Washington Governor Signs Bill Mandating Critical Race Training in Public Schools

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law a bill that incorporates the doctrine of “equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism” into the training for all K–12 educators across the state.

Under Senate Bill 5044 (pdf)—which passed the state legislature in April—school districts in Washington must use one of three professional learning days to specifically train all staff in the topics of “cultural competency, diversity, equity, or inclusion.”

Those topics were among several listed in the bill’s text: “The legislature plans to continue the important work of dismantling institutional racism in public schools and recognizes the importance of increasing equity, diversity, inclusion, antiracism, and cultural competency training throughout the entire public school system by providing training programs for classified staff, certificated instructional staff, certificated administrative staff, superintendents, and school directors that will be provided in an ongoing manner.”

Proponents of the bill, according to a state Senate report (pdf), said it would help educators better support those who are “immigrants and students of color” and that it would make students “feel safe, heard, and understood.” But opponents have called it a “divisive” and “dangerous” bill based on critical race theory (CRT), through which students would be taught to “judge others based on the color of their skin.”

Some key concepts in the bill, such as “equity,” “systemic racism,” and “antiracism,” are popular among advocates of CRT, an outgrowth from Marxism that views society through the lens of a race-based power struggle.

Equity—in contrast to equal opportunity—seeks to create equal outcomes by redistributing resources along lines of perceived economic or racial disparities. In the name of equity, New York City replaced the competitive entry exam for its Gifted and Talented programs with a lottery so that more black and Hispanic students could qualify for such classes.

https://www.ntd.com/washington-governor-signs-bill-mandating-critical-race-training-in-public-schools_610411.html

Sen. Mitt Romney Censured by Utah County Republican Party

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was censured over the weekend by the Weber County, Utah, Republican Party for voting to convict former President Donald Trump in the Senate’s second impeachment trial of him earlier this year.

The resolution to censure Romney, a former presidential candidate, was passed 116-97 by members of the Weber County GOP, County Party Secretary Jill Koford told the Salt Lake Tribune.

“The Weber County Republican Convention censures Mitt Romney for his votes to convict President Trump in two U.S. Senate impeachment trials which denied the President due process, allowed falsified evidence, did not provide adequate time for an investigation, and did not follow the U.S. Constitution which states a President may only be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors,” the Weber County GOP’s resolution said.

The resolution also thanked Utah Republicans including Sen. Mike Lee and Reps. Chris Stewart, John Curtis, Blake Moore, and Burgess Owens for voting against the articles of impeachment earlier this year.

“You have six years between elections of senators, and I think it’s important to let Senator Romney know the delegates are not satisfied with what he’s doing,” said Bryan Gray, who sponsored Saturday’s censure of Romney, according to KUTV.

“I’m not here to divide the party by censuring Mitt Romney,” Gray also said, as reported by The Standard newspaper. “I’m here to make him aware of how he divided the party.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Romney’s office for comment.

Romney, who voted to convict Trump during his first impeachment trial—the only Republican to do so—said that he voted to convict in February because he believed Trump attempted to “corrupt an election to keep oneself in power” with post-Nov. 3 election challenges and statements. The House Democrat-led impeachment said that Trump was partially responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

https://www.ntd.com/sen-mitt-romney-censured-by-utah-county-republican-party_610351.html

Street Parties Celebrate End of Spain’s State of Emergency

BARCELONA, Spain—Impromptu street celebrations erupted across Spain as the clock struck midnight on Saturday, when a six-month-long national state of emergency to contain the spread of coronavirus ended and many nighttime curfews were lifted.

In Madrid, police had to usher revelers out of the central Puerta del Sol square, where the scenes of unmasked dancing and group singing mimicked pre-pandemic nightlife.

Teenagers and young adults also poured into central squares and beaches of Barcelona to mark the relaxation of restrictions.

“Freedom!” said Juan Cadavid, who was reconnecting with friends. “(It’s) a bit scary, you know, because of COVID, but I want to feel like this around a lot of people.”

The 25-year-old Barcelona resident was also rejoicing at the prospect of going back to work at a Michelin-star restaurant that has been closed for the past seven months due to pandemic-related restrictions.

Local restaurants will be able to serve dinner again beginning Sunday and can stay open until 11 p.m. But a limit of four people per table remains and indoor dining is limited to 30 percent of capacity.

Police in Madrid said that local law enforcement officers intervened in more than 450 incidents in which restrictions were being flaunted, prompting the Spanish capital’s mayor to call the scenes depicted by videos of street parties on social media “deplorable.”

“Freedom doesn’t involve holding booze parties in the street because street drinking is not allowed in the city of Madrid,” Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida said Sunday, appealing for citizens to behave responsibly.

“Each one of us needs to understand that we live in a society,” he continued, adding that the end of curfews “doesn’t mean that the pandemic has ended.”

With the end of the state of emergency, bans on traveling across Spain’s regions have also been lifted and many curbs on social gatherings were relaxed. Only four of the country’s 19 regions and autonomous cities are keeping curfews in place.

https://www.ntd.com/street-parties-celebrate-end-of-spains-state-of-emergency_610362.html

More dog comms

Sadiq Khan is seen walking his Labrador Luna after winning second term as London mayor - as he retweets congratulations from fellow left-wing city chiefs across the globe

Sadiq Khan won a second term as London Mayor after polling 1,206,034 votes

Shaun Bailey, his Conservative challenger, had performed better than expected

Today he received congratulations from mayors in Paris, Florence and Sydney

Sadiq Khan was today relishing his election victory as he retweeted congratulations from from left-wing mayors across the world.

Out for a walk with dog Luna this afternoon, the newly re-elected London Mayor was taking his more than 200,000-vote majority in his stride.

Mr Khan polled 1,206,034 votes to Conservative challenger Shaun Bailey's 977, 601, after failing to win in first preference votes alone.

But despite seeing his majority cut from 2016's result there was an outpouring of congratulatory messages with several coming from left-wing mayors around the globe which Mr Khan was happy to retweet.

Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, tweeted: 'Congratulations to my London counterpart and friend @SadiqKhan on his re-election as the mayor of the city. Paris is standing side by side with you and London.'

A member of the Socialist Party (PS), Hidalgo is the first woman to hold the office.

Dario Nardella, Florence's centre-left mayor said: 'congratulations my friend @SadiqKhan! Your re-election is another hope for Europe of rights, environment and peace, the Europe of cities! Let’s work again together @EUROCITIES #LondonMayoralElection.'

Mr Khan replied: 'Thank you Dario. It's never been more important that we unite to solve the great challenges facing our cities - and I look forward to continued collaboration on our shared vision of a fairer, safer and greener future.'

Erion Veliaj, the socialist mayor of Albanian capital Tirana pointed out that the 'great news' had come on Europe Day.

'Congrats Sadiq, and Godspeed! Thanks to everyone who pulled for our friend @SadiqKhan - he will continue to be a most progressive mayor and keep London a global example of openness and resilience in these challenging times! Bravo!'

More

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9559445/Sadiq-Khan-seen-walking-dog-Luna-retweets-congratulations-fellow-left-wing-city-chiefs.html

Biden Playing Shell Games With Illegal Kids at the Border

The Biden administration said last week that it had gotten better control of the surge of illegal immigrant children crowding immigration facilities at the border.

That’s a true statement. What the administration didn’t bother to mention was the fact that the reason they had better control is that they’re playing a shell game with the illegals, moving them from overcrowded border patrol facilities to shelters operated by HHS. Those shelters — in convention centers along the border — are now even more crowded than the CBP detention centers they left.

New York Times:

In all, over the past week, more than 21,000 children were living in shelters under government care, leaving the shelters around 80 percent full. A shelter at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas has a capacity of 2,270 — and a caseload of 1,990. The San Diego Convention Center’s 1,450 beds are all taken. The Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio is 90 children away from its 2,100 limit and announced on Friday it would stop taking in migrant children after this month. The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center is similarly full, according to the document.

According to the document, a $366 million shortfall hits this month “and grows quickly through July.” Officials project the cost for the entire 2021 fiscal year could be higher than $8 billion.

If they’re going to stay, the kids are probably better off in the convention centers. It’s better than sleeping on the floor with only a tinfoil blanket. But rather than try to change the perception that border-crossers will be turned back immediately, the Biden administration appears to be preparing for an even greater influx of new arrivals.

The United States has also been increasingly allowing migrant families to enter the country because of new barriers to sheltering families in Mexico. As a result, the administration has struggled to find space for them and has turned to housing them in hotels before releasing them into the country.

The administration is expected to expand the number of hotels holding families this weekend, according to a senior homeland security official, a sign of the potential increase in crossings by migrants in the near future.

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey:

That certainly doesn’t sound like Biden and his team have the border crisis under control. It sounds more like the White House is spending more and more resources to deal with the aftermath of a migrant wave rather than erecting barriers — physical and otherwise — to prevent it in the first place. Even if those first-stage facilities have been emptied out temporarily, that limited free space won’t last for very long.

And while the NYT gives a credulous take on the temporary relief in those first-stage facilities, remember that Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) says even that’s a fugazy. “All they’re doing is moving kids from one tent to the other tent and saying oh, they’re out of Border Patrol custody but they’re next door, next door in HHS,” Cuellar revealed earlier this week. Given the deluge of migrants illegally crossing the border, even that shell game won’t last for long.

The Biden administration has dealt with this crisis by sweeping the news of it under the rug. They still aren’t allowing press access to the facilities without DHS permission, which appears to be just fine with the media. What they would have screamed about during the Trump years gets only silence today.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2021/05/09/biden-playing-shell-games-with-illegal-kids-at-the-border-n1445638