Trump administration pauses Social Security benefit cuts over defaulted student loans
The U.S. Department of Education is pausing its plan to garnish people's Social Security benefits if they have defaulted on their student loans, a spokesperson for the agency tells CNBC.
"The Trump Administration is committed to protecting Social Security recipients who oftentimes rely on a fixed income," said Ellen Keast, an Education Department spokesperson.
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34 minutes ago
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San Francisco leaders blast Trump for trying to erase gay rights icon Harvey Milk's name from ship
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Leaders in San Francisco are blasting the Trump administration for stripping the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk from a U.S. naval ship, and especially during Pride Month, when people gather to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Milk is a revered figure in San Francisco history, a former city supervisor and gay rights advocate who was fatally shot along with Mayor George Moscone in 1978 by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White. Just last month, California marked what would have been Milk's 95th birthday with proclamations heralding his authenticity, kindness and calls for unity. He served for four years in the Navy during the Korean War, before he was forced out for being gay. Milk later moved to San Francisco, where he became one of the first out gay politicians in the world with his election to the Board of Supervisors in 1977. Cleve Jones, a close friend and LGBTQ+ activist, dismissed the renaming as an attempt by the Trump administration to distract the American public from far more serious concerns, including the ongoing war in Gaza and looming cuts to Medicaid and Social Security. "Yes, this is cruel and petty and stupid, and yes, it's an insult to my community," Jones said. 'I would be willing to wager a considerable sum that American families sitting around that proverbial kitchen table this evening are not going to be talking about how much safer they feel now that Harvey's name is going to be taken off that ship.' The Pentagon has not confirmed news of the renaming, a highly rare move, but unnamed officials say the change was laid out in an internal memo. It is in keeping with attempts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the broader Trump administration to purge all programs, policies, books and social media mentions of references to diversity, equity and inclusion. A new name has not yet been selected for the USNS Harvey Milk. Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, said in a phone call Wednesday that he and the Harvey Milk Foundation have reached out to the Pentagon, which confirmed there is a proposed name change on the table. 'And our hope is that the recommendation is put aside, but if it's not, it will be a rallying cry not just for our community but for all minority communities,' said Stuart Milk, who is executive chair of the foundation, adding that his uncle always said that gay rights, and those of other marginalized communities, required constant vigilance. 'So I don't think he'd be surprised," Milk said, 'but he'd be calling on us to remain vigilant, to stay active.' Elected officials, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, called the move a shameful attempt to erase the contributions of LGBTQ+ people and an insult to fundamental American values of honoring veterans and those who worked to build a better country. Pelosi and Newsom are both San Francisco Democrats. Newsom took aim at Hegseth, calling the attempt 'A cowardly act from a man desperate to distract us from his inability to lead the Pentagon" on the social platform X. The USNS Harvey Milk was named in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who said at the time that the John Lewis-class of oilers would be named after leaders who fought for civil and human rights. Sean Penn portrayed Milk in an Oscar-winning 2008 movie depicting his audacious rise in politics and his death by a supervisor who cast the sole "no" vote on his legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. While the renaming attempt is rare, the Biden administration also changed the names of two Navy ships in 2023 as part of the effort to remove Confederate names from U.S. military installations.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
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What Trump Revoking Emergency Abortion Guidance Means for Care
Abortion-rights activists rally for reproductive rights and emergency abortion care outside the U.S. Supreme Court as it hears arguments in a case that deals with whether Idaho's near-total abortion ban conflicts with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, in Washington, D.C., on April 24, 2024. Credit - Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images The Trump Administration has added to the confusion surrounding the U.S.'s shifting patchwork of abortion laws by rescinding Biden-era guidance that directed hospitals to provide abortions in emergency situations, even in states where abortion is restricted. The decision, announced on Tuesday, does not change the federal law that was at the heart of the Biden Administration's guidance: the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals that receive Medicare funding—which is most of them—to provide stabilizing treatment to patients experiencing medical emergencies or transfer them to a hospital that can. The Trump Administration's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said in a press release that it 'will continue to enforce EMTALA, which protects all individuals who present to a hospital emergency department seeking examination or treatment, including for identified emergency medical conditions that place the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy.' But the agency also said that it 'will work to rectify any perceived legal confusion and instability created by the former administration's actions.' Doctors and abortion-rights advocates, however, said they feared that the Administration's move will amplify confusion over whether doctors can provide critical care, thereby putting lives at risk. Dr. Jamila Perritt—an ob-gyn in Washington, D.C., and the president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health—said in a press release that rescinding the Biden-era guidance would force "providers like me to choose between caring for someone in their time of need and turning my back on them to comply with cruel and dangerous laws.' 'This action sends a clear message: the lives and health of pregnant people are not worth protecting,' Perritt said. The Biden Administration issued the guidance after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, reminding hospitals of their 'obligations' under EMTALA, as state laws restricting or banning abortion began going into effect. 'Any state actions against a physician who provides an abortion in order to stabilize an emergency medical condition in a pregnant individual presenting to the hospital would be preempted by the federal EMTALA statute due to the direct conflict with the 'stabilized' provision of the statute,' the guidance stressed. 'Moreover, EMTALA contains a whistleblower provision that prevents retaliation by the hospital against any hospital employee or physician who refuses to transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition that has not been stabilized by the initial hospital, such as a patient with an emergent ectopic pregnancy, or a patient with an incomplete medical abortion.' The guidance also said that physicians' fear of violating state laws prohibiting abortion could not be used as the basis for transferring a patient. 'When a direct conflict occurs between EMTALA and a state law, EMTALA must be followed,' the guidance stated. EMTALA remains in place despite the change in the guidance. The Trump Administration did not explicitly advise hospitals that they could deny patients abortions in emergency situations. CMS did specify in the memo announcing the revocation that the Department of Health and Human Services may not enforce the interpretation in the Biden Administration's guidance that EMTALA preempts Texas' near-total abortion ban, pointing to court rulings that have temporarily blocked the guidance in the state. But abortion-rights advocates sharply criticized the Trump Administration's move, saying it endangers the lives of pregnant people. 'The Trump Administration would rather women die in emergency rooms than receive life-saving abortions,' Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a press release. 'In pulling back guidance, this administration is feeding the fear and confusion that already exists at hospitals in every state where abortion is banned. Hospitals need more guidance right now, not less.' 'We're making our health care professionals have to operate in a gray area when their work really needs to be clear,' says Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, a reproductive justice collective. 'They're in the business of providing life-saving care to people on a daily basis, and they don't need to be put in a position where their decision making is compromised.' When that confusion happens, she says, 'people die.' Simpson says that, for states that have banned or restricted abortion, like her home state of Georgia, rescinding the Biden-era guidance is 'just going to make things worse.' 'It's making it incredibly scary for the American people and pregnant folks who would need access to emergency services,' Simpson says. 'People's lives are at stake.' Anti-abortion groups, meanwhile, celebrated the move. 'The Trump administration has delivered another win for life and truth – stopping Biden's attack on emergency care for both pregnant moms and their unborn children,' Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a press release. She accused Democrats of creating confusion about people's access to care in medical emergencies, including miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. 'In situations where every minute counts, their lies lead to delayed care and put women in needless, unacceptable danger,' she said. More than a dozen states have banned abortion in almost all cases or after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people even know they're pregnant. There have been many reports of pregnant people experiencing complications being turned away from hospitals in states that have banned abortion. Previously, the Biden Administration had sued Idaho over its near-total abortion ban, saying that the state's restrictions conflicted with EMTALA. In March, the Trump Administration dropped the lawsuit. Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Schwinn's Business Venture After Nomination to Ed Dept. Could Raise Questions
Just one month after President Donald Trump tapped her to be the second in command at the U.S. Department of Education, Penny Schwinn registered a new educational consulting business in Florida with a longtime friend and business colleague, according to state documents reviewed by The 74. The business venture never got off the ground, but the arrangement could raise ethical issues for Schwinn as she heads before the Senate education committee for confirmation Thursday. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The colleague with whom she co-founded the business, Donald Fennoy, told The 74 in an interview that the enterprise, named New Horizon BluePrint Group, was intended to combine their expertise as education leaders. Fennoy, the former superintendent of the Palm Beach County School District, was to consult with districts, while Schwinn, who has experience in Delaware, Texas and most recently as Tennessee's education commissioner, would focus on state leadership. The pair have known each other for a decade, Fennoy said, meeting when they were part of the 2015-16 class of the Broad Academy, an education leadership program. But the business does not appear among financial ties outlined in mandatory disclosure documents Schwinn submitted to the Office of Government Ethics on March 24. One reason could be that three weeks earlier, Schwinn's sister, Katherine Sully, replaced her as manager of the business, according to state documents. Sully, whose LinkedIn profile identifies her as an assistant principal at a Texas charter school, has far less educational experience than Schwinn or Fennoy. On Friday, as The 74 began asking Schwinn and the department questions about the venture, Fennoy dissolved the company, documents show, listing 'business never started' as the reason. 'Right when we were securing the name, she got a phone call,' Fennoy told The 74, referring to the nomination. The plan, he said, was to bring in at least one more leader with district experience and build a team to do work 'nationally and internationally.' On Jan. 18, Trump announced his pick of Schwinn to be the department's deputy secretary, citing her 'strong record of delivering results for children and families.' The LLC wasn't registered until Feb. 18. But pressed for details about why Schwinn registered the business after her nomination, Fennoy appeared confused about the timeline. 'This is on what day?' he asked in response to a reporter's question. He did not respond to additional questions sent by email. Contacted by The 74, Schwinn referred the matter to the Education Department. Madison Bidermann, a department spokesman, declined to address why Schwinn moved forward with a business venture after her nomination and said the nominee 'worked with the relevant ethics officials and resolved any conflicts.' Sully did not respond to attempts to contact her over email. The Florida LLC would have been just one of Schwinn's many business interests, detailed in the disclosure filed with the federal government. She stated in May that if confirmed, she would divest or resign her positions at multiple companies. Historically, potential business conflicts could raise red flags for senators vetting a potential nominee. As deputy secretary, Schwinn would be tasked with overseeing federal policy and a vast network of K-12 programs — the same policy and programs that districts might seek help from a consulting firm to navigate. She would also enter the department at a crisis point, as Education Secretary Linda McMahon drastically cuts staff and cancels funding to reach Trump's goal of eliminating the department. The proposed 2026 budget slashes over $4 billion from K-12 programs, raising concerns that officials won't be able to carry out their congressionally mandated duties The period between nomination and confirmation is typically a time when candidates distance themselves from financial entanglements and potential conflicts of interest. 'Once you're nominated, the typical rule of thumb would be that you kind of slow down,' said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, interim vice president for policy and government affairs at the Project On Government Oversight, a nonprofit focused on government accountability. 'You probably wouldn't establish a new LLC, for example' But Schwinn is not a typical nominee, and this is not a typical administration. Trump reportedly held an exclusive dinner on May 22 for investors in his meme coin, a form of cryptocurrency. As president, he maintains control of his business empire. In the midst of negotiations with Vietnam over punishing U.S. tariffs, for example, the country approved the development of Trump hotels and golf courses. Previous reporting revealed that FBI Director Kash Patel refused to divest from a Chinese 'fast fashion' company, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's wife owned stock in companies that contract with that department. It's not unusual for administrations to run into trouble with officials who have close ties to the industries they oversee, Hedtler-Gaudette said. In 2022, his group filed a complaint about a Biden administration official in charge of digital services who had investments in the tech industry. 'But this administration is unique,' he said, 'and just doesn't seem to take any of that into consideration.' Schwinn is also an unusual choice. She has fans among GOP moderates and Democrats. The former charter school founder and Teach for America alum earned respect for directing COVID relief funds toward academic recovery in Tennessee and implementing far-reaching reforms in reading instruction. For a Trump nominee, she has also faced a high degree of conservative ire. Some of that is due to her past support for the kind of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives the Trump administration wants to eliminate from schools, like hiring more teachers of color. But accusations of conflicts of interest and other ethical lapses have followed her for years. They include a $4.4 million no-bid contract that the Texas Education Agency signed in 2017 with SPEDx, a Georgia software startup, despite what a state audit called Schwinn's 'professional relationship' with a subcontractor for the company. At the time, she was a deputy superintendent of the state agency. Critics also point to an $8 million deal in 2021 that the Tennessee Department of Education signed with TNTP, a teacher training organization where her husband Paul Schwinn was employed at the time. The state's procurement office approved the contract and Schwinn agreed to distance herself from the project, but some lawmakers still considered the deal a 'huge conflict.' ' 'Drain the swamp' is a phrase coined by President Trump, signifying the removal of corruption and special interests from government,' said J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-union association. 'Many conservatives oppose Penny Schwinn's nomination as deputy secretary of education, believing she embodies the interests they want to eliminate from the agency.' Related Others say she left the state better off. She pushed requirements that districts screen students for reading difficulties and use a phonics-based curriculum. After the state passed a literacy law in 2021, roughly 30,000 teachers received summer training in the science of reading. The investments paid off. Tennessee was among the first to see test scores bounce back after the pandemic. Results from 2023-24 show students continue to make gains. To many education advocates, she represents the best chance to shift the national department's focus away from culture war issues and toward bipartisan priorities like improving literacy and maintaining accountability. 'I certainly wholeheartedly hope she gets approved, and think members on both sides would be gratified by her performance in office,' said Rick Hess, director of education policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Yet dozens of conservative groups and individuals have sent senators letters outlining why they think she's wrong for the job. They list, for example, her affiliation with Chiefs for Change, made up of left-leaning district and state officials, and cite complaints about her support for a reading curriculum they say has elements of critical race theory, which holds that racism in America is systemic. Several were offended that Ruby Bridges' children's book about being the first Black child to integrate a white elementary school referenced 'a large crowd of angry white people.' Others thought a first grade book about seahorses was inappropriate because it explains how males carry the eggs. While never implemented, her plan to conduct 'well-being' home visits during the pandemic still angers parents who consider it an example of government overreach. If the committee advances Schwinn's nomination, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican who is running for governor, is expected to vote against her, multiple sources told The 74. 'She's a Democrat, through and through,' said Elizabeth Story, legislative chair for the Tennessee chapter of Moms for Liberty, the conservative advocacy group that opposes progressive ideas in school about race, sex and gender. 'We need President Trump to withdraw her.' Just after her nomination, she met with anti-DEI activist Chris Rufo in an apparent effort to reassure the Trump administration she would be a good fit. According to his Jan. 21 post on X, she promised to 'shut down the terrible programs at the Department of Education, fight critical race theory, gender cultism, and DEI in America's schools, and support new initiatives on school choice and classical education.' If she loses the support of some conservatives, she may have to lean on Democrats to secure her nomination. Related To Leslie Finger, an assistant political science professor at the University of North Texas, that would be an appropriate finale to a nomination that has veered far from the typical Trump playbook. 'In many ways, she seems opposed to the Trump administration's education agenda,' she said. 'One might think it was meant to show that they want to reach across the aisle on education issues, since she would be supported by bipartisan education reform types. But when has the Trump administration taken actions to signal bipartisanship?' Since leaving her post as Tennessee commissioner, Schwinn has invested in and been involved with companies at the forefront of education, her disclosure forms show. Those include Amira, an AI reading curriculum program; Odyssey, a vendor that manages education savings accounts in multiple states; and Edmentum, an online curriculum and assessment company. She's also a board member for Really Great Reading, a literacy program used in at least five states, and a consultant for BHA Strategy, a lobbying firm. Blake Harris, former communications director for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, founded BHA, where Schwinn served as chief operating officer until February. Two other LLCs she owns would cease operations, she wrote in a letter to the Education Department. John Pelissero, a government ethics expert at Santa Clara University in California, said her financial ties deserve a closer look. 'What she puts down on her disclosure form for her confirmation is always kind of an important starting point for how transparent she will be,' he said. 'Scrutiny should be given to whether she has the capacity to demonstrate that she'll act in the public interest.' Related Schwinn isn't the first Trump nominee to face opposition from Republicans. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former majority leader from Kentucky, voted against Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But those objections focused more on the nominees' qualifications, said Jonathan Collins, an assistant professor of education and political science at Teachers College, Columbia University. Conservatives' concerns about Schwinn, 'seem like more of a test — or critique — of her loyalty to the new Republican culture war coalition,' he said. 'She's as moderate as it gets. She's a pragmatist who in no way pushes far-left progressive policies.' Under McMahon, the department required states to sign a certification saying they wouldn't implement DEI programs. The Office for Civil Rights has also prioritized investigations into state and district policies allowing transgender students to compete against girls in school sports. Not all parental rights advocates are opposed to her nomination. Moms for America, founded in 2004, is a conservative, Christian organization that shares many of the same values as Moms for Liberty. Last year, the group presented Trump with its Man of the Century Award. The organization, however, said Schwinn would make 'an excellent choice' for deputy secretary, citing her 'extensive experience as an educator, innovator and state leader.' As the department's number two, she would oversee K-12 initiatives, which McMahon has said will prioritize the science of reading, school choice and giving states more control over education. 'She has a proven ability to improve student outcomes, champion school choice, and navigate crises like the pandemic,' the organization said in a statement to The 74. 'We stand by her candidacy for nomination as deputy education secretary and wish her the best in that role.' Disclosure: According to financial disclosure documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics, Penny Schwinn earned $250,000 as a consultant and adviser to the Walton Family Foundation. The foundation provides financial support to The 74.
