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Warehousing And Storage Services: A Key Driver In the Portable Temperature And Humidity Data Loggers Market 2024Remember Orson Welles’ radio drama “The War of the Worlds,” featuring a terrifying Martian invasion? By a stroke of luck, the narrative was apocryphal. This time, we may not be so fortunate. Mushrooming reports from California and New Jersey have revealed swarms of surveillance drones above sensitive areas, in what might be a dress rehearsal for a Chinese version of Pearl Harbor or another 9/11. The Chinese motive is plain for all to see. We are arming Taiwan to the teeth. We are policing the South China Sea with aircraft carriers. We have formed the Quad (India, Japan, Australia and the United States) to block Chinese hegemony in Asia. We are blocking the transfer of dual-use high technology to China. And we have ordered the closure of TikTok, a covert arm of the Chinese government aimed at brainwashing the American people. Where is Congress? Where are those China hawks such as Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), secretary of state designate? Mr. Rubio should not be confirmed by the Senate until he comes clean about the hordes of Chinese drones. Why no oversight hearings? Why no summoning of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for answers under oath? Has Congress subcontracted out oversight to media like CNN’s Wolf Blitzer? The intelligence community regularly fumbles. Think of the Cuban Missile Crisis and belated discovery that the Soviet Union had installed nuclear-tipped missiles in Cuba 90 miles from our shores. It is absurd to say or insinuate that China is not behind the drones. All countries spy on each other. And the spying escalates in lockstep with perceived danger. Does anyone think the United States is not spying on China? Mayorkas recently told Blitzer that “people are reporting sightings of drones” and that the matter is being thoroughly investigated. Is he being evasive because we are learning more about the enemy by watching the drones than we are losing by the intelligence collected, like refraining from prematurely arresting a known spy? Unlike with the media, the secretary can share this information with Congress in executive session to protect intelligence sources and methods. Three of the top five civil drone manufacturers are Chinese, and Chinese companies also feature among the top 20 drone service providers. We know what is going on here. Consider the incursion earlier this year of a pioneering Chinese surveillance balloon, which traversed the continental United States before finally being shot down — the cutting edge of surveillance technology. For days, officials insisted the balloon was benign, even as it passed over critical military installations. Incalculable harm was caused to national security, including our ability to anticipate a nuclear attack by China. Drones are surveillance balloons 2.0 and a prelude to war. Transparency is the coin of the realm. Most alleged state secrets are bogus. There is no reason to conceal all the government knows about the Chinese surveillance drones. Our people are mature. They will not suffer a panic attack of the type that followed “The War of the Worlds.” Why hasn’t Mayorkas disclosed everything he knows with the American people on prime time like John F. Kennedy did during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Until he does, we will remain stressed or terrified of what might be happening. He should reflect on these wise words attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” The Biden administration will expire in about one month. President-elect Donald Trump will undoubtedly tell us all we need to know about the Chinese drone invasion on his Inauguration Day. Elections have consequences, commonly for the better. Armstrong Williams is manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast owner of the year. Creators Syndicate
Jeffrey Fleishman | (TNS) Los Angeles Times The national furor in recent years around banning books on race and gender in public schools is intensifying as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to shut down the Department of Education, emboldening conservatives to end “wokeness” in classrooms. Battles over books in school libraries have become emblematic of the country’s larger culture wars over race, historical revisionism and gender identity. A new report by PEN America found book bans increased by nearly 200% during the 2023-24 school year, including titles on sexuality, substance abuse, depression and other issues students face in an age of accelerating technologies, climate change, toxic politics and fears about the future. Book censorship has shaken and divided school boards, pitted parents against parents, and led to threats against teachers and librarians . It is part of an agenda driven by conservative parental rights groups and politicians who promote charter schools and voucher systems that could weaken public education. The issue goes to the heart not only of what students are taught but how federal and state education policies will affect the nation’s politics after one of the most consequential elections in its history. “It’s not just about taking a book off a shelf,” said Tasslyn Magnusson, an author and teacher from Wisconsin who tracks book censorship across the U.S. “It’s about power and who controls public education. It’s about what kind of America we were and are. We’re trying to define what family is and what America means. That comes down to the stories we tell.” She said she feared Trump’s return to the White House would further incite those calling for book bans: “I don’t have lots of hope. It could get a lot worse.” Over the last year, PEN counted more than 10,000 book bans nationwide that targeted 4,231 unique titles. Most were books dealing with gender, sexuality, race and LGBTQ+ storylines. The most banned title was Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes,” about a school shooting that included a short description of date rape. Florida and Iowa — both of which have strict regulations on what students can read — accounted for more than 8,200 bans in the 2023-24 school year. “This crisis is tragic for young people hungry to understand the world they live in and see their identities and experiences reflected in books,” Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read Program, said in a statement. “What students can read in schools provides the foundation for their lives.” Trump’s calls to close the Department of Education would need congressional approval, which appears unlikely. Although public schools are largely funded and governed by state and local institutions, the department helps pay to educate students with disabilities, provides about $18 billion in grants for K-12 schools in poor communities and oversees a civil rights branch to protect students from discrimination. But Trump’s election has inspired conservative parental groups, including Moms For Liberty and Parents Defending Education, to strengthen efforts to limit what they see as a liberal conspiracy to indoctrinate children with books and teachings that are perverse, amoral and pornographic. Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, has criticized schools that she says spend too much time on diversity and inclusion when only about one-third of U.S. children are reading at grade level: “We’re talking about public school libraries and content for kids,” Justice told NewsNation after Trump’s victory. “I think it’s very clear that there are certain things that are appropriate for kids, certain things that are appropriate for adults. We’re just getting back to commonsense America.” Trump’s threat to deny federal funding to schools that acknowledge transgender identities could affect curricula and the kinds of books school libraries stock. During his rally at Madison Square Garden in October, Trump — who has has accused schools of promoting sex change operations — said his administration would get “transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.” Vice President-elect JD Vance has accused Democrats of wanting to “put sexually explicit books in toddlers’ libraries.” Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, told Newsmax that she was excited about Trump’s calls to remake education and “clean up a lot of the mess” he has inherited from the Biden administration. Trump “has centered parental rights back in his platform, which is incredible. He has prioritized knowledge and skill, not identity politics,” she said. “American children deserve better, and it is time for change.” In nominating Linda McMahon to be his secretary of Education, Trump appears to be pushing for more conservative parental control over what is taught and read in classrooms. A former professional wrestling executive, McMahon chairs the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-connected organization that has criticized schools for teaching “racially divisive” theories, notably about slavery and a perspective about the nation’s founding it views as anti-American. “Today’s contentious debates over using classrooms for political activism rather than teaching a complete and accurate account of American history have reinvigorated calls for greater parental and citizen involvement in the curriculum approval process,” the institute’s website says. Culturally divisive issues, including race and LGBTQ+ themes, cost school districts an estimated $3.2 billion during the 2023-24 school year, according to a recent study called “The Costs of Conflict.” The survey — published by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at UCLA — found that battles over books and teaching about sexuality and other topics led to increased expenses for legal fees, replacing administrators and teachers who quit, and security, including off-duty plainclothes police officers. “Are we really going to spend our tax dollars on these kinds of things?” asked Magnusson. “After Trump was elected, I saw a bunch of middle-class white ladies like me who were saying, ‘This isn’t America.’ But maybe it is America.” One school superintendent in a Western state told the study’s researchers that his staff was often consumed with correcting misinformation and fulfilling public record requests mainly from hard-line parental rights activists attempting to exploit cultural war issues to discredit the district. “Our staff are spending enormous amounts of time just doing stupid stuff,” the superintendent said. “The fiscal costs to the district are enormous, but [so are] the cultural costs of not standing up to the extremists. If someone doesn’t, then the students and employees lose. ... It’s the worst it’s ever been.” The survey found that 29% of 467 school superintendents interviewed reported that teachers and other staff quit their profession or left their districts “due to culturally divisive conflict.” Censoring books in school libraries grew out of opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. A number of conservative parental groups, including Moms for Liberty, which invited Trump to speak at its national convention in August, turned their attention to lobbying against “liberal indoctrination.” Their protests against what they criticized as progressive teaching on sexuality and race were focused on increasing conservative parental control over a public education system that was struggling at teaching children reading and math. That strategy has led to a national, right-wing effort that is “redefining government power to restrict access to information in our schools,” said Stephana Ferrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. “This movement to protect the innocence of our children believes if children never read it in a book they won’t have to know about it and can go on to lead harmonious lives. But books teach us cautionary tales. They instruct us. You can’t protect innocence through ignorance.” School districts across the country have removed “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson, which are about gender identity and include graphic depictions of sex, along with titles by renowned writers such as Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, Maya Angelou and Flannery O’Connor. Related Articles National Politics | Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crime National Politics | Trump promised mass deportations. Educators worry fear will keep immigrants’ kids from school National Politics | Trump team says Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal brokered by Biden is actually Trump’s win National Politics | How Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woes National Politics | After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff Surveys show that most Americans do not favor censorship. The Florida Freedom to Read Project and similar organizations around the country have called for thorough public reviews of challenged books to prevent one scene or passage from being taken out of context. Moderate and liberal parents groups over the last two years have also become more active in school board politics. They have supported school board candidates who have defeated those backed by Moms for Liberty in Texas, Florida and other states. “People say the pendulum will swing back,” said Ferrell. But, she said, conservatives want to “stop the pendulum from swinging back.” Picoult is accustomed to conservatives attempting to censor her. Her books have been banned in schools in more than 30 states. Published in 2007, “Nineteen Minutes” explores the lives of characters, including a girl who was raped, in a town leading up to a school shooting and its aftermath. “Having the most banned book in the country is not a badge of honor. It’s a call for alarm,” said Picoult, whose books have sold more than 40 million copies. “My book, and the 10,000 others that have been pulled off school library shelves this year, give kids a tool to deal with an increasingly divided and difficult world. These book banners aren’t helping children. They are harming them.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.SRP’s holiday destination: CDM kicks off the holidays with a whimsical Christmas display
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Jamal Mashburn Jr.'s 12 points helped Temple defeat Hofstra 60-42 on Sunday. Mashburn shot 4 for 14 (0 for 3 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Owls (6-4). Quante Berry added 10 points while going 4 of 6 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) while he also had five rebounds. Lynn Greer III had nine points and went 4 of 8 from the field. The Pride (8-4) were led by Jean Aranguren, who finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Hofstra also got nine points and two steals from Kijan Robinson. Silas Sunday finished with five points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Temple took the lead with 15:04 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 33-20 at halftime, with Mashburn racking up 12 points. Temple outscored Hofstra by five points over the final half, while Greer led the way with a team-high seven second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The strategic partnership between Ria Money Transfer and Tenpay Global amplifies the reach of cross-border payments between China and the rest of the world, boosting access to secure and convenient remittance services for millions of people worldwide. BUENA PARK, Calif., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ria Money Transfer (Ria), a global leader in the cross-border money transfer industry and business segment of Euronet (NASDAQ: EEFT), and Tenpay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform, announced a new partnership today. Users around the world are now able to send money from Ria’s digital and physical channels to their or their families’ Wallet Balance or linked bank accounts in Weixin Pay, a leading payment and digital wallet in China. China remains one of the top three remittance-receiving countries globally, with remittance inflows reaching US$50 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank . This partnership enables Ria to tap into the large Weixin and WeChat user base, contributing to Ria’s mobile network reach of 3.1 billion wallet accounts worldwide. With Ria’s physical presence of more than 595,000 locations in nearly 200 countries and territories, Weixin Pay users in China can now receive remittances from almost anywhere across the globe and enjoy flexible spending such as transfers, top-ups and shopping. “At Ria, we are committed to harnessing technology and our powerful network to connect people and communities and help them thrive,” said Shawn Fielder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ria Money Transfer. “Partnering with Tenpay Global combines both entities' strengths to redefine the mobile payment experience for millions of people, making it more convenient and accessible for all.” “Our partnership with Ria is founded on a shared vision of delivering cross-border remittances that bridge distances and bring families and loved ones closer together,” said Royal Chen, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology. “Leveraging our unique Weixin ecosystem, we provide innovative cross-border solutions with convenience and reliability, meeting the evolving needs of the users and making a meaningful impact on their lives. Together with our global partners, we are creating an open, diverse and inclusive borderless payment network.” About Euronet Starting in Central Europe in 1994 and growing to a global real-time digital and cash payments network with millions of touchpoints today, Euronet now moves money in all the ways consumers and businesses depend upon. This includes money transfers, credit/debit card processing, ATMs, POS services, branded payments, foreign currency exchange and more. With products and services in more than 200 countries and territories provided through its own brand and branded business segments, Euronet and its financial technologies and networks make participation in the global economy easier, faster and more secure for everyone. A leading global financial technology solutions and payments provider, Euronet has developed an extensive global payments network that includes 55,292 installed ATMs, approximately 949,000 EFT POS terminals and a growing portfolio of outsourced debit and credit card services which are under management in 67 countries; card software solutions; a prepaid processing network of approximately 766,000 POS terminals at approximately 348,000 retailer locations in 64 countries; and a global money transfer network of approximately 595,000 locations serving 198 countries and territories. Euronet serves clients from its corporate headquarters in Leawood, Kansas, USA, and 67 worldwide offices. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.euronetworldwide.com . About Tenpay Global Tenpay Global, the cross-border payment platform of Tencent, is the gateway to seamless cross-border payment solutions for businesses and individuals. Tenpay Global offers scenario-based services for different customer groups, including cross-border consumption, cross-border remittances, and cross-border commerce scenarios. Together with global partners, Tenpay Global is committed to bridging the world's payment networks with Weixin's ecosystem in China. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e989027-46e4-4f17-8267-411d9201ed40
( MENAFN - PR Newswire) CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Energy, a world leader in renewable energy solutions, proudly announces a contract with the EDF Group, to supply three battery energy storage systems (BESS) for the Oasis 1 cluster of projects, amounting to 257 MW of capacity and 1028 MWh of storage. This marks the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) order in South Africa and positions Envision Energy as the first energy storage system supplier in the region to secure a GWh-scale order. These projects are integral to South Africa's inaugural Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP). EDF, in collaboration with co-sponsor Mulilo, and equity partners Pele Energy Group and Gibb-Crede, under the Oasis Consortium, successfully secured three projects: Oasis Aggeneis, Oasis Mookodi, and Oasis Nieuwehoop power plants, located in the Northern Cape Province. Each project includes a 5% ownership interest for local communities through a Community Trust. Financial Close was reached on 20 November 2024 and the projects are set to be operational by end of 2026. Envision Energy will equip these facilities with a full suite of AC and DC energy storage equipment, including station SCADA and EMS systems. The DC side will feature Envision's standard 20-foot, 5 MWh storage units powered by high-safety, high-performance 315Ah cells. Additionally, Envision will provide 15 years of comprehensive lifecycle operation and maintenance (O&M) services. Kane Xu, Senior Vice President and President of International Product Lines at Envision Energy, commented on the initiative: "Battery storage technology is a cornerstone of sustainable energy systems, and we are delighted to contribute our leading technology to this milestone project in South Africa. Once operational, it will effectively address the frequent load management of the current South African power grid, enhance grid stability, and reduce reliance on coal-fired power plants, supporting South Africa's transition to a more sustainable energy system." As the largest battery energy storage initiative in South Africa, these facilities will significantly enhance the country's power infrastructure. They are designed to alleviate grid congestion, increase renewable energy integration, and engage in the power market through energy arbitrage and ancillary services, aiding South Africa's low-carbon energy transition and goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. "We look forward to constructing this project with our industrial partners Envision Energy and Huadong, chosen for their expertise with energy storage products, and ability to deliver a reliable and effective system," said Gregoire de Montgolfier, EDF Renewables Projects Director. EDF Group, the world's largest nuclear operator and a leading global power company, continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio with an aim to reach 60 GW of net renewable capacity by 2030. Envision Energy stands out as a premier provider of cutting-edge energy storage products renowned for their superior battery quality, intelligent design, and the ease and speed of their deployment. With full-stack technical capabilities and a commitment to in-house research and manufacturing, Envision boasts end-to-end control from manufacturing to deployment, including full lifecycle asset management to drive innovation in systematic grid-forming solutions, to ensure grid safety and stability. As of late 2023, Envision has grown its global footprint across the globe with over 200 BESS projects, delivering more than 15 GWh and securing upwards of 25 GWh in ongoing orders. In 2024, Envision Energy was recognized as a Tier 1 Global Energy Storage Manufacturer by Bloomberg NEF for the third consecutive quarter, positioning the company among the top leaders in the energy storage sector worldwide. MENAFN15122024003732001241ID1108995673 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
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17 MVCC students join Spire honor societyPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A businessman with no experience in public office is taking over as mayor of Oregon’s biggest city as it embraces an entirely new system of government — one that’s so different, the City Council chambers had to be completely renovated. Portland voters last month elected Keith Wilson, a trucking company executive and founder of a nonprofit working to increase homeless shelter capacity. He ran on an ambitious pledge to end unsheltered homelessness within a year and was sworn in Thursday alongside a council expanded from five seats to 12. Portland is contending with , and a rising cost of living. Wilson, a Portland native, plans to reach his goal of ending unsheltered homelessness by increasing the number of nighttime walk-in emergency shelters in facilities such as churches and community centers. His message appeared to have resonated in a city where surveys conducted over the past few years have shown that residents view homelessness as a top issue. He ran against three outgoing City Council members. “Our city government has been reimagined, embodying the best of our innovation and values,” Wilson said on the stage of the Newmark Theater in downtown Portland after taking the oath of office. “Now it's time for Portland's new leadership to meet the moment we now face and solve the issues that prevent us from reaching our true potential.” Wilson said he will treat homelessness as a crisis. He noted the city's plans, announced earlier in the day, to open 200 overnight winter emergency shelter beds. “Tents, tarps and RVs are not places to sleep, because we will have secure shelters for everyone,” he said. , which featured 19 candidates, was thrown open when Mayor Ted Wheeler decided against seeking reelection after holding the city’s top post since 2017. Wheeler rose to national prominence in 2020 as nightly protests erupted on Portland streets and around the country in response to . The field of candidates in council races was crowded as well, with nearly 100 running for the new seats that were elected by voters in individual districts rather than citywide. The new city council sworn in Thursday “is more diverse and representative than any that came before,” Wilson said. Women make up half of the new council, which also includes multiple people of color — including the first two Asian-Americans to serve on the body. The 130-year-old City Hall was renovated for $8.3 million to accommodate the increase in members. The new dais can now seat 12 people; floor layouts were changed to create more office space; and technology, seismic and accessibility updates were added throughout the building. “Remodeling council chambers is a once-in-a-generation activity,” Maty Sauter, director of Portland's Bureau of Fleet and Facilities, told the outgoing City Council as it held its last meeting on Wednesday in the new chambers. “We've been able to reuse this 1895 facility and make it modern, contemporary and useful.” It’s going to take time for the new government to figure out which of the many changes are working, said Chris Shortell, associate professor of political science at Portland State University. In another first for City Hall, Wilson and the incoming Council members were elected under Portland's new system of . A candidate would win if they were the first choice of more than 50% of voters in the first round. Otherwise, a second round would eliminate the candidate with the fewest votes and their supporters’ votes go to their next choice. The process would repeat until someone emerges with a majority of votes. Some 34% of voters ranked Wilson as their first choice, according to final results. The new City Council will hold its first meeting in January. Claire Rush, The Associated Press
Jeffrey Fleishman | (TNS) Los Angeles Times The national furor in recent years around banning books on race and gender in public schools is intensifying as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to shut down the Department of Education, emboldening conservatives to end “wokeness” in classrooms. Battles over books in school libraries have become emblematic of the country’s larger culture wars over race, historical revisionism and gender identity. A new report by PEN America found book bans increased by nearly 200% during the 2023-24 school year, including titles on sexuality, substance abuse, depression and other issues students face in an age of accelerating technologies, climate change, toxic politics and fears about the future. Book censorship has shaken and divided school boards, pitted parents against parents, and led to threats against teachers and librarians . It is part of an agenda driven by conservative parental rights groups and politicians who promote charter schools and voucher systems that could weaken public education. The issue goes to the heart not only of what students are taught but how federal and state education policies will affect the nation’s politics after one of the most consequential elections in its history. “It’s not just about taking a book off a shelf,” said Tasslyn Magnusson, an author and teacher from Wisconsin who tracks book censorship across the U.S. “It’s about power and who controls public education. It’s about what kind of America we were and are. We’re trying to define what family is and what America means. That comes down to the stories we tell.” She said she feared Trump’s return to the White House would further incite those calling for book bans: “I don’t have lots of hope. It could get a lot worse.” Over the last year, PEN counted more than 10,000 book bans nationwide that targeted 4,231 unique titles. Most were books dealing with gender, sexuality, race and LGBTQ+ storylines. The most banned title was Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes,” about a school shooting that included a short description of date rape. Florida and Iowa — both of which have strict regulations on what students can read — accounted for more than 8,200 bans in the 2023-24 school year. “This crisis is tragic for young people hungry to understand the world they live in and see their identities and experiences reflected in books,” Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read Program, said in a statement. “What students can read in schools provides the foundation for their lives.” Trump’s calls to close the Department of Education would need congressional approval, which appears unlikely. Although public schools are largely funded and governed by state and local institutions, the department helps pay to educate students with disabilities, provides about $18 billion in grants for K-12 schools in poor communities and oversees a civil rights branch to protect students from discrimination. But Trump’s election has inspired conservative parental groups, including Moms For Liberty and Parents Defending Education, to strengthen efforts to limit what they see as a liberal conspiracy to indoctrinate children with books and teachings that are perverse, amoral and pornographic. Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, has criticized schools that she says spend too much time on diversity and inclusion when only about one-third of U.S. children are reading at grade level: “We’re talking about public school libraries and content for kids,” Justice told NewsNation after Trump’s victory. “I think it’s very clear that there are certain things that are appropriate for kids, certain things that are appropriate for adults. We’re just getting back to commonsense America.” Trump’s threat to deny federal funding to schools that acknowledge transgender identities could affect curricula and the kinds of books school libraries stock. During his rally at Madison Square Garden in October, Trump — who has has accused schools of promoting sex change operations — said his administration would get “transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.” Vice President-elect JD Vance has accused Democrats of wanting to “put sexually explicit books in toddlers’ libraries.” Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, told Newsmax that she was excited about Trump’s calls to remake education and “clean up a lot of the mess” he has inherited from the Biden administration. Trump “has centered parental rights back in his platform, which is incredible. He has prioritized knowledge and skill, not identity politics,” she said. “American children deserve better, and it is time for change.” In nominating Linda McMahon to be his secretary of Education, Trump appears to be pushing for more conservative parental control over what is taught and read in classrooms. A former professional wrestling executive, McMahon chairs the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-connected organization that has criticized schools for teaching “racially divisive” theories, notably about slavery and a perspective about the nation’s founding it views as anti-American. “Today’s contentious debates over using classrooms for political activism rather than teaching a complete and accurate account of American history have reinvigorated calls for greater parental and citizen involvement in the curriculum approval process,” the institute’s website says. Culturally divisive issues, including race and LGBTQ+ themes, cost school districts an estimated $3.2 billion during the 2023-24 school year, according to a recent study called “The Costs of Conflict.” The survey — published by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at UCLA — found that battles over books and teaching about sexuality and other topics led to increased expenses for legal fees, replacing administrators and teachers who quit, and security, including off-duty plainclothes police officers. “Are we really going to spend our tax dollars on these kinds of things?” asked Magnusson. “After Trump was elected, I saw a bunch of middle-class white ladies like me who were saying, ‘This isn’t America.’ But maybe it is America.” One school superintendent in a Western state told the study’s researchers that his staff was often consumed with correcting misinformation and fulfilling public record requests mainly from hard-line parental rights activists attempting to exploit cultural war issues to discredit the district. “Our staff are spending enormous amounts of time just doing stupid stuff,” the superintendent said. “The fiscal costs to the district are enormous, but [so are] the cultural costs of not standing up to the extremists. If someone doesn’t, then the students and employees lose. ... It’s the worst it’s ever been.” The survey found that 29% of 467 school superintendents interviewed reported that teachers and other staff quit their profession or left their districts “due to culturally divisive conflict.” Censoring books in school libraries grew out of opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. A number of conservative parental groups, including Moms for Liberty, which invited Trump to speak at its national convention in August, turned their attention to lobbying against “liberal indoctrination.” Their protests against what they criticized as progressive teaching on sexuality and race were focused on increasing conservative parental control over a public education system that was struggling at teaching children reading and math. That strategy has led to a national, right-wing effort that is “redefining government power to restrict access to information in our schools,” said Stephana Ferrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. “This movement to protect the innocence of our children believes if children never read it in a book they won’t have to know about it and can go on to lead harmonious lives. But books teach us cautionary tales. They instruct us. You can’t protect innocence through ignorance.” School districts across the country have removed “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson, which are about gender identity and include graphic depictions of sex, along with titles by renowned writers such as Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, Maya Angelou and Flannery O’Connor. Related Articles National Politics | Trump fills out his economic team with two veterans of his first administration National Politics | Trump chooses controversial Stanford professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH National Politics | Abortion bans could reverse decline in teen births, experts warn National Politics | Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crime National Politics | Trump promised mass deportations. Educators worry fear will keep immigrants’ kids from school Surveys show that most Americans do not favor censorship. The Florida Freedom to Read Project and similar organizations around the country have called for thorough public reviews of challenged books to prevent one scene or passage from being taken out of context. Moderate and liberal parents groups over the last two years have also become more active in school board politics. They have supported school board candidates who have defeated those backed by Moms for Liberty in Texas, Florida and other states. “People say the pendulum will swing back,” said Ferrell. But, she said, conservatives want to “stop the pendulum from swinging back.” Picoult is accustomed to conservatives attempting to censor her. Her books have been banned in schools in more than 30 states. Published in 2007, “Nineteen Minutes” explores the lives of characters, including a girl who was raped, in a town leading up to a school shooting and its aftermath. “Having the most banned book in the country is not a badge of honor. It’s a call for alarm,” said Picoult, whose books have sold more than 40 million copies. “My book, and the 10,000 others that have been pulled off school library shelves this year, give kids a tool to deal with an increasingly divided and difficult world. These book banners aren’t helping children. They are harming them.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Global Pharmaceutical Cartridges Market Set For 9.9% Growth, Reaching $3.29 Billion By 2028
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