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Education advocate Corey DeAngelis joins PragerU CEO Marissa Streit to discuss the National Education Association’s 2026 agenda and what it reveals about America’s largest teachers union. Instead of focusing on academic excellence, the NEA is prioritizing progressive activism, including efforts to impeach President Trump, oppose ICE, defend anti-Israel activism, and support trans legal services. Together, they break down how the NEA is built to influence your children, with an agenda that flows into book publishers to teacher training to the lesson plans in your child’s classroom.

MMA

The newest distorted history lessons of PragerU Kids

New videos include stories downplaying racism, pushing climate and science misinformation, and spreading other right-wing narratives

Written by Sophie Lawton (https://www.mediamatters.org/author/sophie-lawton)

Published 03/17/26

In 2023, Media Matters performed a comprehensive review (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights) of all the videos shared to the PragerU Kids YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@PragerUKids) and found examples of distorted history and right-wing talking points. Recently, media observers have noted (https://www.ms.now/top-stories/latest/prageru-pbs-cuts-john-adams-video-trump-rcna219645) that PragerU Kids is “primed to capitalize” on the loss of the now-defunded (https://www.parents.com/pbs-defunding-what-parents-need-to-know-11734532) PBS, so we reviewed videos posted to the YouTube channel over the last two years.

IFrame Content (https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/D8File/2026/03/17/Final%20PDF_%20PragerU%20Kids%20Research%20031726.pdf)

In this updated review, we did not include PragerU Kids' more benign video series, such as "Street Smarts (https://www.prageru.com/shows/street-smarts)," in which two hosts ask children on the street basic trivia questions about politics. Other series on the channel we omitted from this review, like "Cash Course (https://www.prageru.com/shows/financial-literacy-cash-course)" and "Unboxed (https://www.prageru.com/shows/unboxed)," include basic advice or trivia about various topics. Instead, we focused on series and videos most likely to include divisive or untrue content based on our previous analysis, such as the “Leo and Layla” series and videos on topics like immigration and science. PragerU Kids has proven it has no issue using its content to spread right-wing and false narratives, no matter what the topic may be.

Since our original review in 2023, the organization has doubled down on these themes. We concluded that new PragerU Kids videos downplayed systemic racism, rejected multiculturalism, understated the European role in slavery and consequences of colonialism, demonized communism and socialism, spread climate and science misinformation, and promoted religion in schools.

PragerU is a media organization founded in 2009 by conservative talk radio host Dennis Prager that produces (https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/lackluster-video-prageru-materials-are-far-right-fundamentalist-propaganda-that-promote-christian-nationalism-weird-science-and-bad-history-and-they-might-be-coming-to-your-local-public-s/) right-wing propaganda (https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/prageru/) videos. In 2021, the organization launched (https://jacobin.com/2025/08/prageru-children-right-wing-videos) PragerU Kids, a vertical aimed at creating content for children's education.

PragerU Kids now claims to be “approved educational resource” in 11states (https://www.prageru.com/state-announcements), and in 2025 the organization partnered (https://www.prageru.com/videos/prageru-unveils-the-founders-museum-at-the-white-house) with the Trump administration to host a “Founders Museum” exhibit at the White House. Some of the videos we analyzed also contained narratives that parallel the administration’s agenda on immigration, education, and climate. The organization is also working (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-right-wing-nonprofit-serving-ai-slop-for-americas-birthday)with the America 250 Civics Education Coalition to provide content for their Freedom Truck Mobile Museums celebrating the 250th anniversary of America.

Attacking post-apartheid efforts in South Africa

In its newer videos, PragerU Kids suggests that post-apartheid efforts in South Africa are unfair and harmful, that police violence can be avoided in traffic stops if the driver has a “good attitude,” that in post-slavery America everyone knows prejudice is “a terrible thing,” and that DEI is “hurting the people it claims to help.”

South Africa: Lwazi’s Hard Lesson (https://youtu.be/sdxqhRcWDw8)," a video from the “Around the World” series, centers on a young Black boy, Lwazi, who is torn between two different explanations for South Africa’s enduring inequality. On one side are Lwazi's parents, who believe that “different rules for blacks and whites,” or affirmative action, are at the root of the nation’s problems. On the other is Lwazi’s older brother, who believes “racism remains the reason so many blacks have remained in poverty” and “blamed whites, specifically farmers and landowners, for all the country’s problems.”

But when Lwazi makes a new white friend, he learns the “truth,” including that “not all white people were rich,” and that some had “faced hardship and large numbers were leaving the country because of safety fears.”

The video ends with a group of Black South Africans protecting a white neighborhood from a mob of young men “looking for trouble” that includes Lwazi's brother, who attacks Lwazi’s white friend and then disappears. The video concludes that “the efforts tried” to improve the country, “like rewarding people for their skin color and not ability, have failed and are leading to South Africa’s destruction.”

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From a September 18, 2024, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "South Africa: Lwazi’s Hard Lesson"

Despite the video’s claims that white South Africans are fleeing the country for their safety, according to police data (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/5/15/theyll-be-back-white-afrikaners-leave-south-africa-to-be-refugees-in-us) from South Africa, “most victims of rural crime are Black.” White South Africans currently make up 7% of the population and own approximately 70% of the land in the country. Though the Trump administration has proliferated claims (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wg5pg1xp5o) of a genocide against white South Africans, a court there ruled this year that such claims are “not real” and “clearly imagined.”

Telling people targeted by police to “have a good attitude”

A “How To” video posted in August 2023 titled How To Handle Getting Pulled Over (https://youtu.be/8lbNAjZYd2c)" claims, “A lot of people think that if they get pulled over they're going to be needlessly handcuffed or bullied by a police officer.” The video then depicts a police officer holding a driver down on the hood of a car and questioning him aggressively and notes that such a situation “is not going to happen. The officer is just trying to do his job without getting killed.”

The video also puts the onus on the driver to make interactions with police officers safe and has a section titled “Control Your Attitude” where the narrator claims, “If you want your interaction with the officer to go smoothly, you need to have a good attitude.”

The organization Mapping Police Violence says 9% of police killings in 2025 began with traffic stops (https://mappingpoliceviolence.us/). In recent years, police officers' handling of traffic stops has come under scrutiny (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64458041) for use of excessive force, with Black Americans, in particular, dying “in disproportionate numbers from police violence.”

Suggesting that the era of prejudice is over

A video from the “Leo & Layla” series (https://youtu.be/m0h3eWtdaUg) with Benjamin Banneker, a famous Black mathematician and naturalist (https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/benjamin-banneker/), depicts the children telling Banneker that “by our time, slavery is abolished and is fully understood as evil, and prejudice is known as a terrible thing,” and Banneker responding, “People in my time are being judged by the color of our skin. Hearing from you that America will grow out of this terrible prejudice is comforting.” In reality, a 2025 survey found (https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/05/20/views-of-how-much-discrimination-racial-and-ethnic-groups-in-the-u-s-face/) that “most Americans say there is at least some discrimination against Black, Hispanic and Asian people.”

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From a February 23, 2024, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Benjamin Banneker: Surveying The Future of America"

Lecturing children about DEI

PragerU Kids goes after DEI programs in an “Around the World” video (https://youtu.be/Mq23H5kXu6Y) set in Chicago. The narrator opens the video by claiming that since diversity, equity, and inclusion programs were implemented, “academic achievement has sunk, classrooms have turned more violent, and schools in tough areas are nowhere near equal to those in nice neighborhoods.” The voiceover asks, “Is it possible that DEI is hurting the people it claims to help?”

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From a March 28, 2025, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Chicago"

This video also accuses colleges of teaching future educators that “students' grades and behavior are determined by things like skin color or what neighborhood they live in,” that tests aren't “sensitive to all students,” and that requiring correct answers is “actually racist.”

Rejecting multiculturalism

Some of the PragerU Kids videos tell stories of other children around the world learning to reject multicultural societies or embrace strong borders and measures like Brexit.

One “Around the World” video tells the story (https://youtu.be/_2O_mjlkgac) of a Colombian teen trying to assist migrants crossing the Darién Gap, ending with the message that “unsecured borders bring crime, violence, and suffering” and “strong borders are more humane.” The story echoes the anti-immigration agenda (https://www.brookings.edu/articles/100-days-of-immigration-under-the-second-trump-administration/) of the Trump administration.

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From a January 22, 2025, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Colombia: Sofia Survives the Border"

Claiming France is on the verge of dying and that Muslim customs should be banned

Another “Around the World” video (https://youtu.be/mdzlcM22Y3U) opens with a narrator complaining about the “multicultural suburbs” of France losing their “love of country” and claiming France's “Western ideals are in jeopardy.” The narrator asks, “Can this proud nation survive the division it's facing?”

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From a December 5, 2024, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "France: Andre Loves His Homeland"

The video also features a Black French boy, Andre, who gets into a quarrel with his immigrant friends because he thinks they are not patriotic enough. The narrator states, “His friends and their families accuse many French traditions of being racist and think French culture is often hostile towards customs from their homelands.”

The main conflict of the video involves a teacher who doesn’t condemn a ban on some “Muslim head and facial coverings.” Andre supports his teacher's views, but after he is pressured by his friends to steal from his teacher, the teacher makes Andre visit a museum where he learns about famous people who moved to France “to accept and benefit from its cultures and traditions.” Then Andre “had to admit that newcomers assimilating to French society was the right thing to do.”

Cheering on Brexit

The themes of nationalism and rejection of multicultural societies continue in London: Alistair Understands Brexit (https://youtu.be/HmzW4L_4nts)." In this video the narrator argues that immigrants used to assimilate to British culture, but “some of today's immigrants come with different expectations.” Main character Alistair wonders “how can the U.K. maintain its culture and traditions with unlimited new arrivals who don't want to adapt.” The video seems to suggest that citizens of the United Kingdom should be “British through and through,” like Alistair's friend whose parents immigrated from India but assimilated to British culture.

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From a March 22, 2024, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "London: Alistair Understands Brexit"

The video also pushes pro-Brexit talking points about taxes and business, explaining that being part of the European Union “means more paperwork and taxes” for Alistair's parents’ business, costs the U.K. a lot, and involves the U.K. in an “external” governing body that “may have other priorities or agendas unrelated to the United Kingdom’s well-being.” It argues that Brexit would give the U.K. “national sovereignty” and “full control over immigration, security, and a visa system.”

“Leaving the EU is a vote of confidence in the U.K.’s ability to govern and protect itself,” the video continues, with Alistair speaking up in favor of Brexit in his class and getting bullied on his school cricket team. He ultimately leaves that team and joins a “scrappy new club team” that doesn’t have EU-associated fees and the family toasts a “new beginning” for his family, his team, and the country.

Misleading about Japanese Americans during World War II

One “Leo & Layla” adventure (https://youtu.be/t1Hc7u2CYhs&t=6s) takes the siblings to Mississippi in 1943 to meet Sadao Munemori, a Japanese American World War II soldier, who teaches them how to “be a victor, not a victim,” despite his family’s imprisonment in an internment camp.

Munemori tells Leo and Layla, “My heart does hurt that many Japanese Americans have lost everything, including their freedoms and dignity,” but “I was equally outraged at the attack on my country” when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

The video suggests Munemori enlisted in the U.S. military as an act of patriotism after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but in reality he enlisted prior to the attack (https://apa.si.edu/cgm/stories/sadao-munemori.html). Munemori sacrificed his life for his fellow soldiers in April 1945 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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From a September 8, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Sadao Munemori: Patriotism in the Midst of Persecution"

Downplaying the role of Europeans in enslaving Africans through a misleading version of anti-slavery activist William Wilberforce

Multiple videos in the channel downplay both the role the United States and Europe played in slavery and the consequences of colonization.

In a video (https://youtu.be/9Adnth2FY78) from the “Leo & Layla” series, Layla is struggling to write an essay for school about slavery. Layla calls it a “heavy topic” and says, “It's hard to even think there was a time when people in our country owned slaves.”

Leo replies, “Yeah, I know, but weren't there also some really good people from the West who did a lot to end slavery?”

The pair then head back in time to speak with William Wilberforce about his work to end the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

This video downplays Europe's central (https://eji.org/report/transatlantic-slave-trade/origins/#chapter-1-origins-intro) role in the slave trade, saying, “People who [had] been forced into slavery by tribes in Africa [were] then sold to merchants from Great Britain and other countries.”

According to the Equal Justice Initiative, “Slavery had existed in Africa prior to this point, but this new commodification of human beings by European powers was entirely unique and it drastically changed the African concept of enslavement.”

Wilberforce also states that slavery has “been a part of every society throughout history.”

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From a November 15, 2024, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "William Wilberforce: Ending the Slave Trade"

Although the video attempts to downplay Britain's role, in reality, in Wilberforce's 1798 speech (https://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/abolition.htm) on the abolition of the slave trade, he squarely puts the blame on himself and “the whole Parliament of Great Britain” for the slave trade. He asserts: “We are all guilty. We ought all to plead guilty, and not to exculpate ourselves by throwing the blame on others.”

Layla's takeaway from the conversation with PragerU's version of Wilberforce is that “we all know that slavery was a horrible practice and part of Western history, but that doesn't change the fact that Great Britain and the United States were some of the first nations to end this horrible institution.” In fact, many countries outlawed (https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jul/31/facebook-posts/us-was-one-last-countries-abolish-slavery/) slavery before the United States, including Mexico, Britain, France, and Denmark.

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From a November 15, 2024, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "William Wilberforce: Ending the Slave Trade"

The minimization of Europe and America's role in slavery has featured in previous (https://www.mediamatters.org/prageru/lessons-florida-public-school-students-will-learn-prageru-kids) “Leo & Layla” videos with Christopher Columbus and Booker T. Washington as well.

Minimizing the impact of slavery in the life of George Washington Carver

PragerU Kids co-creator Jill Simonian (https://www.prageru.com/presenters/jill-simonian) hosts “Craftory,” described as a series (https://www.prageru.com/shows/craftory) dedicated to “American history made fun for young kids with easy, family-friendly, DIY crafts.” In one such video, titled George Washington Carver Peanut Puppet (https://youtu.be/ybFhwUqyXbo)," Simonian tells the story of Black agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, giving only a passing mention to the role of slavery in his life.

“His childhood was not easy,” she says. “He was forced to work as a slave, but he loved learning, set goals, and grew up to be a leader who changed the farming industry.” She calls slavery just one of “many challenges” Carver faced before becoming a student.

Erasing the brutal history faced by Native Americans

In a video from the “Otto's Tales” series titled Let's Visit a California Mission (https://youtu.be/1ERxn-TG-mY&t=5s)," Simonian claims the missions were built “with the goal of spreading Christianity to the Native Americans here” and that the missions “taught the natives about God, farming, building, and many other important skills for everyday life.” In reality, the California missions were known (https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/The-dark-terrible-secret-of-California-s-missions-2685666.php) for enslaving and brutalizing (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/23/pope-francis-junipero-serra-sainthood-washington-california) Native Americans.

One “Craftory” video titled Native American Powwow Drum (https://youtu.be/ucCFPaCSOOw&t=289s)" also glosses over the violence European settlers committed against Native Americans. Simonian tells the story of Thanksgiving and the video ends: “They didn't always get along. It took time and sometimes a lot of fighting. Everyone had to learn to trade skill and customs to survive and create the most free country on Earth, our United States of America.”

Native Americans were massacred (https://www.history.com/articles/native-americans-genocide-united-states), forcibly removed, and enslaved (https://www.brown.edu/news/2017-02-15/enslavement) by European settlers.

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From a November 7, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Native American Powwow Drum"

A new series released at the end of 2025, “Trailblazers of America,” consists of videos about historical American pioneers and glorifies the colonization of America, demonizes indigenous tribes, and conveniently omits violence perpetrated by the settlers in question. In a video (https://youtu.be/qk1NVVQT1h4&pp=0gcJCU0KAYcqIYzv) about Johnny Appleseed, the narrator describes indigenous land as “hundreds of thousands of miles of wilderness that could be turned into productive farmland” by settlers, using this as justification for the Northwest Indian War. In videos about California settlers John Sutter (https://youtu.be/oPYFU66DStU) and John C. Frémont (https://youtu.be/D3L08FjYn-8), PragerU simply ignores that Sutter used enslaved (https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2021/04/john-sutter-dark-pioneer/) indigenous people to build and maintain his fort town and that Frémont led a massacre (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-10-19/redding-rancheria-tribal-casino-shasta-1846-massacre-wintu-paskenta) against the Wintu tribe on the banks of the Sacramento River. Six of the seven videos in the series have over 1 million views on PragerU Kids’ YouTube channel.

Promoting Israel and omitting Palestine

The channel also dedicates videos to promoting the state of Israel and its founding while completely omitting any mention of Palestine or Palestinians.

Two “Leo & Layla” videos feature prominent figures in Israel’s history, Theodor Herzl and Menachem Begin, who share with the siblings their vision for a Jewish ethnoreligious state of Israel.

When Leo and Layla meet Herzl (https://youtu.be/wax1rmvnoDs) in Switzerland prior to the first Zionist Congress, he tells the pair he has “invited Jewish delegates here” for the congress to create “a country for ourselves in our ancient homeland,” later adding, “This land [Israel] was promised to us by God, and our holy city Jerusalem was selected by him.”

When Leo and Layla visit Begin (https://youtu.be/sUYAUBq02sY) during the signing of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, Begin also calls Israel “a land promised to us by God,” tells the children that “even when I was a young lad in Poland I dreamed of helping my people return to the promised land and establish a modern state in Israel's ancient home,” and says that “we were very fortunate and determined, and now the country of Israel is thriving.”

Begin bemoans that “most of our neighbors don't like us very much” and when asked why, he rewrites history, claiming when the modern state of Israel was created, “many Arabs living in the area didn't like that” and “many of them fled because they were worried about war. We were willing to let them stay and become citizens of Israel, but they left for other countries … and those countries have started wars against us.”

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From an October 20, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Menachem Begin & Anwar Sadat: Israel & Egypt's Treaty"

Portraying opposition to communism as the animating force in politics: “My teacher is sort of forcing all of us to be equal”

Multiple videos on the PragerU Kids channel are dedicated to portraying opposition to communism and socialism as the animating force in politics, with one figure likening communism to a teacher “forcing” students to be equal.

When Leo and Layla travel back in time to 1983 and talk to Pope John Paul II (https://youtu.be/OTnndf8D1kU&t=2s), he tells them that Poland is currently “fighting the ultimate injustice” — “the major evil that is communism.”

Layla claims that she has heard “a lot about communism and socialism on the news back home” and “a lot of younger people really want the United States to try it.”

The pope is horrified, warning the children that communism “is a political system that does not recognize God” and “destroys countries” as “societies collapse morally, intellectually, and economically.”

“To a communist, it is fair when nobody is free to rise above what the government allows,” the PragerU pope declares.

“That makes me think about what’s happening at my school,” replies Leo, who complains about his teacher changing the grading scale to benefit more students and compares it to communism.

“My teacher is sort of forcing all of us to be equal and thinks that lowering the standards will help struggling students do better, and I think that’s totally unfair,” he says.

The pope calls it “a great comparison” and agrees with Layla that “some young Americans don’t realize how good we actually have it.”

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From an August 25, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Pope John Paul II: The Pope Who Stood Against Communism"

A pair of “Around the World” videos published in 2025, Venezuela: Vivi's Life under Socialism (https://youtu.be/50McWj1PRvY)" and Cuba: Tito’s Trouble with Communism (https://youtu.be/i1vo4rws0jU)," continue the theme.

“Socialism is a system where citizens do not own anything individually,” claims the narrator in the Venezuela video. “Eventually, all socialist countries face serious scarcity of basic needs, such as medicine and food. … Every country that has tried socialism ends up with these problems.”

In the video on Cuba, a character states, “More people than ever before are waking up to the evils of communism, and that's a really good thing.”

Attacking protests against mining companies in Peru

In a video making the case for capitalism, titled Peru: Carlos Climbs the Ladder, (https://youtu.be/GZfCmy6GJUY&t=5s)" the narrator claims that “Peru used to be very poor, with socialist governments tightly controlling the mines through a planned economy,” and redistributing wealth through taxes “discouraged work and hindered economic growth.” The video goes on to claim privatization of the copper mines led to “incredible results.”

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From an August 16, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Peru: Carlos Climbs the Ladder"

The Peru video also criticizes protests against mining, claiming the companies made a deal for the land with indigenous Peruvians who later “changed their minds.” It also villainizes protesters, claiming that “stopping production would affect not only the families of all the miners, but Peru's entire economy as well.”

Protests at Peru's Las Bambas copper mine have been frequent (https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/peru-indigenous-communities-protest-against-the-modification-of-the-environmental-impact-assessment-eia-of-the-las-bambas-mining-project/) since 2015 and are often focused on environmental impacts of the mine or lack of compensation (https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/perus-las-bambas-standoff-tests-castillos-mining-reform-pledges-2021-10-04/) for local communities.

Claiming that efforts in the Netherlands to slow climate change will lead to mass starvation

Other PragerU Kids channel videos downplay climate change and offer a slanted take on science.

A video titled Netherlands: Florian Feeds the World (https://youtu.be/KAkfCUNidAE)" is about the government of the Netherlands capping farmers' greenhouse gas emissions — specifically nitrogen — and the farmers' revolt (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/16/nitrogen-wars-the-dutch-farmers-revolt-that-turned-a-nation-upside-down) that followed.

The video claims that “farmers know that the right amount of nitrogen is essential for growing strong, healthy crops,” noting that Dutch crops “feed people across Europe and as far away as China,” and that limiting the use of nitrogen could result in starvation.

Donald Trump made the same claim in a 2022 speech (https://nltimes.nl/2022/07/25/donald-trump-expresses-support-dutch-farmers-speech-denying-climate-change) when speaking about the Dutch nitrogen crisis and denying climate change, saying efforts to protect the environment will lead to “famine and starvation.” In reality, the climate crisis itself is expected to be a direct cause (https://www.wfp.org/publications/climate-crisis-and-malnutrition-case-acting-now) of food shortages and famines.

Portraying animals at a glacier in Alaska downplaying climate change

Jill Simonian reads a story for the “Otto’s Tales” series titled Let's Visit an Alaskan Glacier (https://youtu.be/vE9YwiAPbDU)" in which animals from Alaska downplay climate change and its effects on the planet.

One orca tells the other characters, “The ice is always changing and moving. It would take hundreds of years for these glaciers to completely melt.”

A polar bear voices similar sentiments, claiming, “Sometimes melting can cause problems for people, like when there's flooding, but nature changes all the time for many reasons.”

The video ends with the message that “we can all do certain things to help nature like not litter and not waste water, right? But it's almost impossible to control nature.”

It is widely agreed (https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/10/more-999-studies-agree-humans-caused-climate-change) that actions by humans have altered the Earth's climate, increasing (https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change) the temperature of the planet's surface by more than 1 degree celsius.

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From a December 20, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Otto's Tales: Let's Visit an Alaskan Glacier"

Implicitly likening modern science denial to Copernicus and Faraday

In two “Leo & Layla” videos, the pair travel back in time to visit scientists Nicolaus Copernicus (https://youtu.be/AZBC0JXKquA) and Michael Faraday (https://youtu.be/j5K7oetLgeA). In both videos, the scientists discuss the hostility they faced when countering “established scientific theories” and disagreeing with things “everyone believes.”

Copernicus tells the children, “It's a good reminder that ideas aren't correct simply because everyone believes them. Do your own research.”

Faraday similarly says that he is facing “a lot of hostility from other scientists of my time” as he challenges “well-known and established scientific theories.” He also says: “It is my duty as a scientist to share whatever I discover about the natural world. But more importantly, it is my duty as a Christian to reveal that the natural world was created by God.”

Layla also claims of modern science, “There's been so much stuff on the news about some scientists who want a certain result and then do an experiment that will only give them the result they want.”

Both of these videos share common themes with the Trump administration's rejection (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strong-scientific-leaders-must-speak-out-against-the-trump-administrations/) of climate and health science. For instance, in an April 2025 interview (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/kennedy-vaccines-research.html), Trump administration Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told parents to “do your own research” while repeating false claims about vaccines and drug regulations.

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From a December 1, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled "Michael Faraday: Pioneer of Electromagnetism"

Pushing Bible stories in schools

Trump has announced (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-department-education-guidance-prayer-in-public-schools/) plans to “issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools.” In Texas, some schools (https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/some-north-texas-school-districts-adopt-controversial-bluebonnet-learning-curriculum/) are adopting a state-developed curriculum that critics say infuses Christianity into lessons.

Similarly, PragerU is sharing Judeo-Christian Bible stories through its PragerU Kids curriculum.

In a video (https://youtu.be/5og5H54wdic) from the “Craftory” series, while teaching viewers how to make a book cover, Simonian discusses the beginnings of education in the U.S., arguing that the Founding Fathers wanted citizens to be “educated with morals and religion” so they would “know the difference between right and wrong,” adding, “And this is still very important.”

Simonian says Puritans came to America for religious freedom, and the “Bible was a main part of how they learned to read and think.” She says the Bible was used as a “textbook” in early American schools, and students “often learned their ABCs with Bible names.”

Simonian notes that “many schools even started the day with a prayer and a Bible reading.”

:{Video

Citation

From an August 15, 2023, PragerU Kids video uploaded to YouTube titled, "Schoolhouse Book Cover"

Many of the videos in the PragerU Kids channel are retellings of Bible stories, such as a craft video titled “12 Tribes of Israel Tree,” which explains how to make a pipe cleaner tree and shares the story of the (https://youtu.be/q3twZkN6HEY) from the Book of Genesis. There are also videos titled Otto’s Tales: The Wise & Foolish Servants (https://youtu.be/KiK6gmNLQn0)" and Joshua & the Walls of Jericho (https://youtu.be/b4mDJN6AKiQ)," which feature storybook readings based on biblical tales. And in the “Leo & Layla” series, the siblings travel back in time to meet both Abraham (https://youtu.be/jRDF9D5NpRg) and Daniel (https://youtu.be/FSyi-_GbiEI), who retell their Bible stories. (The Abraham video includes awkward explanations about Abraham fathering a child with his servant and attempting to sacrifice his son.)

MMA //

### Research file: We watched every PragerU Kids video. Here are the lowlights. (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights)

09/08/23 9:15 AM EDT

### Meta is allowing PragerU Kids to flout its advertising policies and promote its propaganda-filled school curriculum without necessary labels (https://www.mediamatters.org/prageru/meta-allowing-prageru-kids-flout-its-advertising-policies-and-promote-its-propaganda-filled)

09/01/23 9:00 AM EDT

### The lessons Florida public school students will learn from PragerU Kids (https://www.mediamatters.org/prageru/lessons-florida-public-school-students-will-learn-prageru-kids)

07/27/23

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Indystar reports (https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/05/classic-learning-test-braun-signs-bill/88984488007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116358p118850l004250c118850e1128xxv116358d--46--b--46--&gca-ft=190&gca-ds=sophi) Indiana’s Gov. Mike Braun has signed a new bill forcing state colleges and universities to include a “classics-based” examination embraced by religious colleges in Republican states.

For decades, the ACT and the SAT have been the gatekeepers and the standard-bearer of college admissions to measure a student's aptitude in core subjects like math, science and reading. But proponents said the test “would better assess students who received a classical education, typically offered to homeschooled students or at private or charter classical schools,” according to the IndyStar.

The newly required Classical Learning Test aims to promote the "Western intellectual tradition" that right-wing supporters claim has been abandoned by existing standardized tests.

The change stems from a legislative bill that also “requires schools to teach a 2000s-era anti-poverty theory involving waiting until marriage to have kids (https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/22/indiana-senate-bill-88-requires-schools-teach-marriage-before-having-kids/88286409007/) as part of schools' good citizenship instruction,” reports IndyStar (https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/05/classic-learning-test-braun-signs-bill/88984488007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116358p118850l004250c118850e1128xxv116358d--46--b--46--&gca-ft=190&gca-ds=sophi). “It passed mostly along party lines amid criticism that the CLT could disadvantage students who are less accustomed to Western ideas.”

"It has baked-in prejudices that would make students who come from less diverse backgrounds appear to have done better than students from more diverse backgrounds," said (https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/24/indiana-general-assembly-marriage-bill-classical-learning-test/88827419007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116158p119050n00----l000250c00----e1139xxv116158d--61--b--61--&gca-ft=228&gca-ds=sophi#google_vignette) Joel Hand, a lobbyist for the American Federation of Teachers for Indiana, during Senate committee testimony in January.

Classic Learning Test creator Jeremy Tate applauded the bill's passage in Indiana in an X post Feb. 24.

“While Tate has said the test is not partisan, his company's expansive Board of Academic Advisors include administrators from religious colleges and right-wing figures like Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation and PragerU CEO Marissa Streit,” reports IndyStar (https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/05/classic-learning-test-braun-signs-bill/88984488007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116358p118850l004250c118850e1128xxv116358d--46--b--46--&gca-ft=190&gca-ds=sophi). “It's also been promoted by Sen. Jim Banks, who called it the "standard for academic excellence (https://archive.is/o/d0LYH/https:/www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-banks-introduces-legislation-to-expand-classical-learning-test-to-service-academies-federal-schools/)."

PragerU is not a university, but a conservative nonprofit known for producing wildly inaccurate educational videos (https://www.alternet.org/prageru/). One PragerU video (https://www.prageru.com/video/leo-and-laylas-history-adventures-with-frederick-douglass)from its history series depicts abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass arguing that the founders’ decision not to abolish U.S. slavery was worth it because it helped convince the Southern colonies to join the Union.

“Our system is wonderful, and the Constitution is a glorious liberty document. We just need to convince enough Americans to be true to it,” the video depicts Douglass saying.

Teachers' unions and academics also doubt the value of the Classic Learning Test considering its concepts and biased arguments.

scientology

Cardone is also a featured content creator (https://www.prageru.com/presenters/grant-cardone) on far-right PragerU's website, where he is described as "an entrepreneur, real estate investor and sales trainer recognized for his high-energy approach to business and personal growth." In 2011, the Village Voice reported (https://web.archive.org/web/20110624035927/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/06/grant_cardone_t.php) that Cardone had reached OT VIII (Operating Thetan Level Eight), which is the highest level within the organization.

RWW

Hemant Mehta @ Friendly Atheist (https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/oklahomas-meaningless-america-first): Oklahoma's meaningless "America First" teacher test is just a PragerU ad campaign

Ryan Walters and PragerU teamed up to quiz teachers transferring from "woke" states. Their only goal is selling conservative talking points.

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A new White House history exhibit has drawn fire from historians for using AI to generate fake quotes from founding fathers.

NPR reported Wednesday (https://www.npr.org/2025/09/03/nx-s1-5521261/white-house-ai-founders-museum)that the White House unveiled a striking new history exhibit, "The Founders Museum," which was presented in collaboration with the far‑right media group PragerU and was housed within the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House.

The display features 82 original paintings depicting figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Betsy Ross, alongside more than 40 AI‑generated short videos in which Founding Fathers were animated to relay their stories, available both onsite and online.

READ MORE:'Trump takes this snub personally': Conservative mocks 'saddest little dictator' (https://www.alternet.org/trump-dictator-bulwark/)

The White House has asserted that AI brought “these people, places and events … to life, making history engaging to Americans across the country.”

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But historians have expressed concern. William G. Thomas, vice president of the research division at the American Historical Association, was quoted in the report as acknowledging the project’s ambition. However, he warned that AI could reshape historical figures’ words and stories without a clear factual basis.

Brown University history professor Karin Wulftold WGBH News (https://www.wgbh.org/news/2025-09-03/founders-museum-from-white-house-and-prageru-blurs-history-ai-generated-fiction) that some portrayals — such as that of Mercy Otis Warren — felt watered down, reducing her critical voice to bland patriotic platitudes.

“In the video, it acknowledges that she’s a writer, and that writing wasn’t something that women were encouraged to do, certainly in public,” Wulf says. “But it then has her say these kind of pablum pieces about patriotism and liberty that are so much less stringent and so much less potent than what she actually said at the time," she said.

READ MORE:'We have a problem': CNN data guru sounds alarm as 70% of Americans abandon core value (https://www.alternet.org/american-voters-pessimism/)

One AI video stood out. It featured John Adams declaring, “Facts do not care about your feelings,” a phrase popularized by modern conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro.

Moreover, Samuel Adams is presented as saying he was labeled a “troublemaker,” a term that only came into use decades after his death and didn’t enter common usage until well into the 20th century.

PragerU’s CEO, Marissa Streit, defended the project in comments to NPR, saying it had been developed through a joint effort involving White House experts, PragerU scholars and widely referenced historical sources.

According to the report, Streit also plans to take the exhibit on the road using mobile museum trucks and encouraged its adoption in schools, state capitols, and embassies leading up to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

READ MORE:'Disgrace': Fox sparks outrage by cutting off Epstein presser to run 'counter-programming' (https://www.alternet.org/fox-epstein-presser/)

Last month, President Donald Trump (https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/trump) ordered a sweeping review (https://www.alternet.org/trump-smithsonian/) of the Smithsonian museums, demanding their exhibits align with a more celebratory portrayal of American history. The president complained in a Truth Social post that they currently focus too much on “how bad slavery was” and lack optimism about the country's achievements.

His remarks were strongly denounced by historianswho said he was trying to (https://www.alternet.org/slavery-smithsonian-trump/#) "whitewash history" by going after the Smithsonian.

:{:{---}:

an 8 25

Next to his long-running radio show, Dennis Prager, now 77, is best known for PragerU — which isn't an actual university, but rather, a program of far-right propaganda videos launched in 2009. One of PragerU's admirers is Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's ultra-MAGA public schools superintendent. And according to CNN, Walters is now using PragerU to screen applicants for ideological purity and to make sure teachers in the state's public schools aren't "woke."

The screening process, CNN's Sunlen Serfaty reports (https://www.cnn.com/politics/prageru-oklahoma-woke-teacher-test), gets underway on Friday, August 15.

"Teachers from 'liberal' states who have relocated to Oklahoma and are seeking to work there must take a controversial new assessment, given for the first time today, that 'keeps away woke indoctrinators,' according to Oklahoma’s top education official," Serfaty explains. "Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's superintendent for public instruction, told CNN that if applicants do not pass the test, they will not earn a teaching certificate to be able to teach in public schools in the state this school year, which begins for some Oklahoma districts on Monday."

READ MORE: This single sentence will fast-track Trump to a prison cell (https://www.alternet.org/alternet-exclusives/trump-prison-2673886874/)

Serfaty adds, "The decision to use the assessment, developed by PragerU, a conservative media company whose teaching materials are now approved for use in public schools in ten U.S. states, opens a new front in the education culture wars just days before schools are to open their doors."

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PragerU's materials, according to the CNN reporter, have "been embraced by the political right for offering curriculums that champion ideas aligned with the Make America Great Again movement."

According to Serfaty, Walters' "multiple-choice assessment for teachers" contains "around 50 questions." One proposed question, Serfaty reports, "deals with gender — asking teachers to select from a series of multiple-choice answers which chromosome pairs determine biological sex."

"Another question asks why freedom of religion is important to America's identity," Serafty notes. "Other questions include asking for the first three words of the Constitution, naming the two chambers of the U.S. Congress, and identifying the number of U.S. senators…. The test specifically evaluates educators on areas including their understanding of 'American exceptionalism' and their 'grasp of fundamental biological differences between boys and girls,' Walters said."

READ MORE: 'Financial ruin': Trump's White House is terrified of losing this lawsuit (https://www.alternet.org/trump-tariff-lawsuit-small-businesses/)

*Read the full CNN article at this link (https://www.cnn.com/politics/prageru-oklahoma-woke-teacher-test).

yikes an 7 25

critics of far-right Oklahoma Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters often attack him as a highly performative MAGA troll. Walters' antics include purchasing Donald Trump-themed Bibles for classrooms (https://www.kgou.org/education/2024-10-04/ryan-walters-classroom-bible-policy-appears-to-favor-trump-sold-bibles-in-6-million-plan) and promoting the false, repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump (https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/trump).

But Slate's Molly Olmstead, in an article published on July 22 (https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/07/oklahoma-woke-teacher-screenings-ryan-walters.html), emphasizes that Walters' buffoonish qualities don't make him any less dangerous. And she emphasizes that his plan to screen education applicants for MAGA purity shouldn't be taken lightly.

"This month," Olmstead explains, "Oklahoma's education department announced an innovative new approach to screening aspiring teachers in the state: any applicants from 'woke' states would need to first pass an ideology test created by the right-wing group PragerU. It was an announcement that seemed engineered to draw national news coverage and inflame liberal audiences. Under this plan, teachers from states with 'progressive education policies' would be tested on the U.S. Constitution, American exceptionalism, and 'the fundamental biological differences between boys and girls.'"

READ MORE: This White House lie shows they know Trump is in trouble (https://www.alternet.org/alternet-exclusives/trump-health-2673611965/)

Olmstead continues, "The screening is guaranteed to test teachers for a deeply MAGA-inflected understanding of U.S. history, government, and society: PragerU, a right-wing group with a stated mission of countering leftism in education, is already known for its white nationalist-adjacent content for schoolchildren."

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PragerU is the brainchild of Dennis Prager, a far-right talk radio host and Trump supporter.

"Walters' proposals for the school system have included a mandate that all public schools teach the Bible; a plan to collect children's immigration status when they register for public school; and new social studies standards proposals that would have high school students 'identify discrepancies in 2020 election results,'" Olmstead observes. "Each of these announcements solidified Walters' reputation as a relentless attention-seeker, calculating every action from his office to appeal to the power players of the MAGA movement…. These stunts have paid off. Walters has been profiled in outlets all over the country, and he has become the face of the Christian nationalist campaigns into public education."

The MAGA Republican's stunts, Olmstead argues, raise the question: "Is Walters all superficiality, a media-obsessive without the stamina or standing for real, transformative politics? Or is he actually capable of remaking Oklahoma's schools — and signaling what MAGA could bring to schools across the country?"

READ MORE:GOP sen tells constituent he’s 'not obligated to listen' after she’s denied care over marital status (https://www.alternet.org/news-politics/tennessee-health-care/)

"In sign of just how bizarre American politics have become in this second Trump era," Olmstead warns, "Walters may be a bit of both. As traditional institutions and procedures buckle under MAGA politics, Walters has proven that with the right national climate, slapdash own-the-lib pronouncements can become serious policy. He's a performer, but he also happens to be a major change-maker…. It may be tempting not to take people like Walters seriously, but he has proven that with enough volume, some gimmicks stick."

READ MORE:'Errand boy': Trump official reveals what president talks about during nightly 1 AM calls (https://www.alternet.org/trump/trump-official-nightly-calls/)

*Molly Olmstead's full article for Slate is available at this link (https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/07/oklahoma-woke-teacher-screenings-ryan-walters.html) (subscription required).

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YT ADS?

rww 7 25

07/18/2025

Peter Montgomery (https://www.peoplefor.org/spokespeople/peter)

Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters is enlisting (https://www.fox23.com/news/osde-partners-with-prageru-for-teacher-assessment-from-woke-states/article_ed59089d-8e06-4dcf-b863-46693f1db1c4.html) PragerU propagandists to devise an “assessment” that Walters says would protect students from “woke” teachers moving into the state from places with more progressive education policies like California or New York. It’s the latest Fox News bait from Walters, a Christian nationalist zealot and ardent MAGA activist (https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/post/oklahomas-christian-nationalist-education-chief-ryan-walters-joins-trump-campaign), who announced the policy with typical-for-him smears about teacher unions wanting to “destroy this country (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL_Eh3nMEiB/).”

Walters’ plan to screen teachers for “woke” attitudes comes as Oklahoma, which is ranked near the very bottom (https://oklahomawatch.org/2024/08/15/is-oklahoma-ranked-among-the-worst-states-for-education/) of states in educational achievement, is experiencing a serious teacher shortage (https://nondoc.com/2025/01/28/extreme-focus-despite-ongoing-efforts-teacher-shortage-concerns-stakeholders/). While Walters has portrayed the requirement as taking effect immediately, the details are still being worked out (https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/want-to-teach-in-oklahoma-you-may-have-to-prove-youre-not-woke/2025/07) just weeks before the start of the new school year.

Walters said the Prager assessment would evaluate (https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2025/07/14/ryan-walters-oklahoma-prageru-ideology-test-for-teachers-new-york-california/85193797007/) teachers on their understanding of the Constitution, American exceptionalism, and the “fundamental biological differences between boys and girls.” He said teachers who do not pass the test would not get a teaching certificate.

In announcing the plan, Walters declared, “We’re raising a generation of patriots, not activists, and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep leftist propaganda out of our classrooms.”

Of course, he’s fighting tooth and nail to bring right-wing propaganda into the classrooms in the guise of “patriotic education (https://www.koco.com/article/oklahomas-proposed-america-first-assessment-teachers-mixed-reactions/65383877).” Walters says he’s out to ensure that teachers coming into Oklahoma don’t “malign President Trump.” PragerU’s CEO Marissa Streit said (https://www.fox23.com/news/osde-partners-with-prageru-for-teacher-assessment-from-woke-states/article_ed59089d-8e06-4dcf-b863-46693f1db1c4.html) the assessment will “ensure teachers champion America’s greatness.”

This isn’t Walters’ first partnership with Prager. Last year, he appointed Dennis Prager (https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/post/ryan-walters-taps-christian-nationalists-and-right-wing-propagandists-to-overhaul-oklahomas-social-studies-curriculum) and other right-wing activists to an “executive review committee” to provide advice on overhauling the state’s social studies curriculum. Right Wing Watch noted (https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/post/ryan-walters-taps-christian-nationalists-and-right-wing-propagandists-to-overhaul-oklahomas-social-studies-curriculum) at the time that “the educational materials (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights) produced by Prager's own organization (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/pragerus-awful-defense-of-statues-honoring-robert-e-lee/) are rife with (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/animated-frederick-douglass-calls-slavery-compromise-prageru-video-rcna99246) disinformation (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/desantiss-florida-approves-climate-denial-videos-in-schools/) and right-wing propaganda (https://www.mediamatters.org/prageru/lessons-florida-public-school-students-will-learn-prageru-kids).”

Although Dennis Prager is Jewish, he is allied with Christian nationalists like Charlie Kirk and promotes their false claims (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/charlie-kirk-keeps-spreading-baseless/) about U.S. history. When Keith Ellison became the first Muslim elected to Congress and chose a Quran for his ceremonial swearing in, Prager slammed him (https://urj.org/press-room/reform-jewish-leader-supports-first-muslim-member-congress-right-take-oath-office-using) for not using a Bible, saying, “If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don’t serve in Congress.”

The new social studies standards (https://oklahomavoice.com/2025/04/29/new-academic-standards-set-to-pass-after-lack-of-vote-from-oklahoma-legislature/#::text=By:%20Nuria%20Martinez%2DKeel%20%2D,on%20resolutions%20to%20reject%20them.) developed by Walters and his right-wing advisers (https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/post/ryan-walters-taps-christian-nationalists-and-right-wing-propagandists-to-overhaul-oklahomas-social-studies-curriculum) mandate (https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2024/1204/public-school-classroom-ten-commandments-trump-bible) that Bible studies and teaching about Jesus be incorporated into the curriculum.

And at the last minute, Walters snuck in (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/03/14/mention-of-2020-election-discrepancies-slipped-into-ok-social-studies-standards/82378280007/) a requirement that students be taught conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen from President Donald Trump. The legislature had a chance to reverse that decision but chose not to (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/04/29/ryan-walters-oklahoma-social-studies-standards-will-go-into-effect-senate/83351128007/).

Last fall, Walters bought more than 500 expensive “Trump Bibles” for Advancement Placement government classrooms and announced the creation of an Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism. He ordered every school to show students a video (https://okcfox.com/news/local/ryan-walters-invites-students-to-pray-after-announcing-bible-purchase-for-ap-gov-classes-state-superintendent-oklahoma-office-religious-liberty-patriotism-trump-bible-administration-freedom-pray-students-schools) of him praying for President Trump.

Walters also sought millions in tax dollars (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/05/21/oklahoma-superintendent-bibles-classrooms-funding/83760053007/) to buy 55,000 Bibles to be placed in every classroom; the official request for proposals from vendors was written in such a way that the only Bibles (https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2024/1204/public-school-classroom-ten-commandments-trump-bible) that would meet the requirement would be ones from which Trump and his family profit. It required the use of the King James translation “for historical accuracy.”

Walters’ policy pronouncements seem calculated to get him attention even when he lacks the actual legal authority to carry them out, leading state Rep. Forrest Bennett to describe Walters’ efforts as a “grift (https://www.facebook.com/SHumphreyTV/videos/icymi-a-critic-of-ryan-walters-arguesrushing-to-decry-the-merits-of-walters-cont/1421454205809556/).”

Here’s how Right Wing Watch described Walters in a 2023 post (https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/post/the-abcs-of-moms-for-liberty-summit-speakers) about the Moms for Liberty summit at which Walters spoke:

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is waging a scorched-earth campaign against teachers and teachers unions, which he called (https://oklahomawatch.org/2023/05/25/superintendent-ryan-walters-video-escalates-attacks-on-teacher-unions/) “terrorist organizations” at a budget hearing in May; he has been accused of lying to legislators (https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/longtime-grant-writer-says-ryan-walters-lied-to-lawmakers-federal-grant-money-for-oklahoma-in/article_9963c36e-f028-11ed-a34f-ef0cab7f9acc.html) at that hearing. At a state board of education meeting, Walters played a five-minute video savaging (https://oklahomawatch.org/2023/05/25/superintendent-ryan-walters-video-escalates-attacks-on-teacher-unions/) teachers unions, a video so hostile—it included insinuations that teachers supported pedophilia—that educators feared (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oklahoma-schools-ryan-walters_n_64838d8ce4b04ee51a94a18f) it would incite physical attacks on public schools. His agency banned sexually explicit materials from school libraries without defining the term. After Trump’s recent indictment, Walters put out a press release (https://www.thedailybeast.com/oklahomas-top-education-official-chooses-politics-over-students) headlined, “Joe Biden Leading a Banana Republic Coup Against American Justice,” an indication of his focus on MAGA politics and promotion of Trumpish conspiracy theories.

RWW

07/18/2025

Kyle Mantyla (https://www.peoplefor.org/post_author/kyle-mantyla)

Michael Luciano @ Mediaite (https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/epstein-files-include-drawing-of-nude-woman-trump-sent-to-late-sex-trafficker-for-his-birthday-wsj-reports/): Epstein Files Include Drawing of Nude Woman Trump Sent to Late Sex Trafficker For His Birthday, WSJ Reports

The Wall Street Journal published its highly anticipated story on the relationship between President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, and Trump is already threatening to sue.

Lauren Lewis @ The Daily Beast (https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-melts-down-over-trumps-epstein-letter-nightmare/): MAGA Melts Down Over Trump’s Epstein Letter Nightmare

Republicans have gone into total meltdown over allegations that President Donald Trump sent a spicy letter to Jeffrey Epstein that included a drawing of a nude woman.

Charisma Madarang @ Rolling Stone (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-denies-epstein-birthday-letter-drawing-1235388615/): Trump Claims He ‘Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.’ He Actually Drew Plenty of Them

The president denied a Wall Street Journal report alleging he had sent a salacious birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein.

Steve Benen @ The Maddow Blog (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/weird-reason-speaker-mike-johnson-claimed-trump-90-approval-rating-rcna219651): The weird reason Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Trump has a ‘90% approval rating’

Why does the House speaker think the president’s approval rating is “skyrocketing”? Because from his perspective, Democrats literally don’t count.

Hemant Mehta @ Friendly Atheist (https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-coin-toss-made-a-christian-nationalist): A coin toss made a Christian Nationalist mayor of Monroe, NC. It's been a disaster.

Robert Burns won a coin flip to become mayor—and he's turned a neutral office into a pulpit for his right-wing religion.

Samantha Cole @ 404 Media (https://www.404media.co/white-house-partners-with-prageru-to-make-ai-slopified-founding-fathers/): White House Partners With PragerU to Make AI-Slopified Founding Fathers

John Adams says "facts do not care about our feelings" in one of the AI-generated videos in PragerU's series partnership with White House.

Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (https://globalextremism.org/reports/faith-as-a-weapon/): Faith as a Weapon: Inside America’s Theocratic Vanguard

On January 6, 2021, Christian flags, wooden crosses, and “Jesus Saves” signs mingled with pro-Trump banners as insurrectionists, inspired by a buzzing undercurrent of religion and outrage, reacted with violence and stormed the U.S. Capitol.

9 24

msnbc press show chuck todd? prager u ryan walters says schools unions tcher marxist 5x no challenge?

prager says back to basics many times, schools 1930’s socio pts out segregated

mma 7 24

google demonetized The Heartland Institute in June. Here are 4 more channels that appear to violate its misinformation policy.

Special ProgramsClimate & Energy (https://www.mediamatters.org/climate-energy)

Written by Ilana Berger (https://www.mediamatters.org/author/ilana-berger)

Published 07/31/24

Even after demonetizing the YouTube channel of climate-denial think tank The Heartland Institute in June, other large channels still contain climate-denial content that seemingly violates the platform's policies. We found four examples.

YouTube demonetized the Heartland Institute after it frequently posted climate denial videos

On June 14, Heartland wrote that YouTube demonetized its channel because it posted videos that were harmful to viewers, violating community guidelines. As climate journalist Dave Vetter explained in another thread on X (formerly Twitter), this means that Heartland can no longer earn revenue from its YouTube videos. Twitter/X, \6/14/24 (https://x.com/davidrvetter/status/1801748393561100798), [6/14/24 (https://x.com/davidrvetter/status/1801748395528171902)]

The decision comes after years of researchers and journalists pointing out that Heartland’s content amplifies climate deniers.The think tank is known for lobbying against climate legislation while receiving funding from the oil and gas industry. Heartland started its YouTube channel in 2007. The Washington Post, \2/23/20 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/02/23/meet-anti-greta-young-youtuber-campaigning-against-climate-alarmism/); Grist, 2/6/23 (https://grist.org/science/climate-denial-campaign-goes-retro-with-new-textbook/); DeSmog, 8/6/18 (https://www.desmog.com/2018/08/06/doing-lord-s-work-heartland-institute-gathers-climate-deniers-america-first-energy-conference/); YouTube, accessed [7/25/24 (https://youtube.com/@heartlandinstitute?si=YuzUqUhvw2Zoy_-z)]

After the announcement, Heartland still had an ad running on at least one of its videos. As of July 3, at least one video from the Heartland Institute was still being monetized by YouTube. The ad from Pacific Rim Athletics, a company that provides strength training programs, appeared on a January 19 video from Heartland attacking climate scientist Michael Mann. YouTube\ 1/19/24 (https://youtu.be/CUqFgJkyLsE), accessed [7/3/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022192)]

Google announced in 2021 that YouTube would prohibit “ads for, and monetization of, content that contradicts well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change,” but researchers have found large channels that violate this policy.A 2023 study from the Climate Action Against Disinformation Coalition identified 100 different videos amplifying climate disinformation that have ads, including videos from Heartland. The Verge, \3/2/23 (https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/2/23707993/google-youtube-ads-climate-change-disinformation); Google, [10/7/21 (https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11221321?hl=en)]

Channels run by Tony Heller, PragerU, John Stossel, and Jordan Peterson are still being monetized while seemingly violating YouTube’s misinformation policies

Tony Heller

Like the Heartland Institute,Tony Heller regularly posts YouTube videos that attempt to delegitimize scientific consensus on climate change. In January 2024, the Center for Countering Digital Hate published a report that highlighted Tony Heller as one figure still promoting the false narrative that Arctic sea ice isn’t melting. Since CCDH published its report, which analyzed videos from January 1, 2018, to September 30, 2023, Heller has posted well over 100 videos, many of which promote the idea that the warming we are currently experiencing is not being driven primarily by burning greenhouse gases. For example, Heller posted the documentary Climate: The Movie, which promoted “more than 2 dozen long-debunked myths” according to Skeptical Science, a blog that was launched by academic and disinformation expert John Cook. One such myth is that climate change is caused by the sun; in fact, the sun’s energy has decreased while the Earth warms. Heller also relies on an outdated theory suggesting that a warming period that occurred around 6,000 years ago debunks the idea of man-made climate change. Skeptical Science, \3/23/24 (https://skepticalscience.com/climate-the-movie-a-hot-mess-of-cold-myths.html); YouTube, 3/21/25 (https://youtu.be/55n-Zdv_Bwc&t=1s), 6/5/24, accessed \7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022093); (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktLIUVEaaQ0&t=1s/maxresdefault.jpg) (https://youtu.be/ktLIUVEaaQ0&t=1s)7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022093); (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktLIUVEaaQ0&t=1s)Center for Countering Digital Hate, 1/16/24 (https://counterhate.com/research/new-climate-denial/); NOAA,[10/21 (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/12%20Mid-Holocene%20Warm%20Period%20%26%20Penultimate%20Interglacial%20Period%20%26%20Early%20Eocene%20Period%20-FINAL%20OCT%202021.pdf)]

Media Matters found a pro-Trump election ad featuring Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance running on a May 11 video from Heller.The video included a clip of comedian Bill Maher mocking adult film actress Stormy Daniels and was posted during Trump’s New York hush money trial, where he was ultimately found guilty on 34 felony charges. YouTube,\ 3/11/24 (https://youtu.be/PXmvsN_lEM8), accessed [7/30/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022188)]

According to Social Blade, Heller’s estimated monthly earnings from YouTube are $33 to $528.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022095)]

PragerU

PragerU videos receive millions of views, and the channel has a history of posting videos that feature climate change denial.Media Matters recently identified six videos on PragerU’s website that dismiss the scientific consensus that the changes we are currently experiencing are primarily being driven by burning fossil fuels. These videos can also be found on PragerU’s YouTube channel, and they have over 14.7 million views combined. Media Matters, \4/16/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/prageru/google-profiting-pragerus-climate-denial-ads-its-search-engine); YouTube, 4/15/24 (https://youtu.be/JqKB5PG0gZk), 10/25/21 (https://youtu.be/P19ywkobLX8), 2/5/18 (https://youtu.be/qZN2jt2cCU4), 4/18/16 (https://youtu.be/OwqIy8Ikv-c), 7/27/15 (https://youtu.be/WDWEjSDYfxc),[ 7/27/15 (https://youtu.be/RkdbSxyXftc)]

Recently, PragerU uploaded a video in which the narrator claims that it’s unclear whether climate warming is “larger than natural climate variability.” In an April video, a scientist who reportedly does climate forecasting for fossil fuel companies Judith Curry suggests that humans may not not be causing the rapid warming we have been experiencing in the 21st century, saying we don’t know “how much warming is associated with our emissions.” According to a Carbon Brief summary of the International Panel on Climate Change’s 2023 report, humans have likely caused “100% (https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-why-scientists-think-100-of-global-warming-is-due-to-humans/) of the long-term global warming to date.” Curry concludes that “we can’t predict the future climate. It’s simply not possible. … We can’t control the climate.” PragerU, \4/15/24 (https://www.prageru.com/video/good-news-the-world-is-not-ending); Carbon Brief, 3/23/23 (https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-ipcc-wraps-up-its-most-in-depth-assessment-of-climate-change/#::text=Specifically%2C%20the%20report%20explains%20that,term%20global%20warming%20to%20date.); DeSmog, [5/15/23 (https://www.desmog.com/2023/05/15/judith-curry-denier-montana-climate-trial/)]

On June 28, PragerU posted a video claiming that the June heat wave impacting the mid-Atlantic and central U.S. was “nothing out of the ordinary'' and that heat waves are not becoming more frequent. The video shows a clip of meteorology student Chris Martz saying temperature data collected by NOAA contradicts the claims that “these events are becoming more frequent and more common here in the United States.” Meanwhile, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory website, “Heat waves like the June event have become more frequent in the United States in recent decades, according to researchers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.” YouTube,\ 6/28/24 (https://youtu.be/BfHblrwbOIQ&t=128s); X/Twitter, accessed 7/26/24 (https://x.com/ChrisMartzWX); NASA, [6/19/24 (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152961/a-blast-of-heat-in-the-east#::text=Using%20a%20NASA%20modeling%20system,two%20to%20four%20per%20month.)]

According to Social Blade, PragerU’s estimated monthly earnings from YouTube are $7,000 to $112,700.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022097)]

Jordan Peterson

While Peterson does not post videos about climate change denial as often as other influencers or organizations devoted entirely to the topic, his videos have a much larger reach than Heartland’s, amplifying their impact. After the Center for Countering Digital Hate released a report about YouTube climate deniers, Peterson uploaded an interview with climate denier Dr. Patrick Moore, who falsely claims to be a co-founder of Greenpeace. The April 11 video is titled Climate Lies, referring to Moore’s views on the scientific consensus on climate change. The video has over 253,000 views, far more than the 10 most recent videos from the Heartland Institute combined. Greenpeace, \7/6/10 (https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-statement-on-patric/); YouTube, 4/11/24 (https://youtu.be/oxTBpds2dQA), accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022089)]

According to Social Blade, as of July 16, Peterson’s estimated monthly YouTube earnings are $5,700 to $91,500.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022098)]

John Stossel

Former Fox Business host John Stossel sued Meta after it said that two of his videos about climate change were missing context.In 2021, Stossel sued Meta (then Facebook), claiming the company defamed him by adding a fact-checking label to these videos. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed and the court found that Facebook’s labels were protected under California’s anti-Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) statute. One of the videos included excerpts from an event Stossel moderated at the Heartland Institute. This video can also be found on YouTube. In it, one climate denier on the panel claimed that climate change is not causing sea level rise because “water has been rising for approximately 20,000 years and probably will continue.” He also claimed that hurricanes are not becoming more intense. E&E News, \9/28/21 (https://www.eenews.net/articles/former-tv-host-sues-facebook-over-climate-fact-checks/); Courthouse News, 10/13/22 (https://www.courthousenews.com/stossel-anti-slapped/); Climate Change Litigation Databases, 10/11/22; (https://climatecasechart.com/case/stossel-v-facebook-inc/)YouTube,[ 11/19/19 (https://youtu.be/b8JZo6PzpCU)]

Stossel has been involved with the Heartland Institute for years. In addition to moderating the 2019 panel, Stossel has participated in Heartland Institute benefits, including one in September 2023. Heartland Institute, \9/8/23 (https://heartland.org/events/save-the-date-heartland-benefit-dinner/), [2/3/04 (https://heartland.org/opinion/abcs-john-stossel-to-unmask-liberal-media-bias-at-chicago-event/)]

On May 24, Stossel posted an interview with Judith Curry in which she said there is no “true scientific consensus” on climate change and called it a “manufactured consensus.” While Curry admitted that fossil fuels are warming the planet, she also falsely said that “we still don’t know” how “much of the recent warming is caused by fossil fuels” or if a warming planet is dangerous for humans. YouTube,\ 5/24/24 (https://youtu.be/p5CoePvsnOE&t=2s); NASA, [February 2021 (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152519/emissions-from-fossil-fuels-continue-to-rise)]

At least two of Stossel’s videos related to climate change, including his interview with Curry, had ads as of July 30.Media Matters found an election campaign ad featuring presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris running on Stossel’s video with Curry and an ad for SunValue, a solar project developer, running on his video titled “Juice: Why Wind and Solar Make Our Power Grid Less Reliable.” YouTube, \7/30/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022197), [7/30/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022195)]

On May 24, Stossel also posted an interview with pro-fossil fuel activist Alex Epstein, who suggested it’s not “all bad” or “catastrophic” that fossil fuels are driving global warming.“You have to admit it leads to a lot of greening, because CO2 is plant food,” Epstein said. “And you also have to admit that warming is generally desirable in the world.” He also complained that “people do not acknowledge that today we are masters of climate and that any negatives of rising CO2 have been totally overwhelmed by the benefits of fossil fuels.” YouTube,[ 5/24/24 (https://youtu.be/yyFa74p4deY&t=5s)]

According to Social Blade, as of July 25, Stossel’s estimated monthly YouTube earnings are $395 to $6,300.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022096)]

mma 7 24

google demonetized The Heartland Institute in June. Here are 4 more channels that appear to violate its misinformation policy.

Special ProgramsClimate & Energy (https://www.mediamatters.org/climate-energy)

Written by Ilana Berger (https://www.mediamatters.org/author/ilana-berger)

Published 07/31/24

YouTube demonetized the Heartland Institute after it frequently posted climate denial videos

Channels run by Tony Heller, PragerU, John Stossel, and Jordan Peterson are still being monetized while seemingly violating YouTube’s misinformation policies

Tony Heller

According to Social Blade, Heller’s estimated monthly earnings from YouTube are $33 to $528.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022095)]

PragerU

According to Social Blade, PragerU’s estimated monthly earnings from YouTube are $7,000 to $112,700.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022097)]

Jordan Peterson

According to Social Blade, as of July 16, Peterson’s estimated monthly YouTube earnings are $5,700 to $91,500.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022098)]

John Stossel

According to Social Blade, as of July 25, Stossel’s estimated monthly YouTube earnings are $395 to $6,300.Social Blade, accessed [7/25/24 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4022096)]

mma 4 24

google is profiting from PragerU’s climate denial ads on its search engine

Special PROGRAMSCLIMATE & ENERGY (https://www.mediamatters.org/climate-energy)

WRITTEN BY ILANA BERGER (https://www.mediamatters.org/author/ilana-berger)

PUBLISHED 04/16/24

Google is allowing right-wing propaganda organization PragerU to run climate-denying ads on its search engine even though the tech giant previously committed to prohibiting ads that feature claims that contradict the “well-established scientific consensus” about climate change.

In 2021, Google updated (https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11221321?hl=en) its ad policy to prohibit ads for or on content that “contradicts well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change.”

Yet, nearly three years later, Google is still profiting from ads that contain climate change misinformation.

When Media Matters searched for phrases like “climate change,” “global warming,” and “climate crisis” on Google Search, the search engine returned PragerU ads that promised its website reveals “the truth about climate change” — or what it calls the “fake climate catastrophe.”

“Climate policies are causing inflation and keeping poor countries trapped in poverty,” the ad-description text read. “Get the facts with our Climate Change and Energy playlist.”

[ggl screenshots see monetize ads]

When clicked on, the ads lead Google Search users to a video on PragerU’s website titled “Do We Have to Destroy the Earth to Save It? (https://www.prageru.com/video/do-we-have-to-destroy-the-earth-to-save-it)” In the video, anti-renewable energy activist Michael Shellenberger tells the audience that “pushing the planet toward wind and solar energy would actually cause more harm to the environment than good.” (While all extractive processes have environmental impacts, scientists agree that the consequences (https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2023/02/myth-why-two-degrees-of-global-warming-is-worse-than-it-sounds/)of burning fossil fuels (https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-fossil-fuels-rapidly-eroding-earths-safe-operating-space/) on the climate along with the declining costs (https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/charts-renewables-are-on-track-to-keep-getting-cheaper-and-cheaper) of both renewable energy and renewable-energy storage (https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2022/key-learnings-for-the-coming-decades-of-energy-storage.html) make those cleaner technologies (https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/energy-transition-materials) essential to a sustainable energy future.)

Shellenberger is known for spreading misinformation about wind energy and downplaying the impacts of climate change. In 2020, Shellenberger wrote an article (https://web.archive.org/web/20240402060402/https://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/2020/6/29/on-behalf-of-environmentalists-i-apologize-for-the-climate-scare) in which he claimed (https://climatefeedback.org/evaluation/article-by-michael-shellenberger-mixes-accurate-and-inaccurate-claims-in-support-of-a-misleading-and-overly-simplistic-argumentation-about-climate-change/) that “climate change is not making natural disasters worse.” A 2022 report produced (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/09/climate-crisis-unequivocally-caused-by-human-activities-says-ipcc-report) by hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists argued that climate change has increased the intensity — and in some cases the frequency (https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3117/drought-makes-its-home-on-the-range/) — of extreme weather events.” Shellenberger has also defended (https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-anchor-and-climate-contrarian-defend-trumps-unhinged-comments-about-whales-and) former President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that “windmills are causing whales to die in numbers never seen before” and “driving them \whales] crazy.” In 2023, he produced a documentary (https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-touting-dubious-new-documentary-repeating-misleading-claims-about-offshore-wind) that alleged — again, [without concrete evidence (https://climatefeedback.org/claimreview/no-convincing-evidence-offshore-wind-activities-explain-increase-whale-deaths-off-us-east-coast-claims-proven-link-offshore-wind-energy-opponents/) — that “government officials have been lying” about the role offshore wind turbine construction has played in causing whale deaths.

The video featuring Shellenberger is one of 30 videos on PragerU’s “Get The Truth About The Climate” playlist.

Other videos on the playlist feature an assortment of well-known climate deniers, including former BP chief scientist Steve Koonin (https://www.desmog.com/2023/11/10/former-bp-scientist-steve-koonin-claims-climate-journalists-are-spreading-hysteria/) and nuclear energy consultant Patrick Moore, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed (https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-friends/who-patrick-moore-look-former-greenpeace-members-industry-ties-and-climate-denial) that he co-founded Greenpeace.

In a video titled “Is there really a climate emergency (https://www.prageru.com/video/is-there-really-a-climate-emergency?playlist=what-science-reveals-about-climate-change)?” Koonin (https://www.desmog.com/2023/11/10/former-bp-scientist-steve-koonin-claims-climate-journalists-are-spreading-hysteria/) claims that climate change is not settled science, an argument he also detailed in a 2021 book (https://www.mediamatters.org/climate-deniers/right-wing-media-are-having-field-day-physicist-steve-koonins-new-book-climate) called Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters.

Another video on the playlist called “The truth about CO2 (https://www.prageru.com/video/the-truth-about-co2?playlist=what-science-reveals-about-climate-change)” features Moore, who claims that rising CO2 levels in the Earth’s atmosphere do not present a danger to humans and that “we're already seeing the positive effects of increased carbon dioxide now.” “We should celebrate CO2 as the giver of life that it is,” Moore adds.

Video

CitationPragerU ad in Google's search engine, accessed April 4, 2024

PragerU is deeply rooted in climate change denial

Along with the Daily Wire, PragerU is financially dependent (https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3p33j/fracking-farris-dan-wilks-prageru-climate-crisis-denial-shapiro) on generous donations from fossil fuel billionaire Farris Wilks.

Recently, PragerU Kids, a PragerU offshoot that produces conservative “educational” content targeted at school age children, has partnered with five different states (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/arizona-education-official-announces-partnership-right-wing-propaganda-machine) to bring right-wing propaganda into public school classrooms.

Media Matters reviewed (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights) PragerU Kids’ ”educational” content and found it was rife with misinformation about climate change. In one video, a cartoon narrator explains why embracing climate denialism is akin to participating in the Warsaw uprising, when Polish Jews attempted to liberate Warsaw from German occupation during WWII.

Since 2021, researchers have demonstrated that Google has failed to follow through on its promise to address climate denial. One study (https://caad.info/analysis/reports/youtubes-climate-denial-dollars-2/) found 100 monetized YouTube videos that seemingly violated Google’s climate change misinformation policy. The videos had accrued more than 18 million views. Despite those seeming policy violations, only eight of the hundreds of climate-denying videos studied were eventually demonetized. Google has also profited significantly from ads placed by fossil fuel companies attempting to “greenwash (https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Greenwashing-on-Google_Final-Report.pdf)” their reputations as drivers of the climate crisis.

### Climate solutions coverage on broadcast news programs declined in 2023 (https://www.mediamatters.org/media-matters-studies-climate-change-coverage/climate-solutions-coverage-broadcast-news-programs)

04/16/24 9:49

Arizona education official announces partnership with right-wing propaganda machine PragerU Kids

WRITTEN BY SOPHIE LAWTON (https://www.mediamatters.org/author/sophie-lawton)

PUBLISHED 02/01/24

Arizona’s GOP Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced (https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/prageru-arizonas-education-department-teams-up-with-controversial-conservative-group) alongside PragerU CEO Marissa Streit that PragerU Kids’ videos and “educational” content would be available on the Arizona Department of Education website. Arizona is now the fifth state to add PragerU Kids materials to their educational curriculum following (https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/03/controversial-prageru-videos-gain-educational-foothold-in-a-handful-of-states/#::text=Oklahoma%20and%20Montana%20rapidly%20followed,literacy%20requirements%20in%20public%20schools.) Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and Montana.

IFrame Content (https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=true&id=1752970637839310926&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fdennis-prager%2Farizona-education-official-announces-partnership-right-wing-propaganda-machine&sessionId=fe06a63a823c17e58998f16b1a4292b1a4b72e56&siteScreenName=mmfa&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px)

During the press conference Horne claimed (https://tucson.com/news/local/education/precollegiate/arizona-schools-republican-tomhorne-prageru-curriculum/article_fc169fa4-c075-11ee-9a1c-3fc1b1d0b20d.html), “The problem we’ve had is, in some classrooms only the extreme left side has been presented.” Horne followed up by attacking critical race theory and the 1619 Project.

Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs criticized the partnership, calling PragerU’s lessons “fake history” and Arizona House Rep. Raúl Grijalva labeled it as “unaccredited right-wing propaganda.”

Media Matters has published a comprehensive research file (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights) on the PragerU Kids curriculum. PragerU Kids is conservative propaganda that denies (https://www.mediamatters.org/prageru/lessons-florida-public-school-students-will-learn-prageru-kids) climate change, excuses European colonization, and whitewashes slavery. It has published hundreds (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights) of videos containing misleading and revisionist history lessons skewed towards far-right ideologies. One video on Christopher Columbus justified the genocide of indigenous peoples and downplayed the moral crime of slavery.

Far-right PragerU co-founder admits to 'indoctrination' campaign: 'We bring doctrines to children' - Alternet.org (https://www.alternet.org/prageru-cofounder-indoctrination-children/)

an 11 23 no lnx

in July, Florida became the first state to allow schools to incorporate instructional videos with a conservative viewpoint from vendor PragerU into their classroom materials.

Oklahoma and Montana rapidly followed. New Hampshire in September approved the use of online PragerU videos to satisfy financial literacy requirements in public schools. PragerU and one state education board member announced it was on the approved vendor list in Texas as well, but other state education officials denied it.

The growing movement concerns many researchers and scholars, who say the videos share misinformation and who worry that it may set a precedent for allowing other such distorted content into public schools.

The videos are available free of charge for any classroom. Despite its name, PragerU is not a university. It is a conservative nonprofit that produces short videos on historical, economic and climate topics. The organization, formally the Prager University Foundation but known as PragerU, is founded and run by conservative talk-show host Dennis Prager and funded by a number of like-minded philanthropists. PragerU touts its conservative view as a “free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education.” But critics say it distorts science and whitewashes unpleasant aspects of historical events.

In a fundraising plea in his organization’s 2023 biannual report, Prager wrote: “Do you think the left is scaling back? You know the answer. They will use our nation’s problems to push for more government control. They are following the Marxist playbook we are well familiar with. The left is a force for chaos.” He then said PragerU is expanding to fight that narrative.

At a Moms for Liberty convention in Philadelphia in June, people demonstrating against the conservative parents’ group accused him of “indoctrinating children.” Prager didn’t deny it. “All I heard was, ‘Well, because you indoctrinate kids.’ Which is true, we bring doctrines to children. But what is the bad of our indoctrination?” he said.

The organization markets kids videos in subject areas such as economics, character development and Judeo-Christian values. A PragerU video in its history series, in which two modern-day animated kids, Leo and Layla, travel back in time to talk to abolitionist Frederick Douglass, has come under some of the harshest criticism from historians and academics.

The video suggests that Douglass, who had been enslaved, believed that the founders’ decision not to abolish slavery in the U.S. Constitution was worth it because it helped convince the Southern colonies to join the Union. “Our system is wonderful, and the Constitution is a glorious liberty document. We just need to convince enough Americans to be true to it,” he says.

The “glorious liberty document” is taken out of context. It comes from Douglass’ 1852 speech on the Fourth of July, in which he also says Black Americans like himself “are not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary. Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”

It is this sort of cherry-picking that has led scholars to say that the PragerU videos are slanted and incomplete.

The video is an “appalling” misuse of Douglass and mischaracterizes his role in U.S. history, Andrew Hartman, a history professor at Illinois State University, told Education Week.

Later in the video, the animated Douglass criticizes fellow abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, who burned a copy of the Constitution because it didn’t outlaw slavery. The Douglass character tells Leo and Layla that “radical” behavior like Garrison’s is out of line, and working within the system is a better way to effect change. In a veiled reference to modern-day protest movements, the kids in the video respond with: “We’ve got that type in our time,” followed by an exchange about supporting the U.S. government.

According to the PragerU Kids website, Leo and Layla’s historic time travel adventures, which include travels to meet biblical characters, are meant for third to fifth graders. The Around the World series is meant for grades six and up.

Another animated PragerU video, “Florian Feeds the World,” features a Dutch farm boy who fears that government regulations designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will destroy his way of life. And one called “Mateo Backs the Blue,” starring a Hispanic boy in Los Angeles, criticizes the Black Lives Matter movement. Both are part of the Around the World series.

“The Prager videos are flag-waving tripe,” said Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania. “The one where they have [a cartoon] Frederick Douglass talking about slavery is highly distorted.”

“They are highly inaccurate,” Zimmerman added. “They paint a story of unbending liberty and freedom providentially inspired from beginning to end.”

Zimmerman said he is not out to censor the videos, but that they shouldn’t be incorporated into schools’ curricula. “This isn’t an issue of free speech. Everyone is free to look at these videos. I’m not saying they should be prohibited in any way. But they should not be embraced by school districts.”

PragerU’s website also includes videos of its news programs, talk shows and short documentaries that express a point of view on hot-button social issues. “Detrans: The Dangers of Gender Affirming Care” is one. It shows a person, Daisy Strongin, who became a trans man but then regretted it. It also shows people saying that gender-affirming procedures are “barbaric pseudo-science,” a view at odds with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association.

This isn’t an issue of free speech. Everyone is free to look at these videos. I’m not saying they should be prohibited in any way. But they should not be embraced by school districts.

– Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania

The Florida Department of Education approved the use of PragerU videos in classrooms across the state.

The agency “reviewed PragerU Kids and determined the material aligns to Florida’s revised civics and government standards,” Cassie Palelis, deputy director of communications for the department, said in an email to Stateline.

Those standards are very broad, requiring teachers, for example, to “review causes and consequences of the Civil War.”

“PragerU Kids is no different than many other resources, which can be used as supplemental materials in Florida schools at district discretion,” Palelis wrote.

In New Hampshire, the State Board of Education unanimously agreed to allow high school students to use PragerU courses to satisfy a financial literacy requirement.

The series of 15 five-minute videos includes sessions on pay stubs and taxes; money management and budgeting; credit, debit and debt management; borrowing, student loans and credit and debit cards; and videos on investing.

A video on taxes shows young people screaming, wincing and groaning every time it’s explained that taxes are taken out of a paycheck to pay for things such as the military, roads, fire and police. The video ends with the statement that taxes are an “unavoidable and frustrating fact of life.”

While not overtly political, the videos are simplistic and don’t give students the depth of knowledge they need to handle finances, said Micaela Demeter, a member of the Dover School Board in New Hampshire, who testified at a public hearing in mid-September against the use of the PragerU videos.

“I think financial literacy is an essential human skill,” she told Stateline in a phone interview, while underscoring that her views were her own and she was not speaking for the Dover board. “But I do not believe what PragerU is putting out is sufficient. It’s ‘edu-tainment.’ It is not the caliber that New Hampshire students or any students need.”

She added that her larger concern is “that this is just the foot in the door for PragerU,” echoing several others who testified at the three-hour hearing.

She said she believes that PragerU is looking at the financial literacy curriculum as “the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship.”

“It is hyperpartisan and that does not belong … in any district in New Hampshire,” Demeter said.

GOP Lawmakers Intensify Effort to Ban Critical Race Theory in Schools

Stateline tried repeatedly for comment from PragerU, but the organization did not answer requests nor respond to emailed questions.

Adrienne McCarthy, an academic researcher within the Kansas State University College of Education and co-author of a study on PragerU, said in a phone interview that while she agrees financial literacy should be taught, “why use a non-credentialed organization with a clear agenda to be in part of your curriculum?”

“By adopting any part of the curriculum, you are providing them with a sense of credentials and authority on the matter,” she said. “The recommendation by the school board means this is a credible source.”

She said the financial videos point out how “taxes are a ball and chain, and just state abuse, rather than looking at why taxes are used as they are.”

PragerU solicits contributions at the end of some of its videos. The organization did not list its contributors on its nonprofit tax form, saying the information was “restricted.” But McCarthy and media reports said contributors include Dan and Farris Wilks, who made their fortune by founding an oil and gas hydraulic fracturing company, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, an organization that supports conservative policy priorities such as the “teaching of American exceptionalism.”

In September, PragerU posted a video featuring CEO Marissa Streit and Julie Pickren, a member of the Texas State Board of Education, announcing that the company is “now in Texas,” saying that “children in thousands of K-12 Texas schools now have the opportunity to learn from PragerU’s wholesome, patriotic, and age-appropriate content.” But after numerous news articles questioning whether the state education board had approved the platform, Pickren posted a clarification on Facebook, saying that PragerU had been “placed on the Comptroller’s master bidder list” to be allowed to bid on contracts with Texas schools.

However, a search of the site did not show Prager as one of the bidders, and Jake Kobersky, director of media relations for the Texas Education Agency, said in an email to Stateline that PragerU “has not been approved by either the Texas State Board of Education or the Texas Education Agency as a curriculum vendor and is not included on any supplementary curriculum lists.”

Elsie Arntzen, Montana’s superintendent of public instruction, also appeared in a Prager video announcing her state’s partnership with the organization. PragerU is listed as a “bonded textbook dealer” on a Montana state website. Arntzen said the PragerU videos would provide an opportunity to “enhance learning, wherever learning takes place,” at home or at school.

In September, the Oklahoma Department of Education launched its partnership with PragerU Kids. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, in an announcement, said the relationship “will help ensure high quality materials rich in American history and values will be available to our teachers and students.”

The next month, the nonprofit advocacy group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State announced it is looking into both Oklahoma’s and Florida’s use of the videos, saying they promote religion and particularly Christianity.

“Public schools are the building blocks of our democracy. We owe it to our children to ensure their public schools provide a high-quality education that is free from religious coercion and rooted in facts, not theology or political ideology,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, said in announcing the effort.

The group particularly pointed to a cartoon video about George Washington, in which the first president is depicted as saying that “having a religious and moral population is important for a healthy republic.”an 11 23 no lnx

Montana extremism watchdog is warning against the state's Office of Public Instruction's (OPI) recent approval of educational materials from the right-wing organization Prager U, News From The States reports (https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/state-licenses-prageru-classrooms-watchdog-weary-extremist-content).

Per the news outlet (https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/state-licenses-prageru-classrooms-watchdog-weary-extremist-content), "Montana follows Florida and Oklahoma in approving the license for PragerU in the state, as first reported (https://montanafreepress.org/2023/10/06/prager-university-obtains-textbook-dealer-license/) by Montana Free Press. However, a public schools official said approval of teaching the controversial content in classrooms will be in the hands of local school board trustees in Montana."

The news outlet notes:

Some examples of PragerU Kids Media Matters listed in the summary of its analysis (https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/research-file-we-watched-every-prageru-kids-video-here-are-lowlights):*

A cartoon Booker T. Washington distorting the history of the Civil War.

A narrator explaining that embracing climate denialism is akin to participating in the Warsaw Uprising.

An instructional video telling girls that conforming to gender stereotypes is a great way to embrace their femininity.

A dramatization of the supposedly civilizing, benevolent era of British colonial rule in India.

According to the report, Montana Human Rights Network's Cherilyn DeVries said (https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/state-licenses-prageru-classrooms-watchdog-weary-extremist-content), at first the video seems reasonable. It sounds like 'Oh, patriotism is good' or you know, 'We all want a healthy economy' or 'We should all get along.' And then they kind of dive into some of the racism and minimize anti-Semitism."

She noted that "in the wake of the pandemic, kids are still struggling and looking for something strong to believe in, and PragerU can seem very convincing," saying, "This seems to be a reasonable position, and then suddenly they are getting partisan and extremist propaganda mixed in with their curriculum at school. This is how these kinds of positions and groups get normalized.”

DeVries emphasized, They cast doubt on the realities of climate change and the brutality of slavery. They make completely false claims about public school curriculum. They dismiss well-documented incidents of discrimination. Organizations promoting misinformation and openly partisan agendas like this have no right to force their way into nonpartisan public schools."

READ MORE:'I refuse':Oklahoma teachers allowed to push PragerU’s 'revisionist propoganda' (https://www.alternet.org/oklahoma-teachers-allowed-prager-u/)

https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/dennis-prager-vast-majority-your-kids-teachers-lie-about-whites

columbus with bad accent? on msnbc

rww July 24, 2023

Kelcie Moseley-Morris @ Georgia Recorder (https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/07/22/male-anti-abortion-religious-leaders-mull-murder-charges-for-pregnant-people-at-national-event/): Male anti-abortion religious leaders mull murder charges for pregnant people at national event.

Jacina Hollins-Borges & Sophie Lawton @ Media Matters (https://www.mediamatters.org/blazetv/right-wing-antifeminist-influencers-are-starting-get-little-uncomfortable-all-woman-hating): Right-wing antifeminist influencers are starting to get a little uncomfortable with all the woman hating.

John Fea @ Current (https://currentpub.com/2023/07/22/jack-hibbs-is-still-talking-about-american-history-and-its-getting-worse/): Jack Hibbs is still talking about American history. And it’s getting worse.

Alex DeLuca @ Miami New Times (https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/prageru-says-florida-schools-to-adopt-its-conservative-curriculum-17481537): Conservative Group PragerU Says Florida Is First State to Approve Its “Curriculum.”

Erik Maulbetsch @ Colorado Times Recorder (https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2023/07/boebert-promotes-antisemitic-conspiracist-in-taxpayer-funded-press-release/54981/): Boebert Promotes Antisemitic Conspiracist in Taxpayer-Funded Press Release.

Joe Jervis (https://www.joemygod.com/2023/07/desantis-team-secretly-made-infamous-anti-gay-clip/): DeSantis Team Secretly Made Infamous Anti-Gay Clip.

Colby Hall @ Mediaite (https://www.mediaite.com/tv/thats-why-im-an-idiot-harvard-alum-pete-hegseth-comes-clean-on-his-college-education/): ‘That’s Why I’m an Idiot’: Harvard Alum Pete Hegseth Comes Clean About His College Education.

Tags: Jack Hibbs (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/jack-hibbs/) Jack Posobiec (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/jack-posobiec/) Jason Storms (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/jason-storms/) Lauren Boebert (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/lauren-boebert/) Pete Hegseth (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/pete-hegseth/) Ron DeSantis (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/ron-desantis/) Rusty Thomas (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/rusty-thomas/) Reproductive Right s (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/reproductive-rights/)Round-Up (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/round-up/) Operation Save America (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/operation-save-america/) PragerU (https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/prageru/)

https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/dennis-prager-women-are-disproportionally-wrecking-west

fox stepford mat'l

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-keeps-booking-pharmaceutical-heir-whose-mom-paid-specialist-deprogram-her-wokism

no lnx vid

Fox News keeps booking a pharmaceutical heir whose mom paid a specialist to “deprogram” her from “wokeism”

Mount Holyoke alum Annabella Rockwell works for conservative edutainment organization PragerU, which she credits with freeing her from liberal indoctrination

WRITTEN BY JOHN KNEFEL

PUBLISHED 11/29/22

A spectre is haunting college campuses — the spectre of wokeism. It is an ideology and a cult that separates children from parents, rendering each unknowable to the other. Misery and alienation: This is the goal of these indoctrination centers. But all is not lost. A small band of rebels stand in their way. They are the ragtag freedom fighters at PragerU.

That, at least, is the story the producers and talent at Fox News are telling their viewers.

Leading the charge for liberation is pharmaceutical heir and PragerU director of development for Palm Beach Annabella Rockwell, who can trace her lineage back to the Mayflower, thank you very much. Rockwell fell victim to the siren song of wokeism her first year at Mount Holyoke, a historically women’s college in Massachusetts.

“I studied history and politics at Mount Holyoke,” Rockwell said in a November 15 interview with her boss, Dennis Prager. “Every class was, you know, history, but history with race, history with gender.”

By the time Rockwell graduated in 2015, she was “totally indoctrinated,” she said in a recent interview with the New York Post. Her mom, Melinda, “enlisted the help of a deprogrammer who charged $300 a day as well as Annabella’s old tennis coach, Scott Williams,” to overcome her daughter’s “brainwashing.”

Rockwell had the support of her family’s personal fortune, but she needed something else: a light in the darkness. As she told Fox News’ top star and white nationalist Tucker Carlson on Monday evening, her salvation came at the hands of PragerU, where she now works, when one of its videos came up on a social media feed. This heartwarming story shows how PragerU funnels young people into reactionary politics – and just so happens to be a great branding opportunity to further spread that organization’s propaganda.

“I had to unlearn my four years of wokeism by watching five-minute PragerU videos online for free,” she said.

“Amazing,” Carlson responded. “It is a cult. Its aim is to separate you from the people who love you most.”

Video CitationFrom the November 28, 2022, edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight

Teaching history without race or gender is obviously better, which is exactly the type of top-notch scholarship you can get from Prager and his absolutely real university.

Fox News’ Outnumbered analyzed Rockwell's hero’s journey on Monday afternoon, prior to her debut on Tucker Carlson Tonight. Co-host Emily Compagno, a paragon of intellectual rigor — who also knows more than a little about learning history without regard to race or gender — weighed in with the insight and precision that’s become her trademark.

College students are “being taught to hate their country; they’re also being taught to hate their families,” Compagno argued. “And that is step one of true indoctrination.”

Video CitationFrom the November 28, 2022, edition of Fox News' Outnumbered

But, like the totalitarian cult of wokeness itself, Rockwell wasn’t yet satisfied with her conquest. She pushed forward, appearing Tuesday morning on Fox & Friendsto share her tale of woe and redemption, explaining how she finally broke free of her ideological prison.

In 2020, at the height of what has been referred to as the largest protest movement in the history of the United States, Rockwell saw the light.

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VideoCitationFrom the November 29, 2022, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends

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“It wasn't until seeing the riots happening that I realized, OK, this is so hypocritical. Like, why are we fighting for equality and empowerment by burning down people's [PVT PROPERTY = > HU RIGHTS] businesses?” Rockwell explained. “It just doesn't make sense to me.” (One way to make sense of the George Floyd uprisings is to study “history with race.”)

Rockwell closed out the interview with another plug for PragerU. Whatever else the organization’s shortcomings, it appears that marketing is not one of them.