7. Florida has rejected 41% of math books
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The Department of Education in Florida has rejected a large number of textbooks that were being considered for their public school system, with the rejections totaling 41% of all books being considered.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) clarified the decision, saying, “IT seems that some publishers attempted to slap a coat of paint on an old house built on the foundation of Common Core, and indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students.”
6. The Pope was asking for peace over Easter
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As war rages on in Ukraine, Pope Francis took an opportunity on Easter Sunday to call for peace in the country, saying, “May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the senseless war into which it was dragged.”
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Pope Francis went on to say, “Please, please let us not get used to war,” and spoke against “the flexing of muscles while people are suffering.” He added, “Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets. May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.”
5. Ukrainians have defied the surrender-or-die demand
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Mariupol in Ukraine is falling under Russian control after a seven-week attempt to hold the city. This comes after the estimated 2,500 fighters remaining were told to surrender if they wanted to keep their lives, which was “guaranteed” with surrender.
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Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said, “All those who will continue resistance will be destroyed.” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal advised, “We will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war.”
4. Alabama unemployment rate is at a historic low
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The Alabama Department of Labor has reported a record low unemployment rate for the state in March, as has been announced by Governor Kay Ivey. The new unemployment rate is at 2.9%, which is a tie for the lowest the rate has ever been. There is one wrinkle though — Alabama ranks 43rd in the labor participation rate, meaning a lot of people are still staying out of the market. Some argue this is because people still fear getting sick.
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Ivey released a statement on the new rate where she said, “Alabama has been on a roll as our folks have been eager to get to work and the fact that we have once again hit our record low unemployment rate is proof positive of that.” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington emphasized, “At no point in Alabama’s history have we recorded fewer people as unemployed.”
3. U.S. Senate candidates disagree some on immigration, agree on the wall
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The ending of COVID-19 rules at the southern border that have kept some illegal immigrants out of the U.S. are coming to an end, and even Democrats in tight U.S. Senate races think this is a bad idea. In Alabama, the three U.S. Senate candidates have gone back and forth together over their immigration views. U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has questioned how sincere fellow candidate Katie Britt is on her border security position, calling her “a master at border security deception.” Brooks also called Britt a “’pretender’” on security.
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Britt campaign spokesman Sean Ross responded to Brooks by saying, “This is another last-ditch attempt to distort reality by a candidate who has plummeted in the polls. The fact that Congressman Brooks has only managed to pass one bill over six terms in Washington, and that was to rename a post office – not to secure our border.” Britt has been outspoken about securing the border and limiting the legal immigration allowed to protect Americans’ jobs. Candidate Mike Durant’s position has been stated as that he wants to build the wall, which Brooks and Britt agree with. He also has pushed to ban sanctuary cities, block benefits from undocumented migrants, and make sure there is no voting done by illegal immigrants and non-citizens.
2. Maxine Waters throws Kay Ivey briar patch
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In news that will make Governor Kay Ivey’s campaign very happy, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) appeared on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show” to respond to Governor Ivey’s campaign ad attacking the Biden administration on illegal immigration. Host Jonathan Capehart called the ad “just bonkers” and askeD Waters for a response.
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Waters said that said Ivey was pushing “plain racist ignorance, in your face.” She added that Democrats need to keep “ignoring and keeping up the fight against racism and discrimination and making sure that we do everything that we can to get those who are elected out of office elect progressive people.” Ivey predicted this response when she said, “The left can try to cancel me. I don’t care. But here in Alabama, we’re going to enforce the law.”
1. Spirit week hijinks are bad but drag queen shows are fine for schools
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The media’s obsession with normalizing the sexualization of schoolchildren continues with the oddest defense of taxpayer-funded drag shows in public schools yet. An attempt to normalize this abhorrent behavior required a “journalist” going through candidate Tim James’ high school yearbook looking for an angle to call him a hypocrite.
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al.com’s Kyle Whitmire seems to suggest that Tim James’ participation in a skit where some football players wore dresses during “Spirit Week” in 1980 is the same as having a highly-sexualized drag show in public schools. James responded to Whitmire’s question about these things were not the same thing and said, “No, it’s two different things and you know it.” It’s not the same thing, and everyone knows this is an absurd comparison.
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