Ex-White House counsel John Dean explains why it 'could be an act of obstruction' if Trump team leaked Mueller's questions
April 30, 2018
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A Florida elementary school removed a Disney movie about Ruby Bridges after a parent complained about scenes of white people threatening the Black girl as she entered school.
Emily Conklin, development director for the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, filed a formal challenge dated March 6 complaining that the film about a 6-year-old who integrated New Orleans schools in the 1960s was not appropriate for second graders because, she wrote, students might learn that white people hate Black people, and the Pinellas County School Board pulled it from the curriculum, reported the Tampa Bay Times.
“Think about it: A 6-year-old girl (Ruby Bridges) can go to school every day with armed guards, but second graders can’t learn about it?” said Ric Davis, president of Concerned Organization for Quality Education for Black Students. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
The 1998 film had been part of Black History Month lessons for years without controversy, but parents across the state have been challenging materials that depict or explore racism and LGBTQ issues with the encouragement of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislators.
READ MORE: 'He can't win!' Fox Business host shouts down Rachel Campos-Duffy over Trump campaign
“The (Pinellas) district’s leadership appears to fear the potential consequences of not acting in the way they have on these two decisions,” Davis wrote in an open letter. “This approach to challenging times in education in our state raises serious questions about Superintendent (Kevin) Hendrick’s leadership.”
The district also banned Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye" after one parent complained about a two-page rape scene, and Davis said state guidelines were too vague and allowed a single complaint to result in bans while the material was reviewed.
“At the highest level of decision-making in the district, they have to have more sensitivity to the diversity of the community they serve, and not overreact because one white person objected to something,” Davis said, adding that school officials should not overreact to a Black parent's objection. “At the end of the day, we’re one total community and we have to figure out how we work together to make decisions that serve everyone.”
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Humza Yousaf, the first Muslim leader of a major UK political party, faces an uphill battle to revive Scotland's drive for independence following the long tenure of his close ally Nicola Sturgeon.
The new and youngest Scottish National Party (SNP) leader, 37, says his own experience as an ethnic minority means he will fight to protect the rights of all minorities -- including gay and transgender people.
The Glasgow-born Yousaf took his oath in English and Urdu when he was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011, before progressing to become the first Muslim to serve in the devolved government's cabinet.
He has been hailed by his supporters as a polished communicator who can unite the party as support stagnates for the SNP's central policy -- independence for Scotland.
Despite the UK government's opposition to a new referendum, and a Supreme Court setback, Yousaf vowed in his victory speech Monday to deliver independence in this generation.
And, as his wife and mother brushed away tears, he paid tribute to his paternal grandparents after they came to Scotland from Pakistan in the 1960s barely speaking English.
They would not have imagined "in their wildest dreams" that their future grandson would become the leader of their adopted homeland.
"We should all take pride in the fact that today we have sent a clear message: that your color of skin or indeed your faith is not a barrier to leading the country that we all call home," Yousaf said.
He also vowed to be his own man as Scotland's first minister. But far from running away from Sturgeon's controversial record, he also says he will keep his experienced predecessor on "speed dial" for advice.
That has fed into critics' portrayal of Yousaf as a political lightweight who will remain in thrall to Sturgeon's camp.
At the same time, he is promising a more collegial style of leadership. "Mine would be less inner circle and more big tent," he told LBC radio.
Racist abuse
With the independence push stymied for now, following Sturgeon's more than eight-year tenure as first minister, Yousaf takes over facing crises in healthcare and education under the SNP's own watch in Scotland.
His record as Sturgeon's minister for justice and healthcare was savaged on the campaign trail by his chief rival, Kate Forbes, and Yousaf must also heal a fractured party after its bruising leadership election.
Yousaf says he was toughened after facing racist abuse growing up in Glasgow, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
"I've definitely had tough times," he recalled, reflecting on his time in politics.
"I've thought to myself, 'goodness, is there more that I can take personally' because I also come under a tremendous amount of abuse online and, unfortunately, sometimes face to face."
Yousaf's Pakistani-born father forged a successful career in Glasgow as an accountant. The new SNP leader's mother was born into a South Asian family in Kenya.
Yousaf attended an exclusive private school in Glasgow, two years behind Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
He studied politics at Glasgow University, and worked in a call centre before becoming an aide to Sturgeon's predecessor as SNP leader and first minister, Alex Salmond.
Yousaf entered the Scottish cabinet in 2012, serving in various roles including justice, transport and most recently health.
Republican
He married former SNP worker Gail Lythgoe in 2010, but they divorced seven years later.
In 2021 he and his second wife Nadia El-Nakla launched a legal complaint against a nursery, accusing it of racial discrimination after it denied admission to their daughter.
The complaint was upheld by education inspectors but the couple have now dropped it, and the nursery denied the accusations.
He was accused of deliberately skipping a Scottish vote to legalise gay marriage in 2014, due to pressure from Muslim leaders.
Yousaf insisted he had a prior engagement, and contrasts his own record to Forbes' religiously conservative views as a member of a Scottish evangelical church.
He says he will "always fight for the equal rights of others" and not legislate based on his own faith.
But one person's constitutional position will not be protected in a Yousaf-led Scotland -- that of King Charles III.
"I've been very clear, I'm a republican," he told Scottish newspaper The National, calling for debate on whether Scotland should move to an elected head of state.
© 2023 AFP
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'He can't win!' Fox Business host shouts down Rachel Campos-Duffy over Trump campaign
March 27, 2023
Fox Business host Stuart Varney clashed with Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy on Monday over former President Donald Trump's decision to promote violence concerning his potential indictment.
During a segment on Monday, Varney noted that Trump had posted an image of himself holding a baseball bat and had called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg an "animal."
"Does the country support Trump wielding a baseball bat, threatening mayhem, and calling Alvin Bragg an animal?" Varney wondered. "Is that what we want to see in a presidential candidate?"
"I mean, I think those, you know, those are things we expect to see from Donald Trump," Campos-Duffy said. "This has already been baked in the cake."
RELATED: Trump is 'upping the ante' to incite more violence: conservative
"How do you think independents in this country will react?" Varney snapped.
"I don't think he's trying to win independents right now," Campos-Duffy replied. "I think he's trying to win the primary."
"He can't win the election without independents!" Varney exclaimed.
"30% of the Republican Party is his base," Campos-Duffy countered.
"He may get them, but if he doesn't have the independents, he can't win," Varney repeated.
Trump has said that he expects to be arrested in connection to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
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