From WNYC Studios.

I'm Brian Lerer.

This is my daily politics podcast.

It's Friday, May 19th.

We're going to talk now, as we've had to do too many times recently, about the expanding

red-state, blue-state divide on culture war issues and what adults and children may or may not do in increasing numbers of states with some news from this week.

Just this week, we have the governor of Oklahoma signing a ban on gender affirming care for minors.

That's even when their parents and doctors agree

that the treatment is in the best interest of the teen. We have the North Carolina legislature

overriding their governor's veto of a bill restricting abortion rights. The same governor of Oklahoma,

who I just mentioned, vetoed the license renewal for the PBS television

network in the state because he says PBS indoctrines and sexualizes children. PBS.

You must think the Ron DeSantis attack on Disney in Florida is a political win.

And for his part, DeSantis is preparing to enter the presidential

race next week by all accounts by banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the

state's public colleges, approving social studies textbooks for lower grades that used to include

the word race, but now have removed it, expanding the so-called

don't-say gay bill up to eighth grade, banning gender affirming care that parents and doctors

and teens all agree on, like in Oklahoma, and signing an abortion ban that kicks in at six

weeks. And have you heard about this one with his state education department

investigating a teacher? It's for showing a Disney film for kids in class that includes a gay

character. It has come to that, even the simple inclusion of a gay character and some of his

...