Trump issues orders to promote school choice, end “anti-American” teaching

Trump issues orders to promote school choice, end “anti-American” teaching
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed executive orders to promote parental choice in school selection and end federal funding for curricula. (AFP/File)
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Updated 30 January 2025
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Trump issues orders to promote school choice, end “anti-American” teaching

Trump issues orders to promote school choice, end “anti-American” teaching
  • Order prioritizes federal funding for school choice programs
  • Second order aims to block federal funding related to “gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology” in schools

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed executive orders to promote parental choice in school selection and end federal funding for curricula that he called the “indoctrination” of students in “anti-American” ideologies on race and gender.
The two directives, which come a week after Trump was sworn into his second term of office, are in keeping with his campaign promise to remake the country’s education system in line with a rigorous conservative agenda that Democrats say could undermine public schools.
The first order directs the Department of Education to issue guidance on how states can use federal education funds to support “choice initiatives,” without providing further details.
“It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children,” the president said in the order. “Too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school.”
His second directive aims to stop schools from using federal funds for curriculum, teacher certification and other purposes related to “gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology.”
“In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight,” it reads.
Trump and his allies throughout the campaign have accused public schools of teaching white children to be ashamed of themselves and their ancestors due to the country’s history of slavery and discrimination against people of color.
The second order, without evidence, claims that teachers have been “demanding acquiescence” to concepts of “white privilege” or “unconscious bias” and thereby promoting racism and undermining national unity.
The executive order will have a “chilling effect” on subjects related to race and ethnicity in schools, said Basil Smikle Jr., a political strategist.
“I would imagine that it would restrict the kind of reading materials that are even available to students outside of the classroom,” he said.
Although that order does not invoke the term “critical race theory” by name, it employs the language often used by CRT opponents to criticize teaching about institutional racism.
A once-obscure academic concept, the theory has become a fixture in the fierce US debate over how to teach children about the country’s history and structural racism. An academic framework most often taught in law schools but not in primary and secondary schools, it rests on the premise that racial bias — intentional or not — is baked into US laws and institutions.
Conservatives have invoked the term to denounce curricula they consider too liberal or excessively focused on America’s history of racial discrimination. Supporters say understanding institutional racism is necessary to address inequality.
Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University, said the order came as no surprise.
“As a candidate, he said there was radical indoctrination of students,” she said. “He’s making sure to frighten students and educators across the country so they can’t teach the real history of the United States.”
It was not clear how the order issued on Wednesday would affect how the history of race relations is taught in American schools. During his inaugural address last week, Trump criticized education that “teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves — in many cases, to hate our country.”

SCHOOL CHOICE

The first order also directs the US Department of Education to prioritize federal funding for school choice programs, a longstanding goal for conservatives who say public schools are failing to meet academic standards while pushing liberal ideas.
Many Democrats and teachers’ unions, on the other hand, say school choice undermines the public system that educates 50 million US children.
Federal test scores released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress on Wednesday underscored the challenge faced by educators in the wake of widespread learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scores showed that one-third of eighth graders tested below NAEP’s “basic” reading level, the most in the test’s three-decade history, while some 40 percent of fourth-graders also fell below that basic threshold.
That executive order also directs US states on how they could use block grants to support alternatives to public education, such as private and religious schools.
US education is primarily funded via states and local taxes, with federal sources accounting for about 14 percent of the funding of public K-12 schools, according to Census data.
Trump’s order could affect some $30 billion to $40 billion in federal grants, estimated Frederick Hess, an education expert at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute.
“This stuff is directionally significant,” said Hess, adding that Trump’s directive represented “the most emphatic support for school choice we’ve ever seen at the federal level.”
The first order also calls for allowing military families to use Pentagon funds to send their children to the school of their choosing. It also mandates that Native American families with students in the Bureau of Indian Education be allowed to use federal funds in selecting their schools.
A number of Republican-leaning states have in recent years adopted universal or near-universal school choice policies, paving the way for vouchers or other methods that allocate taxpayer funds for homeschooling or private tuition.
Josh Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University, said that Trump’s executive order is aimed at sending “an aggressive statement about his position on vouchers” even if his power to reallocate funds is limited.
Cowen said the bigger potential financial impact on education lies with a bill reintroduced in Congress this week that would create a federal school voucher program with an estimated $10 billion in annual tax credits. 


UN nuclear chief to view soil removed from Fukushima

UN nuclear chief to view soil removed from Fukushima
Updated 9 sec ago
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UN nuclear chief to view soil removed from Fukushima

UN nuclear chief to view soil removed from Fukushima
TOKYO: The UN nuclear watchdog chief arrives in Japan on Tuesday for a trip that will include his first visit to storage facilities for soil contaminated in the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
It is the fifth official visit to the country by Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The organization is monitoring the decades-long process to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which went into meltdown after being hit by a tsunami in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Workers at the wrecked plant on Japan’s northeast coast last week began dismantling wastewater storage tanks to free up space for tons of nuclear debris.
Grossi will tour the site on Wednesday, and will also be shown the contaminated soil that the government is currently discussing how to handle.
After the disaster, about 13 million cubic meters of soil and about 300,000 cubic meters of ash from the incineration of organic material was removed from the wider Fukushima region, as part of decontamination efforts.
For comparison, the Tokyo Dome arena, where US pop superstar Taylor Swift performed last year, has a capacity of 1.24 million cubic meters.
The soil is being kept at interim storage facilities, over a total area of 16 square kilometers (six square miles).
Japan plans to recycle roughly 75 percent of the removed soil — the portion found to have low radioactivity levels.
If this material is confirmed safe, authorities want to use it for civil engineering projects, including building embankments for roads and railways, the government and the IAEA say.
The remaining soil will be disposed of outside Fukushima region ahead of a 2045 deadline.
The government has said it intends to confirm the disposal site this year, with Fukushima’s regional governor reportedly urging them to come up with a plan quickly.
“Japan’s approach for recycling and disposing of soil and radioactive waste from decontamination activities... is consistent with IAEA safety standards,” the IAEA said in September in its final report on the soil issue.
The Fukushima plant was hit by a huge earthquake-triggered tsunami in March 2011 that killed 18,000 people.
The most dangerous part of the complex Fukushima plant clean-up — removing around 880 tons of radioactive fuel and rubble from three stricken reactors — has only just begun, with one tiny sample removed by a robotic claw.
During Grossi’s visit, experts from the IAEA and neighboring countries including China and South Korea will also take seawater and fish samples “to further increase the transparency” of the process of releasing treated wastewater into the sea, an official from Japan’s energy agency said.
Plant operator TEPCO in August 2023 began discharging 1.3 million tons of collected groundwater, seawater and rainwater, along with water used for cooling the reactors.
The water release has been endorsed by the IAEA, and TEPCO says all radioactive elements have been filtered out except for tritium, levels of which are within safe limits.
But countries including China and Russia have criticized the release and banned Japanese seafood imports over safety concerns.
China in September said it would “gradually resume” importing seafood from Japan but this has yet to begin.

Russia frees American prisoner ahead of talks with US, New York Times reports

Russia frees American prisoner ahead of talks with US, New York Times reports
Updated 50 min 17 sec ago
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Russia frees American prisoner ahead of talks with US, New York Times reports

Russia frees American prisoner ahead of talks with US, New York Times reports
  • Kalob Byers Wayne, 28, had been detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport during a baggage check on February 7, after customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage

WASHINGTON: The Russian government on Monday released a US citizen that had been detained on charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana, ahead of talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, the New York Times reported.
Kalob Byers Wayne, 28, had been detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport during a baggage check on February 7, after customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage.
The Kremlin’s spokesman said the Saudi-based talks on Tuesday would aim to restore relations between Moscow and Washington, and “so certain events can be viewed in this context,” the Times reported.

 


Argentine judge investigates fraud case against President Milei over crypto promotion

Then presidential hopeful Javier Milei looks on during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP)
Then presidential hopeful Javier Milei looks on during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP)
Updated 18 February 2025
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Argentine judge investigates fraud case against President Milei over crypto promotion

Then presidential hopeful Javier Milei looks on during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP)
  • The case was assigned Monday to Judge María Servini, head of Federal Court No. 1 in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: A judge in Argentina was selected Monday to investigate allegations of fraud against President Javier Milei for his brief promotion of a cryptocurrency whose value collapsed within hours of its launch last week. Milei distanced himself from the scandal and said he acted in good faith.
Milei and his office denied involvement with creators of the $LIBRA cryptocurrency, saying he initially drew attention to it Friday as an entrepreneurial project that might benefit Argentina but learned more about it later and then withdrew his support.
Lawyers in Argentina filed fraud complaints against the libertarian President on Sunday. The case was assigned Monday to Judge María Servini, head of Federal Court No. 1 in Buenos Aires. She doesn’t have a deadline to finish investigating the allegations.
In a tweet Friday evening that coincided with the launch of the $LIBRA crypto coin, Milei said that it was aimed at “encouraging economic growth by funding small businesses and startups.”
It enjoyed a brief spike in value above $4 billion in market capitalization, although its value began to decline amid comments of critics that it could be a scam. Milei deleted the post a few hours later as the value of the cryptocurrency was collapsing in a downturn that caused millions of dollars in losses to many of its new investors.
The coin, developed by KIP Protocol and Hayden Davis, could be obtained by accessing a link that directed users to a website called vivalalibertadproject.com, referring to the well-known phrase “Viva la libertad!” that Milei uses to close speeches and messages on his social media.
The president’s office said in a statement that Milei was not involved in any stage of the cryptocurrency’s development and decided to remove his post to avoid speculation and limit further exposure, following the public reaction to the project’s launch.
“The president shared a post on his personal accounts announcing the launch of KIP Protocol’s project, as he does daily with many entrepreneurs who wish to launch projects in Argentina to create jobs and attract investments,” the president’s office said.
After deleting the post, Milei said on X he was unaware of the details of the cryptocurrency, and accused his political opponents of trying to exploit the episode.
“I have nothing to hide and I have no problem coming forward and showing my face,” Milei said Monday in an interview with the Todo Noticias channel. “Those who entered there voluntarily knew what they were getting into,” he added. “As volatility traders, they understood the risks involved.”
His office said in the statement that the country’s Anti-Corruption Office, which operates under the executive branch, would investigate the case.
Jonatan Baldiviezo, a lawyer and one of the plaintiffs, said Sunday that the plaintiffs allege that Milei’s actions were part of an illicit association to commit “an indeterminate number of frauds” in the episode.
“Within this illicit association, the crime of fraud was committed, in which the president’s actions were essential,” he said.
 

 


Macron says Ukraine peace must come with ‘strong and credible security guarantees’

Macron says Ukraine peace must come with ‘strong and credible security guarantees’
Updated 18 February 2025
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Macron says Ukraine peace must come with ‘strong and credible security guarantees’

Macron says Ukraine peace must come with ‘strong and credible security guarantees’

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that peace in Ukraine “must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees,” following a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” Macron said on social media following emergency talks with European leaders in Paris.


Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash

Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash
Updated 18 February 2025
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Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash

Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.
The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told The Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Transportation Department official told the AP late Monday that no air traffic controllers were affected by the cuts, and that the agency has “retained employees who perform critical safety functions.” In a follow-up query the agency said they would have to look into whether the radar, landing and navigational aid workers affected were considered to handle critical safety functions.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a brief statement Monday it was “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system and our members.”
Other FAA employees who were fired were working on an urgent and classified early warning radar system the Air Force had announced in 2023 for Hawaii to detect incoming cruise missiles, through a program that was in part funded by the Defense Department. It’s one of several programs that the FAA’s National Defense Program manages that involve radars providing longer-range detection around the country’s borders.
Due to the nature of their work, staff in that office typically provide an extensive knowledge transfer before retiring to make sure no institutional knowledge is lost, said Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, one of the employees in that branch who was terminated.
The Hawaii radar and the FAA National Defense Program office working on it are “about protecting national security,” Spitzer-Stadtlander said. “I don’t think they even knew what NDP does, they just thought, oh no big deal, he just works for the FAA.”
“This is about protecting national security, and I’m scared to death,” Spitzer-Stadtlander said. “And the American public should be scared too.”
Spero said messages began arriving after 7 p.m. Friday and continued late into the night. More might be notified over the long weekend or barred from entering FAA buildings Tuesday, he said.
The employees were fired “without cause nor based on performance or conduct,” Spero said, and the emails were “from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address” — not a government email address. A copy of the termination email that was provided to the AP shows the sending address “ASK_AHR_EXEC_Orders@usfaa.mail.outlook.com.”
The firings hit the FAA as it is facing a shortfall in controllers. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at US airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements.
In the Jan. 29 fatal crash between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet, which is still under investigation, one controller was handing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport.
Just days before the collision, President Donald Trump had already fired all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel mandated by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The committee is charged with examining safety issues at airlines and airports.
Spitzer-Stadtlander suggested he was targeted for firing for his views on Tesla and X, formerly Twitter, not as part of a general probationary-level sweep. Both companies are owned by Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency is leading Trump’s effort to cut the federal government.
Spitzer-Stadtlander is Jewish and was angered by Musk’s straight-arm gesture at Trump’s inauguration. On his personal Facebook page he urged friends to get rid of their Teslas and X accounts in response.
Spitzer-Stadtlander said that post drew the attention of a Facebook account labeled “Department of Government Efficiency,” which reacted with a laughing emoji. Soon after, he saw the same account reacting to much older posts through his personal Facebook feed.
There are at least a half-dozen Facebook accounts labeled “Department of Government Efficiency,” and it’s unclear who operates any of them. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt wrote Monday on X, “DOGE doesn’t even have a Facebook page.”
Spitzer-Stadtlander said he was supposed to be exempted from the probationary firings because the FAA office he worked in focused on national security threats such as attacks on the national airspace by drones.
“Less than a week later, I was fired, despite my position allegedly being exempted due to national security,” Spitzer-Stadtlander wrote in a post over the weekend on LinkedIn.
He added, “When DOGE fired me, they turned off my computer and wiped all of my files without warning.”
DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firings were first reported by CNN.