logo
Chris Kluwe fired as freshman football coach at Edison in fallout from MAGA protest

Chris Kluwe fired as freshman football coach at Edison in fallout from MAGA protest

Days after Chris Kluwe was handcuffed and carried out of a Huntington Beach City Council meeting for engaging in what he called an act of 'peaceful civil disobedience' he was fired from his high school teaching position.
The former NFL punter and 15-year resident of Huntington Beach said he was dismissed this week from the Edison High football program, for which he served as a freshman football coach for the Chargers.
Kluwe said he was called into a meeting with school officials on Thursday, was offered an opportunity to resign, and when he chose not, he was subsequently shown the door.
'The school fired me yesterday,' Kluwe said in a phone interview on Friday. 'The [athletic director] and the vice principal of supervision brought me in and said that they were getting too much attention, and they had to let me go.
'Obviously, I was bummed about it because I feel like the community is losing a resource. I don't think they're going to find another ex-NFL player to coach freshman football.'
Huntington Beach Union High School District Athletic Director James Perry said he could not comment on a 'human resources situation' when reached on Friday regarding Kluwe's dismissal. Rich Boyce, the athletic director at Edison, also declined to comment.
At the Huntington Beach City Council meeting on Feb. 18, Kluwe made pointed remarks to the panel, arguing that the public was going unheard.
Library policies have been at the center of this debate, as the governing body went ahead with a 21-person, council-appointed book review board that, when formed, will have the ability to determine which books children can find on the shelves.
A plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the library to be placed at its Central Branch drew sharp backlash from members of the public for a design that included a MAGA acrostic — formed by the first letter of the words 'Magical,' 'Alluring,' 'Galvanizing' and 'Adventurous.'
Kluwe used the balance of his time at the meeting to put MAGA culture in the crosshairs, concluding that it is 'profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy' and characterizing it as 'explicitly a Nazi movement.'
'You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat — that is what it is,' he told the council.
Kluwe then announced his intent to peacefully protest, stepped around the podium and walked toward the dais with his hands behind his back. Police officers advanced on him immediately, brought him to the ground and handcuffed him, then carried him out of the chambers.
During his playing career, Kluwe made national headlines for advocating for same-sex marriage. Within his hometown, Kluwe sees a landscape in which individuals are attempting to 'make their own political profile larger.'
'What we're seeing from this administration is that they don't care about the American people,' Kluwe said. 'They care about what benefits them personally, and Huntington Beach is a microcosm of that. This city council does not care about community feedback. … They keep messing with the library, even when we've made it very clear that we don't want them messing with the library, and they keep doing things that benefit themselves, like the endless lawsuits that they keep suing the state over to build housing — which are completely unwinnable in court — and the community is like, 'Why are you wasting our money?' …
'That's what MAGA does. They don't care about community. They may say they care about America and fly an American flag, but their actions indicate that they're against everything that the American Dream is supposed to stand for, which is that anyone who comes into this country should have a chance to succeed.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump EPA moves to repeal climate rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants
Trump EPA moves to repeal climate rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants

The Hill

time23 minutes ago

  • The Hill

Trump EPA moves to repeal climate rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action that Administrator Lee Zeldin said would remove billions of dollars in costs for industry and help 'unleash' American energy. The EPA also proposed weakening a regulation that requires power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants that can harm brain development of young children and contribute to heart attacks and other health problems in adults. The rollbacks are meant to fulfill Republican President Donald Trump's repeated pledge to 'unleash American energy' and make it more affordable for Americans to power their homes and operate businesses. If approved and made final, the plans would reverse efforts by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration to address climate change and improve conditions in areas heavily burdened by industrial pollution, mostly in low-income and majority Black or Hispanic communities. The power plant rules are among about 30 environmental regulations that Zeldin targeted in March when he announced what he called the 'most consequential day of deregulation in American history.' Zeldin said Wednesday the new rules would help end what he called the Biden and Obama administration's 'war on so much of our U.S. domestic energy supply.' 'The American public spoke loudly and clearly last November,' he added in a speech at EPA headquarters. 'They wanted to make sure that … no matter what agency anybody might be confirmed to lead, we are finding opportunities to pursue common-sense, pragmatic solutions that will help reduce the cost of living … create jobs and usher in a golden era of American prosperity.' Environmental and public health groups called the rollbacks dangerous and vowed to challenge the rules in court. Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health, called the proposals 'yet another in a series of attacks' by the Trump administration on the nation's 'health, our children, our climate and the basic idea of clean air and water.' She called it 'unconscionable to think that our country would move backwards on something as common sense as protecting children from mercury and our planet from worsening hurricanes, wildfires, floods and poor air quality driven by climate change.' 'Ignoring the immense harm to public health from power plant pollution is a clear violation of the law,' added Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. 'If EPA finalizes a slapdash effort to repeal those rules, we'll see them in court.' The EPA-targeted rules could prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they are in effect, according to an Associated Press examination that included the agency's own prior assessments and a wide range of other research. It's by no means guaranteed that the rules will be entirely eliminated — they can't be changed without going through a federal rulemaking process that can take years and requires public comment and scientific justification. Even a partial dismantling of the rules would mean more pollutants such as smog, mercury and lead — and especially more tiny airborne particles that can lodge in lungs and cause health problems, the AP analysis found. It would also mean higher emissions of the greenhouse gases driving Earth's warming to deadlier levels. Biden, a Democrat, had made fighting climate change a hallmark of his presidency. Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a strict EPA rule issued last year. Then-EPA head Michael Regan said the power plant rules would reduce pollution and improve public health while supporting a reliable, long-term supply of electricity. The power sector is the nation's second-largest contributor to climate change, after transportation. In its proposed regulation, the Trump EPA argues that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from fossil fuel-fired power plants 'do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution' or climate change and therefore do not meet a threshold under the Clean Air Act for regulatory action. Greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired plants 'are a small and decreasing part of global emissions,' the EPA said, adding: 'this Administration's priority is to promote the public health or welfare through energy dominance and independence secured by using fossil fuels to generate power.' The Clean Air Act allows the EPA to limit emissions from power plants and other industrial sources if those emissions significantly contribute to air pollution that endangers public health. If fossil fuel plants no longer meet the EPA's threshold, the Trump administration may later argue that other pollutants from other industrial sectors don't either and therefore shouldn't be regulated, said Meghan Greenfield, a former EPA and Justice Department lawyer now in private practice. The EPA proposal 'has the potential to have much, much broader implications,' she said. Zeldin, a former New York congressman, said the Biden-era rules were designed to 'suffocate our economy in order to protect the environment,' with the intent to regulate the coal industry 'out of existence' and make it 'disappear.' National Mining Association president and CEO Rich Nolan applauded the new rules, saying they remove 'deliberately unattainable standards' for clean air while 'leveling the playing field for reliable power sources, instead of stacking the deck against them.' But Dr. Howard Frumkin, a former director of the National Center for Environmental Health and professor emeritus at the University of Washington School of Public Health, said Zeldin and Trump were trying to deny reality. 'The world is round, the sun rises in the east, coal-and gas-fired power plants contribute significantly to climate change, and climate change increases the risk of heat waves, catastrophic storms and many other health threats,' Frumkin said. 'These are indisputable facts. If you torpedo regulations on power plant greenhouse gas emissions, you torpedo the health and well-being of the American public and contribute to leaving a world of risk and suffering to our children and grandchildren.' A paper published earlier this year in the journal Science found the Biden-era rules could reduce U.S. power sector carbon emissions by 73% to 86% below 2005 levels by 2040, compared with a reduction of 60% to 83% without the rules. 'Carbon emissions in the power sector drop at a faster rate with the (Biden-era) rules in place than without them,' said Aaron Bergman, a fellow at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit research institution and a co-author of the Science paper. The Biden rule also would result in 'significant reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, pollutants that harm human health,' he said.

OSU falls victim to budget cuts, putting a damper on scientific research
OSU falls victim to budget cuts, putting a damper on scientific research

Yahoo

time23 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

OSU falls victim to budget cuts, putting a damper on scientific research

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The awarding of an OSU microfluidics research fund of $45 million has been called off by the Trump administration, leaving researchers fumbling for options. Microfluidics, the scientific study of the behavior of liquid on a microscopic level, is a recently established field and is hoped to aid in the medical realm as well as the manufacturing of semiconductors, a partially conductive component of many day-to-day electronic devices. The grant's cancellation has been a source of upset for researchers, but OSU is already looking ahead to future opportunities. Anti-ICE protests escalate outside Southwest Portland facility 'While we are disappointed in the notification of the EDA award cancellation for CorMic [Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub], we fully intend to participate in the EDA's next Notice of Funding Opportunity and remain well positioned to further national security interests as a global leader in microfluidics for semiconductor manufacturing, ' Tom Weller, Gaulke Professor and Head said. 'Oregon State University will continue to work alongside HP and other partners to further the commercialization of new microfluidics-connected technologies for semiconductor manufacturing, biotechnology, and advanced materials manufacturing.' This is not an isolated incident, with Trump having attempted to cut billions in allocated federal funding to scientific research since the beginning of his current term. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said, 'The Trump administration is spending its first few months reviewing the previous administration's projects, identifying waste, and realigning our research spending to match the American people's priorities and continue our innovative dominance.' Universities are getting hit with the full force of these budget cuts, with biomedical research being classified as 'waste.' Just in February, the National Institutes of Health proposed cutting billions of dollars to OHSU research looking at cancer and heart disease, among other afflictions. These cuts were immediately met with lawsuits from, but not limited to, the Association of American Universities and 22 state attorneys general. These lawsuits are still in progress. The Association of American Universities' lawsuit called the NIH cuts 'flagrantly unlawful' and expressed concern that 'our country will lose its status as the destination for solving the world's biggest health problems.' Scientists of the NIH itself have begun to speak out, publicly disagreeing with the institute's actions, claiming that the cuts 'undermine the NIH mission.' Cuts to scientific research are becoming a recurring source of contention as Trump's second term continues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

U.S. Prepares to Evacuate Iraq Embassy as Netanyahu Ramps Up Threats
U.S. Prepares to Evacuate Iraq Embassy as Netanyahu Ramps Up Threats

Yahoo

time23 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

U.S. Prepares to Evacuate Iraq Embassy as Netanyahu Ramps Up Threats

The American embassy in Baghdad is preparing to evacuate in a troubling sign for nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, as well as greater regional unrest, according to Reuters. Three U.S. and two Iraqi sources confirmed Wednesday that preparations for a departure were underway, but did not specify what security concerns had prompted the move. It's more than likely that the sudden withdrawal is related to Israel's recent threat to target Iran's nuclear facilities, despite ongoing nuclear talks between the United States and Iran. Ahead of a sixth round of talks set to begin this week, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned in a press briefing Wednesday that if the negotiations failed, and 'conflict is imposed' on Iran that 'all U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries.' In an interview on the Pod Force One podcast released Wednesday, Donald Trump spoke about the talks, saying that he was 'less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago.' 'Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he said. The New York Times reported in April that Israel, which is not a participant in the ongoing nuclear talks, had made plans to Iranian nuclear sites that were waved off by Trump, who wanted to continue negotiating with Tehran. Still, Netanyahu has continued to push for military action against Iran, without assistance from the United States. In a phone call Monday, Trump urged Netanyahu to stop talking about attacking Iran, and put an end to the leaks about his military's plans, a source familiar with the conversation told CNN. Netanyahu told him that Iran wasn't serious about the talks, and was simply using delaying tactics. He has some experience with that, after drawing out negotiations for a ceasefire deal in Gaza for months on end. The exact details of the U.S. withdrawal from Baghdad are still unclear. An Iraqi foreign ministry official said that a 'partial evacuation' had been confirmed due to 'potential security concerns related to possible regional tensions.' A U.S. official told Reuters that the State Department was intending to execute the departure through 'commercial means,' though the U.S. military was 'standing by.' In Bahrain, U.S. military dependents have been given the greenlight to temporarily evacuate due to escalating regional tensions, one U.S. official told Reuters.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store