Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/daily-digest/homeschooling-hits-record-levels-study-finds-promising-treatment-of-covid-clots/
US Politics
Homeschooling enrollment hit record levels in the 2024-2025 school year, with a nationwide average growth rate of 5.4%—nearly three times the pre-pandemic rate of 2%, according to data from reporting states. Thirty-six percent of those states reported their highest homeschool numbers to date. Participation in private school choice programs also rose 25% to 1.3 million students, marking the largest year-over-year increase since 2000. In Florida, universal voucher and scholarship programs now serve over 500,000 students. Utah’s Fits All Scholarship, introduced in 2024, surpassed its initial 10,000 seats, while Iowa’s Students First Educational Savings Account reached nearly 28,000 students in its second year. However, teachers’ unions such as the American Federation of Teachers have raised concerns that expanded school choice could divert funding from public education and exacerbate inequities.
These shifts align with falling public school enrollment in several major cities. Chicago’s student count declined from 403,000 in 2010-11 to 316,000 in 2025-26, including a drop of 9,081 students from the previous year. New York City reported 793,300 K-12 students for 2025-26, a 2.3% decrease from the prior year and about 10% below 2020 levels. The Los Angeles Unified School District has shrunk from 737,000 students two decades ago to 408,000. Nationwide, chronic absenteeism impacted 23.5% of students in 2024, rising to 32% in Los Angeles and 41% in Chicago. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results indicated that 33% of 8th graders read below basic levels, with 22% of high school seniors proficient in math and 35% in reading. Some education advocates attribute these declines partly to demographic shifts and pandemic effects rather than solely to parental dissatisfaction.
Several states, including Florida, Texas, Idaho, Utah, and West Virginia, have started redirecting property taxes to assist homeschooling families. Critics, including the National Education Association, argue that such measures may undermine the constitutional mandate for uniform public instruction in some states.
Moving to other news, in a Supreme Court brief, the Department of Justice urged the invalidation of state laws prohibiting public carry of firearms in places such as California, New York, Hawaii, Maryland, and New Jersey. Attorney General Bondi stated that such a ruling would restore Second Amendment rights for millions of Americans. Opponents, including gun safety groups like Everytown for Gun Safety, contend that overturning these laws could increase gun violence and complicate public safety measures.
Health
A peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Application of Chinese Medicine found that recombinant nattokinase degraded amyloid fibrin(ogen) microclots in vitro. At a concentration of 28 µg/mL—potentially reachable via high-dose oral intake—the enzyme reduced total clot numbers by 84%, amyloid fluorescent intensity by 52%, and median clot size by 20% within two hours. At 14 µg/mL, reductions were 67% in clot number, 20% in intensity, and 7% in size. Researchers noted these microclots in all tested vaccinated individuals and linked them to Long COVID and post-vaccine symptoms from spike protein exposure, as they resist conventional fibrinolysis. The study also reported that nattokinase breaks down the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, potentially targeting both cause and effects non-invasively. Experts such as Dr. Paul Offit have cautioned that while the in vitro results are promising, clinical trials in humans are needed to confirm efficacy and safety.
Sweden’s final dairy producer using the methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer, Gäsene, has discontinued the project, following Norrmejerier’s earlier halt of its climate milk initiative. No Swedish dairy producers are now known to use the additive. This comes after Danish reports of over 100 farmers observing cow health problems, such as collapses, following required use. Norway’s top dairy supplier has also paused Bovaer amid comparable concerns. The product’s safety data sheet lists it as suspected of harming fertility or the unborn child. Proponents, including environmental advocates, maintain that Bovaer is vital for cutting livestock methane emissions to address climate change, pending further safety research.
Environment
The Tule River Indian Tribe has reintroduced native Tule elk to 17,030 acres of ancestral land returned in the Yowlumne Hills of California’s southwestern Sierra Nevada. The former ranch lands now link the tribe’s reservation to U.S. Forest Service territories and Giant Sequoia National Monument, creating a conservation corridor. Working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the tribe obtained elk from a managed herd. Tule elk, the continent’s smallest subspecies, have rebounded from near extinction—once limited to one known breeding pair—to around 4,000 statewide via conservation. The tribe earlier reintroduced beavers to the South Fork Tule River. Local ranchers have expressed concerns about potential conflicts with livestock and agricultural operations.
Tribal Council Chairman Lester R. Nieto Jr. said the land return boosts access to food and medicinal resources, safeguards cultural sites, and aids wildlife recovery. The California Natural Resources Agency’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program enabled the transfer, akin to 1,000 acres returned to the Iipay Nation earlier this year for watershed protection and wildfire resilience.
Sources
Homeschooling Boom Hits Record Highs as Public Schools Face Enrollment Cliff
In the 2024-2025 school year, homeschooling continued to grow across the United States, increasing at an average rate of 5.4%.
Public Schools in Freefall: Parents Flee to Choice and Homeschooling
Public Schools Are Failing And Parents Are Bailing
Study Reveals Nattokinase Dissolves 84% of Amyloid Microclots in 2 Hours: A Potential Breakthrough for Long COVID and Vaccine-Related Clotting
We show that recombinant nattokinase is effective at degrading the fibrinaloid microclots in vitro.
DOJ Pushes Supreme Court to Nullify State Bans on Public Gun Carry
“A win in this case will restore Second Amendment rights for MILLIONS of Americans,”
Public Schools in Freefall: Parents Flee as Enrollment and Scores Plummet
Public Schools Are Failing And Parents Are Bailing
Tule River Tribe Releases Native Elk on 17,000 Acres of Returned Sacred Sierra Nevada Land
A California Indian nation celebrated the return of 17,000 acres of ancestral lands by releasing several of the region’s native Tule elk to roam the hills again for the first time in decades.
Sweden’s Final Bovaer Dairy Project Ends as Cow Health Alarms Mount
The dairy producer Gäsene has now ended their Bovaer project, the last remaining dairy producer that still used Bovaer in the country.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: American Federation of Teachers (AFT), The Washington Post, National Education Association (NEA), Everytown for Gun Safety, Dr. Paul Offit, Environmental News, and Local Ranchers Association.