A Wrestling Magnate Candidate in the White House: Why Donald Trump’s 2016 Democratic Presidential Campaign Was “Just Over the Top”
McMahon has been on Trump’s cabinet before, but she has never worked with public schools. When she was elected to the Senate, she resigned from the Connecticut State Board of Education because she didn’t agree with a legal opinion that prevents board members from soliciting campaign contributions.
McMahon is a professional wrestling magnate who ran two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She was selected by Trump to lead the SBA during his first presidency. During her two years in that role, McMahon stayed out of the headlines, steering clear of the churn of controversies that were a feature of Trump’s first term in office. She stepped down in 2019 to run the Trump-aligned super PAC America First Action and has remained in Trump’s close orbit.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said, as secretary of education, McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.”
She appeared at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, and spoke emotionally about her first time working with Trump, saying, “Donald Trump is not only a fighter, ladies and gentlemen. He’s a good man. He has the heart of a lion and the soul of a warrior. And I believe that, if necessary, he would stand at the gates of hell to defend our country.”
At the same time, McMahon did not shy away from criticizing Trump’s comments about women during his 2016 presidential run. McMahon told Yahoo News that the comments were “just over the top.” She stated, “He’s certainly not helping to put women in the best light.” Maybe he regrets them, maybe he doesn’t. I realize he punches hard when he punches back, but that’s just over the top. I wish that no candidate would make those comments.”
According to Open Secrets, she gave over $7 million to two super-pacifics that supported Trump in the first race for president.
What the next secretary of education can do about sex-discrimination in schools and how to stop advocating against gender discrimination
Not on her own. The U.S. Department of Education was created by Congress and “to formally abolish [it], there is no way around needing 60 votes in [the Senate],” says Max Eden, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.
How easy is it to get 60 senators to support abolishing the department? It’s next to impossible to know how you will get enough votes to get that on the ballot.
It’s also worth noting that, even if the department were somehow shut down, the many things the department does wouldn’t necessarily go with it. For example: The major K-12 funding streams the department administers – including billions of Title I dollars to public schools in low-wealth communities – were created by Congress well before the department even existed.
“Some of the schools who rely the most on Title I are schools in poor, rural, white areas,” says Rachel Perera, a fellow in governance studies at the non-partisan Brookings Institution. “And congressional Republicans have shown time and time again that they’re not interested in hurting their constituents in that way.”
The next secretary of education will have plenty of authority and opportunities to influence policies that would have a direct impact on millions of Americans.
The Biden-Harris administration expanded protections against sex discrimination in schools to include sexual orientation and gender identity, a move cheered by advocates for gay and transgender students.
In 2016, the Obama administration issued its own Title IX guidance, telling schools that students should be allowed to use the bathroom facilities that correspond with their gender identity.
Biden’s efforts to cancel student debt without congressional approval has so far been skeptical by the courts. Plan B’s fate is still being debated and the next secretary could stop defending it.
The rule was paused by the courts in September, before it could be finished despite the challenge from Republican state attorneys general. Estimated to cost roughly $150 billion, it would, among other things, cancel the debts of borrowers with older loans and erase accrued interest for the millions of people who owe more than they borrowed.
Also in limbo is Biden’s signature loan repayment plan, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, which slashes borrowers’ payments (to as little as $0) while also preventing interest from growing. Forgiveness for borrowers with lower balances is a fast-track.
But SAVE’s considerable price tag (roughly $455 billion over 10 years, by one estimate) – and the fact that Biden used the rulemaking process to essentially circumvent Congress – likewise opened SAVE to the same legal fight that upended Biden’s first big forgiveness pitch.
For months now, 8 million borrowers enrolled in SAVE have been on pause, not being asked to make payments while the courts slowly decide whether the repayment plan is legal.
If SAVE is eventually deemed legal, the new education secretary could still simply phase it out. And if the plan is struck down, again, only a sympathetic secretary would choose to appeal.
Bridges, Divergences: A Conversation with Trump, Musk, Bluesky, and NPR Network Editor Lydia McCahon-Department of Education During the X-Odus
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The FEMA administrator was grilled by Congress yesterday about accusations of discrimination against Hurricane victims for political reasons and slow responses to disasters. Meanwhile, the Biden administration wants more money for disaster recovery after this year’s blitz of hurricanes, flash floods and wildfires.
At least 100,000 people have left the social media platform X since Trump won the presidential election in what has become known as the X-odus. One of Musk’s key advisers is X, and he is a vocal Trump supporter. The platform has become overrun with posts about Musk and Trump. Many looking for an alternative have turned to Bluesky.
Over the last few years and through this year’s contentious campaign season, there has been a coarsening of the way people talk. Reporters across the NPR Network are looking for examples of people working through their differences. These stories explore how some people are trying to bridge divides.
As the holidays approach, many people are preparing to engage in conversations with loved ones who may hold differing views. Despite our disagreements, there are viable ways to bridge divides, according to research. Science has many tools that you can use to make the discussion more productive if you find yourself in a disagreement where mutual respect is present.
Dune: Prophecy: The Bene-Gesterit Sisterhood in the Rise of Paul Atreides and the Rise and Fall of Time
In the new HBO series Dune: Prophecy, Emily Watson and Olivia Williams play two sisters who form a powerful sisterhood later known as the Bene Gesserit. The show takes place 10,000 years before the rise of the novel’s messianic figure, Paul Atreides. Watson and Williams jokingly refer to the period as 10,000 years B.C. — before Timothée Chalamet, who plays Atreides in the Dune films. The sisterhood is working to direct humanity on the right path after a massive war where humans beat machines. The six-episode season premiered Sunday. The way in which women view and wield power is the subject of a new show on Morning Edition.