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Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin's book purge at the Naval Academy goes beyond petty authoritarianism
The Trump administration's rush to enact authoritarian policies has touched all parts of American life, but we didn't expect it to affect our family the way it did. We are a mother-daughter writing team. In mid-April, one of us, Cathy Johnson, found out that the U.S. Naval Academy had removed her book in a Trump administration-led purge of its library. To her, and to the rest of our family, this decision came as a surprise. Cathy and her co-authors published the book, 'Creating Gender: The Sexual Politics of Welfare Policy,' in 2007. It's an academic book that received positive reviews from leading political science journals. But without offering an explanation to Cathy or her publisher, the academy removed it from circulation. A spokesperson for the Navy told us that the removals were 'in order to comply with directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President.' Neither of us are strangers to pushback from the right. One of Cathy's courses at Williams College on feminism and political activism was targeted by campus conservative groups in the early 2000s. Hannah, her daughter, has been reporting on and researching the radical right, including its ties to the first and second Trump administrations, for nearly a decade. While we're not shocked by these brazen attempts to quash intellectual inquiry from an administration whose prior term ended with an armed insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, we find these developments particularly disturbing. Co-authored with professors Georgia Duerst-Lahti and Noelle Norton, 'Creating Gender' argues that ideas about gender are a flashpoint in American politics, one that intersects with the familiar left-right spectrum. By drawing on gender theory, social welfare policy and the study of legislative behavior, the book examines the ways in which political actors use policy to shape 'the way men and women should live their lives.' Policy praises and condemns; it rewards and punishes. 'Creating Gender' investigates how ideas about gender influenced the design and implementation of social welfare policy as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) — a program that helps states fund services for low-income families with children — was adopted and then implemented by the states. The administration and its allies have railed against 'gender ideology extremism,' which it has used to enact anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. To the extent that 'gender ideology' refers to the notion that ideas about gender can, and do, inform policymaking, it's clearly a bedrock principle of the administration. President Donald Trump has referred to himself as 'the fertilization president' and floated pro-natalist policies that would direct cash bonuses to mothers after the births of each child. The administration has made clear that not all families are equal. Project 2025 — the Heritage Foundation's 900-plus-page guidebook for the administration's speedrun into authoritarianism — encouraged all levels of government to manipulate their services to prioritize married heterosexual, cisgendered couples. 'Married men and women are the ideal, natural family structure because all children have a right to be raised by the men and women who conceived them,' Project 2025 declared. Elsewhere, it implores the Department of Health and Human Services to 'prioritize married father engagement in its messaging, health, and welfare policies.' It attacks TANF on the grounds that it has supposedly failed to prioritize '[m]arriage, healthy family formation, and delaying sex to prevent pregnancy.' Today, 'Creating Gender' and the 380 other books the Naval Academy removed from Nimitz Library are now inaccessible to patrons. The full list represents a bizarre collection of books that appear to be identified based on keywords. Reporting in The New York Times and elsewhere has described the book purge as tied to a Jan. 29 executive order that seeks to end 'radical indoctrination' in kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms. The Naval Academy, a college, thought it was exempt from the order, but the Times reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office told the Naval Academy that the secretary 'expected compliance' from the military academies, too. That same executive order also called for the revival of Trump's 1776 Commission, a committee that he formed during his first term to support 'patriotic education.' (Curiously, the list of removed titles even includes a book from one of the commission's former members, Carol Swain, author of the 2004 book 'The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration.') 'We've said goodbye to the harmful effects of woke culture and so-called diversity, equity and inclusion programs. We're removing DEI content,' Secretary Hegseth said during a visit to the Army War College in April. It isn't clear why the Naval Academy was the first to conduct these removals, but other institutions of higher education within the Defense Department appear prepared to implement similar processes. The head of the Naval War College recently announced to community members in an email that there were plans to form a committee consisting of faculty and Defense Department officials to assess how to conduct similar removals, according to two sources who received the email and who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, over concerns of professional retaliation. The sources said that it was unclear who specifically would be on the committee, and officials have not announced when this process would begin. A spokesperson for the Naval War College did not respond to our request for comment regarding whether such removals were going to be implemented at the school. 'I think the bans are appalling,' Lynne Rienner, whose eponymous publishing house released 'Creating Gender' in 2007, told us. The book was one of four titles that Lynne Rienner Publishers released from academics that the academy purged. 'It will not have a chilling effect on what we're willing to publish. I'm concerned that it will have a chilling effect on academic research to the extent that people are dependent on federal funding for their research. And we're already seeing that,' Rienner added. We reached out to the Defense Department and the Naval Academy for comment regarding the purges and 'Creating Gender's' removal, specifically. A spokesperson from Hegseth's office referred us to the Navy. When we followed up with a quote from Hegseth's recent appearance at the Army War College, as well as a link to a Times article, which previously reported that the decision to remove the books arose from an order from the defense secretary's office, the spokesperson said, 'We don't have anything additional to provide at this time.' The spokesperson again referred us to Navy officials. Naval Academy media relations did not respond to a list of several questions related to the purges. These book removals might seem in line with the Trump movement's obsession with 'trolling' liberals or punishing institutions of higher education for being insufficiently deferential to conservatives. He and his supporters have spoken openly about their attacks on colleges, universities, museums and cultural landmarks as being rooted in the misguided belief that they are victims. But to us, these authoritarian outbursts have much deeper roots. For all the fawning pieces outlining the right's 'intellectual vitalism' in the second Trump era, the movement's full-throttled embrace of censorship and hostility to its perceived enemies is indicative of a deep lack of curiosity about the world. While graduates like Adm. James Stockdale might have read Karl Marx at the Naval Academy in the 1960s to understand an ideology the U.S. government saw as enemy No. 1, they at least read his books. Today's petty authoritarians see no such need. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What troops need to know about commissaries and exchanges in 2025
Note: Whether it's health care, retirement benefits, family support and child care, VA benefits or other programs, getting smart about the rewards you have earned is worth your time. Although it is not yet clear to what extent federal cuts will affect DOD programs — including quality-of-life initiatives — these benefits were in place as of this writing. Visit this page for all of our latest coverage surrounding military and veteran pay and benefits. Two benefits that continue to help those in the military community stretch their dollars are commissaries and exchanges. Commissaries are considered on-base stores that sell discounted groceries to authorized customers, while exchanges are on-base stores — with an online component — that sell a variety of items, including clothing and shoes, toys, furniture, home appliances and electronics. They have on-base gas stations and stores that sell alcoholic beverages. Over the past few years, eligibility to shop at military commissaries and exchanges has expanded to include more people in the military community. As always, it pays to compare prices between military stores and other stores. Those eligible to use the commissary benefit include active duty, Guard and reserve members, military retirees, Medal of Honor recipients and their authorized family members. These shoppers have IDs issued by the Defense Department. In a recent change, commissary employees can also shop, but not their family members. DOD and Coast Guard civilian employees in the U.S. and on service agreements overseas are among the authorized shoppers as well. In 2020, eligibility was expanded to veterans with service-connected disabilities, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and primary family caregivers of eligible veterans enrolled under the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. Eligible veterans use their veterans health ID card, or VHIC, to gain access to the installation and to shop. Spouses and other family members aren't allowed to shop individually, but are allowed to come into the stores with the veteran. Family caregivers who qualify for the benefit will have access to a memo at that will be used for entry, along with a driver's license, passport or other authorized form of ID. Payments accepted include cash; personal checks; travelers checks; money orders; debit cards; Military Star Card; American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover credit cards; Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program; American Red Cross Disbursing Orders; commissary gift cards; and coupons. In an effort to help service members and families deal with rising food costs, the Defense Department has invested in commissaries to decrease the price of most grocery items by about 3% to 5%. These discounts are particularly focused on food staples like bread, milk, eggs and other items. The goal is to maintain an average worldwide savings of at least 25% when compared to stores outside the gate. Before the extra funding, there was an overall, average savings of 22%. Customers also pay a 5% surcharge which is used to cover construction costs and other needs. Officials have taken other steps to boost the benefit, such as expanding hours of operation. That includes 56 stores that have converted from six- to seven-day operations. The commissary agency provides a Click2Go program at all commissaries worldwide, where customers choose their items online, select a pickup time and at the appointed time head to the Click2Go parking spaces, where commissary employees bring their groceries to their car and finish the transaction. Commissary officials have also been testing the idea of doorstep delivery. A limited number of commissaries sell beer and wine. Commissaries do sell tobacco in stores on Army and Air Force bases. DOD policy is that tobacco can't be sold at a discount greater than 5% below the lowest competitor in the local area. Rules on who can use overseas commissaries are affected by status-of-forces agreements between host nations and the U.S. Situations vary by country, and individuals should check with the local U.S. military command or installation they plan to visit before they travel. Most commissaries have evening and weekend hours. To find a store, and get information such as hours and directions, visit the commissary website and click on 'Store Locator.' Exchanges are the military's version of department stores, selling discounted brand-name goods from civilian companies, as well as their own private label items. There is no sales tax. There are four exchange systems: The Navy Exchange Service Command; the Marine Corps Exchange system; Coast Guard Exchange system; and Army and Air Force Exchange Service, also known as The Exchange or AAFES. Eligible exchange shoppers can shop at any of the stores, regardless of service branch, including their online stores. Stores support themselves almost completely through their sales income. All profits are used to fund military Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs, and to build or renovate stores. Eligible shoppers include all ranks of active duty, National Guard and reserve members and their families; Medal of Honor recipients and their families; surviving spouses and former spouses; DOD and Coast Guard civilians; veterans with VA service-connected disability ratings; Purple Heart recipients; veterans who are former prisoners of war; and primary family caregivers of eligible veterans under the VA caregiver program. All honorably discharged veterans can shop online at the exchanges. The Veterans Online Shopping Benefit does not grant on-installation access, unless the veteran falls into another category, such as having a VA service-connected disability rating. Overseas stores offer many U.S. products that may be difficult to find otherwise, but commands often impose shopping restrictions to limit the sale of U.S. goods on the illegal market. Stateside and overseas exchanges accept major credit cards, and also offer their own credit plan through the joint-exchange Military STAR Card.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Revised Washington law makes it easier for youth to get identification
Jan. 31—OLYMPIA — It will be easier for young people 16-18 years of age to get a Washington identification card without a parent's or guardian's signature under revisions to ID laws that took effect Jan. 1. The changes were made at the request of the Washington Department of Licensing, said Christine Anthony, WDL digital communications manager. "(The revised law) concerns helping people from underserved communities, including at-risk or under-resourced minors and low-income residents, to access identity documents like ID cards," Anthony said via email. The revised law changes some of the rules governing who can help a minor obtain a driver's license or identification card. Department of Licensing officials explained the reasoning behind the request in a report submitted to the Washington Legislature last year. The report said Washington has an estimated 13,000-15,000 "unaccompanied" young people who are experiencing homelessness. Other young people — more than 40,000 according to the report — live with relatives. Most of those arrangements are informal, the report said. But teens 16-18 years of age who wanted to get a driver's license needed authorization from a parent, legal guardian or employer. That wasn't always possible, especially for homeless teens, the report said. The revised law allows a "responsible adult" to sign for teens trying to get a driver's license or other identification. That includes people with family or caretaker relationships with teens, or mental health professionals or government employees working with them. Other rules still apply. Teens must meet the criteria to have a license, which includes driver education. For young people who can't get a driver's license but need identification, Washington does provide an ID card. It's $55 for six years. "(Department of Licensing) staff regularly hear that the cost of an ID card can be prohibitively expensive," the report said. Washington does offer an at-cost ID card, which is $5, to qualifying residents. People who are receiving support through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program are eligible. So are participants in the "Women, Infants, Children" program, and the revised law clarifies that. The law authorizes the Department of Licensing to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of offering reduced-fee ID cards, with the report due by December. The department will be required to evaluate current use, check parameters for current eligibility, determine how much it would cost and its impact on revenue, and recommend ways to improve access.
