By Jim Benton

New Yorker

Bizarro by Dan Piraro, Nov. 7, 1998

Gary Larsen, The Far Side, October 15, 1986

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28804484

A 12-person jury has been seated in the federal corruption trial of former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff Cade Cothren.

Lawyers late into the afternoon April 23 were still debating alternates for the jury, but the trial is expected to move forward April 24 with opening statements.

Casada and Cothren each face up to 20 years in prison for charges including bribery and money laundering tied to an alleged kickback scheme involving a fake political mailer company.

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Parents across Tennessee will soon be able to put taxpayer dollars toward the cost of attending private school. State lawmakers Thursday narrowly voted to expand Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program statewide, less than a year after a similar measure failed.

Under the Education Freedom Act, families can use taxpayer dollars to cover the cost of K-12 private school to the tune of just over $7,000 for each child — more than some school districts currently receive in per-student funding. The money will go directly from the state to the private school and can cover anything from tuition and fees to laptops and classroom supplies for the student.

Two-thirds of the families expected to receive that money are already enrolled in private school, according to a state review.

Rep. Chris Hurt, R-Hall, attempted to add an amendment to ensure that private schools don’t discriminate against students with disabilities in the admission’s process. He said he wanted to guarantee that his own daughter, who has a disability, would have the same opportunities as other students.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/22618167

Goodlettsville police say they responded this morning to a bomb threat at the home of Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense.

The heavy police presence led to the closure of portions of Patton Branch and Madison Creek roads in the Sumner County portion of Goodlettsville Wednesday.

This is one of a number of threats and swatting attacks against Trump cabinet nominees across the country.

“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

She said the attacks “ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting.’ In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.”

Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses.

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