Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.
Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.

With Trump Out of White House, Media Suddenly Finds ‘Lab Leak Theory’ Plausible – It doesn’t take much scrutiny to realize that these media figures are admitting their biases in plain view. It didn’t matter what was being said last year as much as who was saying it. If Trump or another Republican promoted the lab leak theory, it had to be wrong. But now that their villain is no longer in the White House, the media are free to consider all possibilities. And—what do you know? —today all their stories are pretty much identical to each other again, even if their new pack narrative directly contradicts their groupthink of a year ago. Heritage expert: Tim Murtaugh

Breaking Down Biden’s Proposed ‘Ghost Gun’ Rules – When President Joe Biden announced a plan in mid-February to “tackle gun violence,” he said he would direct the Justice Department to issue new regulations for so-called ghost guns. The Justice Department last week finally made public what those new rules would be, setting off a flood of commentary on a technical and oft-misunderstood topic. So what are ghost guns? Why does it seem like everyone suddenly is talking about them? What effect would the new rules have on gun owners? And, most importantly, are these changes something Biden can do without congressional action? Heritage expert: Amy Swearer

Critical Race Theory State Legislation Tracker – State lawmakers are considering proposals meant to protect children from discrimination. These proposals are responses to K-12 teacher and parent complaints that so-called “diversity” or “equity” classroom activities and coursework actually promote prejudice against children based on skill color. These discriminatory activities are fueled by critical race theory. Lawmakers should carefully consider the new proposals and make sure no school system compels a teacher or student to believe or affirm an idea—such as critical race theory—that violates the Civil Rights Act. Heritage expert: Jonathan Butcher

Virginia County’s ‘Diverse Book Collection’ Spotlights Radical Agenda Coming to K-12 Schools – Being woke in modern America means that Thomas Jefferson shall be damned for his sins and cast out, while a ruthless dictator who worked with the Soviet Union to point nuclear missiles at the United States is treated as an admirable, misunderstood man who made some mistakes. The book list is hardly surprising, given the woke agenda of the school district, but it’s still notable when you consider that these works are not only commonly assigned to public school students, they are increasingly the only messages reaching the ears of many young Americans. Is it any wonder why the number of children with gender confusion is exploding, while even a basic understanding of, say, civics is in a state of collapse? Battles over curriculums in American public schools are nothing new, but the scope and depth of promoting radical ideas—such as critical race theory and gender identity theories, until recently mostly relegated to gender and ethnic studies departments on college campuses—is out of control. And that agenda is not just coming to one county in Virginia, but to school districts around the country. Heritage expert: Jarrett Stepman

America needs better military leaders – It is time to talk about why our military can’t deal with politicians who play politics with the military, or why some military officers have become partisan political actors while in uniform (a phenomenon of the Trump administration as well as Biden’s). Most importantly, we need to start talking about how we fix this before it really gets out of hand. One answer, of course, is to stop electing politicians who play politics with the military. But we also need to educate military leaders on how to properly serve both elected civilian leaders and the oath they took when they put on a uniform — and to serve both equally well no matter how difficult that might be. While people in uniform are always required to follow lawful orders, they are not there just to say “yes” to every politician. Nor should an officer remain silent, failing to stand for the right thing, because it might endanger their career or advancement. Heritage expert: James Carafano