In DeSantis' Fla., schools get OK for climate-denial videos

Wind and solar power pollute the Earth and make life miserable. Recent global and local heat records reflect natural temperature cycles. And people who champion those beliefs are fighting oppression.

These are some of the themes of children’s videos produced by an influential conservative advocacy group. Now, the videos could soon be used in Florida’s classrooms.

Florida’s Department of Education has approved the classroom use of material from the Prager University Foundation, which produces videos education experts say distort science, history, gender and other topics. And those researchers fear that the nation’s third-largest state has opened a door that will help spread the videos to classrooms in other states.

Florida is the first state to allow PragerU materials in public schools, where teachers will have the option of showing the five- to 10-minute videos in their classrooms.

PragerU CEO Marissa Streit says the videos will rebalance schools that have been “hijacked by the left.”

“Young kids are being taught climate hysteria," Streit said in an interview. "They’re hearing that the world is coming to an end, and we think that there needs to be a healthy balance.

“The climate is always changing,” Streit added, repeating a climate-denial motto that rejects fossil fuel burning as the cause of continuing record-high temperatures.

For now, Florida has approved using PragerU videos only in civics and government for younger children. Some PragerU climate denial videos are classified under non-climate categories, which could enable their use in Florida.

Florida’s approval is alarming because children will watch the videos when they are at their most impressionable stage, in kindergarten through 5th grade, said Adrienne McCarthy, a researcher at Kansas State University who tracks PragerU. Extreme ideas are presented as common beliefs in many videos, she said.

“They can take these right-wing, controversial ideas and cloak them in seemingly harmless and friendly rhetoric,” McCarthy said. “Then they create this kind of facade of normal conservative beliefs, and they use authoritative figures [in the videos] in order to convince the audience.”

“It’s also targeted at the parents themselves, saying that if you want to be a good parent, you should be teaching your kids this,” McCarthy added.

Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, said Florida is effectively supporting parents and teachers who want to tear down accurate climate science lessons.

Florida’s approval “may be telling climate change-denier teachers about the availability of these materials,” Branch said. Teachers who want to teach climate change accurately could feel coerced to do otherwise “by hinting that there are resources out there with the opposite view, and people are going to be pressuring you into using them.”

Climate-denial talking points, verbatim

Florida Department of Education spokesperson Cassie Palelis said in a statement that the PragerU material “aligns to Florida’s revised civics and government standards” and “is no different than many other resources, which can be used as supplemental materials in Florida schools at district discretion.”

PragerU’s videos use talking points common among global warming skeptics to frame climate science and policy. Many of the videos attack renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.

An eight-minute video, “Poland: Ania’s Energy Crisis,” exemplifies how PragerU introduces climate denialism to children by subtly attacking established science and the people concerned about global warming.

In the video, teenager Ania is concerned about climate change because of what she learned at school. Climate-denial talking points are introduced almost verbatim in the trusted voice of Ania’s mother and father.

Ania’s parents tell her that the climate has always cooled and warmed — “long before carbon emissions were a factor” — and that climate action is pointless until China and India cut their emissions. Ania also hears that renewable energy is unreliable and too expensive.

Ania repeats her parents' claims in class and is shunned by her teacher and classmates. Her sadness lifts, however, when her grandfather tells her about life under Nazism in World War II. Ania feels empowered because her grandfather says “fighting oppression always takes courage.”

A PragerU video about a child in Africa features a narrator calmly attacking solar and wind because “their batteries break down and become hazardous waste” and because it's risky “to rely on things like wind and sunlight, which are not constant.”

Streit, the PragerU CEO, said she wants to ensure schools frame climate science as a debate. A goal of her organization is to reach children when they are at their most impressionable. That’s why Florida approved the PragerU Kids channel content, she said.

“The science is actually contrary to what most educational institutions that have been really controlled by one ideology are saying,” Streit said, rejecting decades of peer-reviewed research by some of the world’s top science agencies showing that humanity is warming the planet at a dangerous rate. “There is debate about the severity of the changing of the climate as well as the pragmatic solutions.”

PragerU’s goal is to develop a “turnkey curriculum” that can be expanded to as many states as possible, Streit said. She expects to announce soon that more states have approved PragerU content and will use it for classrooms in all grades. PragerU is developing a curriculum module that could be used for course credit in high school, Streit said.

DeSantis leads the way

PragerU’s foray into approved classroom use comes as conservative states and politicians aggressively seek to dismantle curriculum in African-American history and LGBTQ issues.

The leader has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican running for president. DeSantis recently faced loud, bipartisan condemnation after education officials in his government released new curriculum standards that say enslaved people gained “personal benefits” from a lifetime of forced labor.

Less documented are the conservative efforts to tear down climate science and to promote in classrooms the use of fossil fuels.

Florida is just the latest state to open the door to climate disinformation. Texas changed its science curriculum to require that schools teach positive lessons about fossil fuels. It’s an effort to downplay accurate climate science and to influence the national textbook market, since Texas is one of the biggest consumers of educational materials in the U.S.

Climate scientists long ago determined that fossil fuel use is driving rapid global warming and pushing the planet toward dangerous tipping points. Most states center their climate change curriculum around that consensus. Only a small number of researchers with legitimate academic credentials doubt the consensus science, and PragerU videos feature many of them.

PragerU’s website contains thousands of videos, which have a variety of classification tags to help users find its videos on topics such as civics, financial literacy or government. Climate denial videos, including some pushing conspiracy theories like the “Great Reset," are classified with tags other than climate change, such as “government,” “global issues,” “life lessons” and “freedom,” which lets them qualify for approved use outside of science classes.

PragerU also has materials that avoid partisan slants, including videos explaining the Electoral College and the offices of the president and vice president.

In Florida, DeSantis has long assailed what he says is liberal “indoctrination” in education. PragerU co-founder Dennis Prager, a nationally syndicated conservative radio host, has proclaimed that his PragerU materials are specifically designed for “our indoctrination.”

“It’s true we bring doctrines to children,”Prager told the conservative group Moms for Liberty at a conference in Philadelphia in July. “But what is bad about our indoctrination?”

PragerU has produced anti-climate policy videos since shortly after it began in 2009. The Prager foundation has received millions of dollars from the billionaire brothers, Farris and Dan Wilks of Texas, who made their fortune in fracking. Wilks funding also was essential to the growth of The Daily Wire, a popular website and media company that routinely pushes climate disinformation. 

PragerU has received additional funding from foundations that oppose climate regulations such as the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

PragerU’s video library goes far beyond climate change and introduces viewers to a worldview framed around the belief system of the far right.

PragerU CEO Streit said her group has tapped into angry parents who want their politics reflected more in classrooms.

“Many of us, as parents, don’t feel like we’re being heard,” Streit said. “We feel like we’re being gaslit, so we’re hoping that this product will better explain to everyone what we want to see in our children’s schools.”

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Biden to issue new rules restricting U.S. investments in China

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will establish new rules limiting American investments in high-end Chinese technology sectors — a long-awaited effort meant to stop U.S. capital from financing Beijing’s military development, according to two individuals briefed on the action.

The move represents the first time the U.S. government has sought to impose broad investment rules on U.S. firms overseas — an escalation of the economic conflict with China that is likely to earn a sharp rebuke from Beijing. Until now, U.S. firms have largely been given free rein by Washington to develop business in other countries, except for limitations on a narrow list of military-related goods. But national security officials in both the Trump and Biden administrations have warned that U.S. investors have been financing Beijing’s military advancements by funding Chinese firms that turn around and give their technology to China's military.

The executive order will prohibit some investments in Chinese firms engaged in developing quantum computing, sensors and networks, as well as advanced semiconductor firms, and certain artificial intelligence firms, according to those briefed on the action. It will also require U.S. firms to notify the federal government if they invest in some lower-end semiconductor production not already covered by export controls, said the individuals, who requested anonymity because the action was not yet announced.

The rules will only apply to new investments — not existing deals — and will go into effect following a comment period for industry. The White House declined to comment.

The administration's action comes just prior to an expected trip by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to China in the coming weeks and after months of efforts to soothe relations between the two countries that had been in turmoil ever since a Chinese spy balloon was discovered in U.S. airspace. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Beijing in early July where she signaled that the two sides had made progress in shoring up the frayed relationship.

Despite that engagement, the executive order appears slightly more aggressive than recent expectations. In February, POLITICO reported that the administration had scaled back the executive order by cutting out some industrial sectors — like biotech and clean energy — and only applying investment prohibitions to the advanced semiconductor sectors.

Today's order will likely go beyond that, though administration officials have emphasized for months that any actions would be narrowly targeted at military technologies and those that have both military and civilian applications. During months of internal debate, the Treasury and Commerce Departments have argued for a more modest action, while the National Security Council and other Defense officials have pushed for a more aggressive approach.

Despite recent changes, the order still puts the Biden administration in a more hawkish position than congressional lawmakers, who have also debated legislation on American investments in China for years.

Last month, Senate lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to add a similar measure — the Outbound Investment Transparency Act — to the yearly defense authorization bill. But that measure contains no investment prohibitions after it was watered down by congressional Republicans. House lawmakers are pursuing a different approach that focuses on expanding existing corporate blacklists at Treasury, Commerce and the Defense Departments, and will likely unveil that bill this fall.

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Biden says he has ‘practically’ declared a climate emergency. But he actually hasn’t.

President Joe Biden said he has already “practically” declared a climate emergency. But he has yet to actually make a declaration, which would give him a host of new powers to combat climate change as the country faces record-breaking heat and more frequent and intense floods, droughts and wildfires.

“We've already done that,” Biden said Wednesday when asked whether he was prepared to declare a national climate emergency during an interview on The Weather Channel. “We've conserved more land, we've moved into rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. We've got a $60 billion climate control facility.”

When pressed about whether he has actually declared an emergency, Biden responded, “Practically speaking, yes.”

However, no such declaration has come from the White House. Experts say Biden could invoke the 1976 National Emergencies Act to give himself the power to order the manufacture of clean energy technology, deploy renewables on military bases, block crude oil exports or even suspend offshore drilling — though that would require compensation to the owners.

Though the law limits emergency declarations to one year, it could be renewed annually to address the increasingly troubling impacts of climate change.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre did not walk back Biden’s comments when asked about them during an interview on CNN later Wednesday morning.

“This is a president that has taken really an ambitious approach to climate change,” Jean-Pierre said, turning the conversation to the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping bill Biden championed last year that included hundreds of billions of dollars to help the U.S. transition away from fossil fuels.

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NYC mayor puts $12 billion cost on migrant crisis, blames 'broken' national immigration system

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday sharpened his appeal for state and federal aid by presenting steep new cost projections for the tens of thousands of migrants in New York City’s care.

“If we don’t get the support we need, New Yorkers could be left with a $12 billion bill,” he said in a formal address to the public from City Hall.

The $12 billion is the estimate by summer of 2025 if the flow of migrants continues apace with current numbers, Adams said. Administration officials had previously forecast that the cost would reach more than $4 billion by next summer. The new estimation of $4 billion annually for three years, is a significant portion of the city's budget that is currently $107 billion. By comparison, the NYPD's annual budget this year is $5.8 million.

“New York City has been left to pick up the pieces” in the face of a broken national immigration system, Adams declared.

Nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived to the city since the spring of 2022, Adams said. While tens of thousands have moved on from the city, with new arrivals expected, the number of those remaining in the city’s shelters and emergency housing facilities could balloon to 100,000, Adams said.

“We are past our breaking point,” the mayor said.

Still, he vowed not to close the doors on those who need shelter. New York City is legally required to provide beds and care in a timely manner under its unique “Right to Shelter” law.

Despite the law, migrant men found themselves sleeping for days on the sidewalk outside a midtown Manhattan intake center last week. The images were circulated on social media and received national news coverage. While those using cardboard boxes as beds have been limited to single adults, an administration official told POLITICO last week that families with children may also soon be on the street for lack of space.

About $130 million in federal funds have been allocated to New York City for the support of migrants. Officials with President Joe Biden’s administration have noted to POLITICO that Adams and members of New York’s congressional delegation met two weeks ago in Washington with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A DHS team is currently in New York City to assess the crisis.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has provided state-owned sites for migrant shelters, including the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, and will reimburse the city for the costs of operating other facilities.

“More money will be required from the State of New York and I knew that," Hochul told reporters Wednesday after an unrelated event in Brooklyn. "And I’ve been talking about that even prior to the adjustments in the mayor’s estimates on the cost.”

She said the state budget includes $1 billion toward housing, National Guard assistance and legal services for migrants. She said she’s talked with state legislative leaders about an additional $1 billion in the next budget.

Hochul said state leaders continue to scout for sites for larger-scale housing. She said she’s been in constant contact with Adams as well as the White House, pressing them, like City Hall has, for mechanisms to allow migrants to work legally. "We are fully committed to helping the city out," she said.

In pleading Wednesday with Biden for more help for the newcomers, Adams invoked the president's predecessor.

“As President Obama has said,” the mayor said, “We were once strangers, too.”

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House GOP 2024 strategy memo: We have to win in blue states

To win a majority in congress in 2024, the largest GOP super PAC told donors that the path to victory lies in blue states, according to a memo sent to donors and obtained by POLITICO.

Congressional Leadership Fund, a PAC aligned with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has identified that about one-third of swing seats are in traditionally blue states. Republicans hold just a four-seat majority in Congress and will have to defend 13 seats in deep blue New York and California for the best chance to hold on to power in 2024.

To aid in that effort, CLF is launching a “Blue State Project” to compete in traditionally blue states.

“We have an opportunity to continue to capture the frustration of middle of the road voters in liberal states crying out for common sense,” the memo written by CLF president Dan Conston said. “It is no accident that we’ve had our biggest gains in NY and CA for four straight years, but it also means we have extraordinarily expensive fights ahead with 11 targeted incumbents in the NYC and LA media markets alone.”

This memo lays bare that as Republicans ramp up in a presidential year, they are aware that some of the issues they most need to focus on are different from those that rile up the base.

The memo told donors that swing voters in blue states are different from those in swing states. This will let Republicans blame Democratic leaders for problems like cost of living and crime rates — both of which played prominent roles in New York last cycle, where Republicans flipped four seats and Lee Zeldin came close to an upset win against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Republicans in blue states will have a disadvantage when it comes to party infrastructure. CLF said it must create its own infrastructure focused on reaching ticket-splitting voters, building field programs to reach voters and investing in early voting, which Republicans have advised against in past cycles.

The memo also told donors that CLF will need early funding to reserve television time in these comparably more expensive markets during the presidential year, which will also drive up rates.

In addition to defending GOP gains in deep blue states, the Congressional Leadership Fund also identified offensive opportunities that it plans to invest in, starting with the open seats currently held by Democrats Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. It also said it plans to support challengers in the five seats held by Democrats that Donald Trump won in 2020.

The memo also took direct aim at two vulnerable Democrats in Pennsylvania, Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright. CLF said they were able to win because of poor candidate quality at the top of the ticket.

Wild and Cartwright “only won because of top-of-ticket drag from Doug Mastriano. Their images are hobbled, and they’re strapped for cash after last cycle. They will face serious challenges,” the memo said.

National Republicans breathed a sigh of relief when Mastriano said he wouldn't run for Senate this year, and still hope to see their top recruit, David McCormick, enters the race.

CLF’s memo was bullish overall on its chances to continue expanding the Republican majority, highlighting that GOP-targeted members have raised more and have more money cash on hand than Democrats as well as the fact that Democratic President Joe Biden and Bidenomics are unpopular in public opinion surveys.

“House Republicans picked up 15 seats in 2020 and won back the majority in 2022, while Republicans regressed elsewhere,” the memo said. “With a little over 15 months until Election Day, we have a strong opportunity to hold and grow the majority and deliver a third-straight cycle of victories.”

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Trump on possible court-ordered limits: ‘They’re not taking away my First Amendment rights’

Former President Donald Trump could soon be strapped with an order limiting him in speaking publicly about the federal charges he is facing. But that won’t stop him from using his legal woes to galvanize voters on the campaign trail.

“I will talk about it, I will, they’re not taking away my First Amendment rights,” Trump said on Tuesday about his latest federal indictment, riling up a crowd at a campaign stop in Windham, N.H.

A court-ordered muzzle could be imminent for Trump, after the current GOP front-runner appeared to declare that he’s “coming after” those he views as responsible for his myriad legal challenges. Prosecutors brought the comments to a judge’s attention last week, calling for Trump to be ordered to keep any evidence prosecutors turn over to his defense team away from public view.

But Trump said Tuesday that he didn’t care, calling the charges against him “bullshit” and accusing President Joe Biden of “weaponizing” the Justice Department to take out a political rival.

“They don’t want me to speak about a rigged election. They don’t want me to speak about it. Whereas I have freedom of speech, First Amendment,” Trump said. Biden, Trump claimed, is “forcing me nevertheless to spend time and money away from the campaign trial in order to fight bogus, made-up accusations and charges.”

“I’m sorry I won’t be able to go to Iowa today, I won’t be able to go to New Hampshire today because I’m sitting in a courtroom on bullshit,” Trump said to the crowd, eliciting cheers and chants of “bullshit.”

The former president was charged with four felony counts last week and accused of conspiring to seize a second term after losing to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He is also facing charges in two other cases — a federal case in Florida in which he’s accused of hoarding classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, and a hush money case in Manhattan. A fourth indictment against Trump is expected in the coming days in Georgia, also related to Trump’s efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election.

All of Trump’s legal battles threaten to take him away from the campaign trail and into the courtroom just as the 2024 presidential race picks up speed.

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France bets big on open-source AI

French leaders have a plan to build a native AI industry. There’s just one problem: They’re in the EU.

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