The problem(s) with Markwayne Mullin’s defense of Pete Hegseth

…Mullin seemed to suggest that Hegseth's alleged alcohol abuse is unimportant because, by his telling, he's seen senators drunk while on the job, too. 

In other words, as far as the Senate Republican is concerned, there's no point in trying to hold a Pentagon secretary to a higher standard because Mullin has seen politicians fail to meet those same standards.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/problems-markwayne-mullins-defense-pete-hegseth-rcna187762

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/

Biden administration imposes first-ever staff minimum for nursing homes - The Washington Post

The Biden administration set a first-ever minimum staffing rule for nursing homes Monday, making good on the president's promise more than two years ago to seek improvements in care for the nation's 1.2 million nursing home residents. 

The final rule, proposed in September, requires a registered nurse to be on-site in every skilled nursing facility for 24 hours a day, seven days a week...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/04/22/nursing-home-staff-minimum/

DeSantis Faces Swell of Criticism Over Florida’s New Standards for Black History - The New York Times

By saying that violence was perpetrated not just against but "by African Americans," the standards seem to grasp at teaching "both sides" of history, said LaGarrett King, the director of the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education at the University at Buffalo. 

But historically, he said, "it's just not accurate." 

By and large, historians say, race massacres during the early 1900s were led by white groups, often to stop Black residents from voting...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/21/us/desantis-florida-black-history-standards.html

Does funding matter for schools? Most studies say yes. - Vox

For instance, he would like to see extra resources earmarked to attract and retain good teachers in high-poverty schools, a policy he found worked in Dallas. 

So should policymakers spend more dollars on public schools, attached to certain requirements? Hanushek's answer: "Yes."…

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/5/16/23724474/school-funding-research-studies-hanushek-does-money-matter

‘State-sanctioned violence’: US police fail to meet basic human rights standards

Report finds not one police department in the 20 largest American cities are compliant with international rights laws
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/22/us-police-human-rights-standards-report

State lawmakers across the U.S. wage war on science instruction - CBS News

With the impact of warming temperatures and rising sea levels looming large on communities around the globe, it's more important than ever to ensure that students are knowledgeable about climate change and the science behind it. But state representatives around the country are introducing bills that would undermine educators' abilities to do that.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-lawmakers-wage-war-on-science-instruction-cbsn-originals/

How decades of L.A. smog led to California’s war with Trump over car pollution - The Washington Post

"People don't realize just how bad it was and how much better it is today," said one local historian.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/09/21/how-decades-la-smog-led-californias-war-with-trump-over-car-pollution/

McConnell’s wife undermines ENTIRE Republican Party in stunning move

BREAKING: Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell’s wife and Trump’s Transportation Secretary, just undermined the entire Republican platform in a stunning moment.....
https://youtu.be/EgoThiHCR-I

The Trump Administration Will Prevent California From Setting Its Own Fuel Efficiency Standards - Mother Jones

The Trump administration is expected to announce on Wednesday that it will strip California from having any legal authority to require stricter tailpipe pollution standards than the federal government, the New York Times reported Tuesday. ....
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/09/the-trump-administration-will-prevent-california-from-setting-its-own-fuel-efficiency-standards/

Trump slams auto execs as 'foolish' after they bucked his emissions rules rollback - POLITICO

Trump appeared to be referring to reports that his plan stands threatened by automakers planning to adhere to stronger regulations anyway....
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/21/donald-trump-auto-executives-emissions-1470635

Evolution Is Still True, but... - Scientific American Blog Network

50 years after the infamous “monkey law” was struck down, anti-evolution fanatics continue to fight it, in ever sneakier ways....

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/evolution-is-still-true-but/

Arizona Asked a Young Earth Creationist to Review Evolution Teaching Standards | David G. McAfee

A Young Earth Creationist who says he was called by God to “teach from the Biblical creation perspective” is part of a team in charge of reviewing Arizona’s science standards for teaching evolution. To the surprise of absolutely no one, it’s not going well....

http://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/09/14/arizona-asked-a-young-earth-creationist-to-review-evolution-teaching-standards/

2 key environmental policies Scott Pruitt was dismantling this week amid his scandals - Vox

The EPA is weakening how it devises standards on hazardous chemicals. ...
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/9/17441484/scott-pruitt-epa-chemicals-cost-benefit-analysis

Schools chief proposes eliminating references to evolution in science standards – Arizona Capitol Times

The state’s top school official is trying to downplay – and in some cases remove entirely – references to evolution in the standards of what students are supposed to be taught in Arizona high schools.....

https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2018/05/21/schools-chief-proposes-eliminating-references-to-evolution-in-science-standards/

People are saying education reform hasn’t worked. Don’t believe them. - The Washington Post

Lately, a lot of people in Washington are saying that education reform hasn’t worked very well. Don’t believe it.....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/people-are-saying-education-reform-hasnt-worked-dont-believe-them/2018/04/01/6fddf5b0-3399-11e8-8bdd-cdb33a5eef83_story.html

Why EPA's U-turn on auto efficiency rules gives China the upper hand - The Conversation US

The Trump administration announced a plan to relax fuel economy standards, but well-designed regulations can drive clean car innovations that make U.S. industry globally competitive. ...
https://theconversation.com/why-epas-u-turn-on-auto-efficiency-rules-gives-china-the-upper-hand-93840

If You Love Spending More on Gas, Trump Has Some Good News - Mother Jones

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency ended yet another key climate policy from the Obama era. EPA administrator Scott Pruitt signed a plan to roll back fuel economy standards that the EPA first finalized in 2012. The rule would have raised fuel economy standards for cars and SUVs to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. ....
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/04/if-you-love-pumping-gas-trump-has-some-good-news/

Idaho Stripped Climate Change From School Guidelines. Now, It’s a Battle. -- The New York Times

Idaho is the only state whose legislature has removed climate change from its education standards. Teachers and students testified for it to be reinstated. ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/climate/idaho-schools-climate-change.html

Trump Can Say Whatever He Likes: He’s Made Rebuilding a Safe Houston Much, Much Harder – Mother Jones

He weakened an important federal standard 10 days before the storm.....
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/08/trump-can-say-whatever-he-likes-hes-made-rebuilding-a-safe-houston-much-much-harder/