DeVos’ Code Words For Creationism Offshoot Raise Concerns About ‘Junk Science’

The following article by Annie Waldeman was posted on the ProPublica website January 30, 2017:

Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s pick as secretary of education, has funded groups that champion “intelligent design,” a sophisticated outgrowth of creationism. Science educators worry that she could use her bully pulpit to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools.

AP/Carolyn Kaster
Secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos testifies at her confirmation hearing in Washington on January 17, 2017.

At a confirmation hearing earlier this month, Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s pick for education secretary, responded to a question about whether she would promote “junk science” by saying she supports science teaching that “allows students to exercise critical thinking.”

This seemingly innocuous statement has raised alarms among science education advocates, and buoyed the hopes of conservative Christian groups that, if confirmed, DeVos may use her bully pulpit atop the U.S. Department of Education to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools.

DeVos and her family have poured millions of dollars into groups that champion intelligent design, the doctrine that the complexity of biological life can best be explained by the existence of a creator rather than by Darwinian evolution. Within this movement, “critical thinking” has become a code phrase to justify teaching of intelligent design.
Candi Cushman, a policy analyst for the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, described DeVos’ nomination as a positive development for communities that want to include intelligent design in their school curricula. Both the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation and Betsy DeVos’ mother’s foundation have donated to Focus on the Family, which has promoted intelligent design.

Continue reading “DeVos’ Code Words For Creationism Offshoot Raise Concerns About ‘Junk Science’”

Rep. Brat: “… Women are in my grill”

Republicans and women have had a strained relationship for decades. Rep. Brat, who defeated Eric Cantor, was recorded speaking at a recent conservative group. It will do nothing to improve that:

If you’re a woman, if you have a wife, daughter, mother, aunt, niece, good friend who happens to be a woman, this is something you should pay attention to.

Fate Of Trump’s Immigration Order Is Up To The Courts — And It’s Already 0-5

The following article by Michael Doyle with the McClatchy Washington Bureau was posted on the National Memo website January 31, 2017:

President Trump signs an executive order Friday, January 27, at the Pentagon that temporarily bans people from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting refugee admissions faces broad new legal challenges with the filing Monday of multiple far-reaching lawsuits possibly destined for the Supreme Court.

Five different federal courts have already weighed in, each targeting part of the order. Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations challenged the entire order in federal court in Northern Virginia. Though filed on behalf of named individuals, including Sacramento, Calif., resident Basim Elkarra, the CAIR lawsuit casts a wider net. Continue reading “Fate Of Trump’s Immigration Order Is Up To The Courts — And It’s Already 0-5”

What Have Democrats Worked to Give Americans?

There’ve been so much nastiness spouted by those calling themselves Republicans, we thought a look at what’s gone on in this country for years might help clarify which party really cares about making the future better for the people of this country.

Have your or your family used any of these or appreciated a world because of these:

FOX 9: The need for Digital Infrastructure Upgrades in Minnesota

Minnesotans expect and deserve a government that is accountable to hardworking taxpayers, and works at the speed of business to deliver the services people expect. The funding proposed in Governor Dayton’s budget is targeted to help make Minnesota government work better, by cutting down on the paperwork that gets in the way of everyday life, and ensuring Minnesota state government is responsive to the people it serves. These investments will continue to improve customer service, protect Minnesotans’ data, and secure a strong financial future for our state. 

Strong Cybersecurity Defenses

Every day, Minnesota state government is subjected to millions of cyberattacks that attempt to interfere with state government or illegally access your private information. Thanks to Minnesota’s team of cybersecurity experts, these attempts have been identified and prevented – so far. But as our world grows more connected, our systems need updating to ensure that Minnesotans’ private data is safe and secure. That’s why Governor Dayton wants to invest $74 million to reform our information technology infrastructure and ensure it is up-to-date, safe, and secure: Continue reading “FOX 9: The need for Digital Infrastructure Upgrades in Minnesota”

Paul Ryan’s claim that ‘more and more doctors just won’t take Medicaid’

The following article was written by Michelle Ye H Lee was posted on the Washington Post website February 1, 2017:

Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images

“The problem that we’re seeing in Medicaid is more and more doctors just won’t take Medicaid, because they lose money on Medicaid.”
— House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), town hall on CNN, Jan. 12, 2017

During a town hall on Republican plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Ryan described the need for changes to the Medicaid program at the state level. Some states made changes so that low-income enrollees could get coverage and access to care, but not all states did, he said. Continue reading “Paul Ryan’s claim that ‘more and more doctors just won’t take Medicaid’”

Quebec Mosque shooting suspect was a fan of Donald Trump and Marine le Pen

The following article by Kevin Doughty was posted on the Independent website January 31, 2017:

Alexandre Bissonnette was described by one former classmate as a ‘nerdy outcast’

A former classmate described Alexandre Bissonnette as a ‘nerdy outcast’ Reuters

The French-Canadian student charged in connection with a shooting spree that killed six people at a Quebec City mosque was a supporter Donald Trump and far-right French politician Marine Le Pen.

Described by one former classmate as a “nerdy outcast.” Alexandre Bissonnette, is the sole suspect in the shooting.

The 27-year-old was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon. Police said he acted alone.

Bissonnette’s online profiles show a wide variety of interests.

On his Facebook page, he indicated he liked Le Pen, US President Donald Trump, the separatist Parti Quebecois as well as Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party, the Israeli Defense Forces, heavy metal band Megadeth and pop star Katy Perry.

“I wrote him off as a xenophobe. I didn’t even think of him as totally racist, but he was enthralled by a borderline racist nationalist movement,” Vincent Boissoneault, a fellow Laval University student, told The Globe and Mail newspaper. He said they frequently clashed over Bissonnette’s opinions about refugees and support for Le Pen and Trump.

The University Laval confirmed on Monday that Bissonnette was a social science student there.

Bissonnette was a cerebral “nerdy outcast,” said former high school classmate Simon de Billy, adding the suspect and his twin brother were inseparable.

“He was an avid reader, knew a lot about history and about current issues, current politics, those kinds of topics,” de Billy said. “He was just a bit of a loner, always with his twin brother, didn’t have any friends.

“He wasn’t physically strong or imposing, and probably got a bit of a hard time, was probably not taken seriously. … He would be kind of made fun of, the butt of the jokes.”

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Vatican Worried About Trump Immigration Order

The following article by Philip Pullela of Reuters was posted on the National Memo website February 2, 2017:

The Vatican said on Wednesday it was worried about U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves on immigration, in the Holy See’s first comment since his executive order banning travel into the United States by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries.

“Certainly there is worry because we are messengers of another culture, that of openness,” the Vatican’s deputy secretary of state, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, told an Italian Catholic television station in answer to a question about Trump’s order.

Becciu, who ranks third in the Vatican hierarchy, was asked about the executive order as well as Trump’s promise to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Continue reading “Vatican Worried About Trump Immigration Order”

‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.

The following article by Frances Stead Sellers and David A. Fahrenthold was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2017:

Stephen K. Bannon walks in before a listening session with cybersecurity experts in the Roosevelt Room in the White House on Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In November 2015, Stephen K. Bannon — then the executive chairman of Breitbart News — was hosting a satellite radio show. His guest was Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), who opposed President Obama’s plan to resettle some Syrian refugees in the United States.

“We need to put a stop on refugees until we can vet,” Zinke said.

Bannon cut him off. Continue reading “‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.”