;Transgender and nonbinary students have always belonged and will continue to belong at Wellesley, a historically women&#8217;s college,&#8221; they wrote in the <a href="https://thewellesleynews.com/2023/03/08/the-wellesley-news-editorial-boards-statement-on-president-paula-johnsons-recent-rmail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">editorial</a>.

Building in Wellesley College

All-Women Liberal Arts College Votes On Non-Binding Referendum To Allow Trans, Non-Binary Individuals To Apply

All-Women Liberal Arts College Votes On Non-Binding Referendum To Allow Trans, 'Non-Binary' Individuals To Apply

Boston

College

Education

Hillary Clinton

Liberalism

Transgender

U.S.

Two <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston</a> police officers are out of the job in an apparent crackdown on vocal opposition to COVID vaccine mandates and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">January 6</a> social media posts.
Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox announced Sgt. Shana Cottone and Officer Joseph Abasciano were fired on Monday. Both ousted cops hired legal representation and plan to appeal the firings, <a href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2023/03/14/boston-police-department-fires-two-controversial-officers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to GBH News</a>.
Cottone leads Boston First Responders United and participated in anti-vaccine mandate protests with other members outside the home of Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu and elsewhere. In his statement, Cox said Cottone was found to have repeatedly violated several rules and procedures after six separate internal investigations over charges related to conduct, neglect of duty, respectful treatment, and public opinions.
“Cottone’s conduct in these cases reflects a pattern and inability to adhere to the rules and procedures of this department,&#8221; said Cox, who also noted Cottone’s &#8220;disciplinary history&#8221; was taken under consideration.
Abasciano, a retired Marine who was on paid medical leave, participated in &#8220;Back the Blue&#8221; rallies and also demonstrated against vaccine mandates. However it appears his firing concerns tweets criticizing former Vice President Mike Pence for not trying to stop President Joe Biden&#8217;s 2020 election victory on January 6, 2021.
The tweets, from a &#8220;Mailbox Joe&#8221; alias, accused Pence of treason. One particular missive directed at the vice president said, &#8220;I hope you never sleep well again,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-police-capitol-riot-officer-joseph-abasciano-wbz-iteam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CBS News.</a>
&#8220;While in the Department’s employ, Abasciano authored a series of social media posts that called into question his ability to provide police services in an unbiased and objective manner,&#8221; Cox said. &#8220;Abasciano’s conduct impairs the operation of this Department and its employees by diminishing the Departments’ reputation and trust within the community. Due to this Mr. Abasciano is no longer a Boston Police officer.&#8221;
Cottone&#8217;s group, Boston First Responders United, <a href="https://twitter.com/BostonFRU/status/1635430121078390791" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a statement claiming</a> the cases against Cottone and Abasciano were &#8220;politically motivated and retaliation for speaking out in support of personal choice and freedom of speech.&#8221;
Abasciano told <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-police-department-fires-2-outspoken-officers/2996459/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Associated Press</a> he was fired based on a “nonexistent social media policy,&#8221; and blamed a &#8220;clear cut case of political targeting, police/union corruption, retaliation and discrimination which ultimately boils down to my First Amendment rights being violated.&#8221;
During an appearance on <a href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2023/03/14/boston-police-department-fires-two-controversial-officers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Public Radio</a>, Wu said she supports Cox&#8217;s decision to fire the officers. &#8220;Each has a separate set of actions that was detailed [and] investigated,&#8221; she added.

Shana Cottone

Boston Police Fires Officers After Anti-Vax Protests and January 6 Posts

January 6

Law Enforcement

Police

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston</a> Democrat Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michelle-wu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michelle Wu</a> has been accused of racial discrimination by a group of white restaurant owners who say they were targeted for city fees in part due to their ethnic heritage.
According to the restaurant owners, Wu and the city singled them out for a $7,500 outdoor dining fee, a fee which <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2023/03/08/north-end-restaurant-owners-claim-discriminated-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only applied</a> to establishments in their neighborhood. The plaintiffs are seeking $500,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.
“It is commonly known that the traditional owner of a restaurant in the North End of Boston is a white male of Italian descent, and the North End is generally regarded (as) the last true ethnic Boston Italian neighborhood,&#8221; a Tuesday legal filing from the group of restaurant owners <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/north-end-restaurant-owners-sue-mayor-michelle-wu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“The Plaintiffs had a right to be treated the same as other restaurants in the City who were granted outdoor dining and not singled out to pay fees … to have outdoor dining because of their sex or national origin/ethnicity as appears in this case,” the lawsuit continues.
Those suing Wu include Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, Carla Gomes, Jason and Kim Silvestri, and Patrick Mendoza, all of whom run restaurants in Boston’s North End neighborhood. In October, a judge dismissed a similar claim from the group when they said the fees imposed on them were unconstitutional.
Wu claimed the fees were necessary to ease traffic congestion and garbage disposal in the historic neighborhood, which was the only place in the city to be given the extra fees. After criticism, Wu eased the requirements somewhat and introduced a way some establishments could apply for exemption.
“I won’t comment on ongoing litigation that the city is involved in, but I will say that we stand fully behind decisions that are to ensure residents can live in their neighborhoods with the full range of ease of access and safety and opportunity,” Wu told reporters when asked about the suit.
Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, one of those involved in the suit, <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/04/27/north-end-restaurateur-says-hes-running-for-boston-city-council-seat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran unsuccessfully</a> for a city council seat last year in response to Wu’s restaurant fees, running on a platform of supporting law enforcement, small businesses, and maintaining the city’s historic monuments.
“The city of Boston is failing the people and I feel I have to do something about it,” he said in announcing his campaign. “I will be a vocal challenge to Mayor Wu.”
Wu has come under fire for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boston-mayor-michelle-wu-blasted-for-white-jokes-at-st-patricks-day-breakfast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">racially charged jokes</a> in the past, making a joke last St. Patrick’s Day about having to deal with “white” problems.
“I’m getting used to dealing with problems that are expensive, disruptive, and white — I’m talking about snowflakes, snowstorms, snowflakes!” Wu said at the time.

Asian American Pacific Islanders Event

Boston Democrat Mayor Sued For Allegedly Discriminating Against White Restaurant Owners

Courts

Michelle Wu

Racial Discrimination

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/national-archives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Archives</a> told Congress its staff obtained nine boxes of materials from the Boston office of a personal attorney to President Joe Biden.
<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2023-03-07_nara_to_grassley_johnson_biden_records.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A letter</a> sent to a pair of Republican senators this week reportedly divulges new details about the inquiry into Biden&#8217;s handling of government documents, specifically about Patrick Moore, the attorney identified as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-attorney-interviewed-by-feds-in-docs-review-but-no-302-summary-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one who initially found</a> classified materials while packing up the president&#8217;s former think tank office in early November.
&#8220;When NARA [National Archives and Records Administration] contacted President Biden’s personal counsel on November 3, 2022, to arrange to pick up boxes from the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C., they informed NARA that Mr. Moore had moved other boxes from the Penn Biden Center to Mr. Moore’s law firm in Boston,&#8221; Acting Archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall wrote in the letter dated Tuesday.
Wall divulged that the National Archives was informed Biden’s counsel began their review of the materials in the Penn Biden Center in October 2022 — earlier than previously known — and had moved some boxes to Boston at some point afterwards.
&#8220;NARA staff retrieved nine boxes from Mr. Moore’s Boston office&#8221; at the request of the Justice Department on November 9 and these boxes were secured in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, Wall wrote. It is not clear whether there is any classified materials in these boxes, as Wall noted that her agency &#8220;has not reviewed the contents of the boxes found at Mr. Moore’s Boston office.&#8221;
The letter is addressed to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), who have written to Wall <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/johnson_grassley_to_national_archives__records_administration_biden_records.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeking more information</a> <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_johnson_to_national_archives_and_records_administration_-_biden_records_followup.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">about the discovery of documents</a> marked classified dating back to Biden&#8217;s time as vice president and U.S. senator at multiple locations.
The documents controversy dates back to early November, when Biden’s attorneys found about 10 records marked classified while clearing out Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center, according to his legal team. However, the discovery was not revealed to the public <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-center-classified-documents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">until CBS News broke the story</a> of an inquiry by U.S. Attorney John Lausch. After the revelation, Biden <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/us/politics/biden-documents-classified-foreign-countries.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said his team</a> immediately contacted the National Archives to turn over the materials.
Following the initial review by Lausch, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur as special counsel to examine whether “any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter.”
Moore spoke with a team led by Lausch during the initial review of the president’s handling of documents, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/politics/patrick-moore-attorney-interviewed-biden-classified-documents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sources told CNN</a>. A Freedom of Information Act request revealed emails showing Moore in contact with the National Archives about picking up boxes of materials from his office on November 9, however the number of boxes were not clear at the time the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/biden-boxes-boston-office" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Examiner reported about it last month</a>,
FBI searches for documents have taken place at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, his beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware, and the Penn Biden Center, a think tank located in Washington, D.C., which have turned up more materials of interest to investigators. Biden’s personal attorneys and the White House have insisted throughout the process that they are cooperating with the National Archives and Justice Department.
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Classified documents have also been found in the homes of former President Donald Trump, who is facing an investigation by a separate special counsel, and former Vice President Mike Pence, prompting the National Archives to call on other former presidents and vice presidents to check for such materials.
Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned U.S. intelligence community leaders on Wednesday that a lack of transparency to Congress about the documents might jeopardize the Biden administration&#8217;s efforts to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-asks-congress-to-reauthorize-fisa-surveillance-powers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renew a surveillance law this year</a>. “This trust relationship has to go two ways,&#8221; <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/08/warner-administration-classified-docs-biden-00086107" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said</a>.

Joe Biden

Nine Boxes Of Docs Taken From Biden Attorney’s Office In Boston

Nine Boxes Of Docs Taken From Biden Attorney's Office In Boston

classified documents

Executive

Massachusetts

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston">Boston</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/massachusetts">Massachusetts</a>, man allegedly tried to hire a hitman to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">kill</a> his wife, but the first person he hired scammed him, while the second person was actually an undercover federal agent.
Mohammed Chowdhury, 46, was arrested and charged with one count of murder-for-hire for attempting to have his wife and her boyfriend killed, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/boston-man-arrested-engaging-murder-hire-targeting-his-wife-and-her-boyfriend">a press release</a> last week.
In November 2022, someone contacted federal law enforcement to say that Chowdhury was trying to hire someone to kill his wife, and that he had already paid for the murder, but that individual who took the money didn’t follow through with the crime. Chowdhury allegedly told the person who contacted federal authorities that he would be willing to rob a store to finance the hit and wanted the murder committed as soon as possible.
The informant provided law enforcement with Chowdhury’s phone number, and an undercover agent began posing as a contract killer.
Authorities allege that between December 2022 and January 2023, Chowdhury met numerous times with undercover agents offering to help him commit the murders. Chowdhury’s wife allegedly left him for the new lover.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chowdhury asked the undercover agents: “So how we gonna disappear his, uh, body?” He also told them there could be “No evidence. No evidence. No evidence from like, you know, that, uh, I did something, you know?”
Chowdhury also allegedly provided the undercover agents with photos of his wife and her new boyfriend, their address, as well as information about where they worked and their work schedules.
He allegedly agreed to pay the fake contract killer $4,000 for each murder, with $500 upfront.
Chowdhury met with the undercover agents on January 17 and allegedly provided the deposit while again confirming he wanted his wife and her new boyfriend to be murdered. He was then taken into federal custody, authorities said.
It is not the first time Chowdhury has been charged in relation to his wife. In October 2019, he pleaded to sufficient facts for violating an Abuse Prevention Order his wife had against him.
The latest charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if Chowdhury is convicted, with three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Cropped Hand Holding Rifle In Forest

Massachusetts Man Allegedly Trying To Find Hitman To Kill Wife First Hired Scammer, Then Undercover Federal Agent

Crime

Murder

A family member of Coretta Scott King, the wife of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., despises a new monument unveiled late last week in Boston to honor him.
The 22-foot tall bronze statue, dubbed “The Embrace,” was meant to capture a hug Dr. King shared with his wife after he won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/monument-honoring-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-coretta-scott-king-unveiled-boston-the-embrace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-reader-unique-id="4">reported</a>.
It cost $10 million and was designed by Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group, the report said, and is located in Freedom Plaza of the Boston Common.
“The mainstream media … was reporting on it like it was all beautiful, ’cause they were told they had to say that,” Seneca Scott, Coretta’s cousin, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/15/woke-mlk-penis-statue-insults-black-community-coretta-scott-king-kin/?utm_medium=SocialFlow&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=NYPTwitter">told</a> the New York Post. “But then when it came out, a little boy pointed out — ‘That’s a penis!’ and everyone was like, ‘Yo, that’s a big old d***, man.&#8221;
“If you had showed that statute (sic) to anyone in the hood, they’d have been like, ‘No, absolutely not,’&#8221; he continued, according to the Post. “Ten million dollars were wasted to create a masturbatory metal homage to my legendary family members — one of the all-time greatest American families.”
Seneca Scott blamed &#8220;woke&#8221; activists.
“The woke algorithm is just broke, I don’t know what else to tell you,&#8221; he said. “If you went through all of that and that’s what you came up with, something’s wrong.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: The bronze sculpture called “The Embrace” honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King has just been unveiled on the Boston Common <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7news?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7news</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLKWeekend?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLKWeekend</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLKDay2023?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLKDay2023</a> <a href="https://t.co/IckphP15FL">pic.twitter.com/IckphP15FL</a>
&mdash; Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmakaUbakaTV/status/1614002232180998145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Imari Paris Jeffries, executive director of Embrace Boston, the group responsible for overseeing the installation of the statue, said that he cried when he first saw it.
“And someone said to me, before I saw it for the first time, ‘Imagine when you see it, you’re going to cry,’” Jeffries said. “And I said, ‘I’ve seen monuments before. I’m not going to cry when I see a monument.’ And I actually did.”
“And despite the fact that we’re in the middle of the city, it is a quiet place. And so it’s a place of both contemplation and joy simultaneously,” he said. “And so I think it’s one of America’s most miraculous pieces of public art.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mlks-the-embrace-statue-unveiled-in-boston-and-people-have-thoughts-hideous-and-depressing">MLK&#8217;s &#8216;The Embrace&#8217; Statue Unveiled In Boston And People Have Thoughts: &#8216;Hideous And Depressing&#8217;</a>

The Embrace Statue

$10M ‘Wasted’: Family Of Coretta Scott King Has Crude Comparison For MLK Statue

Family Of Coretta Scott King Has Crude Comparison For MLK Statue

General

Martin Luther King Jr.

monuments

Statues

A statue honoring <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/martin-luther-king-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Martin Luther King Jr.</a> and his wife, Coretta Scott King, was met with mixed reactions online after it was unveiled Saturday in Boston.
The 22-foot tall bronze statue, dubbed &#8220;The Embrace,&#8221; was meant to capture a hug that Dr. King shared with his wife after he won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/monument-honoring-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-coretta-scott-king-unveiled-boston-the-embrace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The statue cost $10 million and was designed by Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group, the report said. It is located in Freedom Plaza of the Boston Common.
Imari Paris Jeffries, executive director of Embrace Boston, the group responsible for overseeing the installation of the statue, said that he cried when he first saw it.
&#8220;And someone said to me, before I saw it for the first time, &#8216;Imagine when you see it, you&#8217;re going to cry,’” Jeffries said. &#8220;And I said, &#8216;I&#8217;ve seen monuments before. I&#8217;m not going to cry when I see a monument.&#8217; And I actually did.&#8221;
&#8220;And despite the fact that we&#8217;re in the middle of the city, it is a quiet place. And so it&#8217;s a place of both contemplation and joy simultaneously,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And so I think it&#8217;s one of America&#8217;s most miraculous pieces of public art.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: The bronze sculpture called “The Embrace” honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King has just been unveiled on the Boston Common <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7news?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7news</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLKWeekend?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLKWeekend</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLKDay2023?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLKDay2023</a> <a href="https://t.co/IckphP15FL">pic.twitter.com/IckphP15FL</a>
&mdash; Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmakaUbakaTV/status/1614002232180998145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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While some liked the statue, many did not — especially from certain angles.
&#8220;There’s a sculptor somewhere giggling uncontrollably,&#8221; political commentator T. Beckett Adams tweeted. &#8220;Yes, yes, yes I know what you all think it looks like, you sickos and degenerates.&#8221;
Attorney Allan Richarz tweeted, &#8220;Is it really that hard to get a decent MLK statue?&#8221;
&#8220;This is a terrible sculpture,&#8221; content creator Jay D. Cartere tweeted. &#8220;It looks like someone grabbing a thigh [a] very different kind of &#8216;loving embrace.’”
&#8220;Yeah I thought it was fake at first,&#8221; political commentator Mike Cernovich responded. &#8220;Like a racist wanted to mock MLK.&#8221;
Reporter Jim Stinson tweeted, &#8220;Boston has some of the least impressive outdoor art. They could have done much better for the memory of MLK, who got his doctorate from BU.&#8221;
&#8220;Should have been lovely &amp; inspiring—instead it’s hideous and depressing,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/CHSommers/status/1614333815932993537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Christina Sommers, Senior Fellow, AEI.
Former Pentagon official Amber Smith tweeted, &#8220;This is a horrible sculpture.&#8221;
&#8220;For the record, the big unveiling yesterday was only for VIPs and political hacks,&#8221; radio host Gerry Callahan tweeted. &#8220;Cops told us the public doesn&#8217;t get to see this monstrosity until February. Until then, the fences stay up.”
NYT best-selling author Morgan Jerkins tweeted, &#8220;This looks like&#8230;.I&#8217;m tryna be respectful here but you&#8217;re making it hard.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I’m not even going to say what I thought it was. <a href="https://t.co/bitY40U6qc">pic.twitter.com/bitY40U6qc</a>
&mdash; Maggie 🐳 (@The_Vent_Line) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Vent_Line/status/1614100260292546561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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MLK’s ‘The Embrace’ Statue Unveiled In Boston And People Have Thoughts: ‘Hideous And Depressing’

MLK's 'The Embrace' Statue Unveiled In Boston And People Have Thoughts: 'Hideous And Depressing'

The attorney for the surviving <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston-bomber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Marathon bomber</a> asked a federal court Tuesday to overturn his client’s death sentence because of juror misconduct during the trial.
The Boston bomber and his brother killed three people and injured hundreds more with two bombs planted near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. The brother died after a shootout with police, but the surviving bomber was tracked down and taken into custody.
The Boston Marathon bomber’s attorney, Daniel Habib, is now asking a federal appeals court to intervene and throw out the death sentence first handed down by a federal jury in 2015 and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-reinstates-death-sentence-for-boston-marathon-bomber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reimposed</a> by the Supreme Court last year. Habib told the First Circuit Court of Appeals that his client’s sentence should be lifted because of issues the Supreme Court did not consider in its March 2022 ruling, such as two jurors accused of lying during jury selection, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-state-government-legal-proceedings-crime-boston-f32276fbfccb77fca2a08ae831d7f4df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
Habib said that one juror claimed to not have posted on social media about the bomber, but had shared a post calling the defendant a “piece of garbage.” Another juror had claimed that none of his Facebook friends had posted about the trial, but one friend had pushed the juror to “play the part” to get on the jury and convict the defendant.
Justice Department attorney William Glaser admitted inaccurate statements by some jurors, but said no evidence suggests the jurors acted in bad faith.
“There is no indication in this record that the inaccuracies were the kind of knowing dishonesty that would lead to disqualification,” Glaser said, according to the AP.
The First Circuit judges appeared to entertain Habib’s argument. “Don’t we need to know why it was inaccurate before we know whether it was evidence of some bias or an innocent mistake?” Judge William Kayatta said, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/court-appears-open-boston-marathon-bombers-new-challenge-death-sentence-2023-01-10/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.
The Boston Marathon bomber was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-verdict-boston-marathan-bombing-trial.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> of 30 charges after a 2015 trial in which his legal team made a minimal effort to defend him. The defense attorney admitted his client’s guilt to some of the charges and called just four witnesses who together gave five hours of testimony. Prosecutors called 92 witnesses who testified over course of 15 days.
The First Circuit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-court-overturns-death-sentence-for-boston-marathon-bomber-dzhokhar-tsarnaev" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overturned</a> the bomber’s death sentence in 2020. The defendant’s legal team had at the time pushed for the jury’s verdict to be overturned as well.
“This case should not have been tried in Boston. [The bomber] admitted heinous crimes, but even so — perhaps especially so — this trial demanded scrupulous adherence to the requirements of the Constitution and federal law. Again and again this trial fell short,” the bomber’s legal team said.

Boston Marathon bombing memorial

Federal Court Weighs Overturning Death Sentence For Boston Marathon Bomber

Boston Bomber

Boston Marathon

Terrorism

It has been subtle, but the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/american-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American</a> public has spent a little too much time shoveling adulation onto the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/royal-family" target="_blank" rel="noopener">British Royal Family</a> in recent years. We&#8217;re American citizens, not British subjects for Pete&#8217;s sake. We fought and won a war to get away from those across the pond, but for some reason, certain sects of society are obsessed with Harry and Meghan, the late Queen, and everything else related to Buckingham Palace.
That&#8217;s why <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston-celtics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Celtics</a> interim head coach Joe Mazzulla offered such a fantastic response when a reporter asked what it meant to him to have Prince William and Princess Kate in attendance for the team&#8217;s Wednesday night game against The Heat in Boston.
&#8220;A non-basketball question: did you get a chance to meet with the Royal family and if not, how was it like having them there in the building?&#8221; a reporter asked following the team&#8217;s victory.
&#8220;Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?&#8221; Mazzulla deadpanned back.
&#8220;The Prince and Princess of Wales,&#8221; she responded with a laugh.
&#8220;Oh, no I did not, I&#8217;m only familiar with one Royal family,&#8221; he answered. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know too much about that one. Thank you, but hopefully, they&#8217;re Celtic fans.&#8221;
As one Twitter user said, &#8220;The written words didn’t do this clip of Joe Mazzulla justice.&#8221; The all-American response can be seen here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The written words didn’t do this clip of Joe Mazzulla justice. 😂 <a href="https://t.co/DiNi6HOkpX">pic.twitter.com/DiNi6HOkpX</a>
&mdash; R.S. Locke / Royal Suitor (@royal_suitor) <a href="https://twitter.com/royal_suitor/status/1598299575214780416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
For that answer, Mazzulla is an American hero. Celtics player Jaylen Brown also wasn&#8217;t too star-struck by the Brits.
&#8220;It was just a regular game to me,&#8221; he responded when asked about their appearance.
Similarly, Boston fans — a city full of many Irish descendants — promptly erupted in &#8220;USA!&#8221; chants when the couple was shown on the teleprompter:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Crowds chant “USA, USA” as William and Kate attend basketball game" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l7AFUoAjeCU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The English, of course, have not treated the Irish too kindly over the centuries — to put it lightly.
Clearly, leadership in Boston starts at the top with Mazzulla. What&#8217;s better than an American basketball team named in honor of the Irish — and its fans — not giving one iota of thought toward the British Monarchy?
Though I would add there is at least one other royal that Americans care about: Elvis Presley — The King of Rock and Roll.
In the spirit of American patriotism, here are some Team USA highlights of Celtics legend Larry Bird:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Larry Bird dominates with the Dream Team | NBC Sports" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p3valuPa_44?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Joe Mazzulla, Larry Bird

American Hero: Boston Celtics Coach Doesn’t Care One Bit British Royals Sat Courtside At Game Against The Heat

American Hero: Boston Celtics Coach Doesn't Care One Bit British Royals Sat Courtside At Game Against The Heat

America

American Revolution

Boston Celtics

Kate Middleton

Prince William

Boston has agreed to pay $2.1 million in legal fees and other expenses after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the city for refusing to allow a Christian flag to fly outside City Hall.
The <a href="https://lc.org/110822ShurtleffBostonFlagSettlement.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settlement</a> included an agreement to pay Harold Shurtleff and his Camp Constitution non-profit for legal costs incurred during the dispute.
&#8220;We are pleased that after five years of litigation and a unanimous victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, we joined with Hal Shurtleff to finally let freedom fly in Boston, the Cradle of Liberty,&#8221; Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver, whose organization represented Shurtleff, said in a <a href="https://lc.org/newsroom/details/110822-christian-flag-case-in-boston-settles-for-dollar2125-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
&#8220;The Christian flag case has established significant precedent, including the overturning of the 1971 &#8216;Lemon Test,&#8217; which Justice [Antonin] Scalia once described as a &#8216;ghoul in a late night horror movie.&#8217; The case of Shurtleff v. City of Boston finally buried this ghoul that haunted the First Amendment for 51 years,&#8221; he added.
The city&#8217;s policy stated that the flagpole was open to all organizations. Between 2005-2017, the city approved 284 flag raisings with no denials. However, in 2017, Shurtleff&#8217;s group was denied its request to fly the flag on Constitution Day and Citizenship Day because it was a Christian flag.
The case was lost in four lower court cases before the Supreme Court accepted it. Justices ruled 9-0 in May that the denial was unconstitutional under the First Amendment Speech Clause.
The Christian flag was finally flown briefly on the Boston City Hall flagpole on August 3.
“I do want to give the glory to God because God’s hand was in this from the very beginning,” Shurtleff <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LibertyCounsel/videos/454046086612262/?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWBtQG9T9ajOf6M59L8KEbbyjBzjjkrGysp2wABC9iKRb-aTp6IWFoQJByTKHLQX7ow8a1TuiwhhgOeKE5WbNOZ6dzmIN6VUv8k-yankgGTTXsyVrMa31TD4t1GAhVM-EC-DzvVXwj-nNIQVWHXed-nZs0AczbiKk1X49yguVZIEWNIGnJS4_IJkmxsXijlpgQ&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the flag-raising ceremony.
“We have a great Constitution and a wonderful First Amendment, but just like when it comes to muscle, if you don’t use it, then you get weak. When I got the rejection email from the city and it said ‘separation of church and state,’ I knew we had a case,” he added.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, the city of Boston is reportedly working on a policy that could soon give the local government more power in deciding which flags are approved at City Hall. The Boston Herald <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/08/02/camp-constitution-christian-flag-to-fly-over-boston/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in August that the city expects to propose a change to its flag policies following the Supreme Court&#8217;s verdict.
CBS News Boston <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-city-hall-flag-christian-us-supreme-court-camp-constitution-harold-shurtleff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the proposal would push for any group that wants to fly a flag on City Hall Plaza will “now need either a proclamation from the mayor or a resolution from the council.”

Christian flag

Boston To Pay $2.1 Million After Supreme Court Rules Against City’s Refusal To Fly Christian Flag

Christian

flags

Religion

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

The director of the pediatric gender clinic at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston">Boston</a> Children’s Hospital admitted that puberty blockers cause infertility and are given out to children “like candy” to a &#8220;skyrocketing&#8221; number of new patients in a recently uncovered video conference.
Dr. Jeremi Carswell, pediatric endocrinologist and current <a href="https://www.lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/us/faculty-advisory-board/jeremi-carswell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">director</a> of Boston Children&#8217;s Hospital GeMS (Gender Management Service), spoke of the permanent loss of fertility and unregulated frequency at which puberty-blocking drugs are administered to children at a 2020 Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health (AETH) conference, according to a <a href="https://www.lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/courses/puberty-blockers-and-hormone-therapy-for-gender-diverse-youth-and-adolescents/lessons/recorded-webinar-puberty-blockers-and-hormone-therapy-for-gender-diverse-youth-and-adolescents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recorded webinar</a> called &#8220;Puberty Blockers and Hormone Therapy for Gender Diverse Youth and Adolescents&#8221; on the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center website.
&#8220;This is probably no surprise to everybody who is listening: the number of adolescents who have been coming into gender programs over the last several years has really kind of skyrocketed,&#8221; began Carswell. &#8220;This is a worldwide phenomenon and we&#8217;re not really quite sure what the story is behind that, but we do know that a lot of people have been presenting [with gender dysphoria], mostly assigned females.&#8221;
In the following slide, Carswell shows a graph displaying “new patient volume by year” at the GeMs clinic, showing a sharp increase in the number of patients it sees.
“I ended it at 2017 because we’ve pretty much maxed out on our capacity to see patients,” said Carswell. “It’s pretty much the same for 2018 and 2019 as far as I know. For 2020, we did a little bit of rearranging about how we did things, so I expect that number to go higher.”
“Our admin staff is telling me on an average week, we get anywhere from two to about eighteen calls for new patients per week,” Carswell added.
Carswell begins by referring to puberty blocking drugs as a &#8220;reversible therapy,” but then goes on to discuss the &#8220;risks/consequences&#8221; of prescribing them to children at the first signs of puberty to stop the development of secondary sex characteristics. Children who begin taking puberty blockers during the first signs of puberty and go on to take cross-sex hormones, which constitutes the vast majority, will become sterilized and may never be able to achieve orgasm, as Carswell explained:
<blockquote>If you are giving something that shuts down your estrogen or shuts down testosterone entirely, you’re going to stop either — if you had already been producing sperm or eggs, you’re going to stop doing that — and if you never started, you’re not going to be able to advance the gonads to be able to do that.</blockquote>
Additionally, puberty blockers stunt development of the male genitalia and have been shown to have serious side effects, which include a decline in bone density, neurological effects, and psychiatric problems. Doctors have prescribed puberty blockers off-label as a “treatment” for gender dysphoria on an experimental basis. There are no long-term studies to support its use in this context and they are not FDA approved for their off-label use.
The FDA recently issued a <a href="https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/20636/Risk-of-pseudotumor-cerebri-added-to-labeling-for?autologincheck=redirected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warning</a> for puberty-blocking drugs after identifying a serious potential side effect that may cause a dangerous surge of spinal fluid pressure in the brain for some children. This build-up can cause headaches, nausea, double vision, and even permanent vision loss.
During a question and answer segment during Carswell&#8217;s presentation, Carswell was asked if she believes if puberty blockers could safely be administered by primary care providers.
&#8220;I think, you know, like I said, there&#8217;s a lot of people using blockers, and that&#8217;s great because it can be really helpful, but I think, um, I worry that they’re being given out a lot like candy, which is great in some ways, but it&#8217;s also like ok well, you know, you need to have the conversation about fertility,” Carswell said. &#8220;And you need to understand that you don&#8217;t get to have this like Peter Pan life.”
In the same presentation, Carswell suggested that some doctors let their young patients dictate the terms of their sex change.
“I’ve never seen anywhere in medicine as much as I do in this field where I think we as providers get very, very, very swayed by our patients, and um, I think that’s dangerous,” said Carswell. &#8220;We don&#8217;t need a generation of people who are having all these health issues because we didn&#8217;t want to wait and be a little more cautious with our treatments.&#8221;
Reuters published <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/?scrolltoken=whs3RN_MoirIfvILiMHhJ7GbGiI55wzId7NgSE-9mKZWJzXo6aHu_SgreiLwiSP-Ta1397LOJpYmQ3CYNDe8PohA0ZWUc7sbpC3Ql-Yhnoxo3ZVvi1FxdWplE-LvO7sME8hKRUfRkOxkVwyFulf5EOI1nGZTtMrZUbkJh2jkIdoduUFCPeZTphGKMV07AcwLjB1hsKZQtXBOTjt6WG6OJ2q7DB1Q7H0rL1mecL9jIg.eyJraWQiOiIzIn0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> on the rising number of children and adolescents adopting a transgender identity and seeking medical interventions. Among the shocking revelations is that between 2017 to 2021, 17,683 of the 121,882 children ages 6 to 17 diagnosed with gender dysphoria received puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. Reuters said these numbers were a “significant undercount” since they don’t include children whose records did not specify a gender dysphoria diagnosis or whose treatment wasn’t covered by insurance.
In a now <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1558669742126223361?s=20&amp;t=7tXyzCa8LNK9bBg9yL3uVA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deleted video</a> on the Boston Children’s YouTube channel, Carswell said that some children know that they are transgender from “the minute they were born.”
Breitbart News reported that Carswell has <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/health/2022/07/25/puberty-blocker-manufacturer-gave-money-director-boston-childrens-transgender-clinic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> financial compensation from Endo Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of a puberty-blocking drug.

Syringe with injection or vaccine repetition pattern on pink background

Puberty Blockers Cause Infertility And Are Given Out ‘Like Candy,’ According To Gender Clinic Director

Puberty Blockers Cause Infertility And Are Given Out 'Like Candy,' According To Gender Clinic Director

LGBTQ

Puberty blockers

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/housing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rental</a> costs are continuing to rise across the United States, with some large cities posting decreases in median one-bedroom rent.
According to a <a href="https://www.zumper.com/blog/rental-price-data/">report</a> released on Tuesday by rental platform Zumper, national one-bedroom rent reached $1,503 in September — a figure that reached its ninth high for the ninth consecutive month. Rent is now $1,845 for two-bedroom apartments, indicating another all-time high. However, some metropolitan areas — such as San Jose, California; Miami, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee — saw moderate month-over-month decreases in average one-bedroom rent.
“The rental market has been very supply constrained for the past five quarters, but there has been a significant shift back towards equilibrium in the past quarter,” Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades explained in a press release provided to The Daily Wire. “Occupancy rates and the pace of rent increases are now falling in many major metros, as renter demand softens and fear of recession kicks in, with many renters deciding to stay put or trade down on the most expensive options.”
Meanwhile, cities such as San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Anaheim, California, continued to see rising month-over-month prices for one-bedroom apartments.
The most expensive city in the nation for renters is New York City, where residents pay an average of $3,950 for a one-bedroom unit — a rate that has increased nearly 34% over the past year. The Big Apple is followed by San Francisco and Boston, where rent is $3,100 and $2,890, respectively.
According to Zumper, many metropolitan areas are contending with low availability of housing units. In Seattle, Washington, a competitive housing market is driving would-be homebuyers to search for apartments, prompting the city council to unanimously greenlight a special election that will determine whether officials should create more affordable housing.
Last week, the Federal Reserve <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-the-federal-reserves-recent-rate-hike-means-for-the-economy">raised</a> the target federal funds <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/interest-rates">rate</a> 0.75% — a move which followed two identical hikes in June and July — in an attempt to relieve elevated inflationary pressures. The actions have contributed to mortgage rates surpassing 6%, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MORTGAGE30US">data</a> from government-backed mortgage company Freddie Mac.
“Impacted by higher rates, house prices are softening, and home sales have decreased,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said in a <a href="https://freddiemac.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/30-year-fixed-rate-mortgage-increased-quarter-percent-week?_ga=2.218209497.1115799685.1664299903-1989272781.1664299903">press release</a>. “However, the number of homes for sale remains well below normal levels.”
In the second quarter of 2022, the median sale price of a home in the United States was $440,300, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS">data</a> from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, marking a 36% rise from $322,600 in the second quarter of 2020. Home prices are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/home-prices-mortgage-rates-expected-to-stay-elevated-through-next-year">expected to increase</a> another 4% in 2023 — a relative slowdown from 17.8% in 2021 and 12.8% in 2022.
The high prices have produced a slowdown in home purchases, with the National Association of Home Builders&#8217; Housing Market Index <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-enters-housing-recession">falling</a> last month to its lowest level in the past two years.
Younger American renters have been particularly impacted by the tight real estate market. An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/half-of-millennials-cant-afford-to-rent-a-one-bedroom-apartment-in-californias-biggest-cities">analysis</a> from Filterbuy showed that at least half of Millennials, defined by the company as those between 24 and 39 years old, cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment in many major American cities. For the area surrounding Los Angeles, California, median wages are $36,649, while the annual wage required to affordably rent a one-bedroom apartment is $72,560.

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