Teachers Will No Longer Need to Pass Basic Reading, Writing and Math Test for Certification in This Blue State

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A New Jersey law that removes a requirement for teachers to pass a reading, writing and mathematics test for certification will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

The law, Act 1669, was passed by Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy as part of the state’s 2025 budget in June in an effort to address a shortage of teachers in the state, according to the New Jersey Monitor. Individuals seeking an instructional certificate will no longer need to pass a “basic skills” test administered by the state’s Commissioner of Education.

“We need more teachers,” Democratic Sen. Jim Beach, who sponsored the bill, said according to the New Jersey Monitor. “This is the best way to get them.”

New Jersey is especially in need of math and science teachers, according to an annual report from the state’s education department.

Just months earlier, Murphy signed a similar bill into law that created an alternative pathway for teachers to sidestep the testing requirement. A powerful teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, was a driving force behind the bill, calling the testing requirement “an unnecessary barrier to entering the profession.” Teachers in the state are paid an average of $81,102 annually, according to the National Education Association.

(Read more from “Teachers Will No Longer Need to Pass Basic Reading, Writing and Math Test for Certification in This Blue State” HERE)

Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President, Dies Aged 100; How Trump Reacted to Carter’s Passing

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By Townhall. Jimmy Carter passed away on Sunday at the age of 100. It was the longest post-presidencies in American history. Carter was also the oldest former president to ever live in American history. A few lived into their 90s; Carter’s predecessor, Gerald R. Ford, died at 93 in 2006. While not a successful presidency, Carter’s philanthropic activities and other forms of civil engagement is his real legacy. He lived a remarkable life (via NYT):

Jimmy Carter, who rose from Georgia farmland to become the 39th president of the United States on a promise of national healing after the wounds of Watergate and Vietnam, then lost the White House in a cauldron of economic turmoil at home and crisis in Iran, died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Ga. He was 100.

The Carter Center in Atlanta announced his death, which came nearly three months after Mr. Carter, already the longest-living president in American history, became the first former commander in chief to reach the century mark. Mr. Carter went into hospice care 22 months ago, but held on longer than even his family expected.

Tributes poured in from presidents, world leaders and many everyday people from around the world who admired not only Mr. Carter’s service during four years in the White House but his four decades of efforts since leaving office to fight disease, broker peace and provide for the poor. President Biden ordered a state funeral to be held and was expected to deliver a eulogy.

“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning — the good life — study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith and humility,” Mr. Biden, the first Democratic senator to endorse Mr. Carter’s long-shot 1976 bid for the presidency, said in a statement. “He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people.”

(Read more from “How Trump Reacted to Jimmy Carter’s Passing” HERE)

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Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President, Dies Aged 100

By BBC. Former US President Jimmy Carter has died aged 100, the centre he founded has confirmed.

The former peanut farmer lived longer than any president in history and celebrated his 100th birthday in October.

The Carter Center, which advocates for democracy and human rights around the world, said he died on Sunday afternoon at his home in Plains, Georgia.

The Democrat served as president from 1977 to 1981, a period beset by economic and diplomatic crises. (Read more from “Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President, Dies Aged 100” HERE)

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‘Treacherous’: Trump Slams ‘Dumbest’ Political Decision Made in Years

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President-elect Donald Trump is demanding Democrats take a vote on the U.S. debt ceiling immediately, saying the extension of the ceiling is “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

In a statement Sunday evening on Truth Social, Trump indicated:

“The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.

“There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. (Read more from “‘Treacherous’: Trump Slams ‘Dumbest’ Political Decision Made in Years” HERE)

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Disturbing Find Uncovered in Search for Hikers Missing on a Hunt for ‘Bigfoot’

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Two men from Portland died searching for Sasquatch during Christmas week, according to officials.

Around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, Skamania County Communications Center received a report from a family member of two people who were searching for Sasquatch and were missing after they had planned to return home on Dec. 24, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

A “flock camera,” also known as a license plate reader, located the men’s car off of Oklahoma Road, near Willard, Washington, SCSO said.

Over three days, search and rescue resources, including more than 60 volunteers, canines, drones and ground search teams and a U.S. Coast Guard air asset searched for the men.

“After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, the 59-year-old male and 37-year-old-male, both from Portland, Oregon, who were reported missing/endangered were located, deceased, in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. (Read more from “Disturbing Find Uncovered in Search for Hikers Missing on a Hunt for ‘Bigfoot’” HERE)

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Eat This Food as a Late-Night Snack if You Have Trouble Sleeping — It’s Full of Melatonin and Magnesium

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You’re having trouble sleeping — have you considered turning your insomnia into insom-nom-nom-nom-nia?

Sleep can be hard to come by in the winter because exposure to less sunlight can significantly disrupt internal clocks. There are several ways to restore restful sleep — try maintaining a consistent slumber schedule, basking in morning light and practicing relaxation.

Certain bedtime snacks can also help you catch z’s. Brain health researcher Marc Milstein, author of “The Age-Proof Brain: New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity, and Fight Off Dementia,” said “a few simple tweaks” to your nighttime nosh routine can improve your trips to Sleepy Town.

One of his suggestions is a mash made in heaven — oatmeal.

“Oatmeal is something that is a complex carbohydrate — doesn’t cause blood sugar to shoot up or drop,” Milstein explained on Instagram.

Oatmeal boasts the hormone melatonin, which promotes sleep, fiber and protein, which significantly contribute to feelings of fullness, and magnesium, which relaxes the muscles. (Read more from “Eat This Food as a Late-Night Snack if You Have Trouble Sleeping — It’s Full of Melatonin and Magnesium” HERE)

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Russia Signals Possibility of Ukraine Peace Talks — With One Big Condition for U.S.

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By Fox News. Russia is willing to work with President-elect Trump to help improve relations with Ukraine so long as the U.S. makes the first move, Kremlin officials said this week, adding fresh momentum for the possibility of peace talks as its war in Ukraine threatens to stretch into a third year.

Speaking to reporters Thursday in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia could be ready to come to the negotiating table regarding its “special military operation” in Ukraine — echoing the phrasing used by the Kremlin to describe its war in Ukraine — so long as the U.S. acted first.

“If the signals that are coming from the new team in Washington to restore the dialogue that Washington interrupted after the start of a special military operation [the war in Ukraine] are serious, of course, we will respond to them,” Lavrov said in Moscow.

But he stressed that the U.S. should move first, telling reporters that “the Americans broke the dialogue, so they should make the first move.”

His remarks come after Trump’s pick for Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, told Fox News in an interview this month that both Russia and Ukraine appear to be willing to negotiate an end to the war — citing heavy casualties, damage to critical infrastructure, and a general sense of exhaustion that has permeated both countries as the war drags well past the thousand-day mark. (Read more from “Russia Signals Possibility of Ukraine Peace Talks — With One Big Condition for U.S.” HERE)

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Russia Warns Trump: Do Not Test Nuclear Weapon

By The Telegraph. Moscow has warned Donald Trump against resuming the testing of nuclear weapons when he takes office, saying it would “not rule anything out” in response to US aggression.

Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister who oversees arms control, noted that Mr Trump refused to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty during his first term.

Referencing this refusal, Mr Ryabkov said: “American policy in its various aspects is extremely hostile to us today.”

“So the options for us to act in the interests of ensuring security and the potential measures and actions we have to do this – and to send politically appropriate signals… we do not rule anything out,” he added.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty banning nuclear test explosions was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996, but has not come into force as some signatory nations have not ratified it. (Read more from “Russia Warns Trump: Do Not Test Nuclear Weapon” HERE)

Homeowner Fatally Guns Down Masked Intruder, Sheriff Says Criminals ‘Should Expect’ It

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A Florida sheriff said intruders should “expect to be shot” after releasing information about a homeowner who opened fire at two masked men trying to break into his house, killing one.

The deceased suspect was identified as 23-year-old Jorge Nestevan Flores-Toledo, from Mexico, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The second suspect, Michel Soto-Mella, 39, an illegal immigrant from Chile, is charged with armed burglary, with additional charges pending, according to the sheriff’s office.

Just after 9 p.m. Thursday, the Manatee County homeowner saw the two men entering the back of his house on his video surveillance system, according to authorities.

“He knew something bad was about to happen and he didn’t stall,” MCSO Sheriff Rick Wells said during a press conference Friday. “He grabbed his firearm [and] told his wife to get into a safe spot.” (Read more from “Homeowner Fatally Guns Down Masked Intruder, Sheriff Says Criminals ‘Should Expect’ It” HERE)

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Liberal Lawyers Propose Longshot Nuclear Option to Stop Trump From Taking Office

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Two liberal attorneys claimed Thursday that Congress can still prevent President-elect Donald Trump from taking office — and elect Vice President Kamala Harris in his place — if they act fast.

Congress can reject electoral votes on when they gather to certify them on Jan. 6 because Trump is disqualified from holding office under 14th Amendment, which restricts anyone who took an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” from holding office, attorneys Evan Davis and David Schulte wrote in a column for The Hill.

“The unlikelihood of congressional Republicans doing anything that might elect Harris as president is obvious,” the attorneys wrote. “But Democrats need to take a stand against Electoral College votes for a person disqualified by the Constitution from holding office unless and until this disability is removed. No less is required by their oath to support and defend the Constitution.”

Lawmakers have grounds to dispute the vote if electors were “not lawfully certified” or if the vote was “not regularly given,” they claim.

“A vote for a candidate disqualified by the Constitution is plainly in accordance with the normal use of words ‘not regularly given,’” the attorneys argued, writing that disqualification for insurrection is “no different from disqualification based on other constitutional requirements such as age, citizenship from birth and 14 years’ residency in the United States.”

(Read more from “Liberal Lawyers Propose Longshot Nuclear Option to Stop Trump From Taking Office” HERE)

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This Household Item Is So Toxic It Could Kill Your Pet With Just One Lick: ‘I Had No Idea’

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Would you prefer to lose your hair or lose your pet

A doctor is sounding the alarm over the dangers of the topical version of hair-loss medication minoxidil, saying residue on your hands could prove deadly to your dog or cat.

Dr Joe Whittington, who boasts more than 2 million followers on TikTok, made a video PSA about the potentially perilous product — and it’s alarming viewers around the world.

Minoxidil is an active ingredient in topical products, including Rogain, applied to the scalp to stimulate hair growth.

Foams and liquid solutions of the drug are wildly popular with both men and women and products featuring 5% of minoxidil or less are available over the counter for under $30.

“It’s so toxic that even the smallest exposure can be life-threatening, especially to cats, because their bodies don’t have the ability to metabolize it,” Whittington revealed in viral video, viewed 790,000 times. (Read more from “This Household Item Is So Toxic It Could Kill Your Pet With Just One Lick: ‘I Had No Idea’” HERE)

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Elon Musk Says America Will Be ‘Toast’ and U.S. Dollar Will Be Worth ‘Nothing’ Without Fast Action — What He Means

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America is undeniably an economic powerhouse, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk — the richest person in the U.S. and the world — is sounding the alarm about its financial future.

“The country is going bankrupt. If we don’t take action, the dollar’s going to be worth nothing,” Musk said during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Musk’s alarm centers on the ballooning U.S. national debt, which currently stands at $36.17 trillion. Managing this staggering debt comes with a hefty price: interest payments alone are a significant and growing strain on government finances.

“The interest payments, which are already 23% of all government income… is just going to pay interest right now, and that number is continually rising,” Musk explained. “So if we don’t do something, the entire government budget will be paying interest — there won’t be money for anything. No, there won’t be money for Social Security, there won’t be money for Medicare, nothing. That’s where we’re headed. That’s what bankruptcy means.”

The numbers paint a grim picture. In fiscal year 2024, interest on U.S. federal debt totaled $1.1265 trillion, while the federal government collected $4.92 trillion in revenue.

Musk stressed the urgency of the situation: “I’m looking at the numbers here and I’m like, if we don’t do something, America is toast.” (Read more from “Elon Musk Says America Will Be ‘Toast’ and U.S. Dollar Will Be Worth ‘Nothing’ Without Fast Action — What He Means” HERE)