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Hurricane Ian Barrels Toward South Carolina, Leaving Destruction in Its Wake

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After pummeling Florida, Hurricane Ian has its sights set on South Carolina. The death toll from Ian, which made landfall as a category four hurricane in Florida, has now risen to 21. Authorities still have to confirm that the deaths were related to the storm.

Ian downgraded to a tropical storm before strengthening into a category one hurricane on its trajectory toward South Carolina. Meteorologists expect Ian to make landfall again in South Carolina today before moving northeast toward North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia Friday night through Saturday morning. It will be the first hurricane to hit South Carolina since Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

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Florida is still assessing the damage of Hurricane Ian, mostly from flooding. Early estimates say that the damage could cost up to $40 billion. Florida’s former emergency management chief told NYTimes, “Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island look like they will need to be 80% rebuilt.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said it would be a yearslong recovery.

President Joe Biden said it could prove to be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history. Over two and a half million residents who were in the hurricane’s path are without power. Many are left with uninhabitable homes or do not have access to water, such as in Lee County, where a water main line broke.

“My message to the people of Florida and to the country in times like this: America comes together. We’re gonna pull together as one team, as one America. First thing this morning as I talked to Gov. DeSantis and again offered the fullest federal support.”

Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said that Floridians affected by Ian need to rely on their own supplies for food and water for the next day or so. The government advises residents to save enough food and water for seven days before a significant storm. From days 3 to 5 after the storm, the National Guard and local community distribution will serve water and dry food. Hot food distribution will follow shortly after.

Governor DeSantis said 700 rescues had been conducted so far by air. Before the storm hit, the state government asked residents planning to shelter in place to fill out a survey to allow officials to have demographic information.

“Some of the damage was almost indescribable. I would say the most significant damage that I saw was on Fort Myers Beach. Some of the homes were wiped out, some of it was just concrete slabs.”

In 2013, during his time in the House of Representatives, DeSantis was against federal aid for the New York region after the damage of Hurricane Sandy. Now, he is asking for governmental assistance to help his state. He told Tucker Carlson, “when people are fighting for their lives, when their whole livelihood is at stake, when they’ve lost everything — if you can’t put politics aside for that, then you’re just not going to be able to.”

At the time, DeSantis and Ted Yoho were the only House members to oppose the assistance package for Hurricane Sandy.

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President Biden said that the government would provide uninsured people in Florida an assistance of $37,900 for home repairs and another $37,900 for property loss. In Thursday’s speech, President Biden thanked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their prompt response.

“I’ve seen you in action all across the country from the West Coast of the Northwest and the Northeast, down in Louisiana, all across this country. And just in the last two weeks, you’ve been working 24/7. No matter what, when emergencies happen, FEMA is always there. You deserve the nation’s gratitude and full support.”

South Carolina is already feeling the effects of Hurricane Ian, with 10,000 residents without power. In anticipation of Ian’s arrival, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia declared a state of emergency. The National Weather Service says Hurricane Ian will likely not strengthen beyond a category one hurricane as it approaches South Carolina, sustaining wind speeds of 85 mph.

Author’s Guild To Launch Banned Books Club To Spotlight Censored Works

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The Author’s Guild, in partnership with the book club app Fable, has announced the launching of its year-long, virtual monthly “Banned Books Club” that will shine light on works — both fiction and nonfiction — that have been recently banned from school classrooms or libraries in the U.S.

“We created the Authors Guild Banned Books Club in response to the alarming number of states and school boards which have recently banned a wide number of books and other resources from school curriculums or libraries,” Author’s Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger said.

“Our goal is to give both students and adults the opportunity to read and learn more about the books being banned in their districts and elsewhere and provide the rare opportunity to engage on the platform with the authors of those works.”

The first selection for the club is the young adult novel “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan. Levithan, an award-winning author whose works often focus on sexual orientation, shared similar sentiments to the Guild, saying that “the growing epidemic of book banning and legislation that undermines the freedom to read across the United States is something we all must stand up against, both on behalf of the freedom to read itself and for all the young readers who need to see their stories being told.”

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Levithan will lead the club’s discussion on the book, which centers around two teenagers who decide to participate in a 32-hour kissing marathon to set a world record. Levithan also serves as an editor of a Scholastic imprint that encourages new voices and authors.

As the Guild’s statement notes, since January 2021, 15 states have enacted laws restricting books that possess concepts relating to theories, race, racism, sexual orientation, identity, and social injustice. 27 states have proposed similar bills to these in an ongoing culture war that has broken out.

Additionally, an analysis of the 1,148 books that are currently banned in one or more schools found that 74% feature people of color, or those who identify as an LGBTQ+ member. 22% dealt with race topics or racism.

Much of the attention around these actions have been centered on Florida, where state governor Ron DeSantis has recently banned 54 math textbooks due to their references to Critical Race Theory and other topics that don’t comply with their standards. DeSantis has also led the way for the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which will prohibit sexual identity and orientation discussions in certain grades.

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Among the most challenged books last year — which were tracked by the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) — that could appear on the Banned Book Club down the line include “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, “The Bluest Eyes” by Toni Morrison, “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez, and “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison.

The Guild was founded in 1912, and currently holds the distinguish of being the oldest and largest community of writers in the world, with a total of around 10,000 members. The Guild also recently developed a “Stop Book Bans” toolkit.

Controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Passes In Florida Senate

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On Tuesday, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would disallow any kind of instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in the state’s kindergarten through third grade, while being criticized for its potential to marginalize the LGBTQ+ community.

The legislation is titled the Parental Rights in Education bill, but has become known by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. With the 22-17 vote in hand, it now heads to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is in favor and expected to sign.

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“Don’t Say Gay” passed through the Florida House last month. The bill also “prohibits school district personnel from discouraging or prohibiting parental notification & involvement in critical decisions affecting student’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being.” Parents would be able to sue school districts in the event of violations of “Don’t Say Gay.”

The bill would not prohibit classroom discussions about students’ families that are LGBTQ or LGTBQ history. However, it doesn’t actively promote what can be discussed, while further confusion  — and lawsuits — could occur should parents decide what kind of gender identity and LGBTQ talk violates the bill thanks to vague legislative language.

Backlash has been swift, with some students in the state organizing walkouts as a form of protest. “This bill, from its introduction, has been used as vehicle to marginalize and attack LGBTQ people,” Democratic Rep. Carlos G. Smith said — noting it sends a terrible message to children — while President Joe Biden had previously called the legislation “hateful.”

On the other side of the political spectrum, supporters of the bill like Republican Sen. Danny Burgess feel it will help to give parents more control over what their children do (and don’t) learn from the education system. “This bill says parents, your right to raise your children does not end when they walk into a classroom,” Burgess said ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

“This bill recognizes that parents are not the enemy. The bill simply says that there should be an age limit on certain discussions, it’s not a new concept, nor is it radical.”

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The bill has also attracted the attention of an entertainment giant. Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced he will be meeting with DeSantis — along with LGBTQ+ members of their senior team in Florida — to discuss the bill.

According to Chapek, Disney — which has made numerous efforts in various media and attractions to become more diverse and inclusive — was opposed to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation from the beginning, but opted not to take a public stance and instead work behind the scenes, “engaging directly with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.” “Ultimately, we were unsuccessful,” Chapek said.

In addition to the meeting, Disney will be donating $5 million to LGBTQ activist groups while signing the Human Rights Campaign’s statement that opposes similar legislations. “I understand our original approach, no matter how well-intended, didn’t quite get the job done. We are committed to support the community going forward,” Chapek stated. Disney currently employs over 62,000 workers in Florida.

Legislations that target LGBTQ+ communities have been enacted at a record-setting pace, with 2021 seeing 17 laws passed, the most since 2015’s 15. Florida possesses 12 bills currently being considered that Freedom For All Americans terms “anti-LGBT.” Should DeSantis sign the bill, it would go into effect on July 1.

Miami Florida

Florida Governor DeSantis Targets Social Media Platforms In Newly Signed Bill

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is targeting social media platforms ina newly signed bill that’s meant to monitor how social media platforms moderate online content. 

The legislation is one of the largest steps made by a Republican governor ever since allegations of online censorship were thrown at tech giants Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Tech industry leaders, however, claim that the legislation is unconstitutional and is setting everyone up for a massive court battle. 

On Monday, DeSantis claimed that a “council of censors in Silicon Valley are to blame for shutting down the debate over Covid-19 lockdowns and the origins of the coronavirus.”

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“I would say those lockdowns have ruined millions of people’s lives all around this country. Wouldn’t it have been good to have a full debate on that in our public square? But that was not what Silicon Valley wanted to do.”

The bill that he signed specifically “prohibits tech platforms from suspending or banning political candidates in the state, with possible fines of $250,000 per day if the de-platformed candidate is seeking statewide office and $25,000 per day if the candidate is running for a non-statewide office,” according to CNN.

The legislation would also give Florida residents the power to sue tech companies for de-platforming. Similar bills have been in the works in states such as Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Utah. 

US lawmakers have been proposing significant changed to the federal law in its relation to the legal leeway that tech platforms have when it comes to online censorship. The federal law, Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, has been under fire by Democrats who argue that the platform’s benefit from a law that was created before the technology even existed. 

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Tech industry leaders have repeatedly denied blocking or removing content solely based on political ideology. Many tech platforms began flagging posts that discussed the Covid-19 pandemic, but were spreading harmful misinformation. 

After multiple Republicans and former president Donald Trump continued to spread falsehoods and misinformation about the 2020 election and the sanctity of our Democracy, many political leaders began getting deplatformed for the harmful information they were spewing. 

Florida’s legislation will “force tech platforms to step back from moderating their sites due to the threat of litigation by any internet user, from foreign extremists to disgruntled internet trolls,” said the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group.

“Florida taxpayers will also end up paying their share in the cost of enforcing new regulations, and for the inevitable legal challenges that will come along with the legislature’s effort to adopt a law with glaring constitutional challenges,” CCIA president Matt Schruers, wrote in an op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel.

“The First Amendment to the United States Constitution — backstopped by Section 230 — makes it abundantly clear that states have no power to compel private companies to host speech, especially from politicians,” said Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a co-author of Section 230, in a statement regarding the signing on the Florida bill.