DeSantis signs law placing new restrictions on teacher unions

Standing behind a placard declaring Florida “the education state,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed into law two measures that make it harder for teachers to collectively bargain pay and working conditions.

The first item (SB 1296) changes the rules for how unions can win and retain their certification, mandating that at least half of all eligible members must vote in elections establishing their existence. That way, DeSantis said, the unions that remain will have demonstrated they represent a majority. The second (HB 1279) removes unions from the discussion as school districts establish pay incentives to bring highly evaluated teachers to low-performing schools.

DeSantis said the effort to bring unions to heel has long been a conservative goal. He called the organizations partisan and argued the unions don’t have the best interests of their members — not to mention schools and students — at heart.

“They’re adopting all these positions as far left as you can. That’s what they see their role as,” DeSantis said during a press conference and signing ceremony at Fort Myers High School. “It leads to a lot of really, really bad things.”

—Tampa Bay Times

Study reveals potential link between ‘forever chemicals’ and childhood leukemia

Prenatal exposure to PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” is linked to acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, in a new study led by the University of California, Irvine.

“Forever chemicals” is a catch-all term for a group of about 14,000 man-made compounds linked to cancers and fertility issues, so named because they do not degrade easily over time and can build up in the body. They’re found in drinking water, nonstick cookware, food and drink packaging and cosmetics.

For this study, researchers examined the newborn blood samples of babies born from 2000 to 2015 in Los Angeles County. The samples were taken from 125 children later diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 219 cancer-free kids.

Seventeen different “forever chemicals,” primarily PFOA and PFOS, were detected in the blood samples, according to the study, which was published in April in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

—The Orange County Register

Recycled plastics industry gets unexpected boost from Iran war

LOS ANGELES — As the war with Iran sends the price of virgin plastic skyward, speculation is growing as to whether recycled plastic could finally have its day after struggling for years to gain a greater foothold among manufacturers.

Not since the collapse of the global recycling market in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic has the world faced as big a shock to the production and sale of plastic products — all of which are made from oil and gas.

Today, roughly half of the global ethylene and polyethylene supply is stranded, constrained, or directly affected by the halt to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial transit point for 20% of the world’s crude.

Typically, recycled plastic is more expensive than virgin plastic. But in April, that calculus began to shift in many markets as the cost of plastics used in car parts, toys, bottles, food containers, cosmetics and many other products began to soar.

—Los Angeles Times

Iran internet blackout tightens military’s grip on civilian life

Iran’s record internet blackout is emerging as a key dividing line between the country’s powerful security apparatus and its civilian government, underlining how the war with the U.S. has extended the military’s control over daily life.

Top government officials have become increasingly vocal about their opposition to the shutdown, imposed by authorities led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps two months ago, even as they present a united front against Washington during the ongoing ceasefire.

“We absolutely do not accept a tiered internet,” Mohammad Hafez Hakami, an adviser to the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, said on Tuesday, referring to a state initiative that allows a limited number of vetted users online to support the economy.

“The internet has become one of the basic needs of the people and must be recognized as a public right for all citizens,” Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref said last week, calling for restrictions to be lifted.

—Bloomberg News