HUMAN RIGHTS VS STATE RIGHTS

US appeals court blocks Idaho's transgender student athlete ban

Nate Raymond
Thu, August 17, 2023 

A person holds up a flag during rally to protest the Trump administration's reported transgender proposal to narrow the definition of gender to male or female at birth in New York


By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to allow Idaho to enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on transgender women and girls from participating in female sports leagues, saying the measure likely was unconstitutional.

A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel delivered a victory to LGBTQ rights advocates by upholding an injunction blocking Idaho's Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, the first of many such laws to be enacted by Republican-led states.

"This is an important victory for common sense, equality, and the rights of transgender youth under the law," said Chase Strangio, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, which pursued the court challenge.

The Idaho measure, which Republican Governor Brad Little signed into law in March 2020, bars transgender women and girls of all ages from participating in female sports teams at public schools in the state, from primary school through college.

Twenty-two other states have adopted similar laws governing sports, most recently in North Carolina, according to the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which had argued in favor of reviving Idaho's law.

"When our laws ignore biological reality and allow males to compete in women’s sports, women are harmed and denied athletic opportunities," ADF attorney Christiana Kiefer said in a statement.

U.S. Circuit Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton, acknowledged those arguments but said a lower-court judge did not abuse his discretion in finding that the categorical ban likely violates transgender students' equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment.

That argument was pursued by the ACLU's client, Lindsay Hecox, a transgender athlete who sought to join the women’s track team at Boise State University.

Wardlaw said the law also discriminates against all Idaho female student athletes on the basis of sex by subjecting only them and not male athletes to the "invasive" sex dispute verification process.

The Biden administration's Department of Education in April proposed a rule change that would prohibit schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes from teams that are consistent with their gender identities while offering flexibility on exceptions for the highest levels of competition.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew Lewis)

Wild boar 'invasion': Another Italian city faces a particularly porcine problem

Euronews
Tue, 15 August 2023 

Wild boar 'invasion': Another Italian city faces a particularly porcine problem


A pack of wild boars was spotted making the rounds of several homes inthe southern region of Calabria, Italy's news agency ANSA reported.

That makes Catanzaro the latest city to face a particularly porcine problem.

The wild boars - around 20 in total - kept to the outskirts of the city and didn't actually go inside any buildings, although they were seen circling homes built next to the open countryside.


The city's environment councillor Giorgio Arcuri called on the region's authorities for "appropriate measures to stem this phenomenon" - which are likely to involve the culling of the animals.

For some time now, Italy has had a problem with wild boars taking over its towns and cities in what local media and Italy's nationwide farm group Coldiretti dubbed a "full-scale invasion."

Last year, wild boars were said to have taken over Rome, where they were filmed in clips shared on social media and international television getting close to people, eating food leftovers near trash bins, and overall looking seemingly unbothered by the busy, crowded streets of Italy's capital.

Wild boars are ravaging Rome, here’s how locals are fighting back

Authorities have raised concerns over the soaring numbers of wild boars in Italian cities, mentioning the risk of the animals spreading swine flu or attacking residents. But their firm approach to the problem - killing the boars - has divided society.

In December last year, Giorgia Meloni's government ordered a cull of the wild boars in Rome that was strongly contested by animal rights activists, allowing hunters to use bows and arrows to kill the boars and eat them. Hunting for the animals was exceptionally permitted even in areas where hunting is normally forbidden, like urban and protected areas.

The decision was condemned by politicians in the opposition, who accused Meloni of taking the chance to cosy up to the gun and hunting lobbies.

A similarly tough position has been taken by many local leaders, including Catanzaro's mayor Nicola Fiorita, who last month ordered the culling of 30 wild boars roaming into a park in the city.

Ukraine war: gaining a bridgehead east of the Dnipro river would be a gamechanger for Kyiv – here's why


Veronika Poniscjakova, Senior Teaching Fellow, University of Portsmouth

The Conversation
Thu, 17 August 2023 

There have been reports that Ukrainian units have crossed the Dnipro River and established bridgeheads on the eastern side – which could be an important moment in Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive push in the south. How many troops made the crossing and how secure their bridgehead really is, remains unclear.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive push has thus far failed to gain the same momentum as their counterattacks last autumn, despite previously high expectations. Kyiv is under considerable international pressure to show results – and soon – to maintain enthusiasm from the western allies on whom it is depending for much of its weaponry.

That the counteroffensive has been more of a grind than last year’s lightning-fast push in September and October is down to several factors. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June delayed the progress of Ukrainian forces towards the Dnipro by several weeks because of floodwater and has also widened the river. Bridges across the Dnipro were also washed away, meaning an amphibious crossing has become the only option – and a much more difficult one.

Instead, Ukrainian progress can be characterised as slow but steady. There are daily reports that Ukrainian units operating in various sectors of the front lines are gradually recapturing villages occupied by Russian forces in the early days of the war. But the rapid push south to the Sea of Azov to effectively cut Russia’s army in half and isolate Crimea has not materialised. It is not unreasonable to expect that the war will last for years.

Map showing the status of the Ukraine conflict on August 16 2023.
Dnipro’s importance

Crossing the Dnipro River and establishing a secure bridgehead on the eastern bank would be a breakthrough. Throughout the history of conflicts in Ukraine going back millennia, the river has been a key strategic barrier. But it has huge importance for many areas of life in Ukraine: transport, energy – even food (the river was estimated before the war to supply 80% of the country’s fish).

But right now its strategic importance is at the fore. Running north to south through the whole of The Russian occupiers realised its strategic importance early on in the war, they understood they could divide and conquer Ukraine, and establish a natural defence against attacks by controlling the river.

Nap of Dnipro river (Also known as Dnieper)

During the counteroffensive in autumn 2022 Ukraine recaptured a considerable amount of territory in the east and south, and drove Russia from the west bank of the lower Dnipro. But Russia still dominates the east bank. Which is why reports of Ukrainian crossings are so important.

But these reports must be greeted with caution. Ukraine has held positions on the east bank before, allowing it to conduct raids into the Russian-occupied parts of Kherson region with the hope of establishing a presence there. But each of these has been beaten back.

But there is hope on the Ukrainian side that the latest raid could succeed where the others have failed. In its regular updates on the situation in Ukraine, the UK’s ministry of defence noted on August 14 that: “Ukrainian forces have worked to raid or set up small bridgeheads at new locations on the Russian-held east bank.”

This, in addition to the bridgehead it has held near the ruined Antonivsky bridge, close to the city of Kherson, since June, could allow it to push further south through Russian-held territory.
Next phase

There are several scenarios as to how the campaign might proceed. Russia is reported to be moving men and equipment south to reinforce and defend the east-bank Dnipro area and the key city of Kherson.

Heavy fighting also continues in the Bakhmut region, a year-long battle that has consumed many thousands of lives over the past 12 months. There are daily reports of offensive and counteroffensive operations on both sides in the region, which Russia sees as key to capturing and controlling the Donetsk region, which it claimed last September after “referendums”, condemned in the west as a sham.

Ukrainian forces are also reported to be involved in heavy fighting on at least three sectors of the front, and advancing in the Luhansk region, north-east of Donetsk and in the western Zaporizhia region, further south. All of which means that Russia’s planners are faced with a balancing act as to whether to maintain troops concentrations in these sectors of the frontline or move more units south to reinforce the east bank of the Dnipro.

A successful assault resulting in a substantial Ukrainian breakthrough on the east of the Dnipro in the Kherson region would give Ukrainian troops a much easier and clearer path to Crimea.

Meanwhile reports that Ukraine has recaptured the strategically important town of Urozhaine in the western Zaporizhia region has opened the possibility of a push south towards the Sea of Azov, which Kyiv has declared to be one of its key objectives in this counteroffensive. But as the New York Times cautioned recently, “the fact that progress in Kyiv’s long-anticipated counteroffensive is now measured by the recapture of small villages reinforces how difficult the fighting has become”.
Hard slog

As US military analyst Frederick Kagan wrote in Time magazine recently: “Much as we might hope that the road to the Sea of Azov will simply open for Ukrainian forces the odds are high that fighting will remain hard, casualties high, and frustration will be a constant companion. All of which is normal in war.”

So while there are daily reports of positive developments in Ukraine’s slow but steady counteroffensive, much will continue to depend on the steadfastness of support from Kyiv’s western allies. There are signs of war weariness in some countries that were formerly solid supporters of Ukraine, including – for example – Slovakia, where a pro-Kremlin candidate is leading in the polls ahead of next month’s election, campaigning on withdrawing support for Ukraine both militarily and in terms of maintaining sanctions.

Kyiv must pray that this does not become a pattern that would fracture Nato support for its war effort.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Carlsberg loses contact with Russian employees after Kremlin asset seizures

Daniel Woolfson
Wed, 16 August 2023 

Carlsberg boss Cees ‘t Hart says the company was shocked by Russia’s decision to take control of its subsidiary business - Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg

Carlsberg has lost contact with employees in Russia after its brewery was seized by the Kremlin, the drinks giant has said.

Cees ‘t Hart, Carlsberg’s chief executive, said on Tuesday that the Danish company was shocked by Russia’s decision to take control of its subsidiary Baltika Breweries last month.

The brewer had struck a deal to sell the business, which employs around 8,400 people in the country, but it was seized under a presidential decree signed by Vladimir Putin.


Mr ‘t Hart said it had “no indication” why the Russian state had taken over the business, adding that Carlsberg had “limited contact” with local authorities.

Carlsberg still technically owns the division but has no control over it.

“In June, we were pleased to announce the sale of the Russian business,” said Mr t’ Hart.

“However, shortly afterwards, we were shocked that a presidential decree had temporarily transferred management of the business to a Russian federal agency.”

Mr Putin has granted the Russian state new powers to seize assets from Western businesses as the war in Ukraine rages on.

Mr t’ Hart added: “We have known from the beginning, since announcing the intention to leave Russia in March of last year, that there was huge interest in the business from people inside Russia. But still, this is an unprecedented development.”

Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s spokesman, told the Financial Times in June: “If a company doesn’t fulfil its obligations, then, of course, it goes in the category of naughty companies. We say goodbye to those companies. And what we do with their assets after that is our business.”

Many well-known companies have continued to do business in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 despite criticism.

Marmite and Dove owner Unilever was branded “an international sponsor of war” by the Ukrainian government last month for continuing to sell products in Russia.

Drinks giant Bacardi was also added to the Ukrainian National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP)’s list of alleged war sponsors this week for also failing to halt operations.

It comes as Carlsberg said on Wednesday that organic revenues rose by 11.2pc across its global business in the six months to June 30 – although the volume of beer it sold rose by under 1pc.

UK

‘Still hope’ for Wilko employees with administrators’ decision on rescue bids expected next week

Daniel O'Boyle
Thu, 17 August 2023 

There is “still hope” for Wilko’s more than 12,000 employees, the union that represents a third of its staff said (Alamy/PA)

There is “still hope” for Wilko’s more than 12,000 employees, as administrators pore over bids to save the collapsed retailer and hope to reach a decision next week.

Administrators at PwC set a cut-off date of Wednesday for prospective buyers to submit bids for all or part of Wilko. It is understood that they are currently weighing up bids that came in yesterday, and are likely to decide the fate of the chain next week.

Previous management couldn’t find a buyer for the entire chain in the days before it was declared insolvent. However, administration would allow parts of the business to be sold, meaning more profitable stores could be saved while others may be forced to close.


Rivals B&M and Poundland, as well as Laura Ashley owner Gordon Brothers are among those said to be interested.

Andy Prendergast, National Secretary of the GMB union, which represents a third of Wilko staff and has been liaising with the administrators, said there were reasons to be hopeful.

“GMB is in talks with administrators and there is still hope,” he said. “We are seeking clarification regarding pensions, but have concerns.

He also addressed the way the business was run in the lead-up to the collapse. Shareholders received a £3m dividend last year, even as the retailer was only months from collapse.

“The Wilkinson family took tens of millions from the business in the decade up to the collapse.

“If they were serious about supporting working people, they should have invested in their staff.”

Susanah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Other value retailers and private equity investors are believed to be among potential interested parties.

“However, the likelihood of a full takeover is considered to be slim, given how Wilko’s sprawling store estate in high street locations has added to its pile of problems of supply chain snarl ups and inflationary pressures.

“Rival discounters had also focused on more popular retail park sites and had diversified product ranges more into food, which has added extra resilience with consumers seeking out grocery bargains amid the cost of living crisis. Wilko had stayed steadfastly focused on home and garden ware and consumer goods with only limited snack ranges. Ultimately the fierce headwinds of inflation and thunderous supply chain challenges proved to be the storm which it has been impossible to recover from.

The Wilko brand still has a strong hold over value shoppers’ hearts and is likely to continue in some form, but its vast footprint of stores will shrink rapidly and risks disappearing from the high streets altogether.’’

Wilko entered administration last week but its shops are still open and the adminsitrators promised no “immediate” redunancies.

CEO Mark Jackson said at the time: “We left no stone unturned when it came to preserving this incredible business but must concede that with regret, we’ve no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration.”

Mediterranean Sea warming to 'unprecedented' levels amid global heat wave

Daniel J. Graeber
Fri, 18 August 2023 

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain on the European continent from Morocco on the African continent. A global heat wave is pushing temperatures in the Mediterranean to new highs. Photo courtesy of NASA

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The waters of the Mediterranean Sea have spiked to a record-setting 84 degrees on Friday, a disturbing and growing trend that may be attributed to a changing climate, Jordan's government said.

Referencing various global outlets, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, Jordan's official news agency, Petra, said water temperatures on Friday were "unprecedented."

"Climate change has led to higher air temperatures in the Mediterranean, which raises water surface temperatures and evaporation," the report read.


Petra also noted that water from the Atlantic isn't getting into the Mediterranean as much as in the past, river flows are on the decline and the sea's waters are becoming hotter and saltier as a result.

The rapid warming of the Mediterranean Sea has caused ocean temperatures in the region to soar to unprecedented levels over the past year. The world's waters can absorb heat and distribute it through natural currents, though planetary heating over the past 20 years had led to warmer seas.

The base of Pigeon Rock, a famous landmark just off Beirut's shoreline. A global heat wave has led to increased water temperatures globally, with record-setting levels report from Florida to the Mediterranean Sea. File photo by Norbert Schiller/UPI

Marine scientists have tracked several record-breaking heat waves in the region since summer 2022 as the Mediterranean has warmed faster than the global average since satellite records began more than 40 years ago.

The Mediterranean is no longer unique. The water temperature of the South Florida coast soared to more than 100 degrees over several days during July's global heat wave.

Meteorologists closely tracking marine heat since early July called temperatures in the region unprecedented, saying the oceans have never been this hot in recorded history.

July was the hottest month on record. The Goddard Institute for Space Studies at the U.S. space agency NASA said this July was 0.43 degrees warmer than any July on record.

"The science is clear -- this isn't normal," said Gavin Schmidt, the director at GISS. "Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperature is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide."

ChatGPT is ‘systemically Left-wing biased’

SURPRISE! SOCIETY IS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC
Gareth Corfield
Wed, 16 August 2023 

ChatGPT logo

ChatGPT has been accused of a “systematic” Left-wing bias that reflects the positions of Labour and US Democrat politicians, raising concerns over its use in policymaking and education.

Researchers found that the chatbot’s responses generally favour Left-leaning political beliefs, despite efforts to reduce bias.

The study, led by academics at the University of East Anglia (UEA), claims to be the first large-scale research into ChatGPT’s political slant.

Companies and governments around the world are racing to develop large language models (LLMs) with similar technology to the OpenAI-made chatbot.

“ChatGPT presents a significant and systematic political bias toward the Democrats in the US, Lula in Brazil, and the Labour Party in the UK,” the UEA study’s authors wrote.

“These results translate into real concerns that ChatGPT, and LLMs in general, can extend or even amplify the existing challenges involving political processes posed by the internet and social media.”

Woke chatbot

Academics found a strong correlation between answers provided by ChatGPT’s default settings and answers in which the chatbot was told to impersonate a Labour supporter, a Democrat supporter, or a supporter of Brazil’s Left-wing president Lula da Silva.

In contrast, there was a negative relationship between the chatbot and its default answers when it was instructed to impersonate a Conservative, a Republican or a supporter of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

The findings come as Rishi Sunak prepares to hold an AI summit in November, aimed at devising international rules on artificial intelligence amid warnings it could threaten human extinction.

The meeting will take place at Bletchley Park, the Second World War-era home of GCHQ’s codebreaking division, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

When asked if Karl Marx’s slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” was a “fundamentally good idea”, ChatGPT’s default setting said it agreed.

Only when the chatbot was told to respond as if it was a right-wing activist would it disagree with the Marxist statement.

In contrast, its conservative persona endorsed the racist statement: “Our race has many superior qualities, compared with other races.”

The Tony Blair Institute called earlier this year for the creation of a UK equivalent of ChatGPT to “underpin broad swathes of public service delivery”.

A so-called BritGPT could be used to write policies for MPs and other public servants, the former Labour prime minister’s think-tank suggested in February.

The UEA study comes after recent research from US and Chinese academics concluded that ChatGPT was the most Left-leaning out of 14 different artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots put through similar political bias tests.

Sam Altman’s OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has previously admitted that the bot’s responses can be political biased - REUTERS/Issei Kato

OpenAI, the San Francisco company behind ChatGPT, has previously acknowledged that its chatbot, which has been used by more than 100m people, may produce answers that are politically biased.

It has promised to allow users to customise the chatbot’s behaviour although it has yet to introduce the changes.

The study, published in the journal Public Choice, asked ChatGPT a series of questions from the Political Compass, a widely-used test of a person’s political leanings.

The questions ask users if they agree with statements such as “I’d always support my country, whether it was right or wrong,” or “The rich are too highly taxed” on a scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”.

The authors asked the questions to ChatGPT’s default setting, and then repeated the questions while asking the AI to impersonate an average Democrat or Republican. They repeated each question 1,000 times to ensure consistent results.

One academic hailed the study as paving the way for further research into chatbots’ biases, calling for more rigorous examinations of the topic.

Professor Nello Cristianini, professor of AI at the University of Bath, said the Political Compass test “is not a validated research tool, but rather a popular online questionnaire.”

“It will be interesting to apply the same approach to more rigorous testing instruments,” he said.

OpenAI’s flagship product has caught the attention of governments and regulators around the world, as well as attracting a reported $10bn in backing from Microsoft.

The US tech company is building the technology powering the chatbot, called GPT-4, into its Copilot-branded suite of productivity software add-ons.

OpenAI founder Sam Altman has previously warned AI could pose an “existential risk” to humanity. Critics have suggested the technology does little more than parrot whatever information it is fed.

OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment.

Target sees drop in sales after rightwing backlash to Pride merchandise

Lauren Aratani
Wed, 16 August 2023 


Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

The rightwing backlash to the retail giant Target’s Pride Month merchandise contributed to a sharp drop in sales over the last three months, the company announced on Wednesday. Target is reviewing how it will market its Pride Month merchandise next year.

Over the last three months, sales at the retailer fell 5.4%, a higher decline than Wall Street expectations, according to the company’s second-quarter earnings report. The company decreased its profit outlook for the year and said it expects further declines for the rest of the year.

The decrease comes after Target saw immense growth during the pandemic, as customers flocked to the company’s stores and websites during lockdown, and the company deeply discounted items to get rid of inventory. At the beginning of 2023, the company reported $30bn growth since 2019.




Company execs say the recent decrease in sales speaks to changing consumer spending due to factors like higher interest rates and increased prices for food and other essentials. Americans are also spending less at stores and focusing more on experiences.

“Guests are out at concerts. They’re going to movies, they’ve seen Barbie. They’re enjoying those experiential moments, and they’re shopping in favor of travel or spending time out of the house in other ways,” Brian Cornell, Target CEO, told reporters.

Target leaders also said the backlash to its Pride Month collection also hurt sales, though the specific impact could not be quantified.

“The strong reaction to this year’s Pride assortment affected sales,” said Christina Hennington, Target’s chief growth officer, on Wednesday. “The reaction is a signal for us to pause, adapt and learn.”

In May, Target became the focus of conservative backlash against LGBTQ+ pride merchandise that it was selling at its stores for Pride Month, which takes place in June. Though the company had been selling Pride merchandise for over a decade, it reported an increased number of customers who were threatening employees at stores over Pride Month displays. In response to these “volatile circumstances”, the company said it would be removing some of its Pride merchandise and would move displays to the back of stores.

Target’s response to the conservative backlash provoked a separate backlash from the left, who said the company was caving to extremists.

“CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage,” the California governor, Gavin Newsom, tweeted in May. “This isn’t just a couple stores in the south. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country.”

On Wednesday, Cornell said the company has been re-evaluating its strategy around Pride Month after the backlash.

“We’ll continue to celebrate Pride and other heritage moments, which are just one part of our commitment to support diverse teams and guests,” Cornell said. “However, as we navigate an ever-changing operating and social environment, we’re applying what we’ve learned to ensure we’re staying close to our guests and their expectations of Target.”

Target is one of the first large retail companies to report their second-quarter earnings, so it is unclear how much of the sales decline is specific to the retailer versus an overall decline in consumer spending at stores.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, also reported a decline in US sales earlier this month after it faced an intense conservative backlash for sponsoring a post by the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in the spring.

WHITE SUPREMACIST PEDAGOGY

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders under fire for pulling AP African-American studies

“There will be lawsuits,” said Chris Jones, who ran against Sanders in the 2022 gubernatorial race as the Democratic nominee.

April Ryan
Thu, August 17, 2023 

Critics of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ executive decision to end an advanced placement African-American studies course in the state could face challenges in court.

“There will be lawsuits,” said Chris Jones, who ran against Sanders in the 2022 gubernatorial race as the Democratic nominee.

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS – FEBRUARY 07: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders waits to deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union address by President Joe Biden on February 7, 2023 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Biden tonight vowed to not allow the U.S. to default on its debt by calling on Congress to raise the debt-ceiling and chastising Republicans seeking to leverage the standoff to force spending cuts. 

(Photo by Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)

Jones objects to his former opponent’s order to remove AP African-American studies. The decision came several months after she signed into law the state’s “LEARNS” education bill, which prohibits indoctrination and critical race theory in Arkansas public schools.

Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said the AP African-American studies course didn’t meet “rules that have long been in place.” Last week, the department took action to end the College Board curriculum, which is a two-year national pilot program. The action in Arkansas came just days before the start of school on Monday.

The AP African-American studies course would have given college credits to high school seniors. Now, the school districts a part of the pilot program are offering the course as an elective.

Arkansas is the latest Republican-controlled state to ban or restrict aspects of Black history in the classroom. The crusade against such courses has been led by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a current Republican presidential candidate.

Since learning of the change, College Board, which created the two-year pilot program for AP African-American studies, said it worked diligently to communicate with the Arkansas Department of Education about the decision.

Steve Bumbaugh, a senior vice president at College Board, told theGrio the course in Arkansas allowed students to “fulfill a social studies requirement” for college. He said the decision could cause problems for some high school seniors needing AP credits.

“Now that’s up in the air,” explained Bumbaugh. He added, “It’s possible that there are some students sitting in classrooms in Arkansas that are concerned about graduating in the spring.”

Books are piled up in the classroom for students takeing AP African-American Studies at Overland High School on November 1, 2022 in Aurora, Colorado. The AP African-American Studies course is part of a national pilot class that about 60 schools nationwide are participating in.

 (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)More

Bumbaugh said as many as 25,000 students nationwide participate in the AP African-American studies program. The students who meet the threshold to take the honors course would get high school and college credit traditionally.

He told theGrio he hopes the decision by Arkansas school officials to remove African-American studies from its advanced placement program is “not a trend.”

Ironically, Bumbaugh added, “the demand for this course is off the charts” across the country. “It was in 60 high schools last year. It will be in about 750 this school year,” he explained.

Another irony is that one of the schools that participated in the AP African-American studies pilot in Arkansas is Little Rock Central High School, where the nation famously witnessed the integration of nine Black students in 1957. The racial integration of the school resulted from a federal ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education.

However, resistance to racial integration at Central High was so great that the nine students, known as the Little Rock Nine, had to be escorted by the National Guard.

Forty years later, during an event commemorating the anniversary of the historical moment in September 1997, then-President Bill Clinton ceremoniously opened the doors for the Little Rock Nine, who were then adults.

As White House press secretary during the presidency of Donald Trump, Sanders told this reporter she witnessed President Clinton’s honoring of the Little Rock Nine as a student herself at Central High School. Sanders described it as one of the most impactful moments of her life to witness as a student of the school and the daughter of then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Now, Sanders is leading an administration restricting an interdisciplinary studies program connected to that storied history. Jones, her former gubernatorial opponent, said her decision was a “rushed” one. “What’s next?” he queried.

Jones told theGrio that he is considering another run against Sanders when her term ends.

The College Board is said to have researched and pulled together some of the best scholars in African-American studies to create the curriculum. However, in the fall, there will be a review of the program. That review was previously planned before its collapse in Arkansas.

DESANTISLAND

Protest broke out at a 55+ Florida community over skyrocketing home insurance premiums: ‘We have no choice, we have to sell’

Alena Botros
Fri, August 18, 2023 

This week, hundreds of homeowners in a 55+ living community, known as Century Village, in Pembroke Pines, Fla., gathered together to protest an increase in their monthly housing fees due to skyrocketing insurance costs, as several insurers flee the state.

Homeowners were sent an email from Century Village that they’d have to pay an additional $100 to $200 a month due to “skyrocketing insurance premiums,” adding a potential special assessment for some units, according to NBC6, a local TV news outlet in South Florida that was first to report the incident. Footage shown in the TV segment shows several residents crowded together, visibly upset and shouting (although it’s unclear what exactly they’re saying). However, it seems that the protest escalated and police were called. Still, one resident told NBC6 reporter Laura Rodriguez that the increase in costs is forcing him to sell his home.

“So now we are over $700 a month that we are paying just in HOA fees, and they’re going to kick it up to $1,000 a month,” the resident told the reporter. “We have no choice, we have to sell. As a matter of fact, I just put my house on the market 10 minutes ago.”

Century Village did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Housing markets in Florida saw substantial increases in home prices during the pandemic, and in most cases are still seeing increases. That coupled with mortgage rates that have more than doubled, with the average 30-year fixed rate recently hitting a 20-year high, has deteriorated affordability. But now there’s a new force putting a strain on housing affordability, and that’s rising insurance costs.

Homeowners in Florida are paying the highest insurance premiums in the nation, with an average premium of $6,000 per year, according to Mark Friedlander, the Florida-based director of corporate communications for the Insurance Information Institute. To compare, the U.S. average $1,700 per year. And recently, several home insurers have either pulled out of the state, like Farmers Insurance, or have chosen to renew fewer policies, like AAA—and that’s making it more difficult for homeowners to find coverage, or even afford it, as Fortune’s previously reported.

“Just in the last 18 months, 15 companies have stopped writing business in Florida. Three have voluntarily withdrawn—Farmers being the most recent—and seven companies have been declared insolvent,” Friedlander recently explained to Fortune, before AAA said it would reduce its presence in Florida, rather than pull out completely as Farmers Insurance announced its plan to do so.

There are several factors behind the state’s insurance exodus that range from claim fraud, to an increase in claims following recent hurricanes, to an increase in reinsurance rates. All of which, essentially raise costs for insurance companies, which in turn raises costs for policyholders. However, we’re seeing that some insurers are simply choosing to leave the state, and that only makes it harder for homeowners to find coverage, and makes that coverage more expensive.

Insurance concerns are already having an impact on Florida’s housing market, with a recent homebuilder survey showing that buyers’ concerns over the availability and affordability of insurance are somewhat slowing sales, which could potentially get worse.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

FINALLY DEFENDING THE KURDS
US imposes sanctions on 2 Turkey-backed Syrian militias and the groups' leaders

KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Thu, August 17, 2023 

This is a locator map for Syria with its capital, Damascus. (AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)


BEIRUT (AP) — The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two Turkey-backed Syrian militias and the groups’ leaders accused of human rights abuses in Syria’s northwestern, opposition-held enclave.

The groups are operating in the town of Afrin, which has been under Turkish-backed opposition forces since 2018, following an Ankara-backed military operation. That offensive pushed Syrian Kurdish fighters and thousands of Kurdish residents from the area.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned The Suleiman Shah Brigade and The Hamza Division, as well as their leaders, Mohammad Hussein al-Jasim, Walid Hussein al-Jasim, and Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr.

The Suleiman Shah Brigade was accused of abductions and extortion of residents, especially Afrin's Kurdish residents, to force them to abandon their homes and flee or to "pay large ransoms for return of their property or family members".

The Treasury said The Hamza Division was also involved in running detention centers where it held abducted victims for ransom who were tortured and sexually abused.

Mohammad Hussein al-Jasim, who leads The Suleiman Shah Brigade, allegedly ordered his forces to displace Kurdish residents and give their property to Syrians from outside the area “often related" to fighters of the brigade.

The Treasury estimated that al-Jasim was ”likely generating tens of millions of dollars a year" through abductions, confiscations, and ransoms.

Al-Jasim's Turkey-based car dealership Al-Safir Oto was also listed, because he allegedly invested his money there. According to the announcement, commanders of his brigade managed the dealership's different branches. It was co-owned by sanctioned militia leader Ahmad Ihsan Fayyad al-Hayes, who heads the Ahrar Al-Sharqiya group.

His younger brother, Walid Hussein al-Jasim, was accused of several cases of sexual assault, as well as killing a prisoner unable to pay ransom in 2020.

Meanwhile, the head of The Hamza Brigades, Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, was sanctioned for the “brutal repression of the local population.” The statement said he had been involved in the kidnapping of Kurdish women and severely abusing prisoners, sometimes killing them.