Seattle Public Schools is effectively killing off its gifted and talented program‚ caving to leftists in and outside the district who have long complained about the racial demographics of the Highly Capable Cohort program‚ which evidently failed to satisfy their utopian expectations. Forsaking quality and meritocracy‚ SPS has indicated it will instead pursue an alternative that will supposedly be "more inclusive‚ equitable‚ and culturally sensitive." Background State law has long required that Washington schools provide and maintain programs "for highly capable students." Qualifying students are those "who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age‚ experiences‚ or environments. Outstanding abilities are seen within students' general intellectual aptitudes‚ specific academic abilities‚ and/or creative productivities within a specific domain." By virtue of highly capable students of any race being academically superior to other students‚ they are necessarily unequal. The Seattle Times reported that as of last year‚ the HCC comprised roughly 5‚700 students. This cohort is made up of those who scored in the top 2% on standardized exams. Unsurprisingly‚ recognition of this inequality has been a sore point for leftists who figure that education ought not only to standardize generations of children by their low standards but also to produce so-called equitable outcomes. Former SPS superintendent Denis Juneau called for dismantling the HCC program in 2019‚ claiming‚ "It is very [racially] disproportionate." The identitarian NAACP Youth Council and other leftist groups have championed the elimination of the program in the years since‚ claiming it was "built upon a foundation of white supremacy and constructed with the intent to perpetuate the segregation of schools on the basis of race and socioeconomic status." The NAACP Youth Council noted that in the 2020-2021 school year‚ only 1.8% of the district's 8‚130 black students‚ then amounting to 15% of the student body‚ were eligible for the HCC. 13.4% of Asian students and 63.2% of white students‚ who altogether accounted for 13.1% and 45.6% of the overall student body‚ respectively‚ were eligible. 16.2% of mixed-race students and 5.25% of Hispanics were eligible. In the 2022-2023 school year‚ the Seattle Times indicated that 52% of HCC students at SPS were white‚ 16% were Asian‚ and 3.4% were black. "We‚ the NAACP Youth Council‚ want the HCC program abolished from SPS‚" wrote the identitarians. "Every student deserves an equitable and anti-racist education that recognizes their brilliance. A program built to discriminate against students has no room for fixing." Indistinction SPS began phasing out HCC schools in 2021. All will apparently be eliminated by 2027. In the way of HCC institutions affiliated with the district‚ there are presently three elementary schools‚ five middle schools‚ and three high schools. The next step in the war on excellence and distinction will be the implementation of the so-called "Highly Capable Neighborhood School Model" in every school beginning in September 2024. Under this model‚ students of all abilities will be lumped into the same classroom. Teachers will then reportedly be tasked with creating individualized learning plans for each of their 20 to 30 students. According to SPS‚ "All teachers will provide teaching and learning that is delivered with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and differentiated to meet the needs of students within their grade level. The approach includes three tiers of service for students depending on individual needs‚ delivered in a way that honors individual cultures and backgrounds." While all students will participate in Tier 1 learning‚ individuals flagged as needing more advanced or involved learning will be awarded Tier 2 services. After participating in Tier 1 and Tier 2 services‚ students‚ now assessed yearly‚ found still needing "something in addition to meet their complex needs‚" will receive Tier 3 services. Critics suspect that SPS will ultimately bungle the implementation of its new scheme‚ especially because its $105 million deficit means it lacks the funds to train teachers on how to help highly capable students‚ reported the Seattle Times. Teachers have complained anonymously to KOMO-TV that the district has provided teachers with no extra time‚ aid in the classroom‚ curricular help‚ or compensation to meet the unique needs of every student in a single classroom. "I was a classroom teacher for 14 years. It's really hard to provide services to students when you have a group of kindergartners learning phonics and then you have a kindergarten[er] that's like fluently reading Harry Potter‚" said Reby Parsley‚ a gifted education specialist with the Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted. "It seems to me that kids on maybe both extremes are going to be underserved‚" Erika Ruberry‚ a parent of a second-grader at a HCC elementary‚ told the Times. Karen Stukovsky‚ a mother who has three kids at HCC schools‚ said‚ "You have some kids who can barely read and some kids who are reading 'Harry Potter' in first grade or kindergarten. How are you going to not only get those kids up to grade level and also challenge those kids who are already way above grade level?" Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Biden administration's new emissions rule that would have required states to set greenhouse gas reduction targets to receive federal highway funding‚ the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.What's the background?The day before Thanksgiving‚ the Biden administration's Federal Highway Administration announced new regulations forcing state departments of transportation to "establish declining carbon dioxide" goals‚ Blaze News previously reported. The White House and the rule's supporters touted the measure as having "flexibility" because it did "not mandate how low targets must be." According to the new rule‚ the targets and the progress made toward those targets would "be used to inform the future investment decisions of the Federal Government."Critics argued that the Biden administration was using the rule to force Americans to switch to electric vehicles or public transportation. Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer released a statement in November accusing the "Biden bureaucracy" of "returning to their stale playbook of inventing illegal‚ punitive regulatory schemes.""This final rule is contrary to congressional intent‚ usurps state authority by putting the federal government in the driver's seat‚ and is fundamentally unworkable in rural states like North Dakota‚" Cramer added.Emissions rule faces legal challengeA coalition of 21 states filed a lawsuit in December against the president‚ the United States Department of Transportation‚ and the Federal Highway Administration‚ claiming the agencies lacked the authority to regulate emissions or force states to follow the new measures‚ Courthouse News Service reported.The plaintiff states in the case included Kentucky‚ South Dakota‚ Alabama‚ Alaska‚ Arkansas‚ Florida‚ Idaho‚ Indiana‚ Iowa‚ Kansas‚ Mississippi‚ Montana‚ Nebraska‚ North Dakota‚ Ohio‚ Oklahoma‚ South Carolina‚ Utah‚ Virginia‚ West Virginia‚ and Wyoming.Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) argued that the rule would impact "the American economy" by requiring states to "make choices about projects‚ contracts‚ and regulations in order to meet the declining targets.""Any mandated decline in on-road CO2 emissions will disproportionately affect states with more rural areas‚" Cameron wrote in the suit."States with fewer metropolitan areas have fewer options available to them to reduce CO2. Many of the ideas for how states can decrease GHG emissions — congestion pricing‚ road pricing‚ ramp metering‚ increased coordination with transit and non motorized improvements‚ paying fees to scrap low mileage heavy duty vehicles — are options more conducive to metropolitan areas‚ not rural ones‚" he continued. "Low population densities limit the efficacy of public transit and congestion pricing as options that would reduce vehicle miles traveled and‚ consequently‚ CO2 emissions."United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky Judge Benjamin Beaton‚ appointed by former President Trump‚ blocked the Biden administration's rule on Monday.In his opinion‚ Beaton declared‚ "Even assuming Congress gave the Administrator authority to set environmental performance standards that embrace CO2‚ the Administrator exercised that authority in an arbitrary and capricious manner."Beaton agreed that the rule lacked a statutory basis. However‚ he did not enjoin the regulation's enforcement or vacate it. A spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration told the DCNF‚ "The Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration remain committed to supporting the Biden-Harris Administration's climate goals of cutting carbon pollution in half by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.""We are reviewing the court's decision and determining next steps‚" the spokesperson added. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While the NFL has gotten its panties in a twist over tackling‚ it don’t seem to mind if the players commit legitimate crimes off the field. In 2007‚ Roger Goodell was pressured into becoming the law and order commissioner in order to address the bad behavior of NFL players. 17 years later‚ it’s quite clear it isn’t working out. Most recently‚ Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice and former Lions defensive back Cam Sutton were wanted fugitives for serious crimes. Rice was involved in a car chase that led to an accident that put lives at risk. Sutton had been wanted for several weeks in Florida for his involvement in a domestic violence issue before turning himself in. “The only thing that has changed since 2007 is corporate media and Mike Florio were incentivized to pick new topics‚” Jason Whitlock says‚ disappointed. “NFL player conduct policy‚ a complete and total failure. Nothing’s changed.” Steve Kim agrees‚ saying that the media has given NFL players “not just kid-gloves treatment‚ but hands-off treatment of those who break the law.” “We’re not talking about speeding tickets or just moving violations or parking tickets‚ we’re talking about putting other lives in danger‚” Kim says. Kim believes this is reflective of the social justice obsession that’s plagued the NFL over the past five or six years. “Crime is now about the past‚ it is not about individual responsibility. It’s about generational trauma and all these other terms that they’re going to jin up to basically excuse the behavior and place no accountability on the individuals‚” he explains. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture‚ faith‚ sports‚ and comedy with Jason Whitlock‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

A Texas National Guard soldier admitted that he demonstrated a serious lapse in judgment after officials reportedly caught him attempting to smuggle an illegal alien across the southern border in a government-issued SUV that also had a weapon inside.Just before 4 p.m. last Sunday‚ an unidentified Texas National Guard soldier was arrested in or near Kinney County‚ Texas‚ after the government vehicle he had been driving at some point also carried a passenger suspected of being an illegal immigrant‚ according to reporting from Ali Bradley‚ a NewsNation journalist covering the southern border.Law enforcement became suspicious after the soldier quickly "turned around when he approached a pop-up tactical Border Patrol checkpoint off 674 in Kinney County that had only been operational for a few days‚" Bradley wrote‚ citing Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe. Agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety then began pursuing the vehicle and ultimately brought it to a stop using spike strips.After the driver‚ who was wearing street clothes‚ had been extricated from the vehicle‚ the officers on the scene seemed to sense immediately that they'd stumbled upon a sensitive case involving one of their own. When examining various cards ostensibly removed from the driver's wallet‚ several officials try to determine the driver's military affiliation."National Guard? State Guard?" one officer asks."He said Army‚" another replies.The officer whose bodycam footage Bradley shared sighs heavily throughout the video. When the driver alerts him that there is a weapon inside the vehicle‚ the officer exclaims‚ "Oh‚ you got a weapon in the vehicle‚ too? Jesus Christ‚ man!" The presence of the weapon "escalated the smuggling charge‚" Bradley reported‚ though the exact charges against the driver remain unclear.When asked why he had attempted to evade police‚ the driver states that he was "very scared." As he is placed in handcuffs‚ he adds‚ "Man‚ I am so stupid." "Yeah‚ you are f***ing stupid‚ man‚" another officer quickly retorts. — (@) No other individual appears to have been in the vehicle at the time the driver was arrested. However‚ multiple officers reported having seen at least one person "bail[] out‚" likely from the vehicle in question. "I saw the one on the fence‚" one officer stated. Another brief exchange caught on the video indicated that a "Hispanic male" had been spotted in connection with the vehicle‚ but most of the details of that conversation are inaudible. According to Bradley‚ the driver had allegedly been "promised" somewhere between $5‚000 and $6‚000 to smuggle the alleged illegal alien. The driver was reportedly deployed to Eagle Pass‚ Texas‚ from McAllen as part of Operation Lone Star‚ an initiative from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to deter illegal border crossings. The incident remains under investigation by the Texas DPS.Both Bradley and Newsweek reached out to Abbott's office and the Texas DPS for comment‚ and Newsweek made an additional request for comment from the Kinney County Sheriff's Office as well. It appears that none of these offices or agencies have yet replied.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Tennessee passed a bill with a large majority that would force any food that includes vaccines or vaccine-related materials to be classified as a drug.The topic of edible vaccines has been talked about for years since the COVID-19 vaccine faced pushback‚ but the Tennessee legislature has sought to ensure that no ingestible pharmaceuticals slide under the radar. HB 1894 defines food that contains a vaccine or vaccine material as a drug under the Tennessee Food‚ Drug‚ and Cosmetic Act.A vaccine or vaccine-material was described by the state as:"A substance intended for use in humans to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against disease‚ prepared from the causative agent of a disease‚ its products‚ or a synthetic substitute‚ treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease‚ that is authorized or approved by the United States food and drug administration."The state House passed the bill by a whopping 73-22‚ while the state Senate passed the bill with a vote of 24-6.Democrat state Sen. Heidi Campbell‚ who voted "no" in the Senate‚ called the passing of the legislation "messy" and called its need into question. Campbell asked for evidence of "any instances of there being food offered in the state of Tennessee that contains vaccines."Supporting Senate members said that they did not have any specific examples but that the bill was meant to ensure regulations were in place. Campbell also claimed that the "idea that this would somehow correlate to some kind of a retail offering of vegetables‚ especially when that vegetable would cost many thousands of dollars‚ just seems to me [to be] messy to be passing legislation for that reason."However‚ there have been several instances of studies that have researched how to include COVID-19 vaccines or mRNA technology in vegetables. MSN cited a research project from the University of California that was funded by a $500‚000 federal grant. The study's purpose was to determine whether mRNA technology could be implanted into the cells of edible plants to replicate and then be consumed. Congratulations Tennessee on leading the way towards stopping the genetic poisoning of our food. MRNA has no place in the food supply and neither do many of the other poisons being put on our foods. Thank you Tennessee and note let\u2019s put pressure to do even more in other states!\u2026 — (@) In early 2024‚ researchers from Japan‚ India‚ and other countries published a study regarding tomato-made edible COVID-19 vaccines. The study claimed that plant-based edible vaccines provided two-layer protection against "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)" and performed better than vaccines that are absorbed outside the digestive tract. These "predominantly cause a systemic immune response‚" the study said.The bill now moves to Republican Gov. Bill Lee's desk for final approval.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It should indeed be a Trump priority.

A student petition obtained by NR calls on the university to shut down pro-Israel groups on campus and issue a statement accusing Israel of genocide.

Carr Johnson co-founded Black Women Disrupt‚ an organization that seeks to ‘break paradigms of poverty‚ inequality and exclusion of Black communities.’

The migrants were flown to Florida on the taxpayer dime under an expanded parole program implemented by the Biden administration.

Michael Shellenberger Shares the Brazilian Twitter Files—Including Attempts to Censor the World