‘Antiracist Baby’ book was slammed by Ted Cruz. Now it tops Amazon bestsellers list
A children’s book on anti-racism leapt to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers list this week after it was slammed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“Antiracist Baby,” written by award-winning author and Boston University professor Ibram X. Kendi, held the No. 1 spot on Amazon’s list of bestselling children’s books as of Friday.
The 32-page picture book introduces young readers “to the concept and power of antiracism” and discusses kid-friendly steps families can take toward “building a more equitable world,” according to an online synopsis. Sales skyrocketed hours after Cruz criticized the book at the Tuesday hearing, claiming it teaches kids “that babies are racist.”
In his line of questioning, the senator asked Jackson her thoughts on critical race theory, which he said was being taught to students at Georgetown Day School in Washington where Brown is a trustee, Forbes reported.
—The Charlotte Observer
Georgia election bill rooted in Trump supporters’ complaints about 2020
ATLANTA — Few people mention former President Donald Trump in hearings on Georgia’s latest elections bill, but complaints about his loss in the 2020 election are motivating Republican efforts to again rewrite the rules.
Trump’s supporters repeat his allegations of “fraud,” a need for a “forensic audit” and criticism of “Zuckerbucks” donations from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to county election offices during the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia’s elections bill aims to appease them by expanding police investigations, allowing public inspections of paper ballots and restricting nonprofit contributions.
The proposals focus on perceived flaws in the presidential election, long after recounts and investigations countered politically driven beliefs that Democrat Joe Biden’s victory was illegitimate. Bipartisan election officials have repeatedly upheld the results.
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man caught with dozens of lizards in his clothes is charged with smuggling 1,700 reptiles
LOS ANGELES — A 30-year-old Oxnard, California, man was indicted Thursday on federal charges and accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles into the U.S., hiding some animals in his clothing while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, prosecutors said.
Jose Manuel Perez was charged with two counts of wildlife trafficking, nine counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and one count of conspiracy after allegedly transporting the animals for a black-market business.
His sister Stephany Perez, 25, was also charged with conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege that between January 2016 and February 2022, Perez, his sister and others used social media to buy, sell and arrange delivery of wildlife in the United States.
Perez was arrested Feb. 25 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, authorities said, after attempting to cross the border while hiding 60 reptiles — including dozens of lizards and four snakes — in his jacket and pants pockets as well as his groin area and pant legs. According to the indictment, he told customs officials he had nothing to declare, then backtracked and said that "the animals were his pets."
—Los Angeles Times
It’s China’s ‘Nobel Prize moment’ to stop war, UN official says
Chinese President Xi Jinping has an opportunity to make history in pushing for a resolution to the war in Ukraine, the United Nations’ most senior official in China said, encouraging Beijing to take a more active part in ending the bloodshed.
“I see China as a country which can play an important role in mediating the crisis,” Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN’s resident coordinator in China told Bloomberg News. “China has the ability, it has the bandwidth. It has the sensitivity. It has the understanding of the complexity of the geopolitics.”
“To me, this is China’s Nobel Prize moment,” he added. “A real Nobel Peace Prize moment.”
Since Russia’s invasion, Beijing has sought to portray itself as neutral: Issuing statements supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and expressing concern about civilian casualties, while supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the UN and blaming the U.S. for provoking the war by encouraging the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Chatterjee said it was in “China’s interest” to see an immediate end to the conflict. “The Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative may start to falter,” he said, referencing Xi’s two flagship international investment and infrastructure projects. “We need peace and development for all these important initiatives that China has ongoing to be successful,” he added.
—Bloomberg News
