THIS WEEK'S NEWS

Degens from upcountry. Apparently, this nonsense isn't limited to the U.S.: A new poll indicates that almost half of Canadians want creationism taught in schools. Just to refresh all of our memories, creationism and its rebranded form, intelligent design (ID), are not science. Rather, they're pseudoscience rooted in religious belief, neither of which belong in science classrooms. As landmark U.S. legal case, Kitzmiller v. Dover, concluded, ID is simply creationism disguised, with a distinct lack of peer-review or testable predictions. In contrast, evolution is backed by a robust scientific model and  abundance of evidence from genetics, fossils, and real-time observation. Concepts like "irreducible complexity," a central argument for ID, have been scientifically refuted. Promoting creationism in a science class is like to championing astrology in an astronomy lesson. Come on Canada, you're supposed to be better than this. Read more. 

Caught out.  Several GOP lawmakers were scheduled to attend and/or speak at a "Christmas Crusade" event hosted by a group with documented white nationalist ties, and a political action committee created by an assistant to Republican Congressman Abe Hamedeh. Following public scrutiny and media reports exposing these ties, some lawmakers chose to back out of the scheduled appearance. While the move distances them from controversial figures, the initial acceptance of the invitation raises concerns about 1. the vetting of event hosts and 2. the increasing proximity between Arizona lawmakers and groups that promote white nationalist hate. Other lawmakers have not said they'll back out and have in fact attacked the journalists reporting on the event. Read more. 

Calling out the hypocrisy. Some churches in Illinois and Massachusetts are using holiday nativity scenes to highlight the plight of immigrants and refugees amid contemporary mass deportations and ICE kidnappings. Several scenes display Mary and Joseph as asylum-seekers, with one scene featuring them wearing gas masks, while the baby savior ™ nestled in an emergency blanket and zip-tied, guarded by figures wearing "ICE" vests.  Read more. 

Project 2025 and ableism. New work from the Charles Kettering Foundation illustrates just how deeply  Christian nationalism intertwines with ableism, shedding further light on the GOP's cruel economic policies. This ableist viewpoint, which judges a person's worth by their intellectual and physical productivity, provides an underlying justification for political agendas like Project 2025. Research shows that strong endorsers of Christian nationalism are far more likely to agree that the status of disabled Americans is "good as is" and that they are "demanding too much." It's no accident that Project 2025 advocates for significant cuts to vital programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and disability services, placing the burden of survival solely on disabled individuals and their families. Read more.

Finally, some accountability? AZ AG Kris Mayes is investigating Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne over his office's handling of the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) school voucher program, which costs around $1 billion annually. Mayes criticized Horne's policy of automatically approving voucher reimbursements up to $2,000 before auditing, citing reports of funds being used for inappropriate items like jewelry and lingerie. Mayes says "litigation is not off the table" as she pressures Horne to implement reforms to prevent the misuse of taxpayer money. Read more.