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With Israel recognizing Western Sahara as part of the Moroccan kingdom and a contentious fishing agreement between Morocco and the EU expiring, tensions are intensifying between the Polisario Front, Morocco and Algeria.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Department of Education releases finalized new policies on transgender students
The Virginia Department of Education on Tuesday released its final model policies for public schools across the state on the treatment of transgender students regarding bathrooms, athletics and the use of pronouns in the classroom — changes Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin says increase the rights of parents when it comes to their children’s upbringing.
Youngkin has argued that the 16-page model policies “on ensuring privacy, dignity and respect for all students and parents in Virginia’s public schools,” released by his administration Tuesday, are intended to prohibit discrimination while also empowering parents.
Encouraging partnership, the document explicitly states while “public schools, teachers, counselors, and administrators also play an essential role,” it is parents who “are a child’s primary and most important educator.” Regarding school restrooms, the updated guidance says, “Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.”
“To ensure that all students have access to a learning environment in which they feel comfortable and safe, where state or federal law requires schools to permit transgender students to share otherwise sex-segregated facilities (such as bathrooms or locker rooms) with students of the opposite sex, parents should be given the right to opt their child out of using such facilities, and the child should be given access to alternative facilities that promote the child’s privacy and safety,” it says. “Eligible students should be given the same right to opt out.”
YOUNGKIN AD DECLARES ‘PARENTS STILL MATTER’ AMID 2024 SPECULATION
The issue reached a fever pitch in Virginia in June 2021 when the father of a girl who was raped in a high school restroom by a so-called “boy in a skirt” in Loudon County was dragged out of a school board meeting and arrested. It was revealed the same transgender student had been accused of sexually assaulting at least two other girls elsewhere in the district before being transferred, sparking cries of a cover-up by the school board. Youngkin was elected governor in November 2021 after campaigning heavily in favor of parents’ rights.
Regarding the identification of students, new state Department of Education policies say school personnel “shall refer to each student using only the pronouns appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record — that is, male pronouns for a student whose sex is male, and female pronouns for a student whose sex is female.”
The model states no policy, guidance, training or other written material issued by the school division may encourage or instruct teachers to conceal material information about a student from the student’s parent, including information related to gender.
School personnel shall refer to a student by a name other than one in the student’s official record, or by pronouns other than those appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record if the student’s parent has instructed school staff in writing that such other name or other pronouns be used. In that case, the model states such written instruction will be memorialized in the student’s official record, but the legal name and sex of a student shall not be changed.
“Every effort should be made to ensure that a transgender student wishing to change his or her means of address is treated with respect, compassion, and dignity in the classroom and school environment,” the model states.
For any athletic program or activity that is separated by sex, the model states that “the appropriate participation of students shall be determined by sex rather than gender or gender identity,” and that school division staff “shall provide reasonable modifications to this policy only to the extent required by law.”
“This is about doing what’s best for the child,” Youngkin said in an interview with The Associated Press. “And oh, by the way, also recognizing that we need to ensure the privacy and dignity and respect of all children and all parents in the school system. And that’s what I think we have… very carefully constructed here.”
The changes have been welcomed by conservative lawmakers and advocacy groups, while some Democratic lawmakers and LGBTQ advocacy groups have strenuously objected, arguing that already vulnerable youth will be further put at risk.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukraine updates: Russia threatens Black Sea grain transport
Ukraine says Russian attacks are targeting grain export infrastructure, and Moscow has warned that any ships traveling on the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports could be considered military targets. Follow DW for more.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills expands abortion access later in pregnancy if deemed medically necessary by doctor
Maine will soon expand abortion access, joining a half dozen states that leave it to doctors and patients to make the decision without restrictions on timing.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Wednesday that allows abortions at any time if deemed medically necessary by a doctor, making the law one of the nation’s least restrictive. The previous law banned abortions after a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, at roughly 24 weeks, but allowed an exception if the patient’s life is at risk.
“Maine law should recognize that every pregnancy, like every woman, is different, and that politicians cannot and should not try to legislate the wide variety of difficult circumstances pregnant women face,” Mills said before signing the bill.
The law goes into effect 90 days after the state Legislature’s session ends in the coming weeks.
Mills had said during her reelection campaign that the old law didn’t need to be changed. But she reversed course after learning of a Maine veterinarian who needed to travel to Colorado for an abortion after learning at week 32 of her pregnancy that her unborn son had a fatal condition that would not allow him to survive.
MAINE LEGISLATURE APPROVES PROPOSAL TO EXPAND ABORTION ACCESS LATER IN PREGNANCY
The veterinarian, Dana Peirce, was present at the bill signing, standing behind the lectern alongside medical providers in white jackets, several lawmakers and the executive director of the Maine Council of Churches.
Passage of the bill was considered a foregone conclusion in the Legislature where Democrats controlled both chambers, and there were enough co-sponsors to ensure passage.
But the bill nonetheless generated emotional debate.
Critics said the law’s language was broader than necessary if the goal was simply to allow abortions in instances of a fatal fetal anomaly later in a pregnancy. They said it could lead to a dramatic increase in post-viability abortions, and that it puts too much faith in doctors to make a determination.
Large numbers of protesters were not in the State House on Wednesday as they were during the legislative debate. Instead, a lone demonstrator stood outside the governor’s cabinet room holding a sign that called the law a “death sentence” for unborn babies in red letters.
Abortions later in pregnancy, known as termination for medical reasons or TFMRs, are rare. Nationally, about 1% happen after 21 weeks, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallies, which do not have full data from every state.
Nationally, many Republican-controlled states are doing just the opposite from what Maine did by either banning or restricting abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a patient’s constitutional right to an abortion, leaving it up to individual states to regulate the procedure.
Most Democratic-controlled states have taken steps to protect abortion access, though none has gone as far as Maine since the Supreme Court ruling last year.
Beside Maine, six states leave the decision to get an abortion to doctors and their patients, without restrictions. They are Alaska, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont, plus Washington, D.C.
On Wednesday, Peirce recounted her painful decision to have an abortion to spare further pain for her unborn son, and she said she’s pleased that others facing the same circumstances will have a choice to have an abortion in Maine.
“I do want to recognize that another mother might not make the choice that I did, but I would never seek to take that decision away from her,” Peirce said.
The Rev. Jane Field of the Maine Council of Churches said that the group’s more than 400 congregations support the bill rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to abortion.
“We do not believe that anyone should be forced to remain pregnant by the govern
Jason Aldean’s controversial ‘Small Town’ video cut by CMT, song skyrockets to number 1 amid backlash
Jason Aldean has lost the support of Country Music Television (CMT), with the network confirming to Fox News Digital they have pulled the musician’s “Try This In A Small Town” music video from circulation.
A representative for the network did not provide more context for the decision, however Aldean has received immense backlash from the public, with some suggesting it is a “pro-lynching song” – a narrative Aldean adamantly denies.
In the video, Aldean’s lyrics are sung while news coverage from the 2020 riots illustrates his message. “Cuss out a cop spit in his face / stomp on the flag and light it up,” Aldean sings, along with footage of the described instances.
Aldean’s song has skyrocketed to success given all the controversy, sitting as ITunes’ No. 1 song at the time of publication.
COUNRY SINGER JASON ALDEAN ANGERS LIBERAL ACTIVISTS WITH ANTI-CRIME, PRO-GUN SONG ABOUT 2020 RIOTS
A representative for Aldean’s record label, BBR Music Group, did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment, nor did representatives for the singer.
TackleBox, the production company which produced his music video, shared in a statement to Fox News Digital that the location is a “popular filming location outside of Nashville,” which Aldean did not select himself.
Several movies and music videos have been filmed at the location. “Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false,” they added.
Throughout the video, Aldean can be seen singing in front of a large white house with an American flag in the background.
On Tuesday, Aldean addressed the controversial response to his song.
“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” he told his social media followers.
“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it – and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage – and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far.”
Aldean then referenced his direct connection to mass violence, reminding his followers that he was performing during the horrific Route 91 Harvest music festival in 2017, where a man opened fire and killed 61 individuals, impacting the lives of thousands of people.
“As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91 – where so many lost their lives – and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy,” he said in reference to the Nashville school shooting in March that killed six people.
“NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart. ‘Try That In A Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.”
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He went on to stress, “My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we got at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to – that’s what this song is about.”
When the song was released in May, Aldean said, “To me, this song summarizes the way a lot of people feel about the world right now. It seems like there are bad things happening on a daily basis, and that feels unfamiliar to a lot of us. This song sheds some light on that.”
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Aldean was also defended by his wife Brittany, who shared a photo of the two on the beach with the caption, “Never apologize for speaking the truth.”
She had earlier shared to her Instagram story a more pointed statement, writing in part, “Media.. it’s the same song and dance. Twist everything you can to fit your repulsive narrative.”
Nurses could be close to a deal with N.J. hospital as strike looms
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Mass protests are a ‘tribute’ to Israel’s democracy, President Herzog tells US Congress
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‘The front is a disgrace’: Prigozhin says Wagner troops won’t fight in Ukraine now. Live updates.
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‘Gay Democrat’ who wants ‘to do what is right’ steps forward as second IRS Hunter Biden whistleblower
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