Latest news with #UniversityofMichigan
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump signs order creating new federal worker classification for at-will, political appointees
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday creating a new classification of federal employees who would be subject to hiring and firing by the president, Schedule G, for employees working on policy, in the latest action by his administration to reshape the federal workforce. The non-career classified employees will be expected to leave in changing presidential administrations, with the order claiming it will 'improve operations, particularly in agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, by streamlining appointments for key policy roles'. The order did not cite how many employees would fall under the new classification. 'President Trump is delivering on his promise to dismantle the deep state and reclaim our government from Washington corruption,' the White House said in a fact sheet on the order. Related: 'Devastating': US public broadcasters condemn Trump cuts to key programs The classification appears similar to Schedule C, which refers to temporary federal employees working on policy issues. 'We already have Schedule F (turning career civil servants into at-will employees). Now Trump is announcing Schedule G: Opens space at top ranks of govt for Trump loyalists as policymakers, with no limit on hires. Continues pattern of politicization,' wrote Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan, on social media in response to the executive order. Schedule F, which Trump tried to implement near the end of his first term in office, was revived earlier this year. It strips civil service protections afforded to other federal employee classifications, making it easier to fire these employees at-will. Since Trump took office, his administration has sought to strip civil service protections for large swaths of federal employees, eliminate collective bargaining rights, and make it easier for the administration to fire federal employees at-will and without cause. Culling the civil service is a key plank of Project 2025, the conservative manifesto that outlined plans for a second Trump administration. In each agency chapter, the project suggests ways to make more positions political appointments instead of nonpartisan career roles, forming a federal government more beholden to its executive and less likely to push back. Max Stier, the president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said the new classification is 'another misguided attempt by the administration to further politicize the federal workforce'. The new classification will make the civil service system more confusing, he said, adding that the president can already make hundreds of political appointments through Schedule C and other existing authorities. 'At the end of the day, the main mission of our government is to serve and protect the public,' Stier said. 'Our nonpartisan civil service is critical to keeping the services we rely on running continuously, even when political administrations change. Adding even more political appointees – who will only be in government for a few years – means that effective, stable service delivery will suffer. It's the American people who will pay the ultimate price.'
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Deterrent Act addresses foreign interference in higher education
Last week, the chancellor of the University of California-Berkeley appeared before Congress and refused to commit to transparency about foreign funding. When I asked Chancellor Rich Lyons if Berkeley would disclose every dollar it receives from foreign governments, he dodged — repeatedly. ' I'm not ready to make that commitment today,' he said. Even more alarming, he admitted that hostile foreign actors regularly approach the university but claimed he was 'not in a position' to name a single example. The American people deserve to know who is bankrolling our public universities. If Berkeley won't come clean, it raises a serious question: What are universities hiding — and why? This isn't just an academic issue. It's a direct threat to our national security. In January, the University of Michigan cut ties with a Chinese university over concerns that its funding could be linked to Beijing's military-industrial complex. On Tuesday, the Department of Education opened an investigation into the university to assess its compliance with federal law and the accuracy of its foreign funding disclosures. While I welcome the University of Michigan's decision to stop the flow of money from the Chinese Communist Party, serious questions remain. Why were tens of millions in foreign funding reported late — and in some cases, misclassified as coming from 'nongovernmental entities' when the money appears to be directly tied to foreign governments? What are they hiding? That's why I reintroduced the Deterrent Act, legislation designed to bring long-overdue transparency to foreign influence in higher education. The bill does three things: It shines a Light on Foreign Funding — It lowers the foreign gift disclosure threshold from $250,000 to $50,000 and requires faculty and staff at research-heavy institutions to disclose foreign financial ties. It holds Institutions Accountable — It introduces fines and the potential suspension of federal assistance for failing to report foreign funding. Protects National Security — It treats gifts from hostile nations with greater scrutiny, recognizing that foreign money is often used to buy influence and suppress academic freedom. I believe in the power of international education exchange. I have lived it. As the son of a Washington State University forestry professor, I saw firsthand how cultural exchange can enrich learning. As a college student, I studied in France, Jordan, Syria and Kuwait, eager to understand different worldviews. I served with the Jesuits in Mozambique, teaching students and coaching basketball. But there's a big difference between genuine academic collaboration and foreign interference masquerading as philanthropy. The passage of the Deterrent Act with bipartisan support is a significant and hard-won victory in the fight to protect academic integrity from foreign interference. This bill reflects a growing consensus that transparency and accountability are essential in safeguarding American universities from the influence of foreign adversaries, particularly the Chinese Communist Party. It is a crucial step forward, but universities don't have to wait for federal action. Adopting the Deterrent framework now — by disclosing foreign funding, establishing oversight and ensuring no outside power undermines our academic institutions — can help preserve the free exchange of ideas that defines American academia. In April, President Trump signed an executive order to increase transparency and enforce stricter reporting requirements for foreign gifts and funding. I applaud President Trump for taking decisive action by signing an executive order that underscores the critical issues highlighted in the Deterrent Act. This executive order reinforces our commitment to protecting academic integrity and defending our universities from foreign influence, particularly from adversarial regimes like the Chinese Communist Party. While the Deterrent Act is a major step forward — passing the House with strong bipartisan support — I still urge the Senate to act so it becomes the law of the land, not just an executive action that could be reversed. The time to act is now. This issue is bigger than just foreign influence. It's about who our universities serve. For too long, Americans have watched tuition skyrocket, ideological conformity replace rigorous exchange of ideas, and academic institutions drift further from the needs of working people and local communities. The public has every right to question whether our universities are serving the American people — or the highest foreign bidder. It's time for our universities to get back to basics: Keep tuition costs down. Promote the free exchange of ideas. Align degrees with the job market. Help students graduate and get hired. Put students and taxpayers first. The House has acted. The president has acted. Now it's the Senate's turn. Let's make the Deterrent Act the law of the land — ending malign foreign influence in our education system and putting American interests first.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MSU target, 4-star SG Jasiah Jervis picks up offer from Spartans' rival
Blessed and grateful to receive an offer from the University of Michigan 💙💛 Thank you Coach May 🙏🏾 @umichbball #AGTG The Spartans' top rivals have entered the chase for a big-time shooting guard prospect from the Big Apple. Jasiah Jervis of White Plains, N.Y. announced on Sunday that he has received an offer from the Michigan Wolverines. This is a notable development as Jervis has received an offer from the Spartans in late June and has started to pick up some more steam on the recruiting trail since then. Jervis is a four-star shooting guard prospect in the 2026 class. He holds a recruiting rating of 96.26 in 247Sports composite system, and is listed at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds. Jervis ranks as the No. 7 shooting guard in 247Sports' rankings for the 2026 class. He is also listed as the No. 61 overall prospect and No. 4 player from New York in the class. Along with his notable offers from Michigan and Michigan State, Jervis has picked up offers from Tennessee, Texas, NC State and Villanova since late May. Prior to that, he received notable offers from Illinois, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Pitt and St. John's. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
The US economy is regaining its swagger
When President Trump slapped tariffs on nations across the globe this spring, many economists feared higher prices and spending cuts would flatten the economy. Consumer sentiment collapsed. The S&P 500 stock index fell by 19% between February and April. The world held its breath and waited for the bottom to drop out. But that didn't happen. Now businesses and consumers are regaining their swagger, and evidence is mounting that those who held back are starting to splurge again. The stock market is reaching record highs. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, which tumbled in April to its lowest reading in almost three years, has begun climbing again. Retail sales are up more than economists had forecast, and sky-high inflation hasn't materialized—at least not yet. 'We've been surprised again and again by consumers," said Jonathan Millar, senior U.S. economist at Barclays. In April, Millar predicted that the U.S. economy would likely go into recession this year. He now expects it to keep growing, albeit at a slow pace. As soon as Donald Trump was elected, Tyler Ahn decided she wasn't going to take any chances with the possibility of tariffs—or, worse, a broader economic collapse. The 46-year-old product manager stocked up, buying survival gear (flashlights, window-breaking devices and water-purification tablets), a mop bucket and an entire case of French rosé. Throughout the rest of the winter and early spring, Ahn sat tight, trying to spend as little as possible while attempting to follow Trump's evolving tariff threats. But recently, she gave up. 'I decided, well 'it is what it is; my money will buy what it will buy,'" said Ahn, who is based in Portland, Ore. 'What am I going to do? I've gotta live." She just got back from a two-week trip to Italy and France. Even with a weaker dollar, she said she spared no expense on hotels, meals and gelato. There are still signs of turbulence in the U.S. economy. Growth has been subdued. Inflation, while down from pandemic peaks, is still higher than the Federal Reserve would like. Manufacturing activity shrank for the fourth straight month in June, and immigration raids are damping spending among Hispanic consumers. Trump has repeatedly delayed the higher tariffs for imports from many countries he threatened in April, and the risk of fallout from steeper levies still looms. Earlier this month he threatened 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1. Still, companies and consumers have brightened their outlook from earlier this year. JPMorgan Chase reported unexpectedly strong earnings last week and said the bank's economists are no longer expecting a recession. 'After the initial shock of tariff policy changes, everyone kind of went on hold," said Jeremy Barnum, the bank's chief financial officer. But 'at a certain moment, you just have to move on with your life. And it does feel like some of that is happening just because you can't delay forever." The bank said card-spending grew 7%. Elsewhere, Bank of America, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs reported rising profits, while United Airlines noted improved travel demand. A busy slate of earnings in the coming weeks will help create a fuller picture. In a July survey of 1,267 U.S. small-business owners by digital-marketing platform Constant Contact, 44% of respondents said demand for services and products is higher than they anticipated in January. A third were extremely optimistic that their business would be performing better in the next three months, and just under a third thought they would add more employees by then. There are signs of weakness in the labor market, where hiring by private employers has been sluggish. But the unemployment rate, 4.1% in June, remains low by historical standards because employers have also been reluctant to cut jobs. Spring is traditionally the busiest season for new-client enrollment at Command Education, a college admissions consulting firm for high-schoolers based in New York City. Not this year. Chief Executive Christopher Rim said the firm logged more sign-ups during the first week of July than in any full month since January. The reason: Wealthy clients who saw their stock portfolios shrink in March and April weren't about to drop $85,000 minimum on a year of services. 'The market was so iffy, they were like, 'let me just see how this plays out,'" Rim said. 'Now, they are ready." Christopher Rim said his college-admissions consulting firm was especially busy the first week of July. Two new employees joined Command's existing staff of 49 last week, and another new hire starts soon. Rim hopes to fill five additional full-time roles before summer's end. 'It's been insane," Rim said, adding that one of his salespeople canceled a planned weeklong vacation to catch up on intake calls. 'July is never like this." Consumers' spring pessimism reflected expectations for a tariff-fueled inflation surge. Those fears have since eased. Respondents in this month's University of Michigan's survey said they expect inflation of 4.4% in the coming year. In April, they expected 6.6% inflation. But even with delays on some of Trump's threats, he still has pushed overall effective tariff rates to the highest level in more than a century. The effect of tariffs could still be on the way. During the first Trump administration, tariff increases announced in 2018 didn't start showing up in capital spending until the second half of 2019, said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan. 'Some of these things take a while," he said. Inflation ticked up slightly in June and prices of tariff-sensitive items such as toys, clothes and furniture rose, a sign that businesses are starting to pass the cost of the levies on to customers. Aaron Anderson, the owner of East Coast brunch-restaurant franchise Sunrise Social, said tariffs and high interest rates are still keeping him cautious about the prospect of shelling out on large projects like opening new locations. But instead of pulling back entirely, he has been investing more heavily in marketing, staffing and trying to improve customer experience at his existing locations. 'I'm still optimistic long-term," said Anderson. Christian Reed, who launched his Boston-based tools business as the Covid-19 pandemic took off, said this spring was even more chaotic. He paused new product manufacturing then due to tariff threats because his business, Reekon Tools, works with factories in China, Thailand and other affected countries. The company was 'in a holding pattern to see what was going to happen," Reed said. By early July, Reed said he had two revelations. Extreme upheaval in prices and consumer spending wasn't happening. And he was sick of waiting for certainty that seemed like it would never arrive. Christian Reed says he and his wife, who are expecting a second child this year, decided they are going to move ahead with buying a larger vehicle. His outlook as a consumer began to shift, too. He and his wife, who have a second child due in October, were holding off on upgrading their Mazda CX5 to a larger SUV that could more comfortably fit two car seats, plus their black lab and Italian greyhound. 'There was all the hyperbole that cars are going to go up 10,000%," Reed said. 'But it seems like none of that has really happened." They are planning to buy a Lexus or Volvo SUV next month. Write to Rachel Wolfe at and Konrad Putzier at
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada just falls short of bronze against Spain at FIBA U19 Women's World Cup
BRNO – Somtochukwu-Blessed Okafor hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:17 left as Spain spoiled Canada's effort to repeat as a bronze medallist with a 70-68 win at the FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup. Canada was down two entering the fourth quarter and was up 67-65 with just over two minutes left. Ada Toribio tied it for Spain with a layup with 2:02 remaining. After a missed floater by Canada's Cearah Parchment with 1:31 left, Okafor hit the dagger to give her a game-high of 23 points. Avery Howell hit one of her two free throws with 1:07 remaining but Canada fell short of inching any closer. Canada fell to Australia 87-75 in the semifinals on Saturday resulting in its appearance in the bronze-medal game. Spain lost to the United States 70-58 in the other semifinal. Syla Swords led Canada, which won bronze in 2023, with 20 points. The University of Michigan star finished as Canada's leading scorer in the tournament with 15.9 per contest. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2025.
