Japan's authorities have a warning for trolls planning to target competitors at this year's Asian Games: You are being watched.

(The Center Square) – High school graduation rates have increased while student achievement across K-12 public schools has declined, raising concerns among education experts about academic standards and long-term readiness.

Nationwide, only about one-third of students meet proficiency benchmarks in reading, the National Assessment Governing Board reported.

Since 2019, reading scores for fourth and eighth grade students have dropped by an average of five points, according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. 

While fourth-grade math scores have shown slight improvement since 2022, they remained three points below pre-pandemic levels in 2024. 

Twelfth-grade reading scores declined by three points since 2019, with just 35% of students performing at or above the proficient level, according to NAEP data.

At the same time, graduation rates have steadily increased. The U.S. average graduation rate rose from 80% in the 2011–12 school year to 87% in 2021–22.

State-level data for the 2023–24 academic year show graduation rates ranging from about 76% to 93%, based on reports by reports by various state education departments, but many states are expected to see declines in graduate counts by 2041.

Education experts question whether higher graduation rates reflect genuine academic progress. 

“Graduation rates have become essentially meaningless. I wouldn’t put too much stock in recent improvements,” Aaron Smith, director of education reform at the Reason Foundation, told The Center Square.

Smith attributed expected declines in future graduation numbers to falling enrollment, noting that public schools have lost roughly 1.2 million students in recent years. He cited declining birth rates and growing dissatisfaction with public education as contributing factors.

He also criticized what he described as schools advancing students without ensuring mastery of material, pointing to the use of short-term “credit recovery” programs that allow students to make up failed coursework quickly.

“Students fail their classes for several months but breeze through one or two weeks of credit recovery, having learned next to nothing,” Smith said.

Lance Izumi, senior director of education studies at Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute, told The Center Square that easing standards and grade inflation have weakened accountability. 

Izumi noted California eliminated its high school exit exam, a requirement once mandatory for graduation.

The California High School Exit Exam, first implemented for the class of 2004, was suspended in 2015 and permanently eliminated in 2017. Students who meet other requirements can now graduate without passing the exam.

“We are not requiring kids to adhere to rigorous standards of academic excellence,” Izumi told The Center Square. “We’re basically passing these kids along so that they simply get the piece of paper and keep them in school.”

Funding structures may also play a role. Public school districts typically receive funding based on student attendance, creating incentives to keep students enrolled and progressing toward graduation, Izumi noted. 

“I think their [school districts] philosophy is that if they make things easier for kids, they won’t drop out,” Izumi said. “Schools will continue to get the money.” 

Izumi argued that lowering grading standards and graduation requirements undermines educational quality. 

Izumi advocates for increased competition through school choice programs, including education savings accounts that allow families to use public funds for private schooling or alternative education services.

Izumi highlighted that such measures could push districts to improve.

“The only way the school districts are going to feel incentivized to change their failing ways is by having competition from outside,” Izumi said.

Peruvian right-wing presidential hopeful Rafael Lopez Aliaga on Tuesday called for the first round of the country's election to be annulled, alleging fraud without providing proof of his claim.

Lopez Aliaga, a fan of US President Donald Trump, is locked in a tight three-way race with a leftist candidate and a social democrat for second place in Sunday's vote.

The election runner-up wins a ticket to June's presidential run-off against conservative frontrunner Keiko Fujimori.

The election ran into Monday in parts of the capital Lima because of delays in the supply of ballots and other materials, which prevented tens of thousands of people from casting their vote the day before.

Elections observers acknowledged the dysfunctional nature of the vote but said they saw no evidence of fraud.

Ultraconservative ex-Lima mayor Lopez Aliaga saw his lead over social democratic candidate Jorge Nieto and leftist ex-minister Roberto Sanchez shrink as the vote count continued.

With 80 percent of ballots counted, Fujimori -- the daughter of divisive former president Alberto Fujimori -- had about 17 percent.

Lopez Aliaga was on 12.5 percent, compared to 11.6 percent for Nieto and 10.7 percent for Sanchez.

Addressing reporters, Lopez Aliaga repeated his fraud claims and called on the electoral commission to "act, declare this entire process null and void, or figure out how to resolve this."

In response to an AFP question, he confirmed that he was seeking the annulment of the vote to choose Peru's ninth president in a decade, and called on his supporters to take to the streets.

"Don't let them steal our future," he wrote on Facebook.

A record 35 candidates ran for president of the chronically unstable Andean nation, where four presidents have been impeached in the past 10 years.

- Ninth president in a decade -

The campaign was dominated by promises to tackle a surge in extortion and contract killings, and disillusionment with a political class widely seen as ineffectual and corrupt.

With no candidate winning the 50 percent of votes needed for outright victory, a second round of voting is planned in June.

Tens of thousands of people were unable to cast a ballot on Sunday because election materials arrived late or not at all.

Several polling stations reopened on Monday to allow them to have their say.

Political scientist Eduardo Dargent told AFP the logistics mess had "given arguments...to several people who will cry fraud or worse if they are not happy with the result.

Lopez Aliaga, a Christian nationalist widely known as "Porky" over his self-professed resemblance to rotund cartoon character Porky Pig, campaigned as a hardliner on crime and migration.

He suggested building penal colonies in the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by a "natural fence" of vipers.

- Sowing doubt -

Political scientist Eduardo Dargent told AFP that the dsyfunctional nature of the vote had "given arguments, at the worst moment, to several people who will cry fraud or worse if they are not happy with the result."

Some voters told AFP the chaos undermined their faith in the democratic process.

"We don't know if the results are true," Yeraldine Garrido, a 35-year-old receptionist in Lima, said.

"It's been a major democratic failure," Luis Gomez, a self-employed man of 60, said.

Police have detained one election official and raided a private contractor blamed for failing to deliver election materials on time. 

The head of the European Union's election observer mission, Annalisa Corrado, said her team found no evidence of fraud.

Police have detained one election official and raided a private contractor blamed for failing to deliver election materials on time. 

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(The Center Square) - The special election to fill the seat of U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, will take place Aug. 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday afternoon.

Swalwell resigned Monday after allegations of sex abuse that also led him to quit as one of the Democratic frontrunners in this year’s gubernatorial race.

Swalwell represents the traditionally Democratic 14th Congressional District, which includes the East Bay area near San Francisco.

The election will determine who will have the seat for the rest of the 2025-27 term. Congressional terms always begin and end on Jan. 3 of the year after an election.

In addition to the special election, candidates running for the 2027-29 term will face each other in the June 2 primary. The top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will go on to the Nov. 3 general election.

After Swalwell announced he was running for governor, several Democrats entered the race to succeed him in Congress, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office:

Melissa Hernandez, a health services director and the former mayor of Dublin, Calif.

San Leandro City Council member Victor Aguilar Jr.

Small businessman and graphic designer Matt Ortega.

Businesswoman and nonprofit director Carin Elam

Educator and nonprofit attorney Rakhi Israni Singh

State Sen. Aisha Wahab. 

Republican candidates are real estate investor Wendy Huang and business owner and florist Dena Maldonado.

Suzanne Chenault, a lawyer and teacher who lists no party affiliation, is also running.

(The Center Square) – A new bill introduced in the California Legislature aims to protect the private information of immigration nonprofit employees after concerns that those workers are getting threats.

However, opponents say that the legislation exempts immigration records from public records law and would apply to any leftist organization that provided services to immigrants, whether here legally or not.

Assembly Bill 2624, authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, would exempt records that include an employee’s name, address, employment history and other identifiable information from public records law to avoid those employees being doxxed or harassed, according to a legislative analysis.

Bonta was not available for an interview about the bill on Tuesday before press time.

The name of Nick Shirley, the influential right-wing social media figure who posted videos in recent months about alleged daycare fraud in Minnesota, was invoked by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, in his criticism of the bill.

“This bill is completely unconstitutional,” DeMaio told The Center Square on Tuesday morning. “It is clearly targeting citizen journalists who are uncovering the Democrat’s epic levels of fraud in these welfare programs, in these contracts and grants to left-wing NGOs. The Democrats clearly do not want people going around videotaping and uncovering what is happening with taxpayer funds.”

There is no provision in the bill that would make a distinction between independent citizen journalists, which DeMaio characterized Shirley as, and full-time journalists who work for established news media.

“There’s no differentiation,” DeMaio told The Center Square. “It says any individual who does this, any corporation, any business who posts a video, full stop. There’s no ‘Well, there’s an exemption for journalists.’”

In a recent bill hearing, DeMaio asked Bonta about the bill affording more privacy protections to certain organizations than even law enforcement agencies get. He also said that the law would keep journalists from investigating issues like hospice fraud, similar to what CBS News recently reported. Bonta said her bill would allow those who work in immigration services to be protected under the law.

“In your scenario, Assemblyman DeMaio, the folks who were investigating that, these were reporters, journalists,” Bonta said during the hearing. “They were not subjecting any particular organization to violence or threats of violence. That is the nature of this bill.”

She also said DeMaio was mischaracterizing her bill and that her legislation had nothing to do with law enforcement.

Applicants who apply for protections authorized under AB 2624 would have to prove that they were being threatened or harassed, Bonta added.

Shirley, the YouTube influencer, did not respond to The Center Square on Tuesday.

Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, who posted on Facebook on Monday opposing the bill, did not respond to The Center Square on Tuesday. Several nonprofit immigrant services organizations did not respond to The Center Square. The American Civil Liberties Union, similarly, did not respond to The Center Square on Tuesday.

First Amendment Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for a free press, declined to comment.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. may return to the negotiating table with Iran soon, as thousands of American service members assist in the blockade of Iranian ports.

U.S. Central Command said over 10,000 sailors, Marines and airmen are taking part in the operation to blockade ships entering and departing ports in the Islamic Republic.

CENTCOM noted that during the first day of the blockade, no ships passed, while six “merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.”

The blockade went into effect at 10 a.m. Monday Eastern time, following President Donald Trump's announcement.

“The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. U.S. forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” according to a post from CENTCOM.

During the ceasefire, which is set to expire April 21, the U.S. is looking to squeeze funding sources moving in and out of Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department is putting financial institutions on notice by “leveraging the full range of available tools and authorities and is prepared to deploy secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that continue to support Iran’s activities.”

“The short-term sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea is set to expire in a few days and will not be renewed,” according to a post from the Treasury Department.

The economic chokehold on Iran comes as the U.S. appears to be benefiting from the blockade, with the White House announcing 167 crude tankers have declared U.S. destinations, adding 54 are categorized as “very large crude carriers, each capable of carrying approximately two million barrels.”

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos met with US cinema owners on the sidelines of an industry gathering, the trade association chief said Tuesday, as movie theaters look for ways to work with a one-time foe.

The explosion of streaming over the last decade or so -- led chiefly by Netflix -- has taken a huge bite out of the box office as audiences opt to stay on the couch instead of venturing to the cinema.

But streamers have shown an increased willingness in recent years to offer the films they bankroll for limited theatrical release, both as a way of drumming up publicity and with an eye on the Oscars, which demand films have been shown on the big screen.

Sarandos huddled over the weekend with representatives of Cinema United, the organizers of the annual CinemaCon jamboree in Las Vegas, for what the group's president Michael O'Leary said was "a constructive meeting."

"I think there's a recognition that, you know, we need to look for ways in which we can help each other," O'Leary told journalists on Tuesday.

"He's obviously got a specific business model. We have a specific business model. Can you find a sweet spot that allows those two things to complement each other a little better?"

The meeting was scheduled while Netflix was in the thick of a bid for legacy studio Warner Bros., but went ahead even after Paramount Skydance elbowed the streamer out of the way with a $110 billion offer for its rival.

O'Leary said talks on Sunday were preliminary and there were no agreements reached, but he heralded the willingness the Netflix boss had shown.

"For him to fly out and talk with us... I'm a big believer in being in the room and talking face to face with people. So I think from that regard alone, it's positive."

O'Leary said it was premature to be suggesting that Netflix was ready to be a full participant at CinemaCon, where studios typically preview their slate of theatrical releases.

But, he said, it was not outlandish.

"Our door is open to anybody who wants to be in theatrical in a meaningful way. So if you're asking me, in two years (will they be) doing a Netflix presentation, because there's half a dozen movies going into theaters with fully supported marketing... Yeah, absolutely, we'll find time."

Netflix did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. 

CinemaCon runs until Thursday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

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(The Center Square) - Politicians, school officials and union leaders are applauding tentative agreements between Los Angeles Unified School District and Big Labor.

But associations of parents and taxpayers are concerned about the costs.

(The Center Square) – Resignations in the U.S. House are set to throw two new people into the race for control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.

Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Both men resigned from Congress after allegations of sexual harassment plagued the two individuals. Gonzales already withdrew his name from running a fourth term after allegations he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer who later died by suicide.

“It has been my privilege to serve the residents of Texas’ twenty-third congressional district,” Gonzales wrote in a statement read on the floor of the U.S. House on Tuesday.

Gonzales will be eligible to receive a pension starting at $8,728 in 2042. He will also leave a potentially competitive U.S. House race in Texas.

Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist, is set to take over Gonzales’ nomination after the two were set for a May 26 runoff Republican primary for the district seat. Gonzales dropped his bid for reelection before resigning from Congress.

The Texas district is considered a “toss up” race by the Cook Political Report, which means either party has a good chance of winning.

Herrera was endorsed by President Donald Trump in March. The president called Herrera a “MAGA warrior” and praised his policy preferences.

Trump said Herrera would advocate for strong border protections, school choice, military protections and lower taxes.

Herrera praised the accountability for Gonzales’ “sexual improprieties” but said he was disappointed to leave Texas’ 23rd congressional district without federal representation.

“I promise to do everything in my power to advocate for the constituents of this district at a federal level in the interim until I’m able to take the seat officially after November,” Herrera said.

The Texas Republican will still need to face off against a Democrat challenger in Katy Padilla Stout for control of the 23rd congressional district.

Democrats have pushed to flip the district, which has maintained firm Republican control since 2014. Previously, the district flipped between Democrat and Republican lawmakers.

Stout called for Gov. Greg Abbott to hold a special election while the seat is vacated by Gonzales.

“TX-23 constituents pay federal taxes,” Stout wrote. “Are they asking us to send in checks to the IRS tomorrow without a member of Congress to represent us?”

Stout has advocated for universal pre-kindergarten, expanding medicare and regulating Trump’s ability to impose tariffs as part of her campaign.

“We need a tax code which empowers the middle class and raises people from poverty into the middle class,” Stout wrote.

Texas law does not require the governor to call for a special election in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom is required to call a special election within 14 days of a vacancy. Once Newsom issues a formal proclamation, a special election must be held between 126 and 140 days later.

California’s 14th congressional district is considered a solid Democratic district, and has traditionally been led by a Democrat representative.

However, California’s June 2 primary could allow Newsom to have discretion in how the seat is filled in Congress.

Transit director Melissa Hernandez, small business owner Matt Ortega and businesswoman Carin Elam are running to take over Swalwell’s seat after he announced his bid for California governor.

These two races will represent unique parts of the upcoming 2026 midterm elections where parties seek to dominate control of Congress.

Missouri wrestling made a big splash in the transfer portal today as All-American and two-time NCAA qualifier Zan Fugitt transferred from Wisconsin.  Fugitt is from Nixa, Missouri and was a three-time state champion at Nixa High School. 

Fugitt finished fourth place at his first NCAA tournament appearance as a redshirt freshman and qualified again this past season for the Badgers.  Fugitt, however went 1-2 at this past season's NCAA's, ending his time with the Badgers in the second round of consolation. 

Fugitt joins the Tigers, as last weekend Zeke Seltzer announced he was entering transfer portal.  Seltzer started this past season as the starter at 141 pounds before losing that spot midway in the season to Easton Hilton.  Fugitt comes in having wrestled at 133 pounds for the Badgers the past two seasons. 

Mizzou already has an interesting logjam at the 133-pound weight class with two-time NCAA qualifier Kade Moore returning for his last season and NCAA qualifier Gage Walker.  Walker replaced Moore mid-season en route to qualifying to his first NCAA tournament.   With an opening at the 149-pound weight class, due to Josh Edmond graduating, expect 133, 141, 149, and 157 to be weight classes to watch for who wins those starting battles.  Seth Mendoza, coming off a phenomenal redshirt season, is another interesting name to watch in that mix.

(The Center Square) – Agriculture economists and transportation analysts say a proposed $85 billion merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern could lower shipping costs and ease long-standing bottlenecks for American farmers.

The Surface Transportation Board, which oversees railroad mergers, rejected the companies’ initial application as incomplete. The railroads plan to refile by the end of April.

Industry analysts say the merger would connect two rail systems that operate in different parts of the country rather than eliminate competition.

Paul Prentice, a former chief macro-economist for the United States Department of Agriculture, said the deal combines two complementary networks.

“This is not really a merger of competitors,” Prentice said. “It is a merger of cooperators – a merger between a western railroad and an eastern railroad.”

Prentice said the split between eastern and western rail networks has created delays and higher costs, especially for agricultural shipments.

Farm and food products make up about 20% of total rail tonnage, according to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Roughly half of all U.S. grain moves by rail. About 80% of wheat bound for export is shipped by rail.

Shipments moving across the country often switch railroads at interchange points such as Chicago. Those transfers add days and increase costs. A combined system would allow single-line service from coast to coast, proponents say.

“Farmers will have better choices of what ports to take product to,” Prentice said. “They’ll have easy access to not just Baltimore and the East Coast, but the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes. It just brings more efficiencies and more choices.”

“The data is just very clear,” Prentice said. “What appeared to be a potentially dangerous concentration of power turned out not to be the case.”

Michael Gorman, the Niehaus Chair of Operations and Analytics at the University of Dayton, said the deal’s structure avoids the typical loss of competition because the railroads operate in different regions.

“There are very few shippers on both UP and Norfolk Southern, because they operate on opposite ends of the country,” Gorman said.

Gorman said eliminating interchange delays would help rail compete with trucking on long-distance shipments.

“Getting stuff off the roads and on the rail is good for all of us,” Gorman said. “Rail just wins on every single count – safety, congestion, pollution.”

Michael Toth, research director at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, said the merger could cut coast-to-coast shipping times by about two days.

Ashley Baker, executive director of the Committee for Justice, said regulators should focus on how the deal affects consumers and competition.

“How does this affect competition? How does it affect the consumer?” Baker said. “The benefits far outweigh the costs.”

The companies’ shareholders have already approved the deal. 

When asked about the deal, President Donald Trump previously said it “sounds good.” Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern plan to refile their application by April 30.