DirecTV has cut ties with the conservative Newsmax but added another right-wing upstart network to its lineup.

The First, a fledgling news network whose hosts include disgraced Fox News broadcaster Bill O'Reilly and former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, took over the same channel slot vacated this week by Newsmax, reported The Daily Beast.

“DIRECTV values different viewpoints and perspectives and will always work to preserve expansive choice among a wide variety of entertainment and information services to appeal to the unique tastes and interests of our diverse customer base,” said Rob Thun, the chief content officer for DirecTV. “As we’ve successfully done with other emerging channels, we look forward to helping The First continue to expand its audience reach, while constantly ensuring that our customers receive a strong value.”

The cable provider announced a multi-year deal with The First, which launched in 2019 as a digital network available on over-the-top platforms, that will be offered free to DirecTV subscribers and stream on its website and other services, which The Daily Beast reported appears to be similar to a deal Newsmax rejected earlier this month.
https://www.rawstory.com/newsmax-directv-2659315079/

Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being ordered to remove or make inaccessible libraries of books inside their classrooms or face possible felony prosecution, as the district responds to legislation Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law prohibiting any books that have not been thoroughly vetted by a credentialed librarian.

The law, which went into effect at the start of this year, “is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing advocacy groups, that teachers and librarians are using books to ‘groom’ students or indoctrinate them with leftist ideologies,” according to Judd Legum at Popular Information.

He puts it simply: “classroom libraries that are curated by teachers, not librarians, are now illegal.”

“My heart is broken for Florida students today as I am forced to pack up my classroom library,” one teacher wrote on Facebook, Legum reports.

Calling it a “travesty to education, the future of our children and our nation,” another teacher lamented they have spent 18 years “dedicated to providing students with quality literature,” and helping them “connect with books and develop a love of lifelong learning,” but now they will have to dismantle their classroom library.

Kevin Chapman, the Chief of Staff for the Manatee County School District, “says that school principals in Manatee County were told Wednesday that any staff member violating these rules by providing materials ‘harmful to minors’ could be prosecuted for ‘a felony of the third degree.'”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/my-heart-is-broken-florida-teachers-ordered-to-remove-block-class-libraries-or-face-felony-prosecution/ar-AA16Faeo?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6aeea1140a7a43958fe42226dd366655

MMA fighter turned-actress Gina Carano once looked set to have a bright future as part of the Star Wars franchise. Cast as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, she soon became a recurring presence in the Disney+ series and plans were put in place for the Rebel hero to take centre stage in a now-cancelled spin-off titled Rangers of the New Republic. 

In 2021, Carano started stirring up a lot of controversy on social media after sharing her thoughts on the pandemic, the 2020 election, and views many deemed transphobic and antisemitic.

As a result, she was fired from the series, and essentially blacklisted in Hollywood. These days, Carano primarily stars in movies made for The Daily Wire, an American conservative news outlet, with the latest effort - Terror on the Prairie - making only $804 (yes, you read that correctly) at the North American box office. 
https://sffgazette.com/sci-fi/star_wars/fired-the-mandalorian-star-gina-carano-lashes-out-after-being-a3624#gs.mclxtx