Sterling Lord, uniquely enduring literary agent, dies at 102
The uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears has died.
'Captain Underpants' book pulled for 'passive racism'
FILE - Dav Pilkey arrives at the premiere of "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" in Los Angeles on May 21, 2017. A graphic novel for children from the wildly popular Captain Underpants series, The Adventures of Ook and Glu," is being pulled from library and book store shelves after its publisher said it perpetuates passive racism. Scholastic said it had removed the book from its websites, stopped processing orders for it and sought a return of all inventory. “I hope that you, my readers, will forgive me, and learn from my mistake that even unintentional and passive stereotypes and racism are harmful to everyone,” he wrote. The move drew immediate reaction on social media from those who called it another example of “cancel culture.”
Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecy
The photos were released by Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat from the border city of Laredo. The photos from Donna show some of the same detention areas as in the images released by Cuellar. The following year, hundreds of families and children detained at one West Texas border station went days without adequate food, water or soap. The AP has also petitioned Psaki to open border facilities. The newly published photos released by Cuellar’s office show groups of children crowded together inside the partitions.
Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecy
President Joe Biden's administration faces mounting criticism for refusing to allow outside observers into facilities where it is detaining thousands of immigrant children. Cuellar said he released the photos in part because the administration has refused media access to the Donna tent. The following year, hundreds of families and children detained at one West Texas border station went days without adequate food, water, or soap. The AP has also petitioned Psaki to open border facilities. But lawyers who have interviewed children detained at Donna say some can go days without being allowed outside.
For Biden, questions about Cuomo grow harder to ignore
Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., speaks during a virtual meeting of the National Governors Association, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Washington. But what President Biden said is, ‘We should do an investigation.’ I agree with him on that. When asked repeatedly about the allegations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has recited the response that the women should be heard and the investigations should continue. But the constant drip of allegations from Albany has become harder for Biden to ignore. Their orbits are intertwined; a number of Democrats have worked for both men in their roles as senator, vice president, governor and housing secretary.
For Biden, questions about Cuomo grow harder to ignore
Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., speaks during a virtual meeting of the National Governors Association, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Washington. But what President Biden said is, ‘We should do an investigation.’ I agree with him on that. When asked repeatedly about the allegations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has recited the response that the women should be heard and the investigations should continue. But the constant drip of allegations from Albany has become harder for Biden to ignore. Their orbits are intertwined; a number of Democrats have worked for both men in their roles as senator, vice president, governor and housing secretary.
Democrats bank on relief aid to win back wary working class
“A lot of white, working-class Democrats thought we forgot them,” Biden said after touring a union training facility during a late September swing through Westmoreland County. Still, that proposition — which Republicans dismiss as a “liberal wish list” — will be tested in places such as Westmoreland County. “There’s a lot of people who are still registered Democrats, who still hold on to those working-class Democratic values," Bretz said. Trump won 62% of white voters without a college degree in November, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate. Ad“We are a working-class party now," Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted on election night.
Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, and now things get tougher
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan on Thursday marks a milestone for his administration and for Democrats who have command of the House, Senate and White House for the first time in a decade. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support.
Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, agenda now a slog in Congress
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support. Doubting bipartisanship will emerge, there is growing support among Democratic senators to do away with the filibuster if Republicans use it to block Biden's bills.
Oh, what a birthday week for Dr. Seuss books
FILE - American author, artist and publisher Theodor Seuss Geisel, known as Dr. Seuss, appears at an event in Dallas on April 3, 1987. For days virtually every book in the top 20 on Amazons bestseller list was by Dr. Seuss. (AP Photo/File)NEW YORK – Oh, the books that sold last week by Dr. Seuss. For days virtually every book in the top 20 on Amazon's bestseller list was by Dr. Seuss. “Green Eggs and Ham” topped 90,000 copies, and “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” sold around 88,000.
GOP struggles to define Biden, turns to culture wars instead
President Joe Biden speaks with Mary Anna Ackley, Owner of Little Wild Things Farm, left, and Michael Siegel, Co-owner of W.S. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag. Other GOP efforts to define Biden as a radical or to attack his mental acuity also didn't resonate. Some Republicans argue it will simply take time for the GOP to organize against Biden, given the honeymoon period most new presidents enjoy. All the while, the Biden White House is underscoring its attempts at bipartisanship, putting the Republicans on the defensive for not signing onto the broadly popular COVID relief bill.
House approves pro-union bill despite dim Senate odds
But it faces an all-but-certain Republican blockade in a narrowly divided Senate and is unlikely to become law. Ad“I’ve heard Democrats argue that it’s the unions that built the middle class,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the senior Republican on the House labor panel. And what this bill does is take away their freedom.”Labor unions have long been a bedrock of Democratic support. “This far-reaching legislation is nothing more than an union boss wish list,” said Foxx, who led Republican debate on the bill. Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good excoriated the bill, saying it would effectively “funnel money to Democrats” by allowing unions to collect additional dues.
GOP struggles to define Biden, turns to culture wars instead
President Joe Biden speaks with Mary Anna Ackley, Owner of Little Wild Things Farm, left, and Michael Siegel, Co-owner of W.S. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag. Other GOP efforts to define Biden as a radical or to attack his mental acuity also didn't resonate. Some Republicans argue it will simply take time for the GOP to organize against Biden, given the honeymoon period most new presidents enjoy. All the while, the Biden White House is underscoring its attempts at bipartisanship, putting the Republicans on the defensive for not signing onto the broadly popular COVID relief bill.
Cold front may bring rain to Central Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. – A stationary front will drape across Central Florida on Tuesday night. It will be quiet overnight in Central Florida. A low in the Gulf of Mexico will move to the northeast around 5 a.m. Wednesday and will drag a cold front to Central Florida. The high in Central Florida will hit 77 degrees and will drop quickly into the afternoon. Rain chances will jump to 70% on Saturday afternoon.
Central Florida schools react to decision to stop publication of 6 Dr. Seuss books
The decision of Dr. Seuss Enterprises to stop publishing six of its books due to racist and insensitive imagery has school districts in Central Florida, as well as Universal Orlando, reevaluating their own uses of the Dr. Seuss titles. The book “If I Ran the Zoo” is among the Dr. Seuss titles featured at Seuss Landing at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. AdSeveral Central Florida school districts issued statements about the publisher’s decision:“Books written by Dr. Seuss will remain in school libraries in Marion County Public Schools. Many of our schools take part in “Read Across America Day,” some tie the celebrations with Dr. Seuss more than others. Orange County Public SchoolsThe Orange County Library system also released a statement:
Iceberg bigger than NYC breaks off Antarctica
(Copyright 2020 by CNN Newsource - All rights reserved.) A massive iceberg, bigger than the Big Apple, has broken off of an ice shelf in Antarctica. The iceberg measures 490 square miles, making it larger than New York City. [TRENDING: Massive fire breaks out at Orlando condo complex | 6 Dr. Seuss books canceled | Shaq, the big-time wrestler]It separated from the 150-meter-thick brunt ice shelf on Friday near a British scientific outpost, according to a statement from the British Antarctic Survey. The research station is closed for the Antarctic winter.
6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published due to racist images
“Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families," it said. Within hours of Tuesday's announcement, Dr. Seuss books filled more than half of the top 20 slots on Amazon.com's bestseller list. Ad“Research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss,” the school district said in a statement. In 2018, a Dr. Seuss museum in his hometown of Springfield removed a mural that included an Asian stereotype. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, however, said it is “committed to listening and learning and will continue to review our entire portfolio."
Holiday movies, music specials arrive to light a bleak year
(NBC/Apple/HBO Max/Netflix/Disney + via AP)LOS ANGELES – Bring on the sentimental holiday rom-coms, the chorus of Christmas music specials and the nostalgia of last century’s animated charmers. HOLIDAY HARMONY— “My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood,” now streaming on HBO Max. — “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” Dec. 4, Apple TV+. Music, dancing, animation and surprise guest stars help create what the streaming service promises to be a heartwarming journey with the pop star. Dolly Parton sings hymns, holiday pop classics and tunes from her new album, and shares personal and faith-based Christmas memories.