Latest news with #Bush-era
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Asks Congress To Rescind Funding For Public Broadcasting, Foreign Aid
President Donald Trump asked Congress on Tuesday to rescind more than $9 billion in funding it already approved for public broadcasters, foreign aid and global health efforts, taking aim at those initiatives as 'wasteful' and 'woke.' The requested cuts are part of a process known as rescission, in which the president can ask Congress to remove funding commitments from the budget. 'They have 45 days to codify these massive cuts to woke, wasteful, and weaponized spending via a simple majority vote,' the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. The single biggest cut Trump is requesting is a $1.1 billion funding commitment to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Leaders of both news outlets said the rescission would strip Americans of vital sources of information while cutting very little in costs. 'This rescission would have a negligible impact on reducing the deficit and provide little-to-no savings for taxpayers, yet it would harm all Americans, shutting off access to local news, national reporting, music and regional culture, and emergency alerting,' NPR's CEO Katherine Maher said in a lengthy statement. NPR is responsible for receiving and distributing 'Presidential-level emergency alerts' within minutes, she noted. 'Rescission would irreparably harm communities across America who count on public media for 24/7 news, music, cultural and educational programming, and emergency alerting services,' she said, noting that private media companies have not been willing to take on those commitments. Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, raised similar concerns, saying the impacts will especially be felt at 'smaller and rural stations that rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets.' The proposed funding removals would write into law some of the cuts initiated by Elon Musk when he was running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which he stepped down from last week. Other requested cuts include millions to the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, orPEPFAR, a Bush-era program credited with saving 25 million lives. Rep. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters she wouldn't support any reductions to PEPFAR, calling it 'possibly the most successful public health program that has ever been used in Africa and other parts of the world.' Skepticism from more Republicans could spell trouble for the rescission package given the GOP's slim majority in the Senate. But Trump's staff is already preparing to ask for more cuts. 'If they pass this, we'll send up many more,' White House budget director Russ Vought said on Fox News, referring to rescission packages.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Asks Congress To Rescind Funding For Public Broadcasting, Foreign Aid
President Donald Trump asked Congress on Tuesday to rescind more than $9 billion in funding it already approved for public broadcasters, foreign aid and global health efforts, taking aim at those initiatives as 'wasteful' and 'woke.' The requested cuts are part of a process known as rescission, in which the president can ask Congress to remove funding commitments from the budget. 'They have 45 days to codify these massive cuts to woke, wasteful, and weaponized spending via a simple majority vote,' the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. The single biggest cut Trump is requesting is a $1.1 billion funding commitment to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Leaders of both news outlets said the rescission would strip Americans of vital sources of information while cutting very little in costs. 'This rescission would have a negligible impact on reducing the deficit and provide little-to-no savings for taxpayers, yet it would harm all Americans, shutting off access to local news, national reporting, music and regional culture, and emergency alerting,' NPR's CEO Katherine Maher said in a lengthy statement. NPR is responsible for receiving and distributing 'Presidential-level emergency alerts' within minutes, she noted. 'Rescission would irreparably harm communities across America who count on public media for 24/7 news, music, cultural and educational programming, and emergency alerting services,' she said, noting that private media companies have not been willing to take on those commitments. Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, raised similar concerns, saying the impacts will especially be felt at 'smaller and rural stations that rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets.' The proposed funding removals would write into law some of the cuts initiated by Elon Musk when he was running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which he stepped down from last week. Other requested cuts include millions to the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, orPEPFAR, a Bush-era program credited with saving 25 million lives. Rep. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters she wouldn't support any reductions to PEPFAR, calling it 'possibly the most successful public health program that has ever been used in Africa and other parts of the world.' Skepticism from more Republicans could spell trouble for the rescission package given the GOP's slim majority in the Senate. But Trump's staff is already preparing to ask for more cuts. 'If they pass this, we'll send up many more,' White House budget director Russ Vought said on Fox News, referring to rescission packages.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Which ex-US president could be banned from Trump Jr.'s exclusive new D.C. club?
The famed comedian Groucho Marx once quipped that he'd never want to belong to a club that would have him as a member. That might not be a problem for a former U.S. president — and his ex-staffers — as Donald Trump Jr. gets ready to open a hyper-exclusive new club in Washington, D.C.'s already hyper-exclusive Georgetown neighborhood. President Donald Trump's oldest son is set to open the club, dubbed Executive Branch, next month, with a membership price of $500,000. Some insiders have reportedly offered $1 million to join the club, CNBC reported. So who's never going to get past the velvet rope at the new venue that, according to The New York Times, is tucked behind Georgetown Park via a set of stairs next to the mall's parking garage? That'd be former President George W. Bush and nearly everyone who ever worked for him, The Daily Mail reported. A bit of background: The club was founded by Trump Jr.; crypto czar David Sacks; Zach and Alex Witkoff; the sons of Trump's Middle East envoy, Omeed Malik, who leads 1789 Capital, and Chris Buskirk, who cofounded the conservative donor group Rockbridge Network. But Bush-era Republicans should save their money, Sacks indicated on his podcast last month. There's a new sheriff in town, after all. 'To the extent there are Republican clubs, they tend to be more Bush-era Republicans as opposed to Trump-era Republicans,' he said. 'So we wanted to create something new, hipper and Trump-aligned.' An insider familiar with the club's plans told CNBC that prospective Executive Branch members must be heavily vetted and approved by its founders. 'We don't want members of the media or just a lot of lobbyists joining,' the source said. 'We want people to feel comfortable having conversations in privacy.' That might not be much of an issue for the nation's 43rd chief executive, who, if his Instagram account is any indication, is living a full enough post-White House life. In any case, Bush said in a 2021 interview that 'so much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment.' And that alone might be enough to keep out of Trump Jr.'s orbit. Not to mention the well-documented history of bad blood between the two presidential families. SCOTUS rejects Mass. student's challenge to school's 'two genders' T-shirt ban Latest Donald Trump approval ratings: New poll finds changes Mass. Sen. Markey, Rep. Neal call on feds to keep Springfield Small Biz Admin office open A 'historic battle': Mass pols protest Medicaid cuts in 'Big Beautiful Bill' | John L. Micek Trump administration orders pause on scheduling student visa applicant interviews Read the original article on MassLive.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Back to basics or backwards? Trump's ‘Evidence-Based' literacy agenda fuels debate on science and equity
A new front has opened in the battle over American education, this time over how children learn to read. The Trump administration has thrust literacy instruction to the top of its education agenda, framing it as a national crisis and a moral imperative. On May 20, the US Department of Education identified 'evidence-based literacy instruction' as a core funding priority, asserting that it's 'time for the United States to refocus its education investments on the most essential skills a student can acquire.' For Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the issue is clear-cut: 'If you cannot read, you cannot learn,' she told lawmakers in the US, warning that declining literacy is at the heart of what she calls systemic school failure. Yet behind the rhetoric lies a firestorm of ideological, scientific, and pedagogical tensions. While the initiative echoes long-standing research on phonics and foundational reading skills, it has also reignited concerns that the federal government's approach could repeat past mistakes, oversimplifying complex literacy science and sidelining culturally responsive teaching. Is this a long-overdue return to cognitive fundamentals, or a politicised detour that risks flattening the diversity and nuance essential to equitable education? History repeats or reforms? While the federal role in literacy has fluctuated over the decades, echoes of the early 2000s are unmistakable. The Bush-era 'Reading First' programme also championed scientifically grounded reading practices but became mired in controversy for financial mismanagement and narrow instructional focus. Though the current policy stops short of prescribing specific curricula, it revives the same fundamental assumptions, that student success begins with decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, taught in structured, explicit ways. But critics argue that returning to these pillars without deeper context risks reducing literacy to a checklist. Research over the past two decades has shown that simply teaching phonics or focusing on foundational skills is not enough to sustain reading gains, particularly beyond the early grades. A myopic emphasis on basics may neglect the broader architecture of literacy development, especially for multilingual learners and students from historically underserved communities. The politics beneath the policy What complicates this push is its underlying ideological framing. The administration's messaging often contrasts its literacy-first approach with so-called 'divisive' classroom practices, suggesting that instruction rooted in cultural or social awareness distracts from core academic goals. In this view, education is seen less as a vehicle for civic or cultural engagement and more as a tool for restoring traditional academic rigour. This binary, however, has unsettled many in the education field. Experts in reading science stress that literacy acquisition is not culturally neutral; students' linguistic backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences directly shape how they engage with reading material. Efforts to elevate evidence-based instruction without integrating cultural responsiveness risk creating classroom environments that are technically sound but emotionally disconnected and pedagogically incomplete. Evidence, equity, and the missing infrastructure Compounding these tensions is a simultaneous pullback in federal research funding. Despite the call for evidence-based practice, several research initiatives and practice guides, designed to translate findings into usable strategies, have faced budget cuts. The paradox is glaring: Schools are being asked to prioritise science-aligned literacy strategies while the infrastructure to support that science is being dismantled. Moreover, without robust technical assistance, especially for schools in high-need districts, implementation of these evidence-backed methods could devolve into surface-level compliance rather than meaningful change. History has shown that top-down literacy mandates, when underfunded or poorly contextualized, can fragment instruction and widen learning gaps. A narrow frame for a broad challenge Reading is neither a purely cognitive nor purely cultural act—it sits at the intersection of language, identity, and knowledge. Any federal strategy that aims to transform how students read must recognize this complexity. Elevating foundational skills without attending to the broader context in which reading occurs may deliver short-term gains but will fall short of ensuring deep, sustained literacy for all students. The Trump administration's reading initiative opens a window for long-overdue national investment in literacy. But whether it leads to a genuine renaissance in reading or a retrenchment into dated, oversimplified methods will depend on how inclusively—and intelligently - the nation defines 'evidence' and 'excellence.' Ready to empower your child for the AI era? Join our program now! Hurry, only a few seats left.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Don Jr.'s $500K D.C. Club Plans to Ban a Lot of Republicans—Here's Why
Donald Trump Jr.'s new exclusive club in Washington may have a very slimline guest list. That's because 'Executive Branch,' set to open in June, plans to bar many of the folks who frequent similar clubs that cost thousands to join, reported The New York Times. Media members of any kind will not be allowed through its Georgetown doors, said President Donald Trump's crypto czar, David Sacks, who is a club co-founder. Also likely to be barred will be 'Bush-era Republicans' and those who frequent D.C.'s other clubs. The barring of journalists is perhaps unsurprising, given the Trump-verse's aversion to the mainstream media. Still, a sweeping ban on all press would keep some of MAGA's most loyal soldiers on the outside looking in. An Executive Branch spokesperson told the Times there is another stringent barrier to entry: You must know one of the club's owners to get through the door. In addition to Don Jr. and Sacks, the club is owned by Zach and Alex Witkoff, the sons of President Trump's Middle East envoy; Omeed Malik, who leads 1789 Capital; and Chris Buskirk, who co-founded the conservative donor group 'Rockbridge Network.' 'This is not just for any Saudi businessman,' the spokesperson reportedly said. It is, however, for the ultra-wealthy. A club invitation first obtained by Politico said that membership will cost as much as $500,000 up front, plus an additional annual fee in the following years. Still, the website reported the club had a waitlist as of late April. The Trump Organization did not respond to the Daily Beast's request for club policies and pricing. Sacks explained the reasoning for the Executive Branch's exclusivity on his podcast last month, according to the Times. 'To the extent there are Republican clubs, they tend to be like more Bush-era Republicans as opposed to Trump-era Republicans,' he said. 'So we wanted to create something new, hipper, and Trump-aligned.' A source told CNBC that 'prospective members of the club have to be heavily vetted and approved by its founders.' 'We don't want members of the media or just a lot of lobbyists joining,' a person close to the club told the financial network. 'We want people to feel comfortable having conversations in privacy.' The elder Trump's love of Gilded Age design and gold accents is not believed to be influencing the club's décor. Instead, it will feature a modern interior similar to Aman New York, a luxurious hotel and private club that opened in 2022 in Midtown. The aesthetic, however, is not expected to keep the president from visiting. Trump, 78, no longer has the Trump International Hotel in the nation's capital to socialize with allies and donors, as he did in his first term. The property was sold in 2022 and is now owned by the Waldorf Astoria chain. The Times said that the 'expectation' is that Trump will occasionally visit Executive Branch when he wants a break from the White House but does not wish to trek to Mar-a-Lago in South Florida.
