❌ Loudoun County Public Schools, unlike the library in Fairfax County, Virginia, will remove the controversial "Gender Queer: A Memoir" from the school library shelves.

The book has been criticized by many parents claiming it contains acts of pedophilia. The school district in neighboring Fairfax County supported the decision to remove the book from the shelves, with Loudoun Superintendent Scott Zilger saying that "the pictorial depictions in this book ran counter to what is appropriate in school"

What books do your kids grow up with?

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🚔 British police in Greater Manchester have arrested two teenagers as part of the investigation into the hostage-taking of a rabbi and three parishioners at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.

It is not yet clear how they are connected to 44-year-old British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, who held the victims captive, demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqi, a jailed Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of links to al-Qaeda*.

*A terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries around the world

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🤔 This is what he got for a good deed....a beat down by the homeless man he was trying to help.

❗️Chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley tested positive for Covid yesterday - spokesman

🇺🇸🇪🇺 The US and the EU have ruled out cutting Russian banks off from the SWIFT payment system as part of a sanctions policy, while considering the possibility of targeted sanctions, the German newspaper Handelsblatt says.

'Disgusted' netizens slam US pastor who smeared his spit on man's face during sermon

An Ohio man stole a car with a passenger asleep in the back. The "kidnapped" person then started sending real-time messages to the police. As a result, the officers tracked the car and the pursuit began.

The robber and the passenger were treated at the scene for minor injuries after the crash, police said.

❗️White House on possibility of disconnecting Russia from SWIFT: None of options ruled out

🙄 This time the noscript of school epic fail of the year is awarded to the teacher from a Buffalo-area school district.

Sixth graders at Mill High School in Central Williamsville were given a Spanish class assignment to translate a few sentences. For an unknown reason, some of the sentences called Mexicans “ugly” and Americans ”pretty”.

The district had to apologize for the assignment following a public outcry

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The incident that took place at the Taylor Hyundai in Findlay, Ohio, could perhaps be used as a noscript for a Tarantino-style Hollywood movie.

It all started when a couple of young guys decided to sell their car. However, something went wrong when 31-year-old Justin M. Vaughn suddenly got behind the wheel of a car and left the dealership with one of the young guys still in the back seat.

The unfortunate guy in the back seat however sent real-time text messages that were relayed to cops in Tiffin, Ohio while his car owner friend tracked its whereabouts.

🚔 The hijacking started a chase that ended in a crash just south of the county line on SR 100 in Crawford County. Vaughn and the passenger were treated at the scene with minor injuries. Vaughn was arrested and charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery, car theft and running from police

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According to the Lancashire Telegraph, the British man shot dead after taking people hostage in the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in a suburb of Dallas, Texas, allegedly told court staff he wished he had been among the 9/11 terrorists shortly after the attacks

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@TrumpJr tweeted his take on the recent incident at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas

Kamala Harris gave a speech to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in which she pushed for more voting rights by video-linking the congregation of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia.

🗣 "Today, our freedom to vote is under assault," she said. "In Georgia and across our nation, anti-voter laws are being passed that could make it more difficult for as many as 55 million Americans to vote. ... That is one out of six people in our country."

📜 Harris called on the Senate to pass the Voting Rights Act, which she said "represents the first real opportunity to secure the freedom to vote since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act nearly a decade ago."

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Rising tensions between @real_DonaldJTrump and @RonDeSantisChannel could escalate into a bitter political fight as 2024 approaches.

But besides the former president and governor of Florida, there are at least 2 other prospective presidential candidates from the Sunshine State - Marco Rubio and Rick Scott - making Florida the epicenter of the early fight for the Republican presidential nomination.

This won't be the first time that several Floridians are vying for the Republican presidential nomination. In 2016, Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush clashed in the primary race

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I have just spent millions of dollars on the Blue Monster golf course at Trump National Doral in the heart of Miami. Incredible what has been created. The Blue Monster is one of the greatest courses in the world, and a favorite of PGA tour players. Check it out! Also, will be applying for 2,300 units of luxury housing, retail, and commercial space in Phase 1 at Doral. This is perhaps the most exciting development in the Country—and the Blue Monster course coupled with the Red, Gold, and Silver, are setting records!

@real_DonaldJTrump privately sees fellow Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as an ingrate with a "dull personality" who stands no chance of defeating him in a potential 2024 Republican matchup

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🇺🇸 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with 🇺🇦 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on January 19 while in Kiev on a visit.

Blinken will also meet with employees of the US embassy, along with their families, to “communicate the Department’s efforts to plan for contingencies, should Russia choose to escalate further,” the State Department says.

🇩🇪 On January 20 in Berlin, Blinken will discuss recent diplomatic engagements with Russia and joint action in the event of escalation in Ukraine, including the allies’ "readiness to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs" on Moscow.

Two culprits in the Bronx thought they'd steal a car, but they weren't expecting resistance...

❗️ Russian FM Lavrov confirmed to Blinken that it is imperative for Washington to provide a quick answer "on paper" to Moscow's security proposals

❗️US will provide Ukraine with even more 'defensive materials' if situation escalates, State Dept says