Latest news with #Schwinn
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Tennessee education leader promises feds she will cut conflicts
Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn is promising to rid herself of financial conflicts should she gain a post with the U.S. Department of Education. (Photo by) Seeking a deputy secretary post in the Trump administration, former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn is promising to eliminate financial conflicts of interest to get the job, including minimizing ties to a Tennessee lobbying firm. Schwinn, who left the state job in 2023 and served for a short time as Vice President for PK-12 and Pre-Bachelors Programs at the University of Florida, was selected for the U.S. Department of Education position nearly as soon as President Donald Trump won election this year but still hasn't received Senate confirmation to take the appointment. In a May 5 letter to an Education Department ethics official, the former Tennessee education leader for Gov. Bill Lee described steps she would take to avoid any 'actual or apparent' conflict of interest, including personal participation in any matter in which she would have a financial interest. If confirmed for the job, Schwinn said she will resign from an unpaid position with Nashville-based 38 Ventures LLC and become a non-managing member, though she will receive passive investment income from the entity. Blake Harris, former chief of staff for Lee, is the registered agent for the company located at 611 Commerce St. In addition, Schwinn said she would resign her post with BHA Strategy, a lobbying company founded by Harris, Lee's former communication director Laine Arnold, and Brent Easley, the governor's former legislative director. Schwinn wrote, though, that she would receive a set referral fee of 30% for a contract she brought to BHA. Education commissioner runs into possible conflict with $8M contract Schwinn said two companies she controls, Bexley Group, LLC, and PLSchwinn LLC, which are set up to receive business income, would stop conducting business and representing clients. Bexley Group's listed address also is 611 Commerce St. in Nashville. After being confirmed, she also would resign from a post with Soliant Health LLC through which she holds vested and unvested incentives with TVG-Soliant Holdings, LP. She would receive a cash payout for her vested incentives before taking the deputy secretary post, according to the letter. In addition, Schwinn said she would resign from posts with TVG-MGT, Edmuntum Inc. and Really Great Reading and would divest interests in Odyssey and Amira Learning. Schwinn went through a similar ethics process in March 2021 when she told Tennessee's Central Procurement Office she would distance herself from an $8 million contract with TNTP Inc., a reading skills educator training company that employed her husband, Paul. Schwinn came under fire from lawmakers in 2020 when the legislature removed the education commissioner as a voting member of the Tennessee textbook commission and took away the commissioner's ability to grant waivers for school districts seeking to use unapproved books and materials. Lawmakers were concerned that Schwinn was too involved in the textbook adoption process. Schwinn 2
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
After tot's scary brush with an e-bike, NYC must rethink its bike lanes
A Brooklyn toddler's near-catastrophic brush with an e-bike over the weekend proves that a major revamp of New York City's bike lanes is long overdue. In South Williamsburg on Sunday, a 3-year-old girl was injured when she exited a parked vehicle and dashed into the bike lane, directly in the path of a barreling e-bike. It's every parent's nightmare, and an indictment of the city's poorly planned bike lanes and feckless response to the rise of e-bikes. Advertisement It seems the rider broke no laws, but that's part of the problem: The city's progressive leaders have been so eager to make the streets cyclist-friendly that they've overlooked pedestrian safety — and common sense. The scene where the tot was hit is a prime example: A bike lane doesn't belong on Bedford Avenue, a busy street with high foot and vehicle traffic. Sabrina Gates, a Brooklynite running for City Council against long-time pro-cycling advocate Lincoln Restler, rightly called it 'a hazard.' Advertisement The Department of Transportation needs to more carefully review where it's putting bike lanes; despite activists' demands, not every neighborhood should have one. And the city needs to rethink the style of protected bike lanes that puts parking on one side and a sidewalk on the other; that gives bike riders a false sense of security that can render them less careful of their surroundings and adds to a sense of confusion over who has right of way on any given part of the road. As it is, cyclists, pedestrians and even drivers can assume precedence when they don't have it. Clearer guidance and better enforcement would help — which is why Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch's crackdown on lawbreaking drivers and cyclists is so important. Advertisement Without ripping out existing bike lanes (no matter how ill-placed), the city can and must take steps to boost safety. Bike lanes should have their own, posted speed limits; e-bikes can top 30 miles an hour, which is far too fast, and endangers pedestrians who don't expect a fast-moving vehicle when walking through or next to a bike lane. Brightly colored speed humps (especially at intersections) can encourage cyclists to stay under those limits. Advertisement More bike-lane red lights alone isn't enough: Too many cyclists barrel right through them. So: Install more speed cameras in bike lanes — and force all e-bikes to register their vehicles and use a license plate, as in the law City Councilmember Bob Holden has been trying to pass since last year. E-bikes aren't your grandma's Schwinn; they're faster, heavier and more dangerous. With tens of thousands on the streets, the city has to evolve its bike lanes and laws to match the new reality. Anything less is insanity — and puts New York's most vulnerable in danger.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Stewart slams CNN for promoting Tapper book after previously ignoring Biden decline
"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart called out CNN on Monday for relentlessly promoting Jake Tapper's new book on former President Joe Biden's mental acuity, slamming the network for advertising "a book about news they should've told you was news a year ago for free." Stewart opened his show with a montage of the CNN anchor promoting the book that both he and Axios' Alex Thompson wrote, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," and questioned why Tapper hadn't previously reported the information in the book to the public. "Don't news people have to tell you what they know when they find it out? Isn't that the difference between news and a secret?" Stewart asked. "'You won't believe what we found out!' No, that's why I'm watching. Breaking news… in a week." Wall Street Journal Calls Out Tapper For Sneering At Paper's Story About Biden's Decline "The Daily Show" host continued to poke fun at the release of the book before mentioning that there was "a little problem," calling attention to Biden's recent prostate cancer diagnosis. "You've prepared an entire smorgasbord based on what you thought would be a relatively uncomplicated story about mental decline. News has the countdown clock, they got the book graphics, they got the CNN Happy Meal tie-in toys, but now doing the story seems almost disrespectful," Stewart said. "Can CNN thread the needle? How do you pivot from excitedly promoting your anchor's book to somberly and respectfully promoting your anchor's book?" Read On The Fox News App He then played another montage of various CNN personalities promoting the book on the network while simultaneously covering Biden's cancer diagnosis. "It's so hard. It's such a difficult time. So unfathomable in terms of the pain his family must be feeling, and yet, if you act now, and you use the code 'TapThatBook,' you will–" Stewart ribbed. He continued his criticism of the network, saying, "Forgetting about the fact how f------ weird it is that the news is selling you a book about news they should've told you was news a year ago for free, it's just fun to watch them not only continue to push the book in light of this difficult news, but to actually frame this difficult news as perhaps even more of a reason to buy this book." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Stewart then called out CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter for telling his audience that the reporting in Tapper's book "is even more important now," following the former president's prostate cancer diagnosis. "Yeah, nobody's saying that. No observers will say it's more important now," he asserted. "Some observers might think that these CNN people work on commission. Like, why are they hawking this f------ thing? Is this a Girl Scout cookie situation? Whoever sells the most Tapper books gets a Schwinn!"Original article source: Jon Stewart slams CNN for promoting Tapper book after previously ignoring Biden decline
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jon Stewart Slams CNN for Promoting Book on Biden's Health Amid Cancer Diagnosis
Jon Stewart criticized CNN for constantly plugging Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new book Original Sin, which reflects on Joe Biden's declining health, in the midst of his diagnosis with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. On the latest episode of The Daily Show, Stewart played a series of clips of Tapper repeating promoting the book, out today, and teasing that viewers will 'not believe' what he uncovered about the former president. More from Rolling Stone Trump Admin Charges House Democrat After ICE Scrum Despite Backlash, Jake Tapper's Book on Biden's Decline Becomes a Bestseller Online Team Trump Investigating Why IRS Nominee's X Account Followed Sexual Content 'Don't news people have to tell you what they know when they find it out?' Stewart asked. 'Isn't that the difference between news and a secret? 'You won't believe what we found out.' No, that's why I watch breaking news.' Stewart then played a compilation of media outlets reacting to Original Sin and its 'bombshell' allegations. 'Nothing could slow down this coming, feeding news frenzy about Biden's cognitive health, other than maybe a report on his actual physical health,' Stewart said. 'Doing the story seems almost disrespectful. Can CNN thread the needle? How do you pivot from excitedly promoting your anchor's book to somberly and respectfully promoting your anchor's book?' He added, after showing a clip of a CNN staffer saying it's going to be a 'tough week' for the book's authors, 'It's so hard, it's such a difficult time, so unfathomable in terms of the pain his family must be feeling.' Stewart noted that CNN shouldn't be using the timing of Biden's cancer to promote the book, either. He refuted the media's claims that the book is 'even more important now.' 'Why are they hawking this fucking thing?' he responded. 'Is this a Girl Scout cookie situation? 'Whoever sells the most Tapper books gets a Schwinn!'' Stewart also reflected on Donald Trump's unusual response to Biden's cancer diagnosis, which was announced earlier this week. The president shared a statement on Truth Social wishing his predecessor a 'fast and successful recovery.' 'That's it? No exclamation points? No all caps? No insults? Whole thing's spelled correctly?' Stewart quipped. 'It's really got all the telltale signs of a post definitely written by Donald Trump. I look at this post, I wonder when they saw this post, if Truth Social sent him a security alert. They just sent him a quick message: 'We noticed some suspicious humanity on your account. If this was in fact you, President Trump, please reply: Nancy Pelosi's husband is gay.'' He added, 'But the fact that Trump responded to Biden's diagnosis with the most performa, bare minimum, ChatGPT statement, was so astonishing, even the corrupt 'lamestream media' gave Trump his props.' Stewart played a clip of news reporters praising Trump for being so civil in his statement. 'What he did was not noteworthy and important,' Stewart responded. 'Has any president—has any person, ever, had a lower bar to clear? I have to salute the president. I certainly disagree with him on many things, but I have to applaud that after hearing this devastating news about Joe Biden, that Donald did not take cancer's side.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Supreme Court may broaden religious rights in looming rulings
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court in a trio of rulings expected in the coming weeks appears inclined to extend its trend of taking an expansive view of religious rights while potentially dealing a sharp blow to the principle of separation of church and state. During arguments in the cases, a majority of the justices appeared sympathetic toward a bid to create the nation's first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in Oklahoma, a push for religious exemptions from a Wisconsin unemployment insurance tax and a request by religious parents of students in a Maryland county for an opt-out from classroom storybooks with LGBT characters. President Donald Trump's administration sided with the religious claimants in all three cases. The rulings, expected by the end of June, promise to offer fresh insight about how the court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, views the two religion clauses of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Its "establishment clause" prohibits the government from establishing or endorsing any particular religion or promoting religion over nonreligion. Its "free exercise" clause protects the right to practice one's religion freely, without government interference. University of Illinois Chicago law professor Steve Schwinn said he expects the rulings will continue the court's years-long trend of sharply limiting the application of the establishment clause and dramatically expanding the application of the free exercise clause. The net result of such prior decisions, Schwinn said, is that "the religion clauses today invite and in some cases even require religion to play an increasing role in public institutions, public programs and public life." "Given that this term tees up three significant cases on the religion clauses, all in a similar spirit, the impact of the trio could be quite substantial," Schwinn added. Notre Dame Law School professor Richard Garnett, who has supported the religious claimants in the three cases, described the court's trend over the past few decades as having "rejected an interpretation of the Constitution that would exclude religion from public life or prevent reasonable cooperation and accommodation." CATHOLIC CHARTER SCHOOL The highest-profile case of the three involves a bid led by two Catholic dioceses to establish in Oklahoma the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the United States. The proposed St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and the state charter school board appealed a ruling by Oklahoma's Supreme Court that blocked the plan. Charter schools, considered public schools under Oklahoma law, draw funding from the state government. Established as alternatives to traditional public schools, charter schools typically operate under private management and often feature small class sizes, innovative teaching styles or a particular academic focus. Oklahoma's top court ruled that the proposed school ran afoul of the establishment clause and would be acting as "a surrogate of the state." St. Isidore's organizers argued that Oklahoma's refusal to establish it as a charter school solely because it is religious is discrimination under the free exercise clause, and said the Oklahoma court erred by deeming it an arm of the government rather than a private entity. Oklahoma's Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued to challenge St. Isidore's establishment. During April 30 arguments in the case, the conservative justices signaled sympathy toward St. Isidore while some of the court's liberal justices posed sharp questions about why the proposed school would not violate constitutional limits on governmental involvement in religion. "I'm just trying to understand your establishment clause 'nothing to see here' position," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, arguing for the Trump administration. "Are you saying that the religious charter school's use of public funds to support proselytization, which the school says it intends to do, is not an establishment clause problem?" Jackson asked. Sauer said the establishment clause is not violated when parents get to decide whether to send their children to religious or non-religious schools. "Here, the parents are choosing with open eyes to take their kid to the religious charter school," Sauer said. SHIFTING APPROACH Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, said that recent decisions involving public aid to religious schools reflect a major shift in how the court has approached the First Amendment religion clauses. In 2022, the court ruled in favor of two Christian families in their challenge to Maine's tuition-assistance program that had excluded private religious schools. In 2020, it endorsed Montana tax credits that helped pay for students to attend private religious schools, ruling in favor of three mothers of Christian school students. Those decisions followed the court's 2017 ruling in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, that declared that churches and other religious entities cannot be flatly denied public money based on their religious status - even in states whose constitutions explicitly ban such funding. "For decades the establishment clause was seen as a limit on aid to religious schools," Chemerinsky said. "Now, the free exercise clause is creating a right of religious schools to receive aid." "The Oklahoma charter school case is exactly about this: not whether it violates the establishment clause for the government to support religious charter schools, but whether the free exercise clause requires that the government do so," said Chemerinsky, who joined a court brief opposing the religious charter school's legal position. Thomas Berg, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, said the Oklahoma case could have a major impact on the establishment clause if the court rules that "a substantial number of charters (charter schools) are private actors, not state actors, and thus are not subject to the establishment clause." The First Amendment generally constrains the government but not private entities. Opponents have said religious charter schools would force taxpayers to support religious indoctrination and undermine workplace nondiscrimination principles because these schools might seek to bar employees who do not adhere to doctrinal teachings. OPT-OUTS AND TAX EXEMPTIONS The court is also weighing a bid by Christian and Muslim parents to keep their children out of certain public elementary school classes in Maryland's Montgomery County when storybooks with LGBT characters are read. The justices during April 22 arguments appeared inclined to rule in favor of the plaintiffs after lower courts declined to order the school district to let children opt out when these books are read. The parents contend that the school board's policy of prohibiting opt-outs violates the free exercise clause. The case did not directly implicate the establishment clause. The court's liberal justices raised concerns about how far opt-outs for students could go beyond storybooks in public schools, offering examples of subjects that might come up in classes such as evolution, interracial marriage or women working outside the home. The Wisconsin case involves a bid by an arm of the Catholic diocese in the city of Superior for a religious exemption from the state's unemployment insurance tax. The court appeared sympathetic during March 31 arguments to an appeal by the Catholic Charities Bureau - a nonprofit corporation operating as the diocese's social ministry arm - and four entities that the bureau oversees of a lower court's decision rejecting their tax exemption bid. The federal government and all states exempt certain religious entities from paying into unemployment insurance programs that benefit eligible jobless workers, as other employers generally are required to do. Most of these laws, including Wisconsin's, require that organizations be "operated primarily for religious purposes" for religious exemption eligibility. In rejecting the tax exemption, Wisconsin's top court found that although the groups "assert a religious motivation behind their work," their activities were "primarily charitable and secular," not "operated primarily for religious purposes." At issue was whether Wisconsin's denial of the tax exemption violated both religion clauses. Berg, who joined legal briefs favoring the Maryland parents and Wisconsin Catholic Charities Bureau, said the impact of the court's rulings in these cases depends on their scope. "Carefully, narrowly reasoned wins would continue the court's recent emphasis that religious exercise, although not the only right, is a constitutionally important one," Berg said. "But less careful, broadly reasoned religious wins could upset the balance."
