ELECTION DAY SPECIAL

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WASHINGTON D.C. - With the election just five days away, the rhetoric from Democrat leaders and their allies has taken a distinct and ominous turn.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Democrat Party is actively preparing its constituency for what it perceives as an existential threat: a Republican victory next week.

Leading figures in the party, from the sitting president to the vice president and beyond, are cultivating a narrative that dehumanizes Republicans, primes their supporters for violent resistance, and sets the stage for a crisis that could threaten the very stability of the republic.

These efforts go hand-in-hand with a series of wargames, including the Democracy Futures Project held less than six months ago in Washington, D.C., where 175 of the most senior and influential government officials, academics, activists, governors, cabinet members, military officers, and grassroots leaders came together to normalize the concept of overturning the outcome of the presidential election if Donald Trump wins in November. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - When Michigan created an election misinformation hotline, people flooded the email address with jokes, spam, and attacks on the hotline itself.

Almost all of the reports were from people attacking the hotline, signing it up for email lists, and sending offensive or apparently satirical material, according to a Michigan Capitol Confidential review of the 818 pages of complaints sent to the hotline from Aug. 1, 2024, through Aug. 7, 2024, the first week of the hotline’s operation. CapCon received the documents through a record request.

The Michigan Department of State announced the project in August. The hotline allows anyone to report what it calls “election misinformation” to the Department of State.

“The act of spreading misinformation about the election process, voter rights, or even an issue on the ballot is a serious threat to election security,” the department said. “These efforts – be they foreign, domestic, partisan, or simply malicious – are designed to sow mistrust in our elections process and are damaging to a healthy democracy.” Click here to read more.

Refer a friend

 

CHICAGO, IL - State test scores are in for Chicago Public Schools, and fewer than 1-in-3 students could read and fewer than 1-in-5 do math at their elementary grade level in 2024.

It was worse for the district’s 11th graders: fewer than 1 in 4 could read and math scores dropped nearly a percentage point from 2023.

The Illinois Report Card released Oct. 30 showed 30.5% of CPS students in third through eighth grade read at grade level in 2024 compared to 25.9% the previous school year. Math proficiency increased to 18.3% in 2024 from 17.5% in 2023.

Among Chicago’s 11th graders, only 22.4% could read at grade level in 2024 and 18.6% performed math proficiently, up just one-tenth of a percentage point in reading since the previous school year and down nearly one percentage point in math. Both reading and math proficiency for Chicago 11th graders remained below 2019 levels.

Absenteeism continued to hover well above the pre-pandemic rate of 24% in 2019 as Chicago schools continue to struggle to engage students, especially minority and low-income students. That means 1 in 4 CPS student missed 10% or more of the school year.

While the data reveals some gains, there is still more to be done. The district must make up for the learning losses and disengagement suffered by students after school closures during the pandemic, plus ensure every Chicago student is engaged and prepared to read and perform math at grade level. Click here to read more.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who took in an orphaned squirrel and made it a social media star vowed Saturday that New York state's decision to seize and euthanize the animal "won't go unheard."

We will make a stance on how this government and New York state utilizes their resources," Mark Longo said in a phone interview.

He declined to specify his possible next steps but said officials would hear from him soon about what happened to Peanut the squirrel and Fred, a rescued raccoon that was also confiscated and put down.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation took the animals Wednesday from Longo's home and animal sanctuary in rural Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border. The agency said it had gotten complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally and potentially unsafely.

State law requires people to get a license if they wish to own a wild animal. Longo has said he was working to get Peanut — also known as P'Nut or PNUT — certified as an educational animal. Click here to read more.

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF - Imane Khelif, an Olympic boxer from Algeria who won a gold medal in the women’s division at the 2024 Summer Olympics, is confirmed to be a biological male with a sex development condition, according to a French journalist who obtained a medical report, Reduxx reported Monday.

Over the summer, Khelif dominated the Paris Olympics, winning every single round and every single judge’s card in the welterweight women’s division, despite failing gender tests in 2019 and 2023.

A copy of the alleged medical report says an MRI determined, “Khelif had no uterus, but instead had internal testicles and a ‘micropenis’ resembling an enlarged clitoris,” Reduxx reported. The fighter also has XY chromosomes and testosterone levels typical of males.

The French journalist, Djaffar Air Aoudia, also said the test suggests Khelif’s parents are possibly blood relatives. Click here to read more.

EAST LANSING, Mich - I obtained an email that was sent to Michigan State University students from Amanda Flores, Ph.D. the Associate Director of the office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Partnerships.

The email says “On Election Day and in the days that follow, faculty and students at Michigan State University are preparing to engage in open discussions, process diverse reactions, and foster a supportive environment as they navigate the political outcomes and their impact on the campus community.”

 

On Friday, November 1st, The University paid to have Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian from Syracuse University lead a virtual interactive workshop on Facilitating Classroom Conversations on the Current Political Climate: A Trauma-Informed Dialogic Approach.

The email to students suggests they should, “consider your self-care, take breaks if needed, recognize when you have to step away, and allow for self-reflection. The email also said students might not be prepared to engage on Election Day or post-Election Day conversations immediately, but you can assess your mental and well-being by reflecting on this question.

The email lists some of these tips to deal with the outcome of the election:

 

MSU also linked to UC Berkley which has a guide on how to deal with election stress.

The email cites informatoin from author Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian from Syracuse University who held a seminar on campus back on November 1.

The session was called — Faciliating conversations on the Current Political Climate: A Trauma-Informed Dialogic Approach. The presentation focused on her work with the Trauma-informed Equity-minded Asset-based Model (TEAM).

What is your take about this messaging from Michigan State University?