#betsy-devos

[sleepyleftistdemon]

SCOTUS Will Probably Kill Student Debt Relief. But Biden Has a Backup Plan.

The federal judiciary cannot blockade every path to debt cancellation.

[lamajaoscura]

Trump People Were the Worst Restaurant Guests, Too

Stephen Miller grilled me about caviar. Paul Manafort came in under a fake name. Wilbur Ross always got the cheapest wine (by the glass).

[saywhat-politics]

Trump People Were the Worst Restaurant Guests, Too

Stephen Miller grilled me about caviar. Paul Manafort came in under a fake name. Wilbur Ross always got the cheapest wine (by the glass).

[alwaysscreechingbasement]

Betsy DeVos won’t be missed. Here are some of her policies that need to be reversed.

Betsy DeVos managed to stay in office all four years, giving her plenty of time to do damage to our education system.

[alwaysscreechingbasement]

Goodbye, Betsy DeVos

The Trump administration’s most elitist do-nothing.

[cogitoergofun]

Betsy DeVos’ Attack on Academic Freedom Might Actually Work

The Trump administration’s attack on a Middle East studies program follows a familiar playbook.

But what is startling about the agency’s threat is that it puts forth no evidence that the consortium depicts Judaism—or Christianity or any other religion—negatively. Rather, the agency seems to believe that a mere focus on Islam inherently demeans other religions. The consortium teaches Middle Eastern languages, history, and geopolitics; it also hosts conferences and events, like film festivals, to bring the region’s culture to the community. To obtain federal funds, the program must “provide a full understanding” of the Middle East to students. And the Trump administration has charged its instructors with neglecting this duty by teaching extensively about Islam.

The accusation that the program is not sufficiently inclusive draws on a strategy commonly deployed by the right against cultural and academic study of marginalized groups. When Wisconsin Republicans threatened to shut down a critical race theory class at a public university, one GOP legislator asserted that the course would add “to the polarization of the races in our state.” And when South Carolina Republicans slashed funding for colleges that assigned LGBTQ-themed books, a GOP legislator explained that the literature “was about promoting one side” over the other.

Tuesday’s complaint is couched in seemingly reasonable terms, demanding “balance” rather than spouting bigotry. But it is just as alarming, because it is seeking to compel speech that aligns with the administration’s agenda. Republican-driven attempts to defund or cancel university courses have largely failed in the face of widespread backlash. The Trump administration’s might not.

[saywhat-politics]

Betsy DeVos’ Attack on Academic Freedom Might Actually Work

The Trump administration’s attack on a Middle East studies program follows a familiar playbook.

The Trump administration has threatened to withdraw federal funding from the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies because it does not portray Christianity or Judaism in a sufficiently “positive” light. A letter from the Department of Education—sent on Tuesday and reported by the New York Times on Thursday—directed the program to emphasize “positive aspects” of these and other non-Islamic religions in the Middle East. If it refuses, the department may strip the program of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[spsot]

Seth Meyers: No Matter What the Mueller Report Reveals, Betsy DeVos Is Awful

Really, really awful.