Pennsylvania senator asked child ‘pornography' question during civics competition
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. (WHTM) — A Pennsylvania State Senator is apologizing after posing a pornography question to a sixth grade girl during a civics competition.
On Wednesday, a local National Civics Bee competition was held at Penn State Schuylkill in Schuylkill Haven, giving students in grades 6-8 a chance to 'flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes.'
According to the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce website, these student competitors came to discuss a variety of essay topics.
Rapper Azealia Banks says she regrets Trump vote
However, one student's topic of Book Banning drew a bit of controversy, not because of her topic, but because of a question asked by one of the participating judges, who happens to be a State Senator.
According to a Facebook post by the mother of the girl whose essay was about book banning, State Sen. David Argall (R-Carbon/Luzerne/Schuylkill) asked the sixth grader if it was 'appropriate to give pornographic magazines to kindergarteners.'
The mother says her daughter asked what the senator meant, seemingly because the young girl did not know what pornography was.
Argall, the mother says, then responded by telling the young girl that pornography was 'naked pictures of people.'
'This discussion has no place at the Civics Bee,' the mother shared online. 'I am further appalled and furious that I now have to explain pornography to my fourth grader who was there to cheer on her sister.'
Facebook sending out $40 payments to users over 'Like button' issue
In response to the incident, Argall told abc27 news the following:
During last night's local round of the National Civics Bee, I posed a question as a volunteer judge to a participant that was not age-appropriate for this setting. I apologize to the young lady, her family, and all the participants who worked hard to get to this point, with excellent presentations by the students who submitted entries on book bans and many other important subjects.
I was attempting to ask if some books and magazines are not appropriate for some age groups, a subject which has received considerable attention in the general assembly in recent years. In hindsight, my obvious mistake was in citing an example that was itself not appropriate for this age group, a mistake which I will not make again.
State Senator Argall
The next round of the Civics Bee will be held in Harrisburg.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SLO County's Juneteenth event canceled after local NAACP president is suspended
This is a developing story. Check back to for updates. To get breaking news alerts, click here San Luis Obispo County's Juneteenth celebration was canceled after the president of the local NAACP was permanently banned from the organization, according to a now-deleted social media post. The San Luis Obispo County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People posted on social media that the event, which commemorates the end of slavery each year on June 19, was canceled because of 'recent actions by the NAACP, in addition to the suspension of Ms. Cheryl Vines, the former president.' The post was deleted from Facebook and Instagram in the late-morning on Tuesday. It is unclear exactly when Vines became president of the organization. Tobin Johnson signed a letter as president condemning racist graffiti at San Luis Obispo City Hall in February, and a May 29 letter states Vines was secretary for the San Luis Obispo branch. Neither Vines nor Johnson immediately responded to The Tribune's request for comment. The Tribune also reached out to the local NAACP via phone, email and social media but has not received a response. 'We recognize the importance of the SLO Juneteenth event and in the community's anticipation. However, due to these circumstances and our commitment to upholding the NAACP's values and integrity, we found it necessary to cancel the event,' the social media statement said. The organization also posted a statement on its Instagram story that said the event Monday evening, which was scheduled for June 14, was canceled 'due to certain circumstances.' 'Just be mindful of Ms. Vines and in addition I don't want to appear I am speaking for the president and CEO, as well as for President Callender,' Instagram story said. It's unclear who made that comment on behalf of the local group. Instagram stories automatically delete after 24 hours, but this story was still up as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The decision to cancel the event was difficult, the organization said on the event's website. It was scheduled to take place on June 14 in Mission Plaza, featuring musical performances, speakers, resources, a silent auction and a bake sale, as well as a gumbo cook-off and creole dinner. Around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, after the post was deleted, the organization posted a vague statement on its Instagram story that said all events were canceled but did not say why. It also did not name Vines in the statement. 'The NAACP's mission is to secure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights for everyone. We remain steadfast in its commitment to upholding our core values and integrity,' the new post said. Identical statements were also posted to the organization's Facebook story, which also automatically deletes after 24 hours. The organization posted a third statement on its Instagram story with more vague language, this time not mentioning Vines at all. According to the cease-and-desist letter sent from NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson to Vines and obtained by The Tribune, Vines' membership of the NAACP was 'suspended for life' on May 17 following a complaint made against her on Dec. 27. The NAACP National Board of Directors held a hearing regarding an unspecified complaint on April 28 and submitted its findings to a three-person committee. The committee then made recommendations to the NAACP National Board of Directors, which made the final decision to suspend Vines' membership. The letter directed Vines to 'immediately cease and desist from acting or holding yourself out as an NAACP member and as the San Luis Obispo County Branch secretary.' It also ordered Vines to return all her NAACP property. It is unclear at this time what allegations were in the complaint that led to Vine's permanent suspension.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gerry Adams's lawyer to pursue chatbots for libel
The high-profile media lawyer who represented Gerry Adams in his libel trial against the BBC is now preparing to sue the world's most powerful AI chatbots for defamation. As one of the most prominent libel lawyers in the UK, Paul Tweed said that artificial intelligence was the 'new battleground' in trying to prevent misinformation about his clients from being spread online. Mr Tweed is turning his attention to tech after he recently helped the former Sinn Fein leader secure a €100,000 (£84,000) payout over a BBC documentary that falsely claimed he sanctioned the murder of a British spy. The Belfast-based solicitor said he was already building a test case against Meta that could trigger a flurry of similar lawsuits, as he claims to have exposed falsehoods shared by chatbots on Facebook and Instagram. It is not the first time tech giants have been sued for defamation over questionable responses spewed out by their chatbots. Robby Starbuck, the US activist known for targeting diversity schemes at major companies, has sued Meta for defamation alleging that its AI chatbot spread a number of false claims about him, including that he took part in the Capitol riots. A Norwegian man also filed a complaint against OpenAI after its ChatGPT software incorrectly stated that he had killed two of his sons and been jailed for 21 years. Mr Tweed, who has represented celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford and Jennifer Lopez, said: 'My pet subject is generative AI and the consequences of them repeating or regurgitating disinformation and misinformation.' He believes statements put out by AI chatbots fall outside the protections afforded to social media companies, which have traditionally seen them avoid liability for libel. If successful, Mr Tweed will expose social media companies that have previously argued they should not be responsible for claims made on their platforms because they are technology companies rather than traditional publishers. Mr Tweed said: 'I've been liaising with a number of well-known legal professors on both sides of the Atlantic and they agree that there's a very strong argument that generative AI will fall outside the legislative protections.' The lawyer said that chatbots are actually creating new content, meaning they should be considered publishers. He said that the decision by many tech giants to move their headquarters to Ireland for lower tax rates had also opened them up to being sued in Dublin's high courts, where libel cases are typically decided by a jury. This setup is often seen as more favourable to claimants, which Mr Tweed himself says has fuelled a wave of 'libel tourism' in Ireland. He also said Dublin's high courts are attractive as a lower price option compared to London, where he said the costs of filing libel claims are 'eye-watering'. He said: 'I think it's absurd now, the level of costs that are being claimed. The libel courts in London are becoming very, very expensive and highly risky now. The moment you issue your claim form, the costs go into the stratosphere. 'It's not in anyone's interest for people to be deprived of access to justice. It will get to the point where nobody sues for libel unless you're a billionaire.' Meta was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Liberia's ex-speaker charged with arson over parliament fire
Liberia's former speaker of parliament has been charged with arson over a fire at the nation's House of Representatives, local police have said. The huge blaze broke out last December, a day after plans to remove Jonathan Fonati Koffa from his role as speaker sparked protests in the capital, Monrovia. Koffa had been locked in a stand-off with his political opponents, with dozens of lawmakers voting for his impeachment in October over accusations of poor governance, corruption and conflicts of interest. Police said on Friday that there were "credible links" to suggest Koffa was "strategically involved" in the incident. Five other lawmakers have also been detained in connection to the case. Koffa has previously denied any connection to the fire breaking out. Police chief Gregory Colman said Koffa had been charged with a string of offences including arson, criminal mischief, endangering other people, and attempted murder. Colman said Koffa had used his office and staff "to co-ordinate sabotage efforts from as early as November 2023", according to news agency AFP. Koffa and several other lawmakers were summoned to the Liberian National Police headquarters on Friday as "persons of interest" in the case, local media reports. The former speaker and three sitting members of the House of Representatives were then remanded to Monrovia Central Prison on Saturday, newspaper FrontPage Africa reported. The blaze on 18 December 2024 destroyed the entire joint chambers of the West African nation's legislature. No one was inside the building at the time. The day before had seen tense protests over the plans to remove Koffa, with demonstrators including an aide to former President George Weah arrested. Several individuals, including Koffa and Representative Frank Saah Foko, were brought in for questioning by police. Foko, a prominent figure in the House of Representatives, allegedly uploaded a video to Facebook in which he said: "If they want us to burn the chambers, we will burn it." A team of independent US investigators brought in to assist the investigation concluded that the fire was set deliberately. Liberia's House of Representatives has been beset by a long-running power struggle. Although the bid to impeach Koffa fell short of the two-thirds majority required, the group of 47 lawmakers who had voted for the move unilaterally appointed their own speaker. Last month, Koffa resigned as speaker after months of political deadlock. Embattled Liberian speaker questioned by police over parliament fire Liberian speaker denies links to parliament fire
