I am the FIRST!!!
regular 4 post ff
infinite scroll 4 pff
Jul. 10, 2021 11:00AM EST
Educators and activists fight back against the efforts to limit discussions about anti-racism
Teachers and civil rights activists are organizing and preparing to go to court to stop conservatives' efforts to block curriculum about institutional racism.
Why it matters: "It is the modern-day Scopes trial," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten tells Axios, recalling the 1925 case over teaching evolution.
- Legislators in nearly half of U.S. states in recent months have passed or introduced proposals to constrain lessons about how racism has shaped the nation's history and political and economic systems.
- Conservative groups also are driving recall campaigns against school board members around the U.S.
Driving the news: Weingarten said her union will defend teachers' right to teach American history — and will aggressively protect any educator accused of violating such new laws and restrictions.
- "We're looking at court actions because these laws conflict with standards and our licensure requirements and our professional obligations," she said.
- Union delegates with the National Education Association earlier this month voted to expand the teaching of anti-racism and diversity in American classrooms, despite the growing backlash.
- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and 79 other civil rights and education groups recently released a statement calling anti-racism classroom lessons a student right needing to be defended.
The big picture: This backlash against critical race theory comes as school systems grow more diverse and many parents welcome more diverse curriculums.
- The popularity of The New York Times' 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah-Jones, which examined the history of slavery and its lasting impact in the U.S., also sparked conservative anger.
The other side: Citizens for Renewing America, a group led by a White House budget director under former President Trump, offers activists model legislation to craft bans on critical race theory in their states. Teachers also are facing threats of firing for introducing anti-racism lessons.
- At least 51 local recall efforts involving K-12 school boards have been initiated this year in reaction to critical race theory and COVID-19 closures.
- Critics of critical race theory are suggesting long-time popular children's books and novels regularly listed high school reading are dangerous now.
- Idaho state lawmaker Heather Scott cited the 1960 novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee as evidence that critical race theory was "creeping through our schools."
- A group of white parents in Tennessee claimed "Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story,” by Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana, was anti-American (and) anti-white.”
Reality check: Critical race theory — which holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in our legal, financial, and education systems — was developed in law schools in the 1970s and isn't really taught in grade school.
Keep reading... Show less
Jun. 25, 2021 07:55PM EST
Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for murder of George Floyd
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison on Friday by a Minnesota judge for the murder of George Floyd.
State of play: The sentence from Judge Peter Cahill is about in line with what most legal experts expected. Prosecutors had asked for 30 years.
- Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, had argued that his client should only receive probation as he was part of a "broken system."
- Floyd's daughter, 7-year-old Gianna Floyd, his nephew Brandon Williams, his brothers Terrance and Philonise Floyd all read victim statements prior to the sentencing.
- "I miss you and I love you," Gianna said, via video, when asked what she would say to her father.
- "We don't want to see more slaps on the wrist," Terrance Floyd said, while asking for the maximum sentence.
The backdrop: A presumptive sentence for second-degree murder under Minnesota's guidelines called for 12.5 years, though the maximum for the charge is 40 years.
- Since Cahill found four aggravating factors in Floyd's murder, he could depart from those guidelines.
Worth noting: In Minnesota, it's presumptive that prisoners with a good behavioral record will only spend two-thirds of their sentence behind bars — with the rest on parole.
No surprise: Chauvin spoke very briefly own behalf but did not give a full formal statement due to "some additional legal matters."
- "I'm not able to give a full formal statement at this time...I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family," he said. "There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you."
- Legal experts said it could have hurt him in his appeal of the verdict — and some wondered how much it would sway Cahill.
- Chauvin's mother Carolyn Pawlenty spoke in court on behalf of the family.
- "I believe a lengthy sentence will not serve Derek well," she said. "When you sentence my son, you will also be sentencing me."
What's next: Chauvin's sentencing is nowhere near the end of the legal road for those involved in Floyd's murder.
- Chauvin has 90 days to appeal the decision — a move he and his defense are team are sure to make. The Minnesota Court of Appeals will then have a year to decide to affirm or overturn the conviction.
- Chauvin and the three other former officers present for Floyd's murder, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, are also facing federal civil rights charges.
- The criminal trial for the three other ex-cops is scheduled for March.
Keep reading... Show less
Jun. 01, 2021 11:44AM EST
What to know about Naomi Osaka's French Open withdrawal
Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open on Monday amid controversy over her decision to not participate in press conferences at the tournament.
Catch up quick: Osaka announced last week that she would skip the media sessions, saying, "I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one."
- This resulted in a $15,000 fine by Roland Garros, which posted a now-deleted photo of other athletes doing media hits with the caption, "They understood the assignment."
- Osaka's older sister, Mari, took to Reddit on Sunday to explain that Naomi's refusal to speak with media started with criticism over her performance on clay, which "shattered" her confidence.
What she's saying: In her withdrawal announcement, Osaka said she suffers from depression. That changed the tone in a major way, as her pre-tournament complaints had seemed more focused on athlete-media relations and reforming press conferencess.
"This isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw."
"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer."
"The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that."
"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me ... I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak."
"So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences."
Can't make this up ... The head of the French Tennis Federation read a short pre-prepared statement on Monday, saying he was "sorry and sad" for Osaka, then refused to take questions from the media.
What they're saying:
- Serena Williams: "I wish I could give her a hug. ... Everyone is different, and everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to, in the best way she thinks she can."
- Martina Navratilova: "Above all, it's just really sad: for her, for the tournament, for the sport. She tried to ... lessen a problem for herself and instead she just made it much bigger than it was in the first place."
- Patrick McEnroe: "In the long term, certainly you can't have players just deciding to do whatever they want to do. ... [But] you can make some possibilities to try to change them, which I think she is doing."
Meanwhile, on the court ... Williams starred in the French Open's first-ever night session, and No. 4 Dominic Thiem lost in the first round.
Keep reading... Show less
May. 17, 2021 01:51PM EST
The winners and losers of AT&T's split with WarnerMedia
AT&T is unwinding a huge part of its $84 billion acquisition of Time Warner, less than three years after it closed.
Driving the news: AT&T this morning announced that it will merge its WarnerMedia properties with Discovery Inc.'s media assets.
- AT&T's contributions will include cable networks CNN, TNN, TNT, Cartoon Network and HBO, plus streaming service HBO Max. Discovery's will include its Discovery-branded content, TLC, Food Network, Eurosport and its Discovery+ streaming service.
- The deal is expected to close in the middle of next year, via a joint venture that would have projected 2023 revenue of $52 billion and adjusted EBITDA of around $14 billion.
The big winner is Elliott Management, the activist investor which last year took a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T and publicly argued that the Time Warner acquisition didn't make strategic sense.
- Elliott later signed a ceasefire with new AT&T CEO John Stankey, who agreed to spin off DirecTV via a deal with TPG Capital.
- There were reports in November that Elliott divested its AT&T stake, but my understanding is that it just sold off its small amount of common stock, but maintain most of its swaps. It subsequently purchased new common stock, to be reflected in a 13F being filed today.
- It does not appear that AT&T reached out to private equity firms to help buttress the deal.
The big loser is former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Not only were Time Warner and DirecTV his two biggest acquisitions, but his failed pursuit of T-Mobile triggered a massive termination fee that financially strengthened a smaller rival and arguably caused AT&T to sell off wireless spectrum.
The big comp is Verizon, which also has a (relatively) new CEO who views networking as the crown jewel and content as a pricey distraction.
The big note is how rushed this morning's announcement felt, despite some background insistence that it wasn't, per Axios media reporter Sara Fischer.
- They didn't announce the new company's name, instead saying they'll drop it "later this week."
- No disclosed decisions yet on if the two streaming services will be merged.
- Reporters had 30 minutes notice this morning of the Zoom call.
- No clarity on the future of WarnerMedia boss Jason Kilar, who was notably absent from the press release. Stankey simply said that Discovery CEO David Zaslav — who will run the new business — has lots of discussions ahead of him.
The bottom line: Two things you can always count on after acquiring Time Warner are big controversy and big regrets.
Keep reading... Show less

