When the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement opened five years ago, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) President Amy Gutmann <a href="https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penns-new-home-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bragged of how Joe Biden&#8217;s</a> &#8220;unmatched personal connections&#8221; would help &#8220;advance the world order.&#8221;
Now, after classified documents were discovered at the Washington, D.C., think tank, concerns are being raised about foreign benefactors, particularly from China, and the revolving door of university employees who made their way into now-President Biden&#8217;s administration.
&#8220;This level of access and opportunity raises questions about who had access to the classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center,&#8221; wrote House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) in <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-anonymous-chinese-donations-to-upenn-potentially-influenced-biden-administration-policies%EF%BF%BC/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a recent letter</a> to UPenn President M. Elizabeth Magill. &#8220;It is imperative to understand whether any Biden family members or associates gained access to the classified documents while stored at the Penn Biden Center.&#8221;
UPenn&#8217;s prestigious Beltway outpost opened in February 2018 with high expectations. The think tank promised to become a hub for advancing diplomacy by bringing together staff and students and leaders from all across the global stage. &#8220;The Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement was founded on the principle that a democratic, open, secure, tolerant, and interconnected world benefits all Americans,&#8221; a UPenn spokesperson told The Daily Wire.
Biden became UPenn&#8217;s Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor in 2017, shortly after leaving the vice presidency. He stayed with the university until April 2019, when Biden <a href="https://almanac.upenn.edu/articles/a-message-to-the-penn-community-regarding-vice-president-joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took an unpaid leave of absence</a> upon announcing his campaign for president.
UPenn paid Biden more than $900,000 for a position that did not involve regular classes but did result in about a dozen public appearances on campus, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/joe-biden-penn-salary-lectures-20190712.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a 2019 investigative report from The Philadelphia Inquirer</a>. Citing higher-education experts, the article surmised Biden probably wasn&#8217;t paid so much for lectures as he was &#8220;for something less tangible: the prestige of associating with a former vice president and senator who had burnished his reputation as a global figure.&#8221; That didn&#8217;t stop Biden from exclaiming last year that he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1PZ1RIl9yU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked as a &#8220;full professor&#8221;</a> at UPenn for four years, a claim which <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/2022/04/29/fact-check-joe-biden-full-professor-four-years/9555102002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PolitiFact determined</a> was &#8220;Half True.&#8221;
Nowadays, the website and social media accounts for the Penn Biden Center are relatively quiet, with no new posts since the spring of 2022. But in recent weeks the think tank reemerged as the epicenter of controversy rocking Biden&#8217;s presidency.
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-center-classified-documents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News broke the story</a> last month that on November 2, days before the midterm elections, Biden&#8217;s attorneys found about 10 documents marked classified while clearing out Biden&#8217;s office at the center. The news outlet later reported <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-documents-fbi-search-penn-biden-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the FBI searched</a> the Penn Biden Center in mid-November, though it was unclear whether investigators found any additional classified materials.
With classified documents dating back to Biden&#8217;s time as vice president or U.S. senator also discovered at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, Attorney General Merrick Garland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/merrick-garland-appoints-special-counsel-to-investigate-biden-classified-document-scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appointed former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur</a> as special counsel to examine whether “any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter.&#8221; Biden has said he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-issues-statement-over-classified-documents-that-were-found-in-his-office" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;surprised&#8221;</a> government documents were found at his private office space and insisted there would be full cooperation with investigators.
Several aspects of the story remain unclear, including why it took so long for Biden&#8217;s team to clear out his old think tank office. And there is growing concern about how donations to UPenn from foreign countries reportedly tripled in the two years after the Biden Penn Center opened. The <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watchdog-calls-on-biden-center-to-disclose-foreign-donations-as-doj-investigates-classified-docs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Free Beacon reported</a> most of the $61 million in gifts and contracts between 2017 and 2019 came from China, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/watchdog-calls-for-transparency-from-university-of-pennsylvanias-biden-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">citing records</a> from the Department of Education. Republicans and others have long warned of Biden&#8217;s potential for conflicts of interest, especially with the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-china-laptop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multi-million dollar dealings</a> of the president&#8217;s son Hunter involving China and other countries.
&#8220;The danger of influence peddling is that it is not only the preferred avenue for corruption in Washington, but it often allows dangerous levels of access to targeted leaders,&#8221; George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley <a href="https://jonathanturley.org/2023/01/11/bidens-closet-it-is-not-the-crime-but-the-clarity-that-concerns-the-press-and-pundits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in a January column</a>. &#8220;Even if the public dodged this danger on the Chinese-funded office, it was not due to any lack of effort by the Bidens. The question now is how the public can feel confident that the FBI will show the same vigor in investigating the Bidens as it did [former President Donald] Trump.&#8221;
In his letter last month to UPenn&#8217;s president, Comer demanded a wide range of documents and communications, particularly those related to Chinese donors. &#8220;The American people deserve to know whether the Chinese Communist Party, through Chinese companies, influenced potential Biden Administration policies with large, anonymous donations to UPenn and the Penn Biden Center,&#8221; <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-18-Letter-UPenn-Penn-Biden-Center.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he wrote</a>.
A UPenn spokesperson told The Daily Wire the university received Comer&#8217;s letter and planned to respond in a timely manner. &#8220;It is important to reiterate that the Penn Biden Center has never solicited or received any gifts from any Chinese or other foreign entity,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;In fact, the University has never solicited any gifts for the Center. Since its inception in 2017 there have been three unsolicited gifts (from two donors) which combined total $1,100. Both donors are Americans. One hundred percent of the budget for the Penn Biden Center comes from university funds.&#8221;
A number of people who worked at UPenn and its D.C. think tank made the jump to Biden&#8217;s administration. Among them is Gutmann, who became ambassador to Germany. There is also Antony Blinken, a foreign policy fixture from the Obama administration who became <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/biden-cabinet/#state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">managing director of the Penn Biden Center</a> before leaving to join Biden&#8217;s presidential campaign, and later becoming his secretary of state.
Elliot Abrams, a longtime government foreign policy official across multiple administrations, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-classified-documents-think-tanks-14fd693c967e4422b0f6328e03cea189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Associated Press</a> the think tank &#8220;started as a parking space for Biden people until he ran for president, and never really outgrew that start.&#8221;
When speaking about the center in a promotional video, Biden acknowledged one of his high-flying aims that came to pass. &#8220;I&#8217;m hoping that we are going to see some future secretaries of states, and presidents, and national security advisers roll through this outfit,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s56haeeXMw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said.</a>

Joe Biden

How We Got Here: Biden’s Think Tank And How It Sought To ‘Advance The World Order’

How We Got Here: Biden's Think Tank And How It Sought To 'Advance The World Order'

classified documents

Executive

Politics

Scandals

University of Pennsylvania

The Penn Biden Center, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-d-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington</a> think tank where classified documents were found in November, hosted an event encouraging deeper U.S.-China ties.
The event took place as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/university-of-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Pennsylvania</a> <a href="https://www.nlpc.org/government-integrity-project/special-counsel-on-classified-documents-must-investigate-anonymous-chinese-donations-to-biden-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> tens of millions of dollars from Chinese entities, much of which was donated anonymously. The Penn Biden Center was the repository of a stash of classified U.S. documents until President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a>’s personal attorneys found the papers in the president’s office on November 2.
In June, the center hosted a two-day event for Congressional staffers that encouraged closer cooperation with China on issues such as clean energy and academia, a source familiar with the event told <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/biden-think-tank-that-housed-classified-docs-also-hosted-event-that-pushed-greater-engagement-with-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Free Beacon</a>. The event had no security posted, only staff to help attendees with information about the event.
The event was run by the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Hudson Institute’s Rebeccah Heinrichs, an expert on national security, said the security failures associated with having the sensitive U.S. papers stored in the same building where such an event took place are “shocking.”
“The fact that [the documents] were not secured, [were] open and uncared for, and also that you had this other activity going on inside this facility, with individuals that may not have the best interests of the American people at heart, is shocking,” Heinrichs told the Free Beacon.
“I would like to know more about … who was going in and out of these specific workshops, these discussions, who has been through this facility,” she continued. “The American people deserve a full accounting of who may have had easy access to these documents.”
Republicans on Capitol Hill have taken notice of the University of Pennsylvania’s financial ties to China and other foreign countries. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has pledged to lead an investigation into the university, its foreign donors, and what ties they may have to the Penn Biden Center.
The chairman also plans to investigate the buyers of artwork by Biden’s son, Hunter. Hunter Biden, an amateur artist, has made pieces priced for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We’re trying to trace the money,” Comer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-gop-will-trace-the-money-flowing-into-penn-biden-center-hunter-biden-art-sales-comer-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We’ll be looking at bank statements. We’ll be looking at bank violations. That’s the next phase of our investigation because we’re trying to figure out who these anonymous sources are that are sending so much money to the Biden family schemes — the Biden Center for Diplomacy and Hunter Biden’s artwork.”

Penn Biden Center

Penn Biden Center Held Event Encouraging Closer U.S.-China Ties

China

Washington D.C.

World

ChatGPT, a mass-market <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">artificial intelligence</a> chatbot launched by OpenAI last year, passed a <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/colleges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">graduate-level</a> business exam at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/university-of-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Pennsylvania</a>’s Wharton School.
The language processing tool has gained virality over the past several weeks as knowledge workers leverage the user-friendly artificial intelligence system to complete various tasks, such as writing emails and debugging code in a matter of moments. A research <a href="https://mackinstitute.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Christian-Terwiesch-Chat-GTP.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paper</a> from Wharton operations management professor Christian Terwiesch said that ChatGPT earned a grade between B and B- on a final exam usually presented to MBA students.
ChatGPT shows “a remarkable ability to automate some of the skills of highly compensated knowledge workers in general and specifically the knowledge workers in the jobs held by MBA graduates,” according to the paper. “It does an amazing job at basic operations management and process analysis questions including those that are based on case studies. Not only are the answers correct, but the explanations are excellent.”
Some 27% of professionals at prominent consulting, technology, and financial services companies have already used ChatGPT in various capacities, according to a <a href="https://www.fishbowlapp.com/insights/chatgpt-sees-strong-early-adoption-in-the-workplace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from Fishbowl. ChatGPT can formulate simple responses to users’ search queries; as a result, some have speculated that artificial intelligence chatbots could pose a significant threat to Google Search. OpenAI <a href="https://openai.com/blog/openai-and-microsoft-extend-partnership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Monday that Microsoft would invest billions more dollars into the solution in the wake of investments offered for the platform in 2019 and 2021.
Terwiesch clarified that the performance from ChatGPT still had some significant deficiencies. The system made “surprising mistakes in relatively simple calculations” at the level of sixth-grade math that were often “massive in magnitude,” while the current version of the system “is not capable of handling more advanced process analysis questions, even when they are based on fairly standard templates.”
ChatGPT was nevertheless able to correct itself after receiving a hint from a human expert. “This has important implications for business school education, including the need for exam policies, curriculum design focusing on collaboration between human and AI, opportunities to simulate real world decision making processes, the need to teach creative problem solving, improved teaching productivity, and more,” the paper added.
Terwiesch described answers provided by ChatGPT as “short and sweet” and “superbly explained,” adding that the “simple user experience and the great answer put me in a state of awe, and I am sure it has impressed many users before me.” The drastically wrong answers led him to conclude that “we still need a human in the loop.”
Although conversations surrounding technological unemployment over the past several decades have often revolved around blue-collar workers losing their positions to automated robotics solutions, the widespread use of ChatGPT has introduced similar questions in white-collar professions. New York Times columnist and economics professor Paul Krugman recently <a href="https://archive.ph/T8sis#selection-769.228-769.368" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> that artificial intelligence “may be able to perform certain knowledge-based tasks more efficiently than humans, potentially reducing the need for some knowledge workers.”
On the other hand, Krugman and other commentators have acknowledged that ChatGPT and similar solutions can expedite menial tasks faced by knowledge workers, increasing their overall productive capacity. Various <a href="https://www.inc.com/nick-hobson/if-youre-not-already-doing-these-10-productivity-hacks-in-chatgpt-youre-definitely-missing-out.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lists</a> circulating the internet in recent weeks describe how users leverage ChatGPT to summarize lengthy documents, build study guides, and translate articles.

Wharton School of Business

Mass Market Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT Passes Elite Business School Exam

Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT Passes Elite Business School Exam

Artificial Intelligence

College

Technology

U.S.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) is calling on the University of Pennsylvania to provide information about anonymous Chinese donations to the university affiliated with the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.
He wrote a letter to university President Liz Magill on Wednesday over concerns of foreign influence after the recent discovery of classified documents in President Joe Biden&#8217;s former office at the center, which is part of the Ivy League institution.
“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating President Biden’s possible illegal handling of sensitive, highly classified documents. Recent reports reveal President Biden’s attorneys discovered Obama-Biden Administration documents in an unsecured closet at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement—a Washington, D.C.-based think tank affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania,” Comer <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-18-Letter-UPenn-Penn-Biden-Center.pdf">wrote</a>.
Comer blasted the president&#8217;s lax security over classified documents, arguing that the committee needs information on China&#8217;s donors to determine if there are national security threats.
“President Biden’s pattern of mishandling classified documents is alarming. The Committee is concerned about who had access to these documents given the Biden family’s financial connections to foreign actors and companies. The American people deserve to know whether the Chinese Communist Party, through Chinese companies, influenced potential Biden Administration policies with large, anonymous donations to UPenn and the Penn Biden Center,” he wrote.
In a <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-anonymous-chinese-donations-to-upenn-potentially-influenced-biden-administration-policies%EF%BF%BC/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>, the Oversight Committee expressed concern that UPenn reportedly received millions of dollars in donations from anonymous Chinese sources. These donations allegedly tripled following the establishment of the Penn Biden Center, continuing as Biden explored a 2020 run for president.
“The Penn Biden Center appears to have acted as a foreign-sponsored source of income for much of a Biden Administration in-waiting,” Comer continued in the letter. “Between 2017 and 2019, UPenn paid President Biden more than $900,000, and the university employed at least 10 people at the Penn Biden Center who later became senior Biden administration officials.&#8221;
Comer argued that the evidence points to the need to determine who had access to the classified documents recently found in Biden&#8217;s former office at the university&#8217;s center in Washington, D.C.
&#8220;This level of access and opportunity raises questions about who had access to the classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center. It is imperative to understand whether any Biden family members or associates gained access to the classified documents while stored at the Penn Biden Center,&#8221; he added.
Connections between Penn Biden Center staff members and the Biden administration are also a concern. Secretary of State Antony Blinken served as the center&#8217;s director from 2017 to 2019 and received more than $79,000 in salary. The Washington Free Beacon <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/watchdog-calls-on-biden-center-to-disclose-foreign-donations-as-doj-investigates-classified-docs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited</a> at least two additional former center staff members who later received positions in the Biden administration, along with the university&#8217;s former president, Amy Gutmann, who was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany last year.
The Oversight Committee is not the only group seeking details on the connections between Biden and UPenn&#8217;s foreign donations.
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) has also called for the university to disclose foreign contributions. NLPC filed a complaint against the university and the Biden Center in 2020 for failing to disclose the source of anonymous Chinese donations.
The watchdog group also recently <a href="https://www.nlpc.org/government-integrity-project/nlpc-files-foias-to-find-out-how-classified-documents-ended-up-at-biden-center/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> Freedom of Information Act requests with the Department of Justice and National Archives to determine how classified documents ended up in Biden&#8217;s former office.

Oversight Committee Calls On University Of Pennsylvania To Provide Information On Anonymous Chinese Donations

Communist China

James Comer

Student <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate</a> protesters at the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/university-of-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Pennsylvania</a> disrupted the school’s homecoming football game for over an hour on Saturday.
More than 60 students rushed the field during halftime as the Quakers took on Yale University’s Bulldogs and were supported with cheers by many attendees, according to a <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2022/10/protest-homecoming-football-game-fossil-free-penn-franklin-field" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper.
Nineteen individuals associated with student activist group Fossil Free Penn were later escorted off the field and detained by university police after refusing to exit.
The student-activists held bright orange banners with slogans such as “Divest,” marking a call for the school to end investments in fossil fuel ventures, as well as “Save the UC Townhomes.” During the university’s fall convocation, more than 100 protesters disrupted incoming Penn President Liz Magill’s comments about the diversity of the incoming cohort to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-pennsylvania-convocation-grinds-to-a-halt-as-demonstrators-students-protest-penn-trification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rebuke the closure</a> of 70 nearby affordable housing units.
“The intentional disruption of today’s football game was neither an appropriate expression of free speech, nor consistent with Penn’s open expression guidelines,” university spokesperson Ron Ozio told The Daily Pennsylvanian. A statement from Penn Athletics likewise said that the students’ conduct “does nothing to advance their legitimate policy concerns, concerns the university shares, but rather impinges upon the rights of others in the community to participate in the life of the campus.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Penn students rush the field nearing the end of halftime of a Penn-Yale football game, protesting climate and community justice from Penn’s administration. <a href="https://t.co/LiPkDmC5VO">pic.twitter.com/LiPkDmC5VO</a>
— Bella DiAmore (@belladiamore) <a href="https://twitter.com/belladiamore/status/1583897573177556992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkEXDR6JHpu/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">message</a> posted to social media, Fossil Free Penn noted that its “escalation” was necessary because Penn has not met their requests.
“It was only in this highly visible forum that we were able to get national press that is needed to push Penn to meet our demands,” the group said, adding that the Ivy League school must “take action” if administrators want “protests to end.” Otherwise, the school can “expect resistance” from the group, which recently established tents in the center of campus for more than one month.
The disruption of the homecoming game follows multiple climate protests in Europe. A pair of vandals <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-global-warming-protesters-vandalize-one-of-worlds-most-iconic-art-masterpieces" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw tomato soup</a> on Vincent van Gogh’s iconic “Sunflowers” painting, valued at nearly $85 million, at an art museum in London before gluing their hands to the nearby wall. Another group of environmental protesters likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/environmental-protesters-glue-themselves-to-floor-they-complain-they-cant-poop-conservatives-roar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">glued themselves</a> to the floor at a Porsche facility in Germany before complaining that they were not provided bowls into which they could defecate.
As shown in footage from the Philadelphia Inquirer, most of the students left the field to avoid arrest, while the remainder were escorted from the stadium handcuffed in zip ties. Some in the crowd cheered as the students exited the area.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dozens of student protesters representing the Fossil Free Penn organization flooded the field during Penn’s homecoming game against Yale Saturday at Franklin Field.
The group planned the action after an ongoing fight with Penn over climate issues and community justice. <a href="https://t.co/uojDaZMB0z">pic.twitter.com/uojDaZMB0z</a>
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyInquirer/status/1583984440396521472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sarah Sterinbach, a student involved in the protest, told the outlet that disrupting the game was among the most important moments of her life.
“We felt like this escalation was necessary,” she recounted. “We know Penn can be a force of good for the community, and there’s a lot of alumni at this game, and we want to show the people in power that we aren’t stopping until they are a force of change and a force of good.”
The protest came days after Harvard Management Company announced that the school’s endowment <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-university-endowment-loses-2-3-billion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shrank</a> $2.3 billion in the past fiscal year, specifically mentioning that fossil fuel divestment “weighed upon performance.” At the end of last year, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvards-endowment-suffers-through-woke-investing-while-the-university-of-texas-drills-oil-and-rakes-it-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that the university would allow remaining investments in the fossil fuel industry to expire while refusing to adopt new ones after <a href="https://divestharvard.medium.com/tireless-organizing-yields-harvard-divestment-victory-b68f43b271a1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">campaigns</a> from student activists.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 22 Yale at Penn

Crowds Cheer As Student Climate Protesters Storm UPenn Football Field, Delay Homecoming Game For Over An Hour

Student Climate Protests Disrupt Ivy League Football Game For More Than An Hour

Climate Change

Fossil Fuels

Protesters

The Wharton School of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/university-of-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Pennsylvania</a> added majors last month relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DEI</a>), as well as environmental, social, and governance factors for business (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESGB</a>).
Undergraduates at the elite business school can add concentrations in the programs to their bachelor of science in economics degrees, while MBA students can major in the subjects. Graduates will enter the job market with the new credentials beginning in the spring of 2025.
“We are proud and delighted that Wharton will be offering these new concentrations and majors, supported by the School’s world-class evidence-based curriculum,” Wharton Deputy Dean Nancy Rothbard said in a <a href="https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/story/wharton-welcomes-two-new-majors-and-concentrations-dei-and-esgb/?fbclid=IwAR0mCUnwIO87DSjP2XPzlH5wslKDyQSkh5sAS4Dh3sTbtokQNAYSj_YdCLQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “We look forward to seeing what our graduates accomplish.”
Both DEI and ESG have been the subject of intense criticism from investors, academics, and lawmakers. While the former set of theories tends to promote the mingling of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-stunningly-corrupt-enterprise-jordan-peterson-blasts-academia-resigns-as-tenured-professor-at-university-of-toronto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">racial or sexual identity</a> with critical hiring and staffing decisions, the latter tends to cause the jumbling of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paypal-ceos-interview-with-world-economic-forum-could-suggest-mentality-behind-backtracked-misinformation-penalty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">progressive social agendas</a> with the maximization of profits.
Wharton typically <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/university-of-pennsylvania-01194" target="_blank" rel="noopener">places first</a> in national rankings of collegiate business programs. With alumni such as investor Warren Buffett, entrepreneur Elon Musk, and former President Donald Trump, the institution is the oldest postsecondary business school in the world.
Wharton also tapped Renita Miller to serve as the school’s inaugural chief diversity officer. “In her role at Wharton, Renita will report directly to me to align and amplify our existing and exploratory DEI practices to solidify a culture of dignity, respect, and transparency through the appreciation of differences,” Wharton Dean Erika James wrote of the former Princeton University diversity czar in an <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2022/09/wharton-first-ever-chief-diversity-officer-renita-miller" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a> last month. “Renita is well-versed in the data-informed practices necessary for success in this position, and will bring a spirit of leadership, empirical thinking and open perspective to the School.”
Students at Wharton already had the opportunity to take extensive coursework in socially conscious management through the business, energy, environment, and sustainability (BEES) concentration. Courses such as <a href="https://catalog.upenn.edu/courses/fnce/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FNCE 2540</a>, which teaches students about investment approaches that “generate social benefits as well as financial returns,” and <a href="https://lgst.wharton.upenn.edu/programs/undergraduate/course-descriptions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LGST 2600</a>, which encourages students to weigh the “intersection of climate change, environmental management, ethics, and leadership,” are among the classes required for the existing concentration.
“Students that are interested in social impact, entrepreneurship, innovation, risk management, and circular economy are excellent fits for this concentration. The role of sustainability has evolved in the past several years, sustainability is no longer a trend,” the concentration <a href="https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/envp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">description</a> argues. “It is now in the fabric of every organization, from its internal operations to its procurement policies, as well as strategic investments.”
Amid the most recent stock market downturn, however, ESG investments <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virtue-signaling-isnt-free-how-woke-investing-fell-apart-once-the-economy-got-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tended to suffer</a> the most as investors overexposed their funds to the technology sector while avoiding fossil fuel investments. Though technology companies are known for bankrolling social initiatives in reaction to events like the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-year-after-george-floyd-americas-biggest-corporations-earmark-37-billion-for-racial-equity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death of George Floyd</a> or the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-woke-businesses-vowing-to-cover-travel-costs-for-employees-abortion-tourism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overturning of Roe v. Wade</a>, they were also the first to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/recession-fears-lead-big-tech-companies-to-pause-hiring-cut-jobs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lay off</a> large portions of their staff as the stock market began its recent tailspin.
For instance, iShares’ <a href="https://www.ishares.com/us/products/308574/ishares-esg-msci-usa-leaders-etf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG Aware MSCI ETF</a>, which has its largest holdings in companies like Microsoft and Alphabet, is down nearly 26% since the beginning of 2022, slightly lower than the overall S&amp;P 500 index. Meanwhile, iShares’ <a href="https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239741/ishares-global-energy-etf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Energy ETF</a>, dominated by oil and gas conglomerates like Exxon Mobil and Chevron, has risen nearly 35% over the same period.

World’s Best Business School Adds Diversity And Woke Investing Majors

Wharton Adds Woke Investing, Diversity Majors

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

Wokeness

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/university-of-pennsylvania">University of Pennsylvania&#8217;s</a> convocation was disrupted on Monday as over 100 protestors — including members of the freshman class — used the ceremony to protest gentrification.
The sign-bearing demonstrators interrupted Penn President Liz Magill’s comments about the diversity of the incoming cohort to protest the closure of 70 affordable housing units, according to student-run newspaper <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2022/08/penn-convocation-uc-townhomes-liz-magill-class-of-2026">The Daily Pennsylvanian</a>. Some of the demonstrators were reportedly incoming freshmen.
“Welcome to the Penn community. We accept you. We love you,” a protestor said to the crowd via megaphone. “Many of you, like us, have been dispossessed. Many of you, like us, may come from low-income areas. It is important to know what institutions like this do to us when we are not paying them to accept us. It is important to know what this institution has been doing for decades.”
Magill was forced to fully pause her speech as protestors streamed into the convocation from nearby Locust Walk. University Chaplain Charles “Chaz” Howard, who also <a href="https://chaplain.upenn.edu/staff/chaplainhoward/">serves</a> as the elite school’s Vice President for Social Equity and Community, attempted to tell the protestors that he understood their motivations before reminding them that the event was meant to celebrate the incoming class.
The protestors chanted “Save UC Townhomes!” and “Stop Penn-trification!&#8221;
Magill, a former University of Virginia administrator who recently replaced former Penn President Amy Gutmann after her nomination by President Joe Biden to serve as United States ambassador to Germany, made another attempt at continuing her first major speech at the university.
&#8220;Many of our breakthroughs are the result of decades of productive disagreement with prevailing orthodoxies. A community of diverse individuals can&#8217;t live together unless they can listen to and learn from one another,&#8221; Magill said, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “Democracy cannot work unless people can live together, learn from one another and, paradoxically, disagree.&#8221;
The protestors, part of Save the UC Townhomes Coalition, argue that the university is contributing to the pending eviction of low-income residents at UC Townhomes as the school attracts affluent residents and businesses. Altman Management Company, which owns UC Townhomes, chose not to extend its affordable housing contract with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, informing residents last year that they had until July 8 to find new homes, according to <a href="https://www.34st.com/article/2022/08/university-city-townhomes-gentrification-displacement">34th Street</a>.
The move-out date had been extended to September 7 as most residents had not received Housing Choice Vouchers, which are required to apply for federally subsidized housing. Demonstrators from Save the UC Townhomes Coalition set up more than 15 tents on the premises and refused to leave until their demands were met, leading the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office to tear down the encampment on August 8.
Over the past year, the University of Pennsylvania attracted national attention as <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lia-thomas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lia Thomas</a> — a male who used to go by “Will” but now claims transgender identity and competes on the women’s swimming team — set multiple records and won the NCAA Division I national championship.
Although the university <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lia-thomas-nominated-by-upenn-rejected-by-ivy-league-as-ncaa-woman-of-the-year">suggested</a> nominating Thomas for the distinction of NCAA “Woman of the Year” — which recognizes “female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics” — other Ivy League schools instead opted to nominate Columbia University fencing champion Sylvie Binder.

University Of Pennsylvania Convocation Grinds To A Halt As Demonstrators, Students Protest ‘Penn-Trification’

Penn Convocation Disrupted As Students, Demonstrators Protest 'Penn-Trification'

Protest

Lia Thomas, the biological male on the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swim team who engendered national outrage by blowing away the competition, was rejected as the Ivy League’s nominee for the NCAA’s “Woman of the Year.”
Thomas, who won the 500-yard freestyle event at the NCAA Division I national championships, had been <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/upenn-taps-transgender-swimmer-lia-thomas-for-ncaa-woman-of-the-year-award/">nominated by UPenn</a> earlier this month. The award recognizes “female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.”
But the Ivy League, comprised of Penn, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University and Yale University, <a href="https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/7/25/media-center-conference-offices-select-their-nominees-for-2022-ncaa-woman-of-the-year.aspx">chose as its nominee</a> fencing champion Sylvie Binder of Columbia University/Barnard College.
Binder, who hails from Armonk, New York, is a three-time first team all-American who won the NCAA women&#8217;s foil title in 2019, and the bronze medal in 2018 and 2022. She <a href="https://gocolumbialions.com/news/2022/7/26/general-binder-tabbed-ivy-league-nominee-for-ncaa-woman-of-the-year-award">finished her undergraduate college education</a> with a stellar 3.91 grade point average.
In her <a href="https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/node/444636">bio</a> after winning a Leadership and Excellence Award, Binder wrote, “To my family and their unconditional love and support for the past 5 years: Dad, Mom, Abby, and Zach, I owe it all to you.”
After Penn nominated Thomas for the “Woman of the Year” award, former Fox News anchor and current podcast host Megyn Kelly <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/this-is-a-disgrace-megyn-kelly-blasts-upenn-for-nominating-lia-thomas-as-ncaa-woman-of-the-year/">blasted the university</a>. She snapped on her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAoFylJ2wX4">podcast</a>:
<blockquote>After a season of dumping on its female swimmers, forcing them to compete against a biological man who now says he is a woman, forcing them to share a locker room with said swimmer, dismissing their and their parents&#8217; concerns summarily at every turn, even telling the female swimmers what they needed if they objected to the trans swimmer was therapy, the university now sticks a final thumb in the woman&#8217;s eyes, nominating this trans swimmer who goes by the name Lia Thomas as the University of Pennsylvania&#8217;s NCAA “Woman of the Year.” This is a disgrace. Lia Thomas is not a woman.</blockquote>
In February, 16 members of the Penn Women’s Swimming Team sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League in which they wrote, “Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the women’s category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female. If she (Thomas) were to be eligible to compete against us, she could now break Penn, Ivy, and NCAA Women’s Swimming records; feats she could never have done as a male athlete,” as <a href="https://swimswam.com/group-of-penn-swimmers-ask-upenn-ivy-league-to-abide-by-new-transgender-policy/">Swim Swam</a> reported.

Thomas:Binder

Lia Thomas, Nominated By UPenn, Rejected By Ivy League As NCAA ‘Woman Of The Year’

Lia Thomas

NCAA

Swimming

Megyn Kelly blasted the University of Pennsylvania after it nominated Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as a female, as NCAA&#8217;s &#8220;Woman of the Year,&#8221; calling the move a &#8220;disgrace.&#8221;
During the Monday Sirius XM &#8220;The Megyn Kelly Show&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAoFylJ2wX4">podcast</a>, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-me-a-fing-break-megyn-kelly-calls-aoc-a-congressional-kardashian-after-congresswoman-heckled-as-big-booty-latina">host</a> dropped a scathing monologue against UPenn.
&#8220;After a season of dumping on its female swimmers, forcing them to compete against a biological man who now says he is a woman, forcing them to share a locker room with said swimmer, dismissing their and their parents&#8217; concerns summarily at every turn, even telling the female swimmers what they needed if they objected to the trans swimmer was therapy,&#8221; said Kelly.
&#8220;The university now sticks a final thumb in the woman&#8217;s eyes, nominating this trans swimmer who goes by the name Lia Thomas as the University of Pennsylvania&#8217;s NCAA &#8216;Woman of the Year.&#8217; This is a disgrace,&#8221; Kelly claimed. &#8220;Lia Thomas is not a woman.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Megyn Kelly on the Outrageous Decision to Nominate Lia Thomas as &quot;Woman of the Year&quot;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WAoFylJ2wX4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="Megyn Kelly on the Outrageous Decision to Nominate Lia Thomas as "Woman of the Year""></iframe>
&#8220;Lia Thomas is a trans woman who lived the first 20 years of her life as Will Thomas, a man,&#8221; Kelly continued. &#8220;She only decided to transition in 2020, after swimming three seasons as a middling competitor on the men&#8217;s team, ranking in the mid 500s. On the woman&#8217;s team, the very next year, ranked number one.&#8221;
The host then asked her audience how a person who lives &#8220;20 years as a man, two as a woman&#8221; winds up anyone&#8217;s &#8220;woman of the year?&#8221; She said it must be &#8220;some kind of sick joke meant to increase resentment towards trans people.&#8221;
Kelly went on to say she believes President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration has already signaled its plan to push reforms of Title IX, including &#8220;making the girls team accept biological men, who say they are trans women.&#8221;
The host then laid out her case against the university, noting that the UPenn biological women swimmers &#8220;worked hard as young girls to make it in swimming, to make it to Ivy League swimming.&#8221;
&#8220;I mean not for not nothing, but they swam with growing breasts, growing hips, more fat on their bodies, less upper body strength, than their male competitors,&#8221; the former Fox News host pointed out. &#8220;They swam with shorter legs&#8230;thinner and weaker muscles than the boys. They swam with periods, and cramps, and bloating. &#8221;
&#8220;And the women on that team and the others at the college level did it all despite these relative physical disadvantages when compared to their male colleagues,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Then at UPenn in the course of one year, they saw their medals, first place finishes, NCAA tournament spots, and records stolen from them by a person who was a crappy male swimmer on the men&#8217;s team months earlier.&#8221;
Kelly then concluded her monologue by noting that UPenn is &#8220;ready to shive Thomas&#8217; female teammates&#8221; with the &#8220;Woman of the Year&#8221; nomination.
&#8220;Lia Thomas is not woman of the year,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;That title belongs to one of the women who dealt with all the physical and emotional challenges and opportunities that come with being an actual woman&#8230;Not to a six-foot-three biological man who, within the last two years, declared that he was a woman. Period.&#8221;

Megyn Kelly

‘This Is A Disgrace’: Megyn Kelly Blasts UPenn For Nominating Lia Thomas As NCAA ‘Woman Of The Year’

Megyn Kelly Blasts UPenn For Nominating Lia Thomas As NCAA ‘Woman Of The Year’ 

Entertainment

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

Universal preschool programs could carry price tags in the hundreds of billions of dollars, according to an analysis released last week by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model — a nonpartisan initiative that evaluates the fiscal impacts of public policy proposals — <a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/6/2/total-cost-of-universal-pre-k">determined</a> that a universal pre-kindergarten program for three-year-olds and four-year-olds would cost $351 billion over the course of ten years. President Joe Biden, according to his <a href="https://joebiden.com/education/">2020 campaign platform</a> and <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the-american-families-plan/">2021 American Families Plan</a>, favors a similar program.
The Wharton analysis showed high costs for the initiative — even though it would have “essentially no impact” on long-run economic output. With each student, the federal government must spend $21,000 for facilities expansion, costing $41 billion before the program officially begins. Over ten years, it would also require $310 billion for operating expenses.
Colleen Hroncich, a policy analyst with the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom — told The Daily Wire that the plan is a “bad idea” altogether.
“A federal program will come with burdensome mandates that will drive preferred providers out of business, increase costs, and worsen outcomes,” she argued. “The type of providers that are likely to survive — as the Wharton study seems to recognize — are secular, center-based preschools modeled after K-12 schooling. Yet this model has no track record of success when implemented on a large scale.”
Hroncich wrote in a <a href="https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/universal-preschool-lawmakers-should-approach-caution#previous-studies">recent analysis of federal preschool programs</a> that a mere 31% of parents are currently opting for the center-based, K-12 model for their young children. She also pointed to a 2012 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which found that the federal preschool program Head Start had little or no effect on student outcomes once the children hit third grade — despite spending $7,900 per child at the time. Today, the program costs more than $10,000 per child.
Despite producing 0.21% more labor productivity per capita by 2053, the $351 billion universal program would increase economic output by 0% over the same time period — even as it increases government spending. “As the program’s expenses continue to grow the debt, capital crowd-out reduces the productive capital of the economy, which offsets the increase in GDP from a larger labor supply,” the Wharton analysis explains.
Hroncich told The Daily Wire that the federal government has no constitutional authority to implement a universal preschool program — and should, therefore, “get out of the preschool business altogether.”
“Barring that, any aid should be directed to families so they can choose the option that works best for their children,” she remarked.
Likewise, Jeremy Tate — the founder of the Classic Learning Test, a standardized exam geared toward students with Christian and classical educations — told The Daily Wire that “school choice options are even more important at the preschool level.”
“There are countless amazing options, from Spanish immersion programs to Montessori, that uniquely benefit children under the age of six,” he said. “The funding should go to parents and parents should be able to choose.”
“Any kind of compulsory pre-K program would only further deteriorate family bonds, which we know is the number one factor for academic success. School choice options encourage parents to take more ownership — which is exactly what we need.”

Rear view of students raising hands while teacher showing digital tablet at preschool

‘A Bad Idea’: Federalized, Universal Preschool Carries A $350 Billion Price Tag

Universal Preschool Carries A $350 Billion Price Tag, Wharton Report Says

Preschool

Another medical expert is suggesting that current testosterone suppression requirements for athletes is most likely &#8220;insufficient&#8221; for evening the playing field between transgender women and biologically female athletes.
As part of an exclusive Good Morning America segment on trans swimmer Lia Thomas, ABC reporter JuJu Chang also interviewed Dr. Michael Joyner, a medical expert with the Mayo Clinic.
Chang questioned Joyner whether &#8220;years of hormone therapy cannot put trans women in a place to compete with cisgender women.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that the evidence so far would suggest that period of a year, two years, three years, four years, is probably insufficient,&#8221; he said.
WATCH: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/JujuChangABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JujuChangABC</a>: &quot;Are you saying that years of hormone therapy cannot put trans women in a place to compete with cisgender women? 
Dr. Michael Joyner: &quot;I think that the evidence so far would suggest that period of a year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, is probably insufficient.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R0kHHXyeN4">pic.twitter.com/R0kHHXyeN4</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1531640976313303040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Joyner also shared his thoughts on testosterone advantages <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/us/lia-thomas-women-sports.html">in an interview with The New York Times</a>.
“You see the divergence immediately as the testosterone surges into the boys,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are dramatic differences in performances.”
“There are social aspects to sport, but physiology and biology underpin it,” Joyner added. “Testosterone is the 800-pound gorilla.”
The NCAA Board of Governors <a href="https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/1/19/media-center-board-of-governors-updates-transgender-participation-policy.aspx">updated</a> its transgender participation policy in January, requiring transgender athletes to document “sport-specific” testosterone levels within their sport’s approved range at the beginning of the season and ahead of championship selections.
“We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports,” John DeGioia, chair of the NCAA board and president of Georgetown University, said in a statement at the time.
“It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy,” he added.
But many parents and athletes do not believe this is enough — and the Times cited peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate that the fastest biologically male transgender athletes still have a &#8220;substantial edge&#8221; over the fastest biologically female athletes even after testosterone suppression.
Thomas is a great example of this: the transgender athlete shot up in national rankings after entering women&#8217;s sports, ranking 32nd in the men&#8217;s 1,650-yard freestyle and then eight in the women&#8217;s 1,650-yard freestyle, the Times reported.
In the men&#8217;s 200-yard freestyle, Thomas had ranked 554th. This year, Thomas tied for fifth place with swimmer Riley Gaines in that same race at the women&#8217;s 2022 NCAA championships (Gaines said that an NCAA official gave Thomas the fifth place trophy over Gaines, since they only had one).
Gaines <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-left-there-with-no-trophy-ncaa-female-swimmer-who-tied-for-fifth-with-trans-athlete-says-officials-put-lia-thomas-ahead-of-her">first spoke out</a> about her frustration with the event in an interview with The Daily Wire, insisting, &#8220;We need to create fair boundaries that protect the integrity of women in sports.&#8221;
The Times noted that Thomas ranked 65th in the men&#8217;s 500-yard freestyle, but won the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA&#8217;s swimming as a female.
Dr. Ross Tucker, a physiologist who spoke with the Times, said that “Lia Thomas is the manifestation of the scientific evidence.&#8221;
“The reduction in testosterone did not remove her biological advantage,&#8221; he said.
The Times story comes ahead of the release of The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman-official-trailer">What Is A Woman</a> documentary, in which Matt Walsh examines the current controversy surrounding gender and biology.

Screen Shot 2022-05-31 at 10.46.14 AM

Medical Expert: Brief Hormone Suppression ‘Probably Insufficient’ To Even The Playing Field Between Trans Women And Biologically Female Athletes

Physiologist Warns Brief Hormone Suppression 'Probably Insufficient' To Even The Playing Field Between Trans Women And Biologically Female Athletes 

Good Morning America

Sports

Biological male swimmer Lia Thomas seemed to suggest that competitive advantages in swimming are irrelevant since Thomas is now &#8220;happy&#8221; identifying and competing as a transgender woman.
Thomas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-left-there-with-no-trophy-ncaa-female-swimmer-who-tied-for-fifth-with-trans-athlete-says-officials-put-lia-thomas-ahead-of-her">discussed backlash</a> following the NCAA Women&#8217;s Swimming Championships where the trans athlete competed against biological females, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biologically-male-swimmer-annihilates-female-competitors-in-500-free">annihilating</a> them in the 500 freestyle.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of factors that go into a race and how well you do,&#8221; Thomas told Good Morning America in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday. &#8220;The biggest change for me is that I&#8217;m happy.&#8221;
WATCH: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trans athlete Lia Thomas, speaking out after the NCAA backlash, addresses whether biological males have advantages over women: &quot;There&#39;s a lot of factors that go into a race and how well you do. The biggest change for me is that I&#39;m happy.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bXbKfcpZ2o">pic.twitter.com/bXbKfcpZ2o</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1531639466946871296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Sophomore year, I had my best times competing with the men, I was miserable, and so having that be lifted is incredibly relieving and allows me to put my all into training, into racing,&#8221; Thomas continued.
&#8220;Trans people don&#8217;t transition for athletics, we transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions.&#8221;
&#8220;You didn&#8217;t transition to win more medals?&#8221; asked ABC reporter Juju Chang.
&#8220;No,&#8221; responded Thomas.
Chang pointed out that many of Thomas&#8217;s teammates signed an anonymous letter saying that they support the biological male athlete&#8217;s right to transition but believe that it is unfair for Thomas to compete against biological women in sports.
&#8220;You can&#8217;t go halfway and be like, I support trans women and trans people but only to a certain point,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;If  you support trans women as women, and they&#8217;ve met all the NCAA requirements, then I don&#8217;t know if you can really say something like that. Trans women are not a threat to women&#8217;s sports.&#8221;
Chang also interviewed Dr. Michael Joyner, a medical expert with the Mayo Clinic, asking whether &#8220;years of hormone therapy cannot put trans women in a place to compete with cisgender women.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that the evidence so far would suggest that period of a year, two years, three years, four years, is probably insufficient,&#8221; he said.
WATCH: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/JujuChangABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JujuChangABC</a>: &quot;Are you saying that years of hormone therapy cannot put trans women in a place to compete with cisgender women? 
Dr. Michael Joyner: &quot;I think that the evidence so far would suggest that period of a year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, is probably insufficient.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R0kHHXyeN4">pic.twitter.com/R0kHHXyeN4</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1531640976313303040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Chang also asked Thomas about the &#8220;legacy effects of testosterone&#8221; and whether biologically male athletes can ever truly eliminate all testosterone that is giving them advantages over women.
&#8220;Should that eliminate or disqualify transgender women?&#8221; Chang asked.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not a medical expert but there is a lot of variation among cis female athletes,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;There are cis women who are very tall and very muscular and have more testosterone than another cis woman. Should that disqualify them?&#8221;
WATCH: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EXCLUSIVE: &quot;Trans people don&#39;t transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves.&quot;
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out to <a href="https://twitter.com/JujuChangABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JujuChangABC</a> about backlash and future plans to compete. <a href="https://t.co/UFQOgMNBLj">https://t.co/UFQOgMNBLj</a> <a href="https://t.co/FJcmyEChi9">pic.twitter.com/FJcmyEChi9</a>
&mdash; Good Morning America (@GMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1531603373958496256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The interview comes ahead of the release of The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman-official-trailer">What Is A Woman</a> documentary, in which Matt Walsh examines the current controversy surrounding gender and biology.

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Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas Shrugs Off Question Of Advantages Over Biological Females: ‘I’m Happy’

'I'm Happy': Lia Thomas Shrugs Off Advantages Over Biological Females 

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