Bad States

BeeHive -   Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has announced a new requirement for teachers seeking certification in the state if they are relocating from California or New York. Those applicants must pass a 50-question ‘America-first’ exam created in partnership with PragerU. 

Walters says the test is designed to ensure that educators entering Oklahoma classrooms share what he describes as traditional American values and are not bringing in what he sees as ‘woke indoctrination.’ The exam will reportedly cover topics including the U.S. Constitution, civic responsibility, religion in public life, and gender issues. Applicants must score 100% to pass.

 NPR -   Texas lawmakers are expected to vote in favor of redrawing the state’s congressional map today. The bill would then head to the Senate tomorrow and then to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it. Texas Democrats left the state for a couple of weeks to slow down this process. Upon their return, Texas Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows ordered Democrats to sign a paper pledging they would show up today if they wanted to leave the building after work earlier this week. 

The new map, which could bring five new GOP seats, could make all the difference for Republicans, who currently hold the House by a few seats, Blaise Gainey of The Texas Newsroom says. Democrats say the new map weakens Black and Latino votes in illegal ways, and they will challenge it in court. California Democrats also plan to vote this week on a map that would give an edge to five more Democrats in the House next year. In California, the law requires an independent commission to do the redistricting, but the state is seeking voters' approval in a special election in November.

NPR -   The Republican governors of  Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia have agreed to send hundreds of additional National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., for the president’s agenda.