May 12 top stories
It is May 12. Here are today’s top stories.
Florida reviews social studies textbooks
The Florida Department of Education announced Tuesday that it had approved 66 of 101 submissions for new social studies textbooks, requested some changes in textbooks before they can be accepted and rejected nearly 35% submitted by publishers for approval. Those disapproved were due to political indoctrination. For instance, references to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement were removed. Descriptions of socialism and communism were also changed.
The move by the Florida Department of Education comes as an ongoing effort by the administration of Republican Governor DeSantis to influence what’s taught in the state’s public schools. They have made widespread efforts to restrict how racism and history are taught in schools.
Gov. DeSantis has made it clear how he views public schools and what they’re teaching children. He said, “Following woke indoctrination in our schools, that is a road to ruin for this country. And we’re not going to let it happen in Florida.” DeSantis' “Stop Woke Act” signed into law in 2022 essentially prohibits instruction on race relations or diversity.
Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, criticized the announcement. “DeSantis and extreme MAGA Republicans are bent on dumbing down America’s education system and silencing Black voices in a tweet.
Jordan Neely death updates
Daniel Penny, 24, who placed 30-year-old Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on the New York subway on May 1. He is accused of causing the death of Neely. He surrendered to police to face a manslaughter charge on Friday.
Penny’s lawyers said he could not have known his actions to subdue Neely would lead to his death. Neely, who was homeless, was pinned to the ground and restrained for several minutes on the subway. Neely was later found unconscious in the subway and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. His death resulted from compression of the neck, the city’s medical examiner ruled.
Witnesses said before his death, he had been shouting at other subway passengers and asking for money but did not physically attack anyone.
Chain stores closing in big cities
Nordstrom, Walmart, Whole Foods, Starbucks, CVS and other big chains have closed stores in major US cities recently, raising alarm about the future of retail in some of the country’s most prominent downtowns and business districts.
Some factors are pushing chains out of some city centers: an excessive supply of stores, people working from home, online shopping, unreasonably high rents, crime and public safety concerns, and difficulty hiring workers.
To reinvent downtown retail, drastic changes may be required in addressing those factors. Multiple key stakeholders such as city governments, corporates and urban planners are looking into revamping strategies.
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Ukraine advances near Bakhmut
Ukraine said its forces have pushed the Russians back 2 kilometers (about 1 mile) over the past week around the eastern city of Bakhmut. Russia’s military acknowledged Friday that its forces had pulled back, claiming they moved to more advantageous defensive positions.
The head of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin, has criticized the Russian military for fleeing positions in Bakhmut and exposing his troops fighting for control of the city. In a video statement, he mocked a report by the Russian military and said they instead had effectively fled and our flanks are now crumbling. You must immediately stop lying.
He also said the Russian military’s failure to protect Wagner’s mercenary forces amount to high treason and could result in a great tragedy for Russia.
Judge strikes down gun sales ban on adults under 21
A federal judge, Robert Payne, in Virginia has ruled a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. His decision responded to John Fraser, 20, along with several other plaintiffs, challenging the regulations from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after they were turned down when they tried to buy handguns.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that there should not be a more restrictive gun law for whatsoever reasons with respect to the Second Amendment. Courts have since declared restrictive gun laws unconstitutional including federal measures designed to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and defendants under felony indictment, as well as a ban on possessing guns with the serial number removed.
Payne’s ruling is the latest decision striking down age-related gun laws. A federal judge recently ruled against a Minnesota law prohibiting 18- to 20-year-olds from getting permits to carry handguns in public. A judge struck down a similar law last year on gun restrictions for young adults in Texas.
Everytown Law, a legal group that advocates for gun violence prevention in the courts, said the law is constitutional and an essential tool for preventing gun violence. Janet Carter, Everytown Law’s senior director, said “Not only are guns the leading cause of death for US kids and teens, but research shows us that 18 to 20 year olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of adults 21 years and older. The Court’s ruling [by Robert Payne] will undoubtedly put more lives at risk. It must be reversed.”
YouTube influencer intentionally crashes plane
Multiple sources reported that Trevor Jacob, 29, who is a YouTube pilot influencer and also a former Olympic snowboarder, filmed himself jumping out of his single-propeller plane above the Los Padres National Forest in November 2021. He then uploaded a video titled “I Crashed My Plane” to his YouTube channel, which has 3.3 million views.
[show 2 short clips of him jumping out of a plane and the plane crashing]
The Justice Department wrote in a Thursday statement, Jacob admitted to the authorities that he orchestrated the crash so he could get more views, wanted to make money from the video of the crash, and reached a sponsorship deal to promote a wallet on this channel. He also confessed that he falsified an accident report he filed after the crash and lied to investigators.
Jacob has pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation and he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a good weekend and stay with the light.
Florida:
https://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/instructional-materials/2223-k12-ss-examples.stml
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/us/desantis-florida-social-studies-textbooks.html
Jordan Neely:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/marine-veteran-charged-manhattan-da-jordan-neely-subway-chokehold-death
Chain stores:
Ukraine:
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-russia-lying-about-bakhmut-wagner-says/a-65599098
Firearms:
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/virginia-judge-says-law-banning-231750068.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/virginia-judge-law-banning-sales-handguns-young-adults-99269986
YouTube: