19 Apr 2021
The Biden education department proposed a rule Monday urging the development of “culturally responsive teaching” in American History and Civics and holding up the widely discredited
New York Times’ “1619 Project” as a model for schools to teach children the United States is fundamentally a racist nation.
The U.S. Education Department states the proposed rule is in keeping with President Joe Biden’s executive order titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”
“[T]here is growing acknowledgement [SIC] of the importance of including, in the teaching and learning of our country’s history, both the consequences of slavery, and the significant contributions of Black Americans to our society,” the education department states in providing background for the proposed rule. “This acknowledgement [SIC] is reflected, for example, in the
A number of Californians are among the inaugural class being inducted into the LGBTQ Hall of Fame May 2 by the LGBTQ Victory Institute. A total of 20 LGBTQ elected officials, appointed officials, and candidates are being honored for their lasting impact on LGBTQ political history.
The list includes lesbian former San Francisco supervisor Roberta Achtenberg, 70, who went on to be the first openly LGBTQ presidential appointee to a Senate-confirmed position, and gay former state Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), 51, the first openly LGBTQ leader in the state Legislature. San Franciscan James C. Hormel, 88, who became the first out LGBTQ U.S. ambassador in 1999 with his appointment to Luxembourg, will also be inducted.
Biden said he was against court-packing 40 years ago but now the former VP won t give stance on the issue.
President Biden’s one-time opposition to the concept of court-packing could soon be put to the test as top Democrats introduce legislation to expand the Supreme Court.
Congressional Democrats led by Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) will detail their plan to expand the Supreme Court by four justices at a press conference on Thursday. The announcement will come just days after Biden signed an executive order establishing a commission to study a potential expansion.
Maine should remain a leader in state election practices
Apr 15, 2021
In Maine, we take the right to vote seriously. Whether it’s an annual town meeting or a presidential election, Mainers have a time-honored tradition of turning out and being heard.
We have been able to maintain that tradition by consistently modernizing our election laws to meet the needs of a changing electorate. As a result Maine “has some of the most inclusive and protective voting laws in the country, making it one of the most democratic states in the United States,” according to a 2018 report by the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.