Why Trumpās HUD pick is a red flag for housing advocates
By Jennifer Porter Gore President-elect Trump recently announced his nomination of Scott Turner to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner, a former NFL player and Texas legislator, would be the first ā and so far, only ā Black appointee in Trumpās second cabinet. But for housing advocates, his nomination and Trumpās anti-fair-housing agenda raise plenty of red flags. Indeed, while most housing advocates know little about Turner, theyāre amply aware of and concerned about what the second Trump administration has signaled will be its housing policy. Trumpās Housing Policies Werenāt Great During Trumpās first term, HUD
Government efficiency goals are great ā but not at the expense of the American people
By William S. Becker Donald TrumpĀ will not be the first elected leader who wants to fix inefficiencies and waste in government. But will he do it to benefit the American people or the authors of Project 2025? The two motives would produce vastly different outcomes. Waste and inefficiency are present in any large organization, and the U.S. government is one of the biggest. Its 2024 budget wasĀ $6.75 trillion;Ā it spends overĀ $760 billion annually on goods and services, making it the worldās largest single consumer. Other national leaders have attempted to ferret out waste. In 1975, Sen.Ā William ProxmireĀ (D-Wisc.) introduced his monthlyĀ Golden Fleece
Biden just gave Trump a new pardon playbook
By Kyle Cheney In hisĀ sweeping pardon of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden did not just protect his son. He also handed President-elect Donald Trump a template to shield his own allies and stretch the pardon power even further. Legal experts say Trump now has fresh precedent ā and political cover ā to issue expansive pardons absolving his allies not only of specific offenses, but even any undetermined crimes they may have committed. With theĀ singular exception of Gerald Fordās pardon of Richard Nixon, no modern American president had ever issued such a broad grant of clemency until Joe Bidenās āfull and
We havenāt seen a pardon as sweeping as Hunter Bidenās in generations
By Betsy Woodruff Swan Hunter Bidenās pardon looks a lot like Richard Nixonās. President Joe Bidenās grant of clemencyĀ on Sunday night ā anĀ extraordinary political actĀ with extraordinary legal breadth ā insulates his son from ever facing federal charges over any crimes he possibly could have committed over the past decade. Experts on pardons said they could think of only one other person who has received a presidential pardon so sweeping in generations: Nixon, who was given a blanket pardon by Gerald Ford in 1974. āI have never seen language like this in a pardon document that purports to pardon offenses that
3 Reasons Why Trump Ditching the Department of Education Will Especially Hurt Black Students
By Phenix S. Halley President-electĀ Donald TrumpĀ has outlined plans for his second term in scary detail: using military force to execute mass deportations, clearing out DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies, and, shockingly, even eliminating the Department of Education (DOE). In preparation for four more MAGA years,Ā Trump announced Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive, will head the DOE he vows to abolish, yes. With Americans everywhere still reeling from the Nov. 5 results, itās time we truly understand whatās at stake if the 44-year-old DOE is abolished ā especially for Black students. Billions of Dollars Wonāt Be Federally Regulated Itās important
Trump shake-up spurs optimism and anxiety among key US allies
By Laura Kelly Some of Americaās key security allies are hopeful President-elect Trumpās impetuous streak might spur resolution to drawn-out conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, but thereās also deep anxiety about the āAmerica Firstā agenda, compounded this week by Trumpās tariff threats. These competing sentiments were on display over the weekend at the Halifax International Security Forum, where top diplomats, defense ministers, U.S. lawmakers, foreign politicians, military brass, and democracy activists scoured for any clues on where Trump can be convinced to stand with allies, and where he is intent on going rogue. Rosa Brooks, a law professor
Republicans fume after President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter
ByĀ Megan Lebowitz Ā GOP lawmakers began publicly fuming shortly after President Joe Biden announcedĀ that he was pardoning his son Hunter Biden. President-elect Donald Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, reacted to the announcement without naming the president or his son. “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Cheung said in a statement. “That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an
Trump team eyes quick rollback of Biden student debt relief
By Michael Stratford President-elect Donald Trump is poised to pull the plug on President Joe Bidenās yearslong push to cancel student debt for tens of millions of people as Republicans sweep into power in the coming months. Trump transition advisers and outside allies have been discussing ways to quickly unwind the various Biden-era initiatives that offered new or easier paths to loan forgiveness for borrowers, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The move would be the culmination of nearly four years of attacks by GOP lawmakers and attorneys general on Bidenās student debt relief policies. On the campaign
Special counsel Jack Smith moves to drop both federal criminal cases against Trump
By Kyle Cheney Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday dropped one of his criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump and was on the verge of dropping the other ā a termination that is required, Smith said, by Justice Department policy that bars continuing the prosecutions once Trump is inaugurated. In a pair ofĀ courtĀ filings, Smith said he consulted with Justice Department officials about whether an ongoing prosecution against a person elected president might proceed. Officials in the departmentās Office of Legal Counsel, Smith said, concluded that a longstanding prohibition on prosecuting a sitting president applied to the two cases against Trump.
Red States Back Trumpās Plan to Abolish Education Department
Written By Jessica Blake An increasing number of Republican state officials are supporting President-elect Donald Trumpās plans to dismantle the federal Department of Education. One even formed an advisory committee to prepare for any new responsibilities the state may take on as a result. āWhat we want to make sure that weāre able to do is implement big changes in the fastest way possible,ā Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan WaltersĀ said Nov.Ā 11Ā as he announced the formation of a Trump Education Advisory Committee. āWeāve been at the tip of the spear for the most aggressive, conservative education agenda already, and now with President