What Newt’s Reading | February 3, 2021

What Newt’s Reading Journalists, intellectuals, and Democrats increasingly see domestic enemies wherever they look. The elites are devising ways to use levers of power to restrict and regulate free speech. It is wrong. -Newt Speech and Sedition in 2021 By The Editorial Board Wall Street Journal In the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, journalists, intellectuals, and Democrats are looking for ways to restrict, regulate, and boycott their opposition. It’s a threat to free speech and democracy more broadly. Columnists and reporters for mainstream, prominent publications are trying to shut down Fox News and other media they deem right-wing. These are the same voices that claimed to be alarmed and outraged when President Trump attacked the press. The pressure to de-platform is spreading from social media to other forms of communication, with “misinformation” being the catch-all accusation to delegitimize the other side. Needless to say, this is a troubling trend, no matter which side of the political aisle one is on. New Mexico and many other states rely on oil and gas royalties to fund schools, Medicaid, and other social services. Does President Biden have any clue what his freeze on leases will do to state budgets? Does he care? -Newt Biden’s Freeze on Drilling Leases Disrupts New Mexico By Collin Eaton and Dan Frosch Wall Street Journal President Joe Biden moved Wednesday to halt new oil and gas leasing on federal land. The freeze is “a gut punch to follow up the worst year we’ve had since the early 2000s,” according to one business owner whose trucking company saw its business hauling drilling rigs across southeastern New Mexico plummet during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden’s move, meant to counter climate change, has concerned people across New Mexico, which relies heavily on the oil and gas industry. A long-term freeze on new leasing would curb royalties and revenue New Mexico uses to fund schools, Medicaid, and public safety. With teachers refusing to return to educate our youth, Sen. Tim Scott provides a well-reasoned argument for school choice. -Newt COVID Taught Us This Lesson — School Choice Matters More Than Ever By Sen. Tim Scott Fox News The coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close, which in turn forced parents to take on the additional job of at-home teaching. This forced some single parents to quit their jobs in order to stay home with their children. Families in rural and low-income neighborhoods without reliable broadband access, let alone access to a computer or the internet altogether, made schooling at home that much more difficult. During the pandemic, the benefits of school choice have become more obvious — and support for school choice has grown. In fact, about three-quarters of parents with full-time jobs support school choice. Similar percentages exist across demographics, particularly among blacks and Latinos. Every parent should be able to choose the best learning environment for his or her child, regardless of zip code or income. Congress and the Biden administration should work together in a bipartisan fashion to advance school choice policies. As the annual March for Life commences (this time virtually), Rep. Ron Estes and Sen. Jim Inhofe introduce legislation to protect unborn babies with down syndrome from elective abortions. -Newt Federal Lawmakers Set to Introduce Bill Protecting Children with Down Syndrome from Extermination By Evita Duffy The Federalist Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) introduced legislation that would ban abortion based on a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Specifically, the bill would permit relatives of aborted children killed based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome to bring civil action against those who performed the abortions. The mother of the child cannot be prosecuted. In the United States and Europe, significant percentages of children with Down Syndrome are aborted each year — including nearly 100 percent in Denmark and Iceland and about 67 percent in America. Death threats by Antifa have forced independent journalist Andy Ngo to flee the country. -Newt Portland-Based Journalist Andy Ngo Flees to London Amid Increasing Threats from Antifa By Debra Heine American Greatness Andy Ngo, an independent journalist and editor of the Post Millennial, has fled Portland for London. He left in response to growing threats on his life from Antifa. During a recent appearance on Sky News, Ngo said he didn’t feel safe in a city where authorities refused to protect him. Ngo added that he didn’t want to leave America, noting that his parents came to the US as political refugees from communist Vietnam. But when he provided names of some of the Antifa extremists threatening his life to authorities, nothing was done. In 2019, Ngo was hospitalized with a serious head injury after members of Antifa assaulted him. Newt hosts monthly virtual events in which he discusses news of the day and why it matters to you and your community. These Newt Live events are your opportunity to communicate directly with Newt. We hope you will join us next time and let Newt answer your questions and provide his insight on the issues that concern you most. JOIN TODAY to be a part of this special event and receive a BONUS GIFT. Click here to join Newt’s Inner Circle. Newt's Latest Podcasts: On Sale Now: