• Celebrity actress Kristen Bell earlier this week posted a photo on Instagram featuring Tapper and his wife, Jennifer Marie Brown, enjoying a fancy dinner at the South Fork Lodge in Idaho.

• They were joined by a large group of celebrity couples, nearly all of them proud members of the white race.

• Social media users were stunned that the rich and socially enlightened liberal celebs would engage in such a flagrant act of white supremacy.

What they're saying: "Serious question for well-meaning white people. When you show up at a get-together like this, do you notice there are zero Black people, or nah?" wrote Twitter user Jay Perkins, a biracial black man and "antiracist" higher ed lawyer. "If so, do you say or do anything about it? To who? Please be honest. This is a safe space (unless you say something dumb or racist)."

What it means: The racially homogenous partygoers were most likely celebrating the Supreme Court's June 29 decision striking down race-based affirmative action in college admissions, an outcome backed by the vast majority of Americans.

• There appears to have been only one non-white celebrity couple in attendance. David Chang, the Korean-American restaurateur, was spotted at the dinner with his wife Grace, a Korean-born immigrant.

• The Supreme Court's ruling found that race-based affirmative action in college admissions violated the Constitution because it explicitly discriminated against Koreans and other students of Asian descent.

By the numbers: More than 82 percent of Idaho's population is white, according the U.S. Census Bureau, making it one of the whitest states in the country.

• The celebrity dinner party was even whiter. At least 90 percent of the guests were white, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis.

• Approximately 0 percent of the guests were black, meaning the dinner party was demographically equivalent to a Pete Buttigieg campaign rally.

White power party: In addition to the Tappers, a bunch of other fancy white people attended the now-notorious dinner party in Idaho.

• Jennifer Aniston, star of Friends, one of the whitest shows ever made; Courteney Cox, star of Friends, and boyfriend Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol, one the whitest bands in the world; Jason Bateman, host of the all-white podcast SmartLess, and his white wife; art gallery owners Heather Taylor and Alex De Cordoba; actress Shiri Appleby and restaurateur Jon Shook; Jimmy Kimmel and wife; Jimmy Fallon and wife; Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard; comedian John Mulaney and his half-Vietnamese mistress Olivia Munn; David Chang and wife; actor Adam Scott and wife; YouTube celeb Mark Rober; improvisational comedian Tim Curcio and wife.

Why it matters: At a time when many of our nation's journalists insist on touting the so-called benefits of diversity and inclusion, we applaud Tapper's courageous decision to reject phony moral values and embrace the "taboo" of "white racial solidarity."

• There's simply nothing wrong with a rich white journalist wanting to hang out with a bunch of rich white people (and a handful of Asians) at a fancy lodge in Idaho. It's a free country.

• The vast majority of Americans oppose the explicit racial preferences struck down by the Supreme Court. If that is indeed what the mostly white partygoers were celebrating, there's nothing wrong with that, either.

Bottom line: For rejecting diversity and refusing to live his life according to the "enlightened" moral code espoused by his colleagues in the corporate media, Jake Tapper is the Washington Free Beacon Hero of the Week.

Go deeper: CNN's Jim Acosta Celebrates Painfully White Staff in Majority Black City

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"The Vulnerable Child Protective Act," introduced by Rep. Bruce Skaug (R.), will now move forward to the state Senate. The proposed legislation expands an existing ban on "female genital mutilation," making it a felony to administer puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to a child, or to perform surgery to "alter the appearance of or affirm the child's perception of the child's sex."

"We do not allow minors to get tattoos, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, sign legal documents, why would we allow them to make the decision to cut away healthy bodily organs, and open the road to chemical castration at age 12?" Skaug said during a committee hearing.

Republican states across the country are pushing for similar bans on transgender treatments. Last week, Florida's Board of Medicine and Board of Osteopathic Medicine banned transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors, becoming the first state to ban the practice through an administrative process.

In Idaho, Democratic representatives claimed that the bill was inconsistent with the GOP’s defense of parental rights, alluding to topics such as vaccines and sex education. Proponents of the legislation, however, argued that the stakes of the bill go beyond parental choice.

"It’s not that we’re being selective," said Rep. Julianne Young (R.). "What it comes down to for me, is determining what are the appropriate bounds and limits of that parental authority."

It is unclear if the bill will pass through the state Senate. A similar bill last year failed to pass through the upper chamber, the Associated Press reported.

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Washington, D.C., which is not a state and will never deserve statehood, in 2021 lost almost 3 percent of its population.  Idaho, meanwhile, a state that has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, saw its population increase by nearly 3 percent.

Not surprisingly, New York experienced the second-largest decline in population (1.6 percent), followed by Illinois (0.9 percent), Hawaii (0.7 percent), and California (0.7 percent), where crime and homelessness are out of control in Democratic-run cities. Much of the population decline in blue states was attributed to domestic migration, with California, New York, and Illinois leading the way.

By contrast, nearly all of the states that boasted a significant increase in population last year were solidly Republican. Utah's population grew by 1.7 percent, as did Montana's. South Carolina grew by 1.2 percent, followed by Texas (1.1 percent), and Florida (1 percent).

It's probably not a coincidence that the states Americans are fleeing have some of the highest tax rates in the country, while the states to which they are flocking have some of the lowest. In other words, a lot of libs are running away from the politicians and the policies they supported. Here's hoping enough of them are smart enough to see the connection and stop voting to ruin everything.

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"When [Republican governor Brad Little] signed a law to ban trans athletes, he sent a message that trans people do not deserve the benefits of sports available to their peers," ACLU of Idaho wrote on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/acluidaho/status/1250439719701205001

The ACLU, ACLU of Idaho, and other pro-trans legal groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of two students: a transgender Boise State University track runner named Lindsay Hecox and a Boise High School student who is not transgender but said she is worried the government could invade her privacy to verify her sex.

The groups seek to prevent the law from taking effect July 1. 

The ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project senior staff attorney Gabriel Arkles said inclusivity in sports should be the standard. 

"In Idaho and across the country, transgender people of all ages have been participating in sports consistent with their gender identity for years," Arkles said. "Inclusive teams support all athletes and encourage participation, this should be the standard for all school sports."

During an interview with KTVB-TV, Gov. Little said his decision to pass the law was to protect the rights of female athletes.

"I think that the issue is the girl’s right to participate without having to be concerned about who they’re competing with. And that’s why I signed the bill," he said.

The bill cites biological differences between males and females that impact performance capabilities, such as bone density, heart size, and lung mass. Males can also generate more speed and strength due to many factors including their naturally higher levels of testosterone and hemoglobin.

"Courts have recognized that the inherent, physiological differences between males and females result in different athletic capabilities," the bill states.

Female students in Connecticut filed federal lawsuits seeking to prevent schools in the state from allowing transgender people to compete in women's sports after the students lost competitions to athletes born male. The Alliance Defending Freedom requested an investigation of the policies, saying, "It is female athletes that are paying the price—losing out on championship titles, state records, and even scholarship opportunities."

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"Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex," the bill states.

The law cites differences in male and female physiology that results in distinct athletic capabilities.

"Under this bill, boys and men will not be able to take the place of girls and women in sports because it is not fair," state representative Barbara Ehardt told Reuters.

Female students from Connecticut have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent schools in the state from allowing transgender people to compete in women's sports after the students lost competitions to athletes born male.

Chelsea Mitchell, one of the athletes challenging the state of Connecticut, said she was happy about Idaho's new legislation.

"I have lost four state championships because my state's policy ignores the physical advantages males have over females in sports and allows males to compete in the girls' category," Mitchell told the Daily Wire. "Four times I was the fastest female in my race, but I didn't get the gold medal or the state title; the males in my race took that honor. I have watched this happen over and over again in my sport in Connecticut, as so many girls have been impacted."

The governor also signed a second bill on Monday that prohibits transgender people from changing their sex on their birth certificate.

Sam Brinton, the head of advocacy and government affairs for the pro-trans group the Trevor Project, argued this policy would endanger the lives of transgender youth.

"It is a sad day in the United States when lawmakers are more determined to stop trans young people from playing games than to provide them with the care, support, and opportunities they need to survive and thrive," he said.

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The Boise State University study is attempting to convince ranchers to take action on climate change through a "behavioral field experiment" that will test ranchers reactions to different "framings" of climate change.

"Rangelands, and ranching, are an integral part of the economy, culture, and ecology of the western US," according to the grant for the study, which was awarded earlier this year. "The long-term health of these rangelands, and the way of life they support, however, is increasingly threatened by uncertainty associated with climate change."

"Working directly with ranchers, using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, we are examining how ranchers experience climate variability, how they perceive and communicate about climate change, and whether and how they are adapting to climate change on the lands they manage," the grant states.

Taxpayer funding totaling $149,631 is being spent to conduct interviews and focus groups with ranchers. The ranchers will be tested on how they "respond to climate change adaptation programs that are framed in different ways."

Boise State University received the funding in July, and research will continue through June 2019.

The main goal of the project is to evaluate "rancher perceptions of climate change" and "identify alternative ways of promoting climate change adaptation practices."

The behavioral experiment will involve a "rancher workshop" about climate change, which will then be used as the basis for a case study in a graduate field course taught at Boise State and Idaho State University.

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The five insurers serving the individual market in Idaho are Blue Cross of Idaho Health Service, Mountain Health Co-Op, PacificSource Health Plans, Regence BlueShield of Idaho, and SelectHealth.

For all plans, insurers requested rates ranging from a low of 25 percent to a high of 51 percent for a combined average statewide rate increase of 38 percent. For Obamacare's popular Silver plan, the average rate increase among all insurers was even higher at 50 percent, with one insurer requesting a high of 81 percent.

"I am deeply disappointed and frustrated to share these rates," said Dean Cameron, who directs the department. "I understand how difficult it will be for Idahoans to afford reasonable coverage, especially those without a subsidy."

He noted that premiums for the Silver plans are significantly higher due to the uncertainty of Obamacare's cost-sharing reduction program.

"I call on Congress to either repeal the CSR requirement or fund the program," Cameron said. "That action alone would reduce the proposed increase by at least 20 percent on the Silver plans."

He also said that historically Idaho has had a large number of health insurers participating on the exchanges, but is seeing participation decline, with the Bridgespan Health Company completely exiting the exchanges and SelectHealth reducing their participation in some counties.

"The proposed rate increases demonstrate the need for changes to the federal law," Cameron said. "Idaho's congressional delegation has been responsive and responsible, but we must help them deliver the message to their colleagues."

"If Congress is unable to repeal or replace, I ask that they do the following three things at a minimum to stabilize the market and reduce rates: fund or repeal the CSR mechanism (estimated savings of 20%), fund High Risk Reinsurance Pools, similar to proposals in both bodies of Congress (estimated savings of 10% to 20%), allow true consumer choice of plans, similar to the Cruz amendment, either on or off exchange (estimated savings of 20% to 50% compared to ACA plans)," Cameron said.

In October of 2016, the Obama administration announced that premiums for 2017 would rise by double-digits. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, rate increases are a result of the increasing number of insurers experiencing losses on the exchanges.

"Nationwide, average Marketplace premiums for 2017 are increasing more than they have in the past two years," the Obama administration said. "For the median HealthCare.gov consumer, the benchmark second-lowest Silver plan premium is increasing by 16 percent this year, before taking into account the effects of financial assistance."

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