logo
Mass. Sen. Warren has a few questions — OK, 66 of them — for Trump's Ed. Department boss

Mass. Sen. Warren has a few questions — OK, 66 of them — for Trump's Ed. Department boss

Yahoo04-06-2025
You could forgive U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren for flashing back to her Harvard Law School days proctoring exams for her students next week as she sits down for a meeting with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
That's because, ahead of that June 10 session, the Cambridge Democrat sent the senior Trump administration official a sprawling list of 66 questions about the Republican White House's efforts to dismantle the Carter-era agency that McMahon was tapped to run.
And no, they're not multiple choice. But some do have multiple sections, requiring those essay-style answers that you dreaded when you were taking the SATs.
So how'd all this happen?
Last month, Warren invited McMahon to a public forum on higher education affordability — she took a pass, instead asking Warren for a one-on-one meeting.
In a statement, Warren said she 'rebutted' eight false and misleading statements that McMahon included in that May 12 letter asking for a sitdown.
Those rebuttals were included in the Wednesday letter Warren sent to McMahon.
Upping the ante, in the same letter, the Democratic lawmaker also hit McMahon with her list of 66 questions — roughly eight times the number of statements that Warren said she had to rebut.
Those questions range from queries about access to debt relief and student aid to the impact of mass layoffs at the Education Department.
'Instead of continuing to avoid accountability for your policies, I urge you to listen to the voices of students, borrowers, and families around the country and stop giving DOGE and Donald Trump a blank check to destroy American public education,' Warren wrote.
If nothing else, McMahon will come in prepared.
On Tuesday, she played defense as Democrats and Republicans on a U.S. Senate panel peppered her with questions about her tenure and her role in the administration's crackdown on Harvard University, ostensibly in the name of combating antisemitism.
"These were civil rights violations. That is why we filed a case and stopped the funding for Harvard as well as Columbia,' McMahon told U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., at one point, according to Inside Higher Ed. 'And in conversations with [the universities], we talked about different things that they should do coming back to the table.'
Markey, advocates call out ban on states' AI oversight in Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Super PAC coordination allegations heat up Boston's mayoral showdown
Late-night comics hope Trump, Musk can make up
'False narratives': Mass. US attorney blasts Boston Mayor Wu over remarks on ICE
Math is hard. Midterm math is harder. The lessons Mass. needs to learn for 2026 | John L. Micek
Read the original article on MassLive.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former AG Bill Barr shared ‘new' details on Jeffrey Epstein's prosecution, death in House deposition: GOP chairman
Former AG Bill Barr shared ‘new' details on Jeffrey Epstein's prosecution, death in House deposition: GOP chairman

New York Post

time13 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Former AG Bill Barr shared ‘new' details on Jeffrey Epstein's prosecution, death in House deposition: GOP chairman

WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General Bill Barr shared 'new' details about the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — and his death in federal custody before heading to trial — during a deposition with the House Oversight Committee on Monday, according to the panel's chairman. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) divulged to reporters that Barr's testimony to House lawmakers and committee staff had revealed 'a lot' on odd circumstances surrounding Epstein's federal prosecution and suicide. 'We asked a lot of questions about the, you know, the suicide,' Comer said, noting the 'general consensus' among Barr, FBI Director Kash Patel, independent medical experts and federal investigations is that the disgraced financier took his own life in a Manhattan lockup on Aug. 10, 2019. 5 Former Attorney General Bill Barr shared 'new' details about the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — and his death in federal custody before heading to trial — during a deposition with the House Oversight Committee on Monday. AP The Oversight chairman added that he personally had 'no idea' whether Epstein, 66, killed himself. 'There were blind spots in the in the cameras,' Comer said. 'It's unfortunate … there weren't people in there watching because this is such a high-profile case. … I'm very disappointed in the security. 'We've learned some new things pertaining to different aspects of it, but we've got a lot of people to depose, and we'll release all the transcripts once we get through,' he added. 5 Oversight Chairman James Comer added that he personally had 'no idea' whether Epstein, 66, killed himself. AP Barr's testimony also affirmed an FBI-DOJ assessment provided in a memo last month on the absence of any so-called 'client list' that Epstein allegedly kept of rich and powerful associates potentially implicated in his sickening crimes. The former AG also denied having ever discussed the client list with Trump and suggested that if the 45th president had been involved in Epstein's trafficking network, former President Joe Biden's Justice Department would've leaked any association. In addition to Barr, Attorney General Pam Bondi was subpoenaed for records related to the government's prosecutions of Epstein, his now-convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and a non-prosecution agreement stemming from an earlier state case against the disgraced financier in the mid-2000s. 5 'There were blind spots in the in the cameras,' Comer said. 'It's unfortunate … there weren't people in there watching because this is such a high-profile case. … I'm very disappointed in the security.' CBS 60 MINUTES That agreement was overseen by then-Miami US Attorney Alex Acosta, later Trump's Labor secretary during his first administration, and Democratic lawmakers said that they'd like to issue him a subpoena as well. Reps. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) told reporters that the Oversight panel should seek testimony from Acosta on Epstein's prosecution. 'We have more questions now than we did going in — and we want more answers and more people to talk to,' said Subramanyam. 5 Asked about their newfound focus on Epstein after nearly five years of silence, the Dems noted that Trump had campaigned on the issue of releasing information on the deceased sex criminal to the public. Department of Justice Barr was one of nearly a dozen former federal officials issued a subpoena by the Oversight panel — including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attorneys general stretching from Biden's term to the administration of George W. Bush and two former FBI directors. Asked about their newfound focus on Epstein after nearly five years of silence, the Dems noted that Trump had campaigned on the issue of releasing information on the deceased sex criminal to the public. 'Listen, this is a promise, I will tell you, that was not made by Kamala Harris. It's not a promise that was made by Joe Biden. This was a promise that was made by Donald Trump,' Crockett said. 5 'Listen, this is a promise, I will tell you, that was not made by Kamala Harris. It's not a promise that was made by Joe Biden. This was a promise that was made by Donald Trump,' Crockett said. AP 'We'll bring in everyone that we think can add information to the investigation,' added Comer. 'This is a serious investigation. This is a sincere investigation. I hope this will be a bipartisan investigation. I would encourage my Democrat colleagues not to politicize this.'

Afternoon Briefing: Lake Zurich priest placed on leave for the third time
Afternoon Briefing: Lake Zurich priest placed on leave for the third time

Chicago Tribune

time13 minutes ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Afternoon Briefing: Lake Zurich priest placed on leave for the third time

Good afternoon, Chicago. Texas House Democrats began returning to their state today after spending two weeks in the Chicago area and other parts of the country to prevent the Republican majority in their legislature from passing a new gerrymandered congressional map aimed at eliminating five Democratic seats. Yesterday, Texas state Rep. James Talarico received almost a familiar welcome as he delivered a rare politician-led sermon to the congregation at the historic Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side, once the home church for Barack Obama. Considered a rising political star even before he joined his fellow Democrats in the quorum-breaking walkout, Talarico spoke to hundreds of congregants in both religious and political terms, something the lawmaker and seminary student doesn't shy from doing. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History There is another allegation that in the mid-1990s, during his years on staff at Maryville Academy, the Rev. David Ryan sexually abused a child. Read more here. More top news stories: Eleanor Gorski, CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center, said these hotels in historic buildings are attractive because they are often in a part of town that is fully built out, easily accessible by public transportation and near other amenities. Read more here. More top business stories: It was the most points the Bears have scored in an exhibition game since 1999 and just the second preseason shutout by the defense this century, with the other coming in the 2015 finale (a 24-0 win over the Cleveland Browns). Read more here. More top sports stories: In town recently to promote his new movie 'Nobody 2,' Bob Odenkirk, who produced and stars in the film, talked about his dramatic turn to grittier roles, first in FX's 'Fargo' series and then as the scheming Saul Goodman in 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul.' Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: Island communities off the coast of North Carolina are bracing for flooding ahead of the year's first Atlantic hurricane, Hurricane Erin. Read more here. More top stories from around the world:

House Democrat: DC ‘not the safest place in the world'
House Democrat: DC ‘not the safest place in the world'

The Hill

time13 minutes ago

  • The Hill

House Democrat: DC ‘not the safest place in the world'

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Sunday that Washington, D.C., is 'not the safest place in the world' amid President Trump's crackdown on crime in the District and pushback from Democrats over the president's actions. 'Both of my children live in Washington, D.C. You know it's not — it's not the safest place in the world,' Smith told NewsNation's Chris Stirewalt on 'The Hill Sunday.' 'And also some of the policies the Democrats advanced around crime over the course of the last 10 or 15 years very clearly did not work. There was not enough transparency and not enough accountability,' he added. Last week, Trump announced he was taking federal control of D.C.'s police department and deploying the National Guard in the city to combat crime. Since then, he has received heavy pushback on his law enforcement moves from Democrats and District residents. On Monday, Mississippi became the fourth Republican -led state to unveil plans to dispatch National Guard troops to D.C. to boost Trump's crackdown on crime in the District. 'I've approved the deployment of approximately 200 Mississippi National Guard Soldiers to Washington, D.C., to support President Trump's effort to return law and order to our nation's capital,' Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said on the social platform X. Smith said last Tuesday it was 'pretty clear' Trump ''wants his own domestic police force.' 'Look, this president is trampling on basic freedoms of the American people to a degree we — I don't think we've ever seen,' Smith said on CNN. 'You see that with what the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents are doing, in terms of picking people up off the streets with no evidence, no due process, locking people up.' 'This is happening all across the country,' the Evergreen State Democrat added. 'Look, it's pretty clear the president wants his own domestic police force, and step by step, he's trying to create it, and we should be deeply alarmed by that, regardless of how you feel about crime in Washington, D.C., or any other city.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store