California will have to $2 billion in pandemic relief funds to combat learning loss‚ thanks to a lawsuit from parents‚ one of the largest education-related settlements in the country’s history. A settlement was reached last week in Alameda County Superior Court between the state and a group of families in Los Angeles and Oakland who said their children suffered severe learning loss thanks to remote learning. “Between March and June of 2020‚ neither of my children learned anything in school‚” said one of the parents in the case‚ who is from the Los Angeles area. The lawsuit argued that California had failed to make sure local school districts spent federal money meant for learning loss on the students who needed the most help catching up. Under the settlement‚ California schools must spend the $2 billion on things like tutoring to help students who have fallen far behind. Another part of the settlement involves the state agreeing to propose a new law that would let funds be spent on “community organizations with a proven track record of improving student success.” Both of the parent groups that sued have programs for struggling students. “This $2 billion-plus settlement is a history-making win‚ but money can’t solve anything if we don’t put it to good use‚” said Lakisha Young‚ founder of parent group The Oakland REACH said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “We all must advocate for these funds to be used for solutions that put parents and caregivers in the driver’s seat and are proven to get kids reading‚” Young said. The president of the other parent group‚ Community Coalition‚ called the settlement a “huge victory and much-deserved investment” in California’s minority students‚ whom he said are still feeling the impact of the pandemic. “The urgent vision of this historic settlement is not just to recoup the academic losses suffered by California’s most disadvantaged students‚ but to erase the opportunity gaps altogether exacerbated by the pandemic‚” said attorney Mark Rosenbaum of the non-profit law firm Public Counsel‚ which represented the plaintiffs. Remote learning‚ which persisted in California long after many other areas had returned to in-person classes‚ has caused significant learning loss among K-12 students. Parents and teachers hoped kids would learn more quickly to catch up‚ but those hopes have not been realized. Last year‚ one study showed fourth through eighth graders making even slower academic progress in reading and math in 2022 than before the pandemic. Students would need an average of four and a half months of extra math instruction and just over four months of additional reading instruction to catch up to the typical pre-COVID student‚ the study estimated.

Actress Patricia Heaton reacted to the Irish Women’s basketball team being trounced by the Israeli team following the Ireland players’ “overt anti-Semitism” at the game. In an X post on Thursday‚ the 65-year-old actress said the “Irish women’s basketball team got a good whoopin’ after displaying overt anti-Semitism toward the Israeli team.” “They should have been forced to forfeit the game for their behavior‚ but that beat down was even better‚” she added. The Irish women’s basketball team got a good whoopin’ after displaying overt antisemitism toward the Israeli team. They should have been forced to forfeit the game for their behavior‚but that beat down was even better. https://t.co/1tn4sAa39Z — Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 9‚ 2024 It came after the Irish women’s basketball team refused to shake hands before and after the game with the Israeli players on Thursday at the 2025 Women’s European Championship qualifier in Riga‚ Latvia‚ where Israel trounced Ireland 87 to 57‚ the Telegraph noted. Ireland Basketball previously issued a statement in January about how it might not play against the Israeli team when it said it had “raised strong concerns about these fixtures with Israel‚ including the option not to play the games” following the response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel that left at least 1‚200 Israelis dead. The game was initially to be played in Israel in November‚ but was moved to February amid the war in Gaza. Two days before the match‚ Ireland’s team issued a statement blasting Israeli basketball player Dor Sa’ar who called the team “quite anti-Semitic.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “It’s known that they are quite anti-Semitic and it’s no secret‚ and maybe that’s why a strong game is expected‚” Sa’ar said. “We have to show that we’re better than them and win. We talk about it among ourselves. We know they don’t like us and we will leave everything on the field always and in this game.” Before tip-off on Thursday‚ Basketball Ireland issued a statement that read‚ “Basketball Ireland informed Fiba Europe yesterday that as a direct result of recent comments made by Israeli players and coaching staff – including inflammatory and wholly inaccurate accusations of anti-Semitism‚ published on official Israeli federation channels – that our players will not be partaking in traditional pre-match arrangements with our upcoming opponents‚” the outlet noted. “This includes exchanging of gifts‚ formal handshakes before or after the game‚ while our players will line up for the Irish national anthem by our bench‚ rather than [center] court‚” the statement added. “Basketball Ireland fully supports our players in their decision.” Following Ireland’s team’s actions at the game‚ the team’s head coach James Weldon said‚ “I would prefer to be talking about basketball and not this‚ we didn’t engage in the pre-match activities as a direct result of those unwarranted and unacceptable comments from the Israeli camp about our players.” “It was hugely disappointing‚ we came here for a game of basketball‚ we wanted to win‚ but didn’t come out on the right side of the result on this occasion‚” Weldon added. “We had three international debutants in this game‚ we’re building a squad‚ so there’s positives to take from this game.” After the Israel team’s victory‚ Israeli head coach Sharon Drucker said‚ “I’ve been in sports for many years‚ I’ve never seen such things in my life.” “There was no game where you don’t give concessions‚ shake hands‚ congratulate each other‚” Drucker added. “They took a step in an absolute way and they received their punishment today.”

  In a move that has sparked widespread debate about free speech and press freedom‚ European Union officials have called for a travel ban against American journalist Tucker Carlson. This unprecedented step comes in the wake of Carlson’s recent trip to Moscow‚ where he conducted an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson’s decision to interview Putin has been met with fierce criticism from some EU politicians‚ who argue that his actions serve as propaganda for the Russian leader. Former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt has been particularly vocal‚ labeling Carlson as a “mouthpiece” for Putin and suggesting that the EU should consider banning him from entering its member states. Tucker Carlson is taking real risks. He is making a real sacrifice… He is putting his life‚ and I’m not exaggerating‚ in danger! It’s reported that the European Union is sanctioning a travel ban on Tucker for doing what American journalists are required to do. pic.twitter.com/mV8HMnWNLN — Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) February 7‚ 2024 Supporters of free speech have rallied to Carlson’s defense‚ emphasizing the importance of allowing journalists to seek out and disseminate a range of perspectives‚ even those that may be unpopular or controversial. Infowars founder Alex Jones‚ for example‚ has publicly denounced the EU’s actions as an attack on free speech‚ urging unity against such censorship attempts. The content of Carlson’s interview with Putin has yet to be disclosed‚ but given Carlson’s history of challenging prevailing narratives on Russian policy‚ many expect it to offer a viewpoint sympathetic to Moscow. Critics are concerned that this could undermine efforts to hold Russia accountable for its actions on the international stage. JUST IN: The European Union is considering imposing a travel ban against Tucker Carlson for interviewing Putin. EU lawmakers are now furious that a journalist flew to Russia to do journalism. They now want to slap Tucker with sanctions for “assisting” Putin. “Putin is a war… pic.twitter.com/jUjEody4vp — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 7‚ 2024 This is not the first time Carlson has faced backlash for his reporting. In 2021‚ he claimed that the National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on him and leaking his emails to the media in an attempt to get his show canceled. These allegations added to the growing mistrust between government agencies and the press. The call for a travel ban has also reignited discussions about the role of journalism in modern geopolitics. Some argue that engaging with figures like Putin is essential for understanding global conflicts‚ while others contend that it risks legitimizing leaders accused of serious crimes. Carlson himself has stated that the purpose of his interview is not to endorse Putin but to provide Americans with a clearer understanding of his motives and objectives. He believes that informed citizens are better equipped to make their own judgments about international affairs. As tensions continue to rise‚ the situation underscores the delicate balance between national security interests and the principles of free expression. The proposed travel ban on Tucker Carlson will likely remain a contentious issue as the world grapples with the complexities of diplomacy‚ journalism‚ and the right to information.   The post Officials Advocate for Travel Ban on Tucker Carlson Following Putin Interview appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

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