Trump's attack on nonprofits has an ugly history
Half a century ago, President Richard M. Nixon's White House counsel drafted a memo focused on weaponizing the government against the president's perceived opponents. The language wasn't subtle: 'How can we use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.' As part of this effort, the Nixon administration tried — unsuccessfully — to force the IRS to investigate hundreds of its handpicked 'enemies.'
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CBS News
21 minutes ago
- CBS News
Long Beach and Inland Empire Job Corps centers close
A longtime federal program that provides job training, housing and second chances to hundreds of at-risk youth nationwide is shutting its doors in Long Beach and the Inland Empire today. "I'm kind of nervous going back out there," 20-year-old Jacob Moan said after visiting the Inland Empire Job Corps Center. "I got permission to go back with my family in Los Angeles. The thing is my whole family is gang-related except me, and I didn't want to deal with that." Moan is one of the hundreds of Job Corps students left in limbo. He has until Thursday to find another place to live. "I'll be in a motel for about two weeks until a bed opens up at the shelter," he said. "I don't know where I'm gonna go. It sucks." Dominik Rodriguez just graduated from the certified medical assistant program, but now wonders how he'll actually land a job and get money for his son. "Society just like gave up for people in my situation," he said. "It hurts." Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would suspend operations at its 99 Job Corps centers due to budget constraints. The federally funded centers provide housing, job training and careers for students 16 to 24 years old. "Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community," Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer stated. "However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve." According to the Job Corps transparency report from 2023, the program had an average of 38.6%. The total number of serious incident reports at centers was 14,913. On average, one student costs the federal government more than $80,000 a year. "The transparency report that was released was generated by someone from DOGE, who doesn't know the program, who used statistics from 2023, which were statistics that were coming out of the pandemic," said Luis Ramirez, director of the Long Beach center. "We had just over 30% enrollment at the time." Ramirez added that the center went from helping 257 students to 37, all of whom have no place to go. "They're asking if they can come home and the situations are not possible for these students and parents," Ramirez said. "The students that did leave, we're hearing they are reaching out to community services and are struggling." Ramirez is one of the 140 staff members who will be laid off in Long Beach. "When you walk through our center, we're changing lives every day," Ramirez said.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Excited and proud': Glasgow headteacher welcomes £2m boost for new school
GLASGOW'S first 'home-grown' Gaelic headteacher has welcomed the news that her school will open next year after a £2 million investment from the Scottish Government. Alison Richardson comes from a non-Gaelic speaking family, but learned the language at school in Glasgow, before training to be a teacher. She said: 'My mum's family is from Barra, but neither of my parents spoke Gaelic. I learned it by going to school in the city. 'I have experienced all the benefits of a Gaelic education, so it's lovely that things have come full circle.' Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig a' challtainn pupils from left- Ishbel, Mirren and Pamelah outside what will be the new Gaelic primary school on Stevenson Street (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest) Alison and some of her excited primary three pupils from Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a' Challtainn (Calton Gaelic Primary School) - including, pictured, Mirren, Ishbel and Pamelah, met Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes on Tuesday (June 3) as the funding boost was announced. Headteacher Alison Richardson with Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest) The money will complete the £23m refurbishment and extension of the former St James' Primary building on Stevenson Street in the East End to establish the city's fourth Gaelic language primary school. The school will have space for 416 pupils. Alison was in the primary seven cohort when the city's first Gaelic school, Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, opened in 1999. She attended Hillpark Secondary School, which had a Gaelic unit at the time, and completed her PGDE (Postgraduate Diploma in Education) at the University of Strathclyde. Alison Richardson (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest) She has been acting headteacher of Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a' Challtainn in its temporary premises at North Kelvinside Primary since August 2023. 'I've always wanted to be a teacher, I never really imagined doing anything else,' she explains. 'Everyone is really excited and proud to be moving into our very own building. I hope the school will become a real community asset, and that it will help to show the relevance of Gaelic today. 'Gaelic relies on people embracing the language and the culture, but equally, I want the school to embrace the families, to help them feel a part of the Gaelic community.' During a recent arts project, pupils at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a' Challtainn learned about the East End's historical connections to Gaelic, when many people arrived in Glasgow from the Highlands and Islands to find work. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes with Mirren, Ishbel and Pamelah (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest) Alison explained: 'They learned that in one of the factories, where lichen was used to dye fabrics purple, the method was kept a secret from competitors because the workforce was made up entirely of Gaelic speakers.' She adds, smiling: 'When it came to choosing their uniforms, the children remembered that story and decided on purple. 'There is a huge misconception that Gaelic wasn't spoken in Glasgow, but that's not true and I think this story is a reminder of that, and a lovely connection to the area's past.' The funding announced by the Deputy First Minister is part of a £2.4 million package to support Gaelic schools and cultural initiatives across Scotland. READ NEXT: 'Car crash TV': Glasgow designer on her painful exit from hit BBC show The Glasgow schools for 'homeless waifs' which helped feed city's poor Glasgow children's project 'in danger' of closing amid urgent appeal for funds Glasgow school's 'wonderful' inspection report as pupils reveal: 'We're so proud' 'Townhead was obliterated': Billy Elliot star on his Glasgow roots Other projects include the construction of a second classroom at West Primary School in Paisley (£43k), a new bothy with computing, cooking and gardening space at Calderglen High in East Kilbride (£52k) and equipment for Greenfaulds High in Cumbernauld to allow more children from across North Lanarkshire to attend classes virtually (£39k). Ms Forbes said: 'This school will build on the encouraging surge we have seen in the number of Gaelic speakers and learners in Glasgow and support the language's growth into the future. 'Gaelic medium education enriches communities and offers good value for money by providing better grade averages across all qualification levels despite costs being no greater than average.' She added: 'To support Gaelic's growth across Scotland, we are providing an additional £5.7 million for Gaelic initiatives this year. We are also progressing the Scottish Languages Bill which, if passed by MSPs, will introduce measures to strengthen the provision of Gaelic education.' Glasgow is home to the third largest number of children and young people in Gaelic Medium Education in Scotland with 740 primary pupils in 2023. Census statistics show that 17,380 people in Glasgow had some Gaelic skills in 2022, an increase of 7911 people from 2011. Glasgow City Council has provided £17.6 million towards works at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a' Challtainn, within an overall project budget of £23.8 million.
Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
South Korea's new President Lee vows to pursue talks with North and bolster ties with US and Japan
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung vowed Wednesday to restart dormant talks with North Korea and bolster a trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Japan, as he laid out key policy goals for his single, five-year term. Lee, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea's leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, formally began his term earlier Wednesday, hours after winning a snap election that was triggered in April by the removal of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law late last year. In his inaugural address at the National Assembly, Lee said that his government will deal with North Korean nuclear threats and its potential military aggressions with 'strong deterrence' based on the solid South Korea-U.S. military alliance. But he said he would 'open a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and cooperation.' He said he'll pursue pragmatic diplomacy with neighboring countries and boost trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation based on the robust South Korea-U.S. alliance. 'Through pragmatic diplomacy based on national interests, we will turn the crisis posed by the major shift in global economic and security landscapes into an opportunity to maximize our national interests,' Lee said. Security and economic challenges lie ahead It was unclear whether Lee's election would cause any major, immediate shift in South Korea's foreign policy. Lee, previously accused by critics of tilting toward China and North Korea and away from the U.S. and Japan, has recently repeatedly stressed South Korea's alliance with the U.S. as the foundation of its foreign policy and avoided any contentious remarks that would raise questions on his views on the U.S. and Japan. 'We'll have to now see if the pressures of office will cause Lee Jae-myung to govern from the center — at least when it comes to matters of national security and the alliance with the United States,' said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The toughest external challenges awaiting Lee are U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy and North Korea's expanding military partnerships with Russia . But experts earlier said whoever becomes president can't do much to secure major progress in South Korea's favor on those issues. During his inauguration speech, Lee didn't directly mention trade issues with the U.S. Allies react The U.S. and Japan said they congratulated Lee's election and expressed their commitments to developing three-way cooperation. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he wants to hold summit talks with Lee 'as early as possible,' saying he hopes to further promote bilateral ties, both public and commercial. The U.S. State Department said that Seoul and Washington share 'an ironclad commitment' to the alliance grounded in their mutual defense treaty, shared values and deep economic ties. It's unclear how North Korea would react to Lee's speech, as it has shunned any talks with South Korea since 2019. North Korea in recent years has supplied weapons and troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, and South Korea, the U.S. and their partners suspect Russia might in return transfer high-tech technologies to North Korea to help it perfect its nuclear weapons program. Russia's Tass news agency said Wednesday that one of President Vladimir Putin's top security officials, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, has arrived in Pyongyang for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in the latest sign of the countries' alignment over Putin's war in Ukraine. Lee said revitalizing a slowing domestic economy would be his top priority and that his government would immediately launch an emergency task force to wage a 'head-on battle' against the threats of recession. He also promised more aggressive government spending to help spur economic activity. South Korea's central bank last week cut its key interest rate and sharply lowered its growth outlook for 2025 to 0.8%, as it moved to counter Trump's tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by recent political turmoil. South Korea still faces political divide Lee also called for unity to address the country's stark political divide deepened after Yoon's martial law debacle, saying that he will 'answer the people's solemn call to let hope bloom over deep and painful wounds.' Lee still promised a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Yoon's martial law imposition, describing it as a 'rebellion that seized people's sovereignty with arms.' Yoon and some of his top military and police officers already stand trial on high-stakes rebellion charges in connection with martial law. Lee's push to bring those involved in Yoon's martial law stunt accountable has subsequently caused speculations among his opponents that he would launch political revenge against Yoon associates and senior prosecutors whom he previously accused of fabricating evidence to initiate criminal charges against him. Lee faces five trials on corruption and other allegations, but experts say those trials will likely stop during his term because the South Korean constitution gives a sitting president immunity from most criminal prosecutions. Lee also reiterated his campaign vows to reduce inequality and pledged to address the imbalance between the greater Seoul capital area and less developed regions. He said that 'the polarization fueled by inequality is now hindering further growth.' Lee's term began immediately without the usual two-month transition period after the National Election Commission formally confirmed his election victory. __ Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
