Trump Puts MAGA Spin on Plans for America's 250th Birthday Bash
'You could come back for that,' a meeting attendee remarked, according to a person in the room. Trump brightened at the idea of retaking the White House in 2024 so he could oversee the yearlong birthday celebration.
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CNN
14 minutes ago
- CNN
Judge blocks Trump administration guidance against DEI programs at schools and colleges
FacebookTweetLink A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation's schools and universities. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland found that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continued with DEI initiatives. The guidance has been on hold since April when three federal judges blocked various portions of the Education Department's anti-DEI measures. The ruling Thursday followed a motion for summary judgment from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, which challenged the government's actions in a February lawsuit. The case centers on two Education Department memos ordering schools and universities to end all 'race-based decision-making' or face penalties up to a total loss of federal funding. It's part of a campaign to end practices the Trump administration frames as discrimination against white and Asian American students. The new ruling orders the department to scrap the guidance because it runs afoul of procedural requirements, though Gallagher wrote that she took no view on whether the policies were 'good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair.' Gallagher, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, rejected the government's argument that the memos simply served to remind schools that discrimination is illegal. 'It initiated a sea change in how the Department of Education regulates educational practices and classroom conduct, causing millions of educators to reasonably fear that their lawful, and even beneficial, speech might cause them or their schools to be punished,' Gallagher wrote. Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy firm representing the plaintiffs, called it an important victory over the administration's attack on DEI. 'Threatening teachers and sowing chaos in schools throughout America is part of the administration's war on education, and today the people won,' said Skye Perryman, the group's president and CEO. A statement from the Education Department on Thursday said it was disappointed in the ruling but that 'judicial action enjoining or setting aside this guidance has not stopped our ability to enforce Title VI protections for students at an unprecedented level.' The conflict started with a Feb. 14 memo declaring that any consideration of race in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other aspects of academic and student life would be considered a violation of federal civil rights law. The memo dramatically expanded the government's interpretation of a 2023 Supreme Court decision barring colleges from considering race in admissions decisions. The government argued the ruling applied not only to admissions but across all of education, forbidding 'race-based preferences' of any kind. 'Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon 'systemic and structural racism' and advanced discriminatory policies and practices,' wrote Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary of the department's Office for Civil Rights. A further memo in April asked state education agencies to certify they were not using 'illegal DEI practices.' Violators risked losing federal money and being prosecuted under the False Claims Act, it said. In total, the guidance amounted to a full-scale reframing of the government's approach to civil rights in education. It took aim at policies that were created to address longstanding racial disparities, saying those practices were their own form of discrimination. The memos drew a wave of backlash from states and education groups that called it illegal government censorship. In its lawsuit, the American Federation of Teachers said the government was imposing 'unclear and highly subjective' limits on schools across the country. It said teachers and professors had to 'choose between chilling their constitutionally protected speech and association or risk losing federal funds and being subject to prosecution.'
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sheriff Roybal kicks off re-election campaign
(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — The first Hispanic sheriff of El Paso County gathered the community at the Phil Long Music Hall on Thursday, Aug. 14 to officially launch his re-election campaign. Roybal was elected 29th sheriff of the county back in 2023, and will fight to keep his position in the general election happening next November. Colorado Congressman Jeff Crank spoke at the event, sharing his support for the sheriff and saying he believes in the rule of the law. Roybal said he's kept his campaign promise of improving public trust, reducing victims, and combating legislation. He now looks to expand on all three in a second term. 'I'm the most qualified person to retain this office, not only because of my experience, but my passion' said Roybal. 'I have never met somebody who has more passion about keeping this community safe, my home. I was born and raised here in Colorado Springs, and I love this office.' We know Sheriff Roybal will have at least one challenger, Greg Maxwell, who formally served within the sheriff's office in a variety of roles, including as a chaplain, reserve sergeant, and lieutenant. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘ICE Barbie' Kristi Noem claims 1.6M migrants have left the country. Even the group behind the number admits it may be overstated
So-called 'ICE Barbie' Kristi Noem has claimed 1.6 million migrants have left the country since President Donald Trump took office but the group behind the number says it may be overstated. The Homeland Security secretary, known for donning Immigrations and Customs Enforcement gear for publicity stunts, appeared on Fox News Thursday to share, 'We have 1.6 million illegal immigrants that have left this country voluntarily.' 'I think these numbers just show exactly the genius of Donald J. Trump,' she said. 'He said, 'Kristi, if you're gonna be my Homeland Security secretary, we're gonna follow the law, you're gonna do commercials, you're gonna tell the world that no longer will we tolerate people being in our country illegally and that they need to go home.'' Homeland Security posted on X Thursday, sharing what it said was 'unprecedented' data showing, '1.6 MILLION illegals are OUT of our country in the last 200 days.' The data was from a release published by the Center for Immigration Studies, a non-profit research organization that describes itself as 'low-immigration, pro-immigrant.' The non-profit analyzed data from the government's Current Population Survey and found the estimated number of the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. in January was 15.8 million and it decreased to 14.2 million by July. But there were some caveats the non-profit mentioned including the possibility immigrants may now be more reluctant to respond to the government survey because of 'the recent stepped-up enforcement efforts.' 'If this is the case, then our estimate of illegal immigrants based on the survey may be overstating the decline in their actual numbers,' the non-profit warned. The group also noted the July data is just preliminary as 'some of the administrative data necessary to estimate illegal immigrants is not yet available.' The Independent has reached out to DHS for comment. DHS says the 1.6 million figure refers to those who left the U.S. on their own. The agency has pushed for illegal immigrants to self-deport to avoid being arrested and to potentially return legally to the country in the future. It has even offered to pay for illegal immigrants' travel expenses and give them an extra $1,000 if they self-deport. But DHS has also more notably cracked down on illegal immigration through ICE raids across the country. More than 352,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested, and more than 324,000 have been removed from the U.S., according to a Thursday press release from DHS. But data shows the pace of daily immigration arrests fell nearly 20 percent in July. Between July 1 and 27, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement averaged 990 daily arrests, down from 1,224 the previous month, according to government data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan research project based at Syracuse University. Solve the daily Crossword
