James Talarico DESTROYS Texas Republicans' book-banning bill

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kn2tIQ81ofg

 

They Always Come For the Books (Full Speech)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bplGasnpq-M

 

US librarians tackle ‘manufactured crisis’ of book bans to protect LGBTQ+ rights

"These organizations have fine-tuned the blueprint for ways to attack LGBTQ+ rights, to attack information on racial history, slavery and discrimination, all while outside funding local elections," Halpern said...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/15/us-librarianbook-bans-lgbtq-rights

 

This 'Chilling' Right-Wing Movement Is Taking Over Classrooms — And It's Only The Beginning. | HuffPost Life

The religious justification being used in these cases isn't general, it's specific. "The ruling essentially says religion is more important than your identity, and not just any religion, but specific types of religious interpretations," Pieklo explains...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/schools-religious-freedom-book-bans_l_68fbc537e4b011e80886474c 

 

 

Opus Dei and the New Pope (Andrew Seidel; One Nation Indivisible, Episode #010)

In this episode of One Nation, Indivisible, Andrew Seidel speaks with Gareth Gore, author of a new book on Opus Dei, about the powerful intersection of religion and politics. They explore the controversial history of Opus Dei, its growing influence in Washington D.C., and its complicated relationship with Pope Francis. 

The conversation also examines the global implications of a future papal transition, what Opus Dei seeks in the next Pope, and the organization’s broader cultural and political ambitions. 

Plus, they discuss parallels with other religious movements and a major Supreme Court case over LGBTQ-inclusive books in public schools.

Interview: 

https://onenationindivisible.supercast.com/subscriber_v2/feed_items/465054

Majority of attempts to ban books in US come from organised groups, not parents

Many of the organisations leading the book censorship movement are so-called "parental rights" groups – most prominently Moms for Liberty. This group has strong ties to the Republican Party and has been labelled "extremist". 

 "They aren't always moms, they don't always have kids, and they definitely don't care about 'liberty' for everyone else," wrote the American Civil Liberties Union's Paul Bowers in late 2023...

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/08/majority-of-attempts-to-ban-books-in-us-come-from-organised-groups-not-parents

 

US education department ends ‘hoax’ investigations into book bans

The ALA released a statement in response to the education department's actions, stating: "In their cruel and headlong effort to terminate protections from discrimination for LGBTQIA+ students and students of color, the Department of Education advances the demonstrably false claim that book bans are not real. Book bans are real." It goes on to say that "the new administration is not above the US constitution"...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/education-department-book-ban-investigations

 

The "New Atheist" War on Trans People (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #564)

— FFRF, Jerry Coyne, and why the “New Atheists” have waged war against trans people. (1:45)

— Taxpayers funded this trashy, failing Mormon-based private school in Arizona. (46:45)

— Oklahoma’s new social studies standards go all in on Christian Nationalism. (57:15)

— Texas book ban backfires after school removes Bible over “sexually explicit” content. (1:06:27)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2025/01/02/the-new-atheist-war-on-trans-people/

One Thing You Should Know About Project 2025

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iv08p8UrEe4

Minnesota lawmaker: Public schools engage in "censorship" by not teaching creationism

A Minnesota Republican lawmaker opposed a major education bill that, among other things, would prevent book banning by school districts because he argued that public schools are already in the censorship business.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2bJUbsXpQU

Librarians Are Not Groomers (w/Heath Umbreit) (Conspirituality podcast #201)

When Moms For Liberty attacks libraries with demands to ban books about MLK Jr and age-appropriate sex education, and claims that librarians are grooming their children into the trans agenda, they’re enacting the worst forms of neo-fascist bullying. But they’re also paradoxically defending a troubled American legacy against a librarian culture attempting to course-correct towards greater inclusion.

To discuss this problem, Matthew talks to Heath Umbreit, a reference librarian who works at a public library in the northeastern U.S. Mis- and disinformation has been a professional and personal interest of theirs for several years; Heath's study of the phenomenon focuses on a critical examination of popular narratives about disinformation, the concept of epistemic supremacy, and the ways in which information and disinformation intersect with systemic power differentials in American society.
Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-tf9q2-1e29cd61

Prohibited Books and other Separation of Church and State news (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

This week we talk about:

• Christian nationalism, 
• leaving the Mormon Church, and 
• religion in the classroom. 
• After listening to part of our TV interview with Rep. Jared Huffman about the theocratic Speaker of the House, 
• we talk with historian Robin Vose, author of The Index of Prohibited Books: Four Centuries of Struggle Over Word and Image for the Greater Glory of God.

Interview: 

https://ffrf.org/news/radio/show-items/item/43409-freethought-radio-february-15-2024

Awesome Dad Takes Book Banners To Class

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVcqabQzrIE

Democrats go after GOP’s ‘anti-history record’ with billboard ads | The Hill

The billboards feature a photo of Haley, DeSantis and Trump and say "MAGA's America" includes whitewashing slavery, erasing history, banning books and parroting Hitler...

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4381374-democratic-national-committee-desantis-haley-trump-2024-election-attack-gops-anti-history-record-billboard-ads/

"Robert E. Lee Was NOT One Of The Founding Fathers"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj36H9jx1Ok

Weekly Roundup: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

On the first segment Dan and Brad begrudgingly discuss Lauren Boebrert’s Beetlejuice scandal – and what it reveals about the Christian nationalist persona she’s cultivated.

In the second segment, they discuss a myriad of issues – from the firing of a teacher for teaching the Diary of Anne Frank to supposed discrimination against Whites at West Point to the charge that Merrick Garland thinks all Catholics are religious extremists.

In the final segment they discuss the Alabama redistricting case – and what it we now know about the dark money network funding the state’s defiance of the federal government. Spoiler alert: it’s an attempt to once and for all nullify the Voting Rights Act.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-beetlejuice-beetlejuice-beetlejuice/

Opinion | Behold the Free Speech Chutzpah of the Republican Party - The New York Times

These civil libertarian claims of unconstitutional suppression of speech come from the same Republican Party that is leading the charge to censor the teaching of what it calls divisive concepts about race, the same party that expelled two Democratic members of the Tennessee state legislature who loudly called for more gun control after a school shooting, the same party that threatens to impeach a liberal judge in North Carolina for speaking out about racial bias, the same party that has aided and abetted book banning in red states across the country…

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/opinion/republicans-democrats-free-speech.html

How new state laws and book ban movements have made the teaching of US history contentious – 5 essential reads

"Of course, some white students – and other students, too, for that matter – will feel uncomfortable upon learning not only about the history of American racism but also its present manifestations," Pincus wrote. "Reality is sometimes uncomfortable."

https://theconversation.com/how-new-state-laws-and-book-ban-movements-have-made-the-teaching-of-us-history-contentious-5-essential-reads-208576

This Year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvFxNONPvcY

Opinion | In a deep red Florida county, a student-teacher revolt shames the right - The Washington Post

But the real story of the night was the response. Again and again, parents and students forcefully defended teachers. They cast the right's attacks, the censoring of educators and the removal of books as the real threats to education…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/01/hernando-county-ron-desantis-book-bans-democratic-governors/