A Conversation with Linda McMahon on Trump’s First Two Terms in the Post-Women’s Department of Education: Putting Women First
President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Linda McMahon to lead the U.S. Department of Education. During Trump’s first term, she was picked to run the U.S. Small Business Administration. She’s best known for setting up the professional wrestling company she co-owned with her husband.
McMahon ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut twice. During Trump’s first presidency, she was selected to lead the SBA. 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 ran the Trump-aligned super PAC America First Action, until she stepped down to take a job in the administration.
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 spoke of her first time working with Trump at the Republican National Convention and said that he is more than a fighter. He is a nice man. He has the soul of a warrior and the heart of a lion. And I believe that, if necessary, he would stand at the gates of hell to defend our country.”
McMahon didn’t shy away from criticism of Trump’s comments about women during his campaign. McMahon told Yahoo News that the comments were “just over the top.” She added, “He’s not helping, certainly, 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.”
She’s a longtime backer of the president-elect, and donated more than $7 million to two super-PACs that supported Trump in his first campaign for president, according to Open Secrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign finance.
The Future of the Department of Education: Linda McMahon, President Obama and a Closer Look at the Status of Sex Discrimination in Schools
No, not on her own. A senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute says there are no need for 60 votes in the Senate to formally abolish the Department of Education.
How easy is it to find 60 senators willing to abolish the department? It’s next to impossible to know how you’ll get the 60 votes.
Even if the department were shut down, the many things it does wouldn’t necessarily go with it. The major K-12 funding streams that the department administers, including billions of Title I dollars to public schools in low-income communities, were created before the department existed.
The school that depends on Title I the most is one that is in poor, rural, white areas. Congressional Republicans have shown time and time again they aren’t interested in hurting their own citizens.
The next secretary of education will have the authority to influence policy that will 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.
The Title IX guidance was issued in 2016 by the Obama administration, which stated that students should be Allowed to use the bathroom facilities that correspond with their gender identity.
Source: Trump picks business executive Linda McMahon to lead the Education Department
The Education Secretary’s First Big Forgiven Loan: A Case Study with Biden’s Second Effort at Broad Loan Forgiveness
The incoming education secretary will also have big choices to make with the federal student loan program. Biden’s second effort at broad loan forgiveness, initiated after the Supreme Court scuttled his first, is now being litigated in court.
This so-called Plan B was challenged by Republican state attorneys general and paused by the courts in September, before the rule could be finished, let alone rolled out. It would cancel debts of borrowers with older loans and remove accrued interest for millions of people who owe more than they borrowed, in addition to being an estimated $150 billion.
The Save on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, Biden’s signature loan repayment plan, is in limbo, because it reduces borrowers’ payments to as little as $0 while also preventing interest from growing. It even offers a fast-track to forgiveness for borrowers with lower balances.
Biden’s first big forgiveness pitch was upended by a legal fight that stems from SAVE’s large price tag and the fact that he used the rulemaking process to circumvent Congress.
Many borrowers in SAVE are not being asked to make payments until the courts make a decision about the legality of the repayment plan.
The new education secretary could simply phase out SAVE if it ever gets deemed legal. And if the plan is struck down, again, only a sympathetic secretary would choose to appeal.
Bringing Up First to Your Dilemma: A Case Study of Trump Picks Lead for Education Department. And, Tips to Bridge Political Divides
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FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell was grilled by Congress yesterday, about accusations that the agency discriminated against some Hurricane victims for political reasons. The Biden administration wants more money to help recover from this year’s disasters.
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. X is owned by Elon Musk, a vocal Trump supporter and now one of his key advisers. The platform has become overrun with posts about Musk and Trump. Many looking for an alternative have turned to Bluesky.
Over the past few years and through this year’s campaign season, people have been talking in a way that is coarse. 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.
With the holidays around the corner, many people are getting ready to talk to their loved ones who have differing views. Despite our disagreements, research shows there are effective ways to bridge divides. If you find yourself in a disagreement where mutual respect is present and you’re interested in constructive dialogue, science offers several tools to help make the conversation more productive.
Source: Trump picks lead for Education Department. And, tips to bridge political divides
The HBO Series Dune: Prophecy: The Bene Gesserit and the Women’s Role in the Age of Power
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 rise of the novel’s messianic figure, Paul Atreides, takes place before the show takes place. The period in question was 10,000 years B.C., before Atreides, played by Chalamet in the Dune films. The sisterhood is working to make a better world after a war where humans beat machines. The new season is six episodes long. Morning Edition host Michel Martin spoke with Watson and Williams about the series’ way of tackling how women view and wield power.