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Scholastic Makes It Easy to Ban Black and LGBTQ+ Books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

People rally to protest state education policies outside City Hall on April 21, 2023 in Orlando, Fla. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Photo: Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe sweeping Republican effort to ban books from schools could not succeed solely on the backs of fervid state lawmakers and extremist school board members. Reactionary demands to censor books on topics ranging from Black history to LGBTQ+ existence have been abetted by the timid acquiescence of school districts, superintendents, and others in educational leadership. Now, Scholastic, the world’s largest children’s book publisher, has joined the constellation of parties tacitly aiding the GOP’s suppressive agenda.For its thousands of book fairs in elementary schools this year, the company has segregated books focusing on a huge array of topics and stories — fiction and nonfiction — that share little in common aside from not centering white, heterosexual experience. Books ...

Fijian leader hopes Australian submarines powered by US nuclear technology will enhance peace

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Fiji’s prime minister said Tuesday he hopes Australia’s acquisition of a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology will enhance peace in the Pacific region but stopped short of endorsing the increased military cooperation with the United States.Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he will discuss with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday how a “zone of peace” could be established in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, including the two countries plus 16 other island nations that make up the Pacific Islands Forum bloc.Increased Chinese and U.S. military engagement is adding to tensions in the region.Questioned during an address to the Lowy Institute foreign policy think tank in Canberra, Rabuka said his government had not backed the signing of a three-way agreement involving the United States and Britain to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.Rabuka said Albanese gave him one day’s notice that the so-calle...

El Palacio de Versalles evacua a los visitantes por motivos de seguridad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

(CNN) — Los visitantes están siendo evacuados del Palacio de Versalles, cerca de París, por motivos de seguridad, según informó este martes la Policía local a CNN.La Policía dijo en X, antes conocido como Twitter, que la evacuación se debía a un objeto sospechoso, sin dar más detalles.La cadena BFMTV, afiliada a CNN, informó este martes de que un escuadrón antibombas se dirigía al lugar.Las autoridades italianas detienen a dos hombres acusados de terrorismo y vinculados al ISISEl propio recinto dijo en X que cerrará sus puertas durante el resto del día.El sábado, los visitantes del Palacio de Versalles fueron evacuados de nuevo por una amenaza de bomba.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

Upcoming ‘Sesame Street’ season stars Ariana DeBose, Brandi Carlile, ASL and an octopus chef

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The upcoming season of “Sesame Street” features an octopus as a chef, an exploration of American Sign Language and Quinta Brunson giving Cookie Monster a little bit of attitude.The 54th season of the iconic children’s show debuts Nov. 9 on MAX with a gentle satire of Brunson’s hit mockumentary “Abbott Elementary,” mimicking that show’s single-camera style and confessional cut-aways. “It was really fun to kind of zoom in on Cookie Monster making a joke about eating a cookie and Quinta Brunson giving him a little bit of side-eye,” says Executive Producer Sal Perez in an exclusive interview previewing the season.Brunson came in with an advantage most celebrity guests don’t have: In her early days in Los Angeles, she attended a puppet workshop created by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. “When a celebrity or a guest comes on set with that sort of knowledge and understanding, it just takes the content that we’re doing that much further,” says Per...

Swedish security police arrests two suspected of unauthorized possession of secret information

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — The Swedish security police arrested Tuesday two people suspected of gross unauthorized possession of secret information following an early morning police raid where several houses were searched in the greater Stockholm area.Sweden’s SAPO domestic security agency said in a statement the suspects are now being questioned. It declined to give details on the case or say whether they were Swedish citizens or foreign nationals. “It was an operation that was carried out calmly and in connection with these arrests. House searches were also carried out in a number of places where seizures have been made,” SAPO spokesman Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.According to the security agency, Tuesday’s raid is not connected to previous cases but is tied to a separate preliminary investigation.The Swedish Prosecution Authority, in a separate statement, said the case is being handled by SAPO “under the direction of prosecutors from the National Secur...

US regulators investigate GM’s Cruise division over incidents involving pedestrians in roadways

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

U.S. regulators are investigating General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle division after receiving reports of incidents where vehicles may not have used proper caution around pedestrians in roadways.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the reports involve automated driving system equipped vehicles encroaching on pedestrians present in or entering roadways, including crosswalks. This could raise the risk of a vehicle striking a pedestrian, which could result in severe injury or death, according to the NHTSA. The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation said that it’s received two reports involving pedestrian injuries from Cruise vehicles. It’s also identified two additional incidents from videos posted to public websites. The office said the total number of relevant pedestrian incidents is unknown. It opened an investigation on Monday. “Cruise’s safety record over 5 million miles continues to outperform comparable human drivers at a ti...

Bank of America profits jump 10% but warns of slowing spending by Americans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America posted a 10% rise in third quarter profits Tuesday, helped by higher interest rates that allowed the bank to charge more for loans at the same time that it kept expenses under control. However, CEO Brian Moynihan warned Tuesday that Americans continue to slow their spending after burning through pandemic savings, and now face higher costs due to inflation.The Charlotte, N.C., bank earned a profit of $7.8 billion, or 90 cents per share, which is 13 cents better than Wall Street had expected, according to a survey of analysts by FactSet. It also tops last year’s $7.1 billion profit, or 81 cents per share, in the same period. Most of the higher profits came from higher interest rates on loans, with net interest income coming in at $14.4 billion, compared with $13.76 billion a year earlier. With much of the savings gone from the pandemic, consumers are turning more heavily to credit cards to manage their expenses. BofA saw credit card balances rise ...

Lockheed: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) on Tuesday reported third-quarter net income of $1.68 billion.On a per-share basis, the Bethesda, Maryland-based company said it had profit of $6.73. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $6.77 per share.The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $6.66 per share.The aerospace and defense company posted revenue of $16.88 billion in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $16.66 billion.Lockheed expects full-year earnings to be $27 to $27.20 per share, with revenue in the range of $66.25 billion to $66.75 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on LMT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/LMTSource

Unique alternatives to traditional burial available in Colorado

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Death isn't something that most people like to talk about, but statistically, there is a 100% chance that it will happen to everyone at some point. While most people in the state choose traditional burial or cremation, Colorado does have some alternatives that many other states do not have.Body compostingColorado was the second state to legalize human composting, also known as natural reduction, in 2021. As of 2023, seven states -- Washington, Colorado, Oregon, California, Vermont, New York and Nevada -- have legalized the practice.As the name suggests, the practice involves turning human remains into soil. Most popular unique names in Colorado According to the Natural Funeral, which was the first funeral home in the state to offer the service, it takes around four to six months, and afterward, there is around one cubic yard of fertile soil remaining.It is illegal to sell the soil, and the Natural Funeral recommended that the soil not be used to grow food for huma...

Meet Meiko: The canine candidate for Mayor of Anchorage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:59 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (WSVN) — A furry politician with a “pawsitive” campaign hopes to turn the dog house into the mayor’s house. Anchorage residents are witnessing an unusual candidate in the mayoral race and as his owner-turned-campaign manager puts it, it’s all “paws” on deck.Meet Meiko, the Malamute mix canine who’s running for Mayor of Anchorage. With his pawsitive campaign, this furry politician has captured the town’s attention and affection.Robert “Ziggy” Zeigler, Meiko’s campaign manager, describes the canine candidate. “He is very hairy and has a great disposition. Like I said, he loves to hug and he loves to give kisses,” he stated.Meiko’s unconventional campaign has been met with enthusiasm by the community. “Oh man, he’s a little cutie, super fluffy. Makes you want to run up and pick him up,” one resident stated. With his dreamy blue eyes and fluffy appearance, Meiko ...