Friday Politics Roundup | Hurricane Ian wrecks Florida; Biden admin dials back student debt cancellation; Joan Cullen “Worst Person in the World”; Pennridge SD bans Banned Book Week; Yass money; NASA

Hurricane Ian devastates Florida and is set to make landfall again this afternoon - this time in South Carolina as a category 1 storm.  At least 19 people are currently reported dead in Florida, but the numbers are expected to rise considerably. As one council member in Fort Myers Beach - one of the areas hit worst by Ian - put it, “90% of the island is pretty much gone.” 

Biden’s Department of Education quietly changes rules for some student loan borrowers who were initially promised relief under the recently announced student loan forgiveness program. Fearing Republican lawsuits and Republican talking points, Biden’s plan will no longer allow borrowers with privately held federal student loans to consolidate those loans into Direct Loans to qualify for the $10,000 - $20,000 debt cancellation. 

The Dallas Morning News reports on a right-wing takeover of North Texas schools that may signal a new chapter in the National Republican playbook to expand their power. And, it might sound familiar to listeners of this show. 

An excellent new report by Aly Shaw from the grassroots watchdog group, LittleSis, tracks the roll that PA-based billionaire Jeffery Yass has played in fueling Pennsylvania’s right-wing machine. 

On Wednesday, Pennridge School Board president, Joan Cullen, was named the worst person in the world by Keith Olberman on his podcast after Pennridge High School banned Banned Books Week displays - ending a 15 year tradition taking part in the annual national awareness campaign. 

The Pennridge School District administration ordered teachers to remove any “advocacy materials” from their classrooms by next week. The School Board even suspended its own policies to rush the vote. According to reporting in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “advocacy materials” includes LGBTQ pride materials; crosses and other religious symbols; political party symbols; and, even images like the Ukrainian flag signaling support for Ukrainians after the Russian invasion. How long do you think it will take for right-wing religious groups to file their well-funded lawsuits?

In response to the move, the Pennridge Education Association released a rather bland, cookie-cutter statement saying, “While new policies may present changes throughout Pennridge School District, our members - the teachers, nurses, counselors, librarians, social workers, and psychologists who server Pennridge students - remain steadfast in our mission of ensuring our students feel welcomed, valued, and encouraged to excel as learners.

Ingenuity, the Mars helicopter, just completed its 33rd flight. The original mission - to see if powered-air flight was even possible - was only expected to last about a month with a handful of test flights. Instead, Ingenuity has become an exploratory companion of the Perseverance rover. 

NASA’s Juno spacecraft just sent back some amazing pictures of Jupiter’s ice-encrusted ocean moon, Europa. 

NASA’s DART mission is a success.