Day: April 22, 2021

Williamson County Parents Warn Critical Race Theory Has Already Entered Their Public School System

Chris Butler

FRANKLIN — Williamson County School Superintendent Jason Golden, as reported, cancelled his planned question and answer session with the Williamson County Republican Party, but frustrated members nevertheless met and made him and his policies the topic of conversation. About 100 to 150 Williamson County residents met Wednesday at a hotel conference room where, among other things, they asked whether the Williamson County School System has embraced Critical Race Theory (CRT). Williamson County School Board member Dan Cash attended Wednesday’s meeting. He said no, the school system is not teaching CRT. But some parents said it had already seeped its way in.

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Commentary: Amazon’s Rejection of Unions in Alabama Is a Big Loss for Big Labor

RealClearWire
Amazon workers

Big labor suffered a significant loss in its attempt to unionize employees at Amazon’s warehouse facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Of the workers eligible to vote, an embarrassingly small 16% voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. It was the most recent in a series of high-profile losses for labor including failed attempts to unionize factories for Volkswagen, Nissan Motors, and Boeing. In each case, union leaders bet that they could convince workers it was in their best interests to be enrolled in a union that would stand up to management over wages and working conditions. In each case, they lost.

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Columbus Police Release More Footage and 911 Calls in Shooting Death of 16-year-Old

Jack Windsor

Columbus Division of Police released body camera footage Tuesday night showing the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant that occurred earlier in the day.  Wednesday afternoon, police released additional body cam recordings and two 911 calls.

Interim Chief of Police Michael Woods said it’s uncommon for information to be provided this soon, but officials understand the public’s need, desire and expectation to have transparency about what happened.

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Children’s Book Used in New York School Faces Backlash over Claims That Police Are Racist

Admin
Police

A public school district in New York state is facing criticism after it promoted a children’s book that falsely claims that police target black people instead of White people, and that black people are more likely to be shot, as reported by Fox News.

In the city of Binghamton, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) denounced the city’s school district for their promotion of the book “Something Happened In Our Town.” The book, which was selected by the school as the “Book of the Month” for April for MacArthur Elementary School, was read aloud to students.

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Senate Passes Bill to Standardize Open Enrollment Processes for Schools

Corinne Murdock
Classroom full of kids, that are being read a book

The Tennessee Senate passed a bill to standardize open enrollment processes for schools. Present law allows local educational authorities (LEA) to develop their own policies for open enrollment periods. Through the bill, each LEA would be required to have the open enrollment period last at least 30 days, as well as identify schools with available space for enrollment based on grade, class, and program level at least two weeks before the open enrollment period begins. It wouldn’t allow students to enroll in counties outside of their own.

The bill passed 27 to 2, with 3 senators abstaining their vote. State Senators Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) and Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) voted against the bill; Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville), and Sara Kyle (D-Memphis) abstained.

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Commentary: A Tale of Two California Recalls

RealClearWire

For better or worse, California often leads the nation’s political discourse. Central to that discourse at the moment is the expected recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom; a recall of Los Angeles County’s district attorney, meanwhile, is building steam. Each reveals something telling about the Golden State and its voters.

First Newsom. The announcement is imminent — insiders expect the recall to qualify for the ballot with an October election.

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Twitter Defends Not Censoring Hacked Content About Donors Who Gave to Kenosha Shooter’s Legal Defense

Admin
Kyle Rittenhouse

Twitter defended its decision allowing users to share articles that cite hacked information about people who donated to the 18-year-old accused of killing protesters in Wisconsin last summer.

The content did not violate the company’s distribution of hack materials policy because it does not directly link to the hacked information, a Twitter spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The content in question would have been removed if hacked materials were shared in a tweet or in an image tweeted, according to Twitter.

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General Assembly Passes ‘Unborn Child Dignity Act’ Requiring Burial or Cremation for Surgically Aborted Children

Corinne Murdock

Following Governor Bill Lee’s approval, the state of Tennessee will require surgically aborted children to be put to rest humanely, through either burial or cremation. The Unborn Child Dignity Act would only extend to “ambulatory surgical treatment centers,” private offices, or other in-person facilities describe in the Tennessee Code. Meaning, the act wouldn’t cover children aborted through at-home procedures like the pill. 

State Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) introduced the bill first, and it was picked up by State Representative Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro) in the House. The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, 27-6 along party lines.

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Biden to Increase Number of Immigrants Approved for Refugee, Visa Status

The Center Square

President Joe Biden’s border policy will include an increase in the number of people approved for refugee and visa status, his administration announced Tuesday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly asked the Biden administration to answer questions about who is transporting individuals and families to the Texas-Mexico border and what the administration is doing to prevent crimes and human and drug trafficking. He says he has still received no response. He also called on Biden to label Mexican cartels as terrorists because, Abbott said, they are committing crimes and wreaking havoc in Texas, and has also received no response.

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Stacey Abrams Spars with Republicans over Whether Georgia’s Elections Law Is Racist During Senate Hearing

Admin

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee sparred with Stacey Abrams Tuesday during a hearing on Democrats’ voting rights bill and election reforms that Republicans have introduced in states across the country.

The hearing consisted of testimony from officials on opposite sides of the issue, including Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, Utah Republican Rep. Burgess Owens and Jan Jones, the Republican speaker pro tempore of the Georgia House, but most questions from lawmakers on both sides were directed towards Abrams. Democrats largely focused on GOP-led policies that they likened to those from the Jim Crow era, while Republicans blasted the comparison and said that the bills’ goals were to make it harder to cheat, not to vote.

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Corporate America Will Lobby for Progressive Policies — Unless It Costs Them Money

Admin
Delta Air Lines

Big businesses have been vocal in supporting various progressive political causes, but have consistently stopped short of policies that would cut into profits.

U.S. corporations came out in droves to announce their opposition to recently-passed voting legislation in Georgia, have pulled their advertisements from conservative shows and podcasts, were quick to endorse Black Lives Matter during the 2020 protests and have signed multiple climate change pledges. But while big business has eagerly supported these progressive policies, they refuse to support the policies, like a higher minimum wage or a corporate tax increase to fund infrastructure, that would result in smaller profits.

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New Website Allows Parents, Teachers to Upload What They Consider Evidence of Radical Curriculum

Admin

A North Carolina education advocacy group has launched a website to help whistleblowers expose what they consider radical curriculum in K-12 schools, including lessons on critical race theory.

The Schoolhouse Shock site was launched Monday by Education First Alliance and allows users to anonymously upload videos, pictures, documents and other material.

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Rep. Green to Reject ‘Corrupt’ Pelosi Earmarks

Peter D'Abrosca

Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) blasted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) for reviving earmark spending in Congress, and said he plans to refuse to even participate in the earmarking process. 

“It’s rare for Congress to get anything right, but in 2011 after Americans rose up to usher in the Tea Party wave, Congressional Republicans got it right and banned earmarks,” Green said in statement. “Today, at a time when our national debt is at record highs, the last thing Congress should do is resurrect earmarks—one of the Swamp’s most corrupt practices.” 

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Mark McCloskey, Lawyer Who Brandished His Rifle at Black Lives Matter Protesters, Floats Senate Bid

Admin

Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis lawyer who brandished his assault rifle at Black Lives Matter protesters as they marched through his neighborhood, floated a bid for Missouri’s open Senate seat.

“I can confirm that it’s a consideration, yes,” McCloskey told Politico Tuesday evening, adding that he had no official timeline for announcing his decision.

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Senator Blackburn Introduces Bill to Prevent Biden from Imposing Unilateral Nuclear Deal with Iran

Corinne Murdock

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced Wednesday a bill to prevent President Joe Biden from circumventing the U.S. Senate to renegotiate the Iran Nuclear Deal. 

The legislation, “Iran Nuclear Deal Advice and Consent Act,” would prevent federal funds from going to the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It would require current and future administrations to submit any JCPOA successor agreement as a written treaty rather than an international agreement.

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Michigan SOS Benson Asks Top Court to Push Back Redistricting Committee Deadline

The Center Square

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has filed suit with the Michigan Supreme Court to ensure the public has time to provide feedback on the new voting district maps that will be drawn by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). 

The suit describes the current constitutional deadline as unrealistic since it requires the commission to make maps available for 45 days of public comment starting on Sept. 17, even though the U.S. Census Bureaus won’t have official data until Sept. 30. The U.S. Census Bureau cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the delay.

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Florida Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump Falsely Claims Columbus Shooting Victim Was Unarmed

Grant Holcomb

Tallahassee-based civil rights attorney Ben Crump falsely claimed on Twitter yesterday the victim of the police-involved shooting in Columbus, OH was unarmed. As bodycam footage was released, it found the victim, a 16-year-old black female, Ma’Khia Bryant, was wielding a knife and threatening two other females.

Some on social media were outraged at the lethal use of force by the officer, including Crump who said on Twitter, “As we breathed a collective sigh of relief today, a community in Columbus felt the sting of another police shooting as @ColumbusPolice killed an unarmed 15yo Black girl named Makiyah Bryant. Another child lost! Another hashtag. #JusticeForMakiyahBryant.”

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Virginia Behavioral Health Hospitals Operating at Near 100 Percent Capacity with Just 60-75 Percent of Staff

Eric Burk

Virginia’s eight state-run mental health hospitals are operating at near-peak capacity, while operating at just 60 to 75 percent staffing levels, according to a presentation Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Commissioner Alison Land gave legislators on Tuesday.

“We’ve been working on this issue for years and years before I came, and the picture just keeps looking bleaker, and not better, I have to say,” Land said.

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Northam Signs Virginia Marijuana Legalization Bills

Eric Burk

Governor Ralph Northam signed marijuana legalization into law in a ceremony Wednesday afternoon, joined by legislators and marijuana advocates. The new law is a major piece of legislation from the 2021 General Assembly session. The law has many components involving regulation of cannabis production and retail that don’t take effect immediately, but a key portion allowing simple possession of up to one ounce of marijuana takes effect July 1.

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Broward County Schools Superintendent Arrested on Perjury Charge

Peter D'Abrosca

The superintendent of the Broward County School District has been arrested and charged with perjury, according to several reports. 

“Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested Wednesday morning by Florida’s top law enforcement agency, according to records,” The Sun-Sentinel reported. “The sole charge is listed as perjury in an official proceeding.”

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Sen. Lauren Book to Lead Florida Senate Democrats

Grant Holcomb

Sen. Lauren Book (D-32) has been tabbed as the new leader of the Florida Senate Democrats. Sen. Perry Thurston (D-33), a high ranking Senate Democrat, announced his intentions to run in the special election for the late-Alcee Hastings’ seat in Congress, making the way for Book to be heir-apparent.

Book, 36, has served in the Florida Senate since 2016 when she ran unopposed for the Senate’s 32nd district.

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White Bear Lake Student Wrongly Accused of Being Racist, Feels ‘Unsafe’

Admin

A sophomore girl at White Bear Lake High School was falsely accused of sending racist and threatening messages to a black classmate last week.

A student at White Bear Lake High School received hateful and racist messages via Instagram earlier this month. White Bear Lake students held a walkout in protest of the racist messages, which later turned out to be empty threats.

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Orange County Seeks to Relax Mask Mandate by June

Grant Holcomb
Jerry Demings

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the municipality is putting together a plan to relax its mask mandate by as early as June.
“We are working with the department of health on a plan to phase reducing requirements of wearing facial coverings and social distancing,” Demings said. “We are reviewing how CDC requirements are evolving along with COVID infection data and a plan will be announced soon.”

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House Passes Bill Prohibiting Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines; Hospital Employees and Health Care Students Can Still Be Forced

Corinne Murdock

The House passed a bill prohibiting government-mandated vaccines for COVID-19 or any of its variants. As amended, the bill would also exempt PreK-12 students from  having to receive the vaccine in order to attend any schools or child care facilities. It would also strike the law that makes it a Class C misdemeanor for anyone who refuses to be vaccinated or refuses to vaccinate someone under their care.

Furthermore, this bill would prohibit state government and agencies from mandating a person undergo medical treatment if they object based on religious grounds or their right of conscience. However, the bill wouldn’t protect college or university students enrolled in programs or fields of study involving healthcare professions such as medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy.

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