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The Reasons We’ve Had a Department of Education

The Reasons We’ve Had a Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE), established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, operates to promote student achievement, ensure equal access to education, and enforce federal laws prohibiting discrimination in federally funded programs. Historically, the DOE controls policies related to federal financial aid, collects education data, and administers funding for education research. It notably manages Pell Grants, student loans, Title I programs (support for low-income students), special education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and oversees compliance with federal civil rights laws in educational institutions.

A Fear-based Immigration Policy (Immigration Policy Brief #142)

A Fear-based Immigration Policy (Immigration Policy Brief #142)

Trump’s mass deportation efforts remain ongoing across the U.S., capturing headlines with the arrests of student activists like Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, and the deportation of alleged Tren de Aragua members/Venezuelans legally here on asylum, not to Venezuela but El Salvador, including a U.S. resident misidentified as a gang member. Despite the high-profile raids and fiery rhetoric, government data shows that deportations under Trump still lag behind levels seen under the Biden administration.

A Court’s Options To Enforce Compliance With Court Orders

A Court’s Options To Enforce Compliance With Court Orders

Under Rule 3.3 of the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, titled “Candor Toward the Tribunal,” a lawyer has a number of duties when dealing with a court of law. Rule 3.3(a)(1) states “A lawyer shall not knowingly make a false statement of fact or law to a tribunal or fail to correct a false statement of material fact or law previously made to the tribunal by the lawyer. Additionally, Rule 3.3(a)(3) provides “A lawyer shall not knowingly offer evidence that the lawyer knows to be false. While these are model rules, each state has a version of these rules, including the section on “Candor Toward the Tribunal,” that all lawyers must abide by when dealing with a tribunal or court.

Ukrainians Views on the Trump-Zelensky Meeting in the Oval Office

Ukrainians Views on the Trump-Zelensky Meeting in the Oval Office

Many Ukrainians closely followed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington, where Ukraine and the United States planned to sign an agreement on rare earth metals. According to the American side, this deal was intended to pave the way for a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, a verbal spat between President Donald Trump, Vice President James Vance, and President Zelensky turned everything upside down.

Tangled Part 1: How Trump uses Machiavelli to Win An Election

Tangled Part 1: How Trump uses Machiavelli to Win An Election

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince provides a playbook for rulers to seize, hold, and consolidate power. Donald Trump’s second ascent to the Oval Office demonstrates that Machiavelli’s lessons are just as valid in 2025 as they were in 1515. The Prince is frequently summarized with the adage of “the ends justify the means”.

Introducing Gulf of America – from the person who gave us Trump Tower (Environmental Policy Brief #178)

Introducing Gulf of America – from the person who gave us Trump Tower (Environmental Policy Brief #178)

For the last 475 years, the expanse of ocean from western Florida to southern Texas has been called the “Gulf of Mexico.” English geographer Richard Hakluyt referred to the “Gulfe of Mexico” in his work of 1589. With the stroke of a pen on February 9, 2025, the President of the United States signed Executive Order 14172 and renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.” In addition to “restoring American pride,” President Trump justified the name change by referencing territorial rights over much of the area and that those waters have “long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.” Trump considers the Gulf a business asset.

Argentinian Resistance: Austerity’s Failures

Argentinian Resistance: Austerity’s Failures

The Argentinian people have had enough. On 12 March 2025, the people of Buenos Aires took to the street to protests President Javier Milei’s policy of extreme austerity. The protesters showed anger at the weakness of their pension system exposed by these policies. In reaction, the government sent out police; senior citizens and soccer fans were then blasted with firehoses, teargassed, and shot with rubber bullets Ghastly images and videos have emerged of badly wounded protesters voicing their desperation to the riot police.

Legal Battles: The Quiet Yet Powerful Resistance of the State Attorneys General

Legal Battles: The Quiet Yet Powerful Resistance of the State Attorneys General

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established under the Trump administration and led by Elon Musk, has embarked on an ambitious mission to streamline federal operations by significantly reducing the workforce across various agencies. This initiative aims to cut $1 trillion from the federal budget during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, primarily through substantial layoffs and restructuring efforts. While proponents argue that these measures are necessary to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce government spending, critics warn of potential disruptions to essential public services and the erosion of institutional knowledge within federal agencies.

Musk’s Outrageous Conflicts of Interest

Musk’s Outrageous Conflicts of Interest

Distaste for Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is fueling protests at Tesla showrooms, a boycott of the company’s cars, and a rapidly deteriorating stock price.  But Musk can easily make up the losses from the federal government he is gleefully gutting.  Musk is poised to continue making billions from federal subsidies and contracts despite the obvious ethical problems.

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