From WNYC Studios.

I'm Brian Lerer.

This is my daily politics podcast.

It's Thursday, May 11th.

So as if you didn't know, the states in this country are really dividing into red and blue in all kinds of ways.

For example, the news this week includes Florida approving social studies textbooks

that have eliminated the word racism, which was in an earlier edition.

They also removed the term police brutality and the name George Floyd.

Those were in a social studies textbook, and now they're out, and it's okay with Florida.

Then there's the news from Alabama, where if you don't think white nationalism has friends in high places, think again.

Listen to this exchange between U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and an interviewer from Birmingham radio station, WBHM.

We are losing in the military so fast our readiness in terms of recruitment. And why? I can tell you why.

Because the Democrats are attacking our militaries and we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalist,

people that don't believe in our agenda as Joe Biden agenda, they're destroying it.

This year, we will not reach any recruiting goals in the military.

So if we want to talk about looking weak, that's where we're going to look weak. We cannot start putting rules in there for one type, one group, and make different factions

in military because that is the most important institution in the United States of America

and our allies is a strong, hard-nosed killing machine, which is called our military.

You mentioned the Biden administration trying to prevent white nationalist from being in the military.

Do you believe they should allow white nationalists in the military?

Well, they call them that. I call them Americans.

Senator Tommy Tuberville

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