This is what I'm afraid of.
Any thoughts on this? I don't know her, other than what's in the article. And I'm not familiar with the structure of the DOE. Will she, as deputy secretary, be able to do anything to stop them from shutting down the department?

A funny thing happened on the way to closing the U.S. Department of Education
The Trump administration continued its head-scratching appointments by anointing billionaire Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education...
But then – surprise! – the deputy education secretary spot went to Penny Schwinn, who is far more famous to the likes of us education writers. Schwinn’s deep, impressive bona fides include becoming a teacher through Teach for America, followed by service as a classroom history teacher, school principal and then a swift ride up high-level administrative posts in various states including Texas. In 2019, at 43, she became Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education.
In Education Next’s extended interview, Schwinn emphasizes that educators must aim every single decision not merely toward achievement, but toward the best interests of kids. This “North Star” helps her to sift through irrelevant political chaff so she can stay with her agenda even in the face of constant opposition.
“That is always going to be personal and emotional; however, we must find a way
They've already changed they're minds.
That's only because Antifa hasn't shown up yet. But they only show up when the cops show... oh.
Last mile just ended with UPS.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/usps-ups-surepost-delivery-contract-151305605.html
Going to school is their job. Telling kids to get a job when they need to be focusing on school is beyond scummy. What a douce!
I was kind of just pointing out that a lot of kids don't go out looking for porn. Porn somehow just shows up because adults are irresponsible.
Kids are gonna start finding porn the old-fashioned way: randomly coming across discarded magazines at the park. That was my first experience.
Do we even know he was in LA? Come on, guys. Someone should look a little deeper before spreading this kind of stuff.
um../s
Don't do what I did. Now figure it out.
Ha! Give the orange turd what he deserves!
I'm just kidding. This makes me sad.
Wow, I didn't know that. Mike Addis is the name of the hands.

Georgia answering the banjo call.
So, will it be Mexican America and South Mexican America? Or is there something more appropriate? Brazilian America?
I think they're saying that if you look past the first 3 results, then you may find something that isn't blocked.
Will we ever start seeing terrorism changes for these terrorists?
Wow, this one hit me hard. I was just having a conversation with my mom about my social situation and am thinking about reading this to her.
My argument to her was that the "forced" abstinence really messed with my head and made it very difficult to talk to women.
I'm 44 and feel you, brother.
Ohhh, and mandatory morning calisthenics!
I had to look up the etymology of hussy because you know she had to deal with that her entire life.
I was thinking about how horrible it would be if that term was coined because of this.
It feels like Shakespearian tragedy to learn it's been used since the 1500s.
Yep! Also, there aren't enough people who understand that helping others will end up helping themselves.

What good thing just happened in your life?
I want some good news.

Norah Jones-My Dear Country with lyrics

YouTube Video
Click to view this content.

Missouri Independent: Missouri AG in abortion pill lawsuit argues fewer teen pregnancies hurt state financially
In making the case that the states have standing this time, the attorneys general contend access to mifepristone has lowered “birth rates for teenaged mothers,” arguing it contributes to causing a population loss for the states along with “diminishment of political representation and loss of federal funds.”

Is there a reason the US is sending 100 of our people to Israel?
I genuinely want to understand this. Are the defense systems we are sending so advanced that we can't let anyone else operate them?
I know politics aren't allowed here, so i want to stress that I just want to know why this is happening.

Was the intention of the Rosetta Stone to preserve history?
I just finished reading 1984 and realized that the Rosetta Stone may have been created to preserve known history.
It had never occurred to me that an entire language and it's nuances are necessary to maintain historic integrity. We may have been able to decipher hieroglyphs without a translator, but could we do it with precision enough to learn anything truthful. Can we do that now is a thoughtful question as well i guess.
I'm certain this is not an original thought, and only want to talk about the book. I think i heard somewhere that the stone was created for trade purposes as well.

Interesting Engineering: Hybrid energy raft could power 1,000 homes a day with wave, wind, solar
NoviOcean's innovative Hybrid Energy Converter combines wave, wind, and solar power, generating double the energy of wind alone.
NoviOcean’s wave power technology, developed over several years, has been tested in wave pools and a real environment near Stockholm. A small version powers homes on Svanholmen island, proving the concept works at sea.
On one square kilometer, 15 wave power plants can generate 15 MW, compared to offshore wind’s 10 MW. Combined, they can produce 25 MW, sharing the costs of the sea area and transmission cable.
According to the firm, the hybrid approach delivers more consistent energy, as waves generate power for days after the wind subsides. Additionally, wave plants can be placed closer to shore without visually disturbing the coastline.

The Guardian: Revealed: Far higher pesticide residues allowed on food since Brexit

Exclusive: Unlike the EU, Great Britain has slashed protections for scores of food types

Changes to regulations in Great Britain mean more than 100 items are now allowed to carry more pesticides when sold to the public, ranging from potatoes to onions, grapes to avocados, and coffee to rice.
For tea, the maximum residue level (MRL) was increased by 4,000 times for both the insecticide chlorantraniliprole and the fungicide boscalid. For the controversial weedkiller glyphosate, classed as a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization (WHO), the MRL for beans was raised by 7.5 times.
The purpose of the pesticide MRL regime is to protect public health, wildlife and the natural environment. Campaigners said the list of pesticides included reproductive toxins and carcinogens and that the weaker MRLs reduced protections for consumers in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has retained the EU MRLs.

CNN: 47-year-old Voyager 1 spacecraft just fired up thrusters it hasn’t used in decades

Engineers have mitigated an issue with Voyager 1’s thrusters, enabling the mission to stay in touch with mission controllers on Earth and send back unique data.


The Associated Press: Days after posting mugshot of a boy accused of school threat, sheriff puts video of 2 teens online

Communities nationwide are being battered by a wave of school shooting threats, with emergency notifications and group chat messages sparking parents’ fears their child’s school could be the next Parkland or Uvalde.

Fed up with school shooting threats in his community, Chitwood pledged to publicly identify students accused of making such threats.

NPR: Arkansas’ gov says Medicaid extension for new moms isn’t needed. Advisers disagree
Arkansas is the only state that has not taken the step to expand what’s called postpartum Medicaid coverage, an option for states paid for almost entirely by the federal government that ensures poor women have uninterrupted health insurance for a year after they give birth. Forty-six states now have the provision, encouraged by the Biden administraion, and Idaho, Iowa, and Wisconsin either have plans in place to enact legislation or have bills pending in their legislatures.
Nationally, 41% of births were covered by Medicaid in 2021. Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days after delivery. But maternal health advocates say Arkansas often begins the process of moving women out of the program after six weeks, or 42 days.
In March, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, signed an executive order creating a committee of experts charged with improving the state’s dismal maternal health outcomes and better educating women about

The Guardian: Ig Nobel prize goes to team who found mammals can breathe through anuses

Scientific research on pigeon missiles and dead trout also win at awards for amusing studies with serious implications

After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure.
The team is among 10 recognised in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think”. They are not to be confused with the more lucrative and career-changing Nobel prizes to be handed out in Scandinavia next month.

If you feel like you're always being watched, can you really claim to have integrity?

Faith group ‘heartbroken’ over Northwest Arkansas women’s prison closure
It may not look like much on the outside but inside the Northwest Arkansas Community Corrections Center, women’s lives are changing.
“It’s priceless,” Kachia Phillips said. “That time in there for me was precious.”
Several volunteer groups work at the prison to give support and life skills to the women inside, who are state prisoners.
Washington County Justice of the Peace Beth Coger said the reputation of the center speaks for itself, mostly thanks to its low recidivism rates.
“When we had the Criminal Justice Assessment Study in 2020 by the National Center of State Courts, they said our NWACCC is a model of what a prison should be,” she said. “The reason that is, is because the women there actually get treatment.”
All of this is now coming to an end.
“The first time I remember hearing this was March 29th of 2024 when everyone on the Quorum Court got a letter from Judge Deakins that he was canceling the lease as of December 31st this year unless they can reach an agreement as to

The Associated Press: A teen was falling asleep during a courtroom field trip. She ended up in cuffs and jail clothes

A teenager on a field trip to see a Detroit court ended up in jail clothes and handcuffs because a judge said he didn’t like her attitude.

A teenager on a field trip to see a Detroit court ended up in jail clothes and handcuffs because a judge said he didn’t like her attitude.
The teen was seeing King’s court as part of a visit organized by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit environmental group. During the visit, King noticed the girl falling asleep, WXYZ reported.

KARK: Judge orders Arkansas LEARNS Act lawsuit to move forward
A Monday decision in Pulaski County court means the Arkansas LEARNS Act is closer to having its day in court.
The decision by Circuit Court Judge Morgan Welch denies a motion to have the case opposing the act dismissed. The state had asked for the suit to be dismissed based upon its failure to adequately state the facts and that the state had sovereign immunity from being sued.
Welch’s opinion held that the complaint against the state met legal standards.
The complaint, first filed in June, held that the LEARNS Act violated the state constitution at five points by diverting funds from public to private schools through its Education Freedom Accounts provision. Those accounts provide about $6,600 per student to attend any school, including private or home schools.

CBS News: Arkansas police officer seen on video beating handcuffed inmate in back of patrol car fired

Arkansas police officer Joseph Harris has been fired after being caught on video beating a handcuffed inmate in the back of his patrol car, and the police chief says he will refer the case to prosecutors.

Billy Lee Coram, the inmate in the back of the patrol car, is wearing a hospital gown and choking himself with a seatbelt wrapped his neck as the car is moving in the roughly 12-minute video. After the car pulls over, Harris opens the door and punches and elbows Coram several times in the face as he unwinds the belt.
Harris later slams the car door against Coram's head. Elliott said he didn't know what injuries Coram sustained from the beating.
Coram had been taken to the hospital after he told jail staff he had ingested fentanyl and had escaped the hospital. Harris had caught Coram and put him in his patrol car.

POLITICO: We received internal Trump documents from ‘Robert.’ The campaign just confirmed it was hacked.
On July 22, POLITICO began receiving emails from an anonymous account. Over the course of the past few weeks, the person — who used an AOL email account and identified themselves only as “Robert” — relayed what appeared to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official. A research dossier the campaign had apparently done on Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, which was dated Feb. 23, was included in the documents. The documents are authentic, according to two people familiar with them and granted anonymity to describe internal communications. One of the people described the dossier as a preliminary version of Vance’s vetting file.
The research dossier was a 271-page document based on publicly available information about Vance’s past record and statements, with some — such as his past criticisms of Trump — identified in the document as “POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES.” The person also sent part of a research document about Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who was also a fi

Axios: Scoop: Trump stalled Black journalists interview over fact-checking
"I was prepared to go on stage to craft a statement, saying he decided not to go on stage because of fact-checking... we couldn't compromise on that."
As [NABJ president Ken] Lemon was preparing that statement, Trump walked onto the stage.

In Most States, Undocumented Immigrants Pay Higher Tax Rates Than Top 1%

New study shows workers "often pay taxes that are dedicated to funding programs from which they are barred from participating because of their immigration status."

The study found that more than one-third of the taxes paid by undocumented immigrants fund government programs and services they are prohibited from using. In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, they paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes, $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, and $1.8 billion in unemployment insurance taxes.
Furthermore, the state and local tax rates paid by undocumented immigrants exceeded those of the 1% of highest-income households in 40 of 50 states.