Kirk Cameron rejects drag queen story time, is instead speaking about faith, family at Arkansas library
Actor-writer Kirk Cameron is taking his next story hour book reading to Arkansas this week — all part of his cross-country effort to speak to families and children across America at various public library book events and to discuss his pro-faith, pro-family and pro-country beliefs.
On Friday, he’ll be appearing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the public library there, Fox News Digital has learned from Cameron’s book publisher, Brave Books. The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Fayetteville Public Library, which confirmed Thursday that the event — a “private event,” a library official said — will take place at the library on Friday.
The Cameron book event will occur just one day before New York Attorney General Letitia James is scheduled to hold a “drag queen story hour” event in New York City, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
A flyer for this “drag story hour” held by James said, “Families with children are invited to join Attorney General James, drag storytellers and city and state elected leaders.” In a caption for an Instagram post, James declared, “My office is proud to host a drag story hour read-a-thon on Sunday.”
Kirk Cameron, in comments shared with Fox News Digital, said on this point, “In the Garden of Eden, God used a piece of fruit to expose man’s willingness to betray God and harm the family. In the Big Apple this weekend, God is using the attorney general.”
Trent Talbot, CEO of Brave Books, based in Texas, told Fox News Digital in an email, “It’s clear our society has reached a new low with one of the most powerful public officials in New York participating in a ‘drag queen story hour’ for kids.”
He added, “So what do we do about it? I believe the best way to fight back against these sick and deranged events is to offer a better alternative with wholesome and uplifting events that have more appealing messaging and visuals.”
He said as well, “This is what you will see Friday in Fayetteville.”
Also on Friday, Laura Perry Smalts will be joining Kirk Cameron at the library in Fayetteville, Fox News Digital is told, “to participate in the story hour.”
She plans to read the children’s book “Elephants Are Not Birds,” which teaches kids about the biblical view of gender.
“I am supporting Kirk Cameron’s work in the Freedom Island Tour because children deserve to be taught good, wholesome, truth-based books from someone who is safe and trustworthy, not an adult entertainer,” Smalts said in comments shared with Fox News Digital.
“I believe children should be taught that who they are created to be is good — and should not be indoctrinated by ideology they are not old enough to comprehend.”
Smalts — who was born female — spent nearly nine years living as a transgendered individual. She took the name “Jake” during that period of time.
She writes on her website, “I am a former transgender, having lived it for almost nine years. I underwent years of cross-sex hormone therapy, two major ‘gender-affirming’ surgeries, and all of the legal changes.”
She ultimately rejected that and detransitioned — and is today happily married to her husband, Perry.
She writes that God “has healed me and brought forgiveness and wholeness to my heart. He has revealed His heart for women and how wonderful His creation of the woman is and how beautiful it is.”
She said in further comments shared with Fox News Digital, “I am participating in the library reading in Fayetteville because I want kids (and parents) to hear the truth about transgender identities from someone who has gone through it. I want to warn parents that it is dangerous to allow children to ‘transition.’”
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She added, “Most parents are uninformed about the realities of medical transition and the dangerous path their child is being enticed to go down. I want to help kids see that they don’t have to compare themselves to others — but that they can embrace and love who they are created to be.”
She said she “loves” the book “Elephants Are Not Birds.”
She said she is choosing to read it to those who gather at the library event “because it illustrates to children the simple reality that they cannot be someone other than who they were created to be.”
Said Smalts, “The book also shows that even though the elephant, Kevin, wanted to be like the birds, the town needed him to be an elephant, and he became a hero. I think this book has an excellent message for children.”
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A Brave Books spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “the library staff” in Fayetteville have “been phenomenal” to work with and “we are excited about this story hour. We believe the turnout is going to be incredible.”
A musician outside the library will lead those assembled in patriotic songs before the book event, the publisher said.
Gabriel Hays of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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Biden reveals his March Madness picks for men’s, women’s college basketball
Like everyone else filling out brackets for March Madness, President Biden revealed his selections for the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments.
Biden doesn’t believe in major upsets this year, picking No. 1 seed Kansas and three No. 2 seeds in Arizona, Marquette and Texas to make the Final Four.
President Biden’s winner is a team that would get some revenge after last year’s Sweet 16 defeat. He has Arizona Wildcats taking down top-seeded Kansas in the championship game in Houston.
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The president does have a few first-round upsets, though, predicting No. 12-seeded Charleston will defeat No. 5 San Diego State.
He also has No. 11 Providence over No. 6 Kentucky, No. 11 Pittsburgh over No. 6 Iowa State, No. 10 Penn State over No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 11 Arizona State over No. 6 TCU.
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President Biden’s Sweet 16 has the favorites moving on to the Elite Eight. Nothing less than a No. 4 seed (Virginia) moves on in the bracket.
On the women’s side, the president is going against the grain with his champion, selecting No. 4 seed Villanova to pull off a major upset over not just UConn in the Final Four, but heavy favorite South Carolina in the end.
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The Gamecocks are 32-0 on the season, and many experts believe they take it all the way to Dallas for a perfect season.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/biden-reveals-march-madness-picks-mens-womens-college-basketball
What’s Going on With First Republic Bank?
The San Francisco lender is under scrutiny by uninsured depositors across the banking system.
Upcoming Superman movie restores ‘American way’ phrase to famous motto
After sparking outrage by dropping Superman’s pro-American mantra dating back to World War II, it appears a new film adaption of the famous DC Comics superhero will be a return to patriotic form.
Superman is one of the earliest and most iconic superheroes, with a nearly 90-year history since his creation in the 1930s by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He has been played by movie stars ranging from Christopher Reeve to Dean Cain and Henry Cavill.
One of Superman’s mottos was “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” which, according to NBC News came from a “Superman” radio serial in the early 1940s amid World War II. The saying was also used in the 1978 “Superman” movie adaptation. DC Comics met controversy when, in 2021, it changed his motto so be the more globally inclusive “truth, justice … and a better tomorrow.”
A March 15, 2023 press release from DC parent Warner Bros. Discovery appeared to imply that the new “Superman: Legacy” film may play to American nostalgia rather than woke sensibility.
“Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” the press release read. “He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
Director James Gunn tweeted about how he will approach the film.
“I was offered Superman years ago – I initially said no because I didn’t have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved,” James Gunn wrote in a tweet thread announcing he would be at the helm of the 2025 film.
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He then added, “Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes.”
Right-leaning film critic and host of the Hollywood in Toto Podcast Christian Toto commented on the move to Fox News Digital.
“The Superman motto restoration is a very minor item, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum,” he wrote. “Hollywood is slowly realizing how off-putting woke theatrics can be, and the Biden economy is making studios pinch pennies in every possible way. If that means appeasing a huge swath of comic book fans eager for an old-school, all-American Superman, so be it.”
He added, “We also saw this in the mostly apolitical Oscars ceremony. The message is finally hitting Hollywood. Stop dividing us and take a knee in the culture wars.”
https://www.foxnews.com/media/upcoming-superman-movie-restores-american-way-phrase-famous-motto
NATO mum in wake of Russia downing US drone; ‘time to show steely resolve’ says expert
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has yet to comment publicly on the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone by two Russian SU-27 fighter jets this week, in what one NATO expert says may be an “overabundance of caution.”
“There should be broad condemnation of Russia’s attack on the U.S. drone by all NATO Allies,” Marshall Billingslea, a former deputy undersecretary of the Navy and assistant secretary general for defense investment at NATO, who is now serving as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital. “Many, especially those allies on the eastern front, have experience with Russian pilots engaging in aggressive and unprofessional actions.”
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The U.S. has accused Russia of purposefully harassing and then striking down the $32 million drone used for intelligence collecting. On Thursday, the Pentagon released footage showing the moments when fuel was purposefully dumped on the drone before a propeller was damaged while over international waters.
The Reaper drone crashed into the Black Sea, where Russian maritime forces quickly began collecting the debris – a move similar to one used by Iran in 2019, believed to have then collected information for its own drone development.
Though British and German forces immediately responded by scrambling their own fighter pilots to the skies, NATO allies have been markedly silent throughout the week.
NATO did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment following the footage’s release.
“Russia will interpret a lack of a firm response and imposition of a clear consequence as a sign of weakness,” Billingslea warned. “This will embolden them and could to lead to an even more dangerous situation.”
Similarly, the U.N. also refused to comment on Russia’s aggression and told reporters this week that it was awaiting further information.
“What I will say is that we have zero information on what exactly happened,” spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general Stephane Dujarric told reporters Wednesday. “The Secretary-General’s reaction would be what you would expect — is that he would call for dialogue and an avoidance of any escalation.”
But when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday what the UN secretary-general’s reaction was following the footage released by the Pentagon, Dujarric said he had “nothing new to add” following yesterday’s comments.
It is unclear whether the clear lack in outcry from NATO allies is a sign that a coordinated response is coming, but Billingslea said he thought this outcome was “doubtful” and said, “The best response to Russia’s attack would be to immediately provide F-16s and ATACMS to Ukraine.”
Poland on Thursday said that it would become the first nation to send Ukraine fighter jets, but the U.S. has not yet issued a similar pledge.
“Putin follows Lenin’s dictum: ‘You probe with bayonets: If you find mush, you push. If you find steel, withdraw.’ Now is the time to show steely resolve,” he added.
NFL star Joe Mixon avoids charges, but sister indicted in shooting outside running back’s home
Joe Mixon has been cleared of wrongdoing after shots were fired from his backyard, but his sister and her boyfriend are facing trouble.
Shalonda Mixon and Lamonte Brewer, both 34, have been indicted in the incident that sent a teenager to the hospital after he was shot in the foot.
The running back’s sister has been charged with tampering evidence and obstructing justice, while Brewer was indicted on a felonious assault.
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Authorities said the Cincinnati Bengals star was caught on video carrying a gun but added he did not fire shots or commit any crime.
Mixon’s attorney, Peter Schaffer, released a statement on his client’s actions during the incident:
“Joe and his physical therapist felt threatened and feared for their safety and the safety of the small children in the residence. At this time, Joe called the Bengals director of security to have police dispatched immediately to the residence. The physical therapist called 911 from a separate room. This 911 call recording has been made public and clearly shows the level of fear and concern in his voice from the situation as he was hiding behind a column in the house. The adults inside then instructed the five small children to race to the basement to shelter in place out of harm’s way.
“Joe went outside for the purpose of trying to figure out what was going on outside his house. Joe had no intention to confront anyone, nor did he. He did not intend to threaten anyone, nor did he. He did not intend to shoot anyone, nor did he. He witnessed an individual carrying what appeared to be a rifle racing directly toward his property as the individual continued to bark instructions. When another individual discharged a firearm, Joe interceded to stop the person discharging a firearm.”
The guns used turned out to be Nerf-style weapons, as the teenagers were playing “dart wars,” according to the original incident report.
Mixon’s sister and her boyfriend were the occupants of a vehicle that was spotted leaving the NFL player’s house after the shots were fired, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Approximately 11 rounds were fired from Mixon’s backyard.
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Biden education secretary rails against Republican-led ‘book bans’: Using education as a ‘political football’
Biden Education Secretary Miguel Cardona railed against Republican-led book bans Wednesday, calling pushes to remove content containing LGBTQ+ themes as well as alleged restrictions on Black history material in public schools “heartbreaking.”
“As U.S. secretary of education, as well as a father and lifelong educator, here’s what I know to be true: Parents don’t want politicians dictating what their children can learn, think and believe. That’s not how public education is supposed to work in a free country,” he wrote in a guest column published in The Tampa Bay Times on Thursday.
He alleged that an overwhelming majority of parents are upset with politicians’ attempts to use their children’s education as a “political football” in refusing to allow curriculum that violates their own opinions.
Cardona presumably turned the article into a jab at GOP leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who came under fire for pushing back against an allegedly “woke” College Board outline for an AP African-American Studies course earlier this year, and ventured into a discussion of censoring Black history and culture.
“It’s heartbreaking, for example, to see politicians trying to prevent students from learning about the history, arts and culture, contributions and experiences of African Americans — especially when Black history is a vital part of our shared American story,” Cardona later said.
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“They want to ban kids from learning the truth when it doesn’t align with their political agenda. But it’s vital for all of us to understand our full history — the triumphs and the tragedies — so we can build a stronger, shared American future.”
DeSantis, as the most notorious example cited by opponents who allege he actively censored Black history and culture, claimed the proposed framework for the AP African-American Studies course violated Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” by containing content regarding Black Queer Theory and critical race theory-based material.
Cardona’s next hit fired back at attempts to strip LGBTQ+ content from public schools, including some movements in predominantly red states and districts to restrict or monitor what is being taught in the classroom or placed in school libraries.
“It’s just as disturbing that some politicians want to limit our children’s freedom to read. Over the last year, 4 million students have had their reading censored through book bans — with the majority of book bans censoring stories of people of color or LGBTQ Americans,” he wrote.
“Just imagine being a parent whose kid has never read a single book in school about a family who looks like theirs,” he added.
Many Republicans, however, contend that such books, including those like the infamous Maia Kobabe graphic novel “Gender Queer” are age-inappropriate, with some containing explicit content referencing sexual acts.
Cardona alleged that censorship of academic material not only goes “against our values as a nation” but it also makes learning more difficult.
“The thousands of families I’ve met want more — not fewer — books on the shelves of their schools and local libraries,” he said.
The education secretary also lambasted some Republicans’ calls for “steep cuts to federal funding” for education, claiming the Biden administration has contrastingly put forth “real policies” geared toward giving students the funding they need.
“We do not dictate what is taught in classrooms. But we do stand up for what we’re hearing from parents across America,” he said.