DeVos Sees Public Education As A Biblical Battlefield

The following article by Cynthia Tucker Haynes was posted on the National Memo website February 11, 2017:

Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) greets Betsy DeVos for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 17. (Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

There’s a reason that Betsy DeVos’ confirmation as the new secretary of education was such a close vote, requiring Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie. Even in the Trump administration, with its clear suspicion of expertise and competence, DeVos stands out as spectacularly ill-suited for her new post.

There was such a public outcry against her that two Republican senators, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins, voted against her confirmation. In this hyperpartisan age, that’s extraordinary. Continue reading “DeVos Sees Public Education As A Biblical Battlefield”

Highball: Does Trump Know Where Jobs Come From?

The following column by Leah McGrath Goodman was posted on the Newsweek website February 10, 2017:

We had Trump Vodka, Trump Airlines and Trump Steaks. Now, get ready for Trump Finance—a mix of shotgun executive orders, proclamations of instant job growth from the presidential bully pulpit and Trump’s signature verbal lynchings, aimed at select corporations via Twitter.

Following an election that was, in large part, an expression of Americans’ deep unhappiness with the economy, President Donald Trump’s promise to bring back job growth and a booming stock market appear to be somewhat at odds with the policies he’s putting in place during the first 20 days of his presidency. Continue reading “Highball: Does Trump Know Where Jobs Come From?”

The touching letter Hillary Clinton sent this lifelong Republican protesting Donald Trump

The following article by Terrence McCoy was posted on the Washington Post website February 8, 2017:

Joanne Barr has received lots of letters since the Women’s March on Washington. But none like this one. (Photo by Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post)

Joanne Barr, 54, has never wanted attention. She has only ever wanted a quiet life, and for a long time, what she had in Williamsport, a mountainous town in Central Pennsylvania, was just that. She never thought there would be a time when people would know her story. But then again, she never thought Donald Trump would be president, and when that happened, everything changed. Continue reading “The touching letter Hillary Clinton sent this lifelong Republican protesting Donald Trump”

Deutsche Bank Remains Trump’s Biggest Conflict of Interest Despite Settlements

The following article by Jesse Eisenger was posted on the ProPubica website February 9, 2107:

If you measure President Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest by the amount of money at stake, or the variety of dicey interactions with government regulators, one dwarfs any other: his relationship with Deutsche Bank.

In recent weeks, Deutsche Bank has scrambled to reach agreements with American regulators over a host of alleged misdeeds. But because the president has not sold his company, the bank remains a central arena for potential conflicts between his family’s business interests and the actions of officials in his administration.  Continue reading “Deutsche Bank Remains Trump’s Biggest Conflict of Interest Despite Settlements”

Stephen Miller: A key engineer for Trump’s ‘America first’ agenda

The following article by Rosalind Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website February 11, 2017:

As a young conservative in liberal Santa Monica, Calif., Stephen Miller clashed frequently with his high school, often calling in to a national radio show to lambaste administrators for promoting multiculturalism, allowing Spanish-language morning announcements and failing to require recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Miller’s outrage did not appear to subside after he graduated. As a Duke University sophomore, Miller penned a column, titled “Santa Monica High’s Multicultural Fistfights,” in which he ripped his alma mater as a “center for political indoctrination.” Continue reading “Stephen Miller: A key engineer for Trump’s ‘America first’ agenda”

Al Franken to Maher: GOP senators privately express ‘great concern’ about Trump’s temperament

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website February 11, 2017:

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said Friday night that his Republican Senate colleagues privately express “great concern” about President Trump’s temperament, and he joked about the GOP eventually impeaching Trump.

Appearing on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Maher asked Franken what Republicans really say behind closed doors. Continue reading “Al Franken to Maher: GOP senators privately express ‘great concern’ about Trump’s temperament”

State DFL Chair Ken Martin on Betsy DeVos

 

Chair Martin released the following statement February 7, 2017:

“Today, the Trump Administration forced a dangerously unqualified nominee on the American people. His ‘my way or the highway’ attitude has put too many families in harm’s way and this latest promotion of the most unqualified candidate for Secretary of Education is no different.

“Once she was announced as Trump’s pick to be the country’s highest ranking education official, it was immediately revealed that she had no experience with public schools at all- not as a student, parent, teacher, administrator, nothing.  Her gross incompetence was on full display during the U.S. Senate hearings. When she was before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, she refused to rule out defunding public schools, refused to stand up for kids with disabilities, and failed to answer basic questions about education policy.

“The American people have expressed their displeasure through calls, emails, letters, and social media asking their senators to listen when they say no to Trump’s agenda and not confirm DeVos. Our children and our country’s future are too important to allow an unqualified, enemy of public education to lead the Education Department.”

– See more at: https://www.dfl.org/blog/dfl-news/2017/02/statement-from-dfl-chairman-ken-martin-on-betsy-devos-confirmation/#sthash.kNIDe8QN.dpuf

Swarming crowds and hostile questions are the new normal at GOP town halls

The following article by Kelsey Snell, Paul Schwartzman, Steve Friess and David Weigel was posted on the Washington Post website February 10, 2017:

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Republicans in deep-red congressional districts spent the week navigating massive crowds and hostile questions at their town hall meetings — an early indication of how progressive opposition movements are mobilizing against the agenda of the GOP and President Trump.

Angry constituents swarmed events held by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), Diane Black (Tenn.), Justin Amash (Mich.) and Tom McClintock (Calif.). They filled the rooms that had been reserved for them; in Utah and Tennessee, scores of activists were locked out. Voters pressed members of Congress on their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, on the still-controversial confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and even on a low-profile vote to disband an election commission created after 2000. Continue reading “Swarming crowds and hostile questions are the new normal at GOP town halls”

What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week (#5)

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website February 10, 2017:

Welcome to the fifth installment of Fact Checker’s series highlighting what President Trump got wrong on Twitter in a given week.

Here’s a look at what Trump got wrong in 11 tweets this week, listed in chronological order. Continue reading “What Trump got wrong on Twitter this week (#5)”

National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say

The following article by Greg Miller, Adam Entous and Ellen Nakashima was posted on the Washington Post website February 9, 2017:

National security adviser Michael Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said. Continue reading “National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say”