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The Trans Bathroom Issue Explodes in Congress | Diane Ravitch's blog
Delaware elected Sarah McBride to Congress. Representative McBride is transgender. Republican women are going nuts for fear that Rep. McBride might use the women's bathroom. Or the women's gym. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced a resolution to bar Rep. McBride from using the women's facilities. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is aghast and…
Peter Greene: A Tribute to 6-Year-Old Ruby Bridges | Diane Ravitch's blog
Peter Greene reminds us of an important anniversary that we should have commemorated: the arrival of 6-year-old Ruby Bridges at the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, where she was the first Black child. She had to walk through crowds of screaming whites, mostly women, who didn't want her to integrate the school. She…
Andy Borowitz: What Do We Do Now? Thoughts for Voters | Diane Ravitch's blog
Andy Borowitz has words of wisdom for Democrats and Never Trumpers. Do not despair. Prepare. Big electoral wins breed hubris, overconfidence, overreach. Or, pride goeth before a fall. He writes: Maybe you’ve been asking yourself: 1. “How could Donald Trump have won 51 percent of the popular vote?” 2. “How hard is it to immigrate…
Trump Picks Linda McMahon, Wrestling Exec and Friend, as Secretary of Education | Diane Ravitch's blog
President-Elect Trump announced that he has chosen Linda McMahon as his Secretary of Education. McMahon, 76, was co-chair of Trump's transition and served as head of the Small Business Administration in Trump's previous term. She made a lot of money as a partner in World Wrestling Entertainment and helped turn it into a multi-billion company.…
What’s on the Musk-Ramaswamy Chopping Block? | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of a "Department of Government Efficiency" and told them to have fun cutting the federal budget. A billionaire and a millionaire who know nothing about government programs will start hacking away. The Washington Post helpfully assembled a list of programs that are prime targets. Jacob Bogage…
Heather Cox Richardson: Trump Attacks the Foundations of Our Government | Diane Ravitch's blog
In this post, Heather Cox Richardson demonstrates why she has over one million paid subscribers. She brilliantly weaves together events of the day to show the pattern on the rug. The economy is humming along with new jobs created by Biden. Meanwhile Trump plans massive cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.…
Jared Polis, Democratic Governor of Colorado, Praises RFK Jr. | Diane Ravitch's blog
https://www.denverpost.com/2024/11/14/jared-polis-rfk-jr-trump-hhs-endorsement-tweet/ Colorado Gov. Jared Polis holds up a copy of Project 2025 as he speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday cheered anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the nation’s top public health agency, highlighting the controversial nominee’s stances…
John Thompson: Steve Brill’s Destructive Attacks on Teachers Did Real Damage | Diane Ravitch's blog
Retired Oklahoma City teacher John Thompson wrote in The Oklahoman about the early days of the teacher-bashing movement. At its center he found a journalist-entrepreneur named Steve Brill, who wrote a slashing attack on teachers, tenure, and teacher unions in The New Yorker. Even in Oklahoma, Brill's article was big news, because it identified the…
Editor of Scientific American Resigns After Expressing Outrage About Trump Win | Diane Ravitch's blog
NPR reported on the resignation of Laura Helmuth, the editor of Scientific American, in the wake of her comments about Trump on social media after the election. Who knew that Trump supporters were such snowflakes? Trump constantly sneers at and insults people and he got elected President. She expressed her reaction to his election and…
“Democracy”: Why Trump Chose FOX News Host as Secretary of Defense | Diane Ravitch's blog
Our reader "Democracy" explains why Trump chose Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. Trump has said that he wants the military to participate in rounding up, detaining, and expelling millions of immigrants. Hegseth won't object. Trump has said he wants the military to crack down on protests or gatherings he doesn't like. Hegseth won't…
John Horgan, Science Writer, Laments the Loss of a Bold Editor | Diane Ravitch's blog
John Horgan is a widely published science writer. In this article, he expresses his sorrow that Scientific American bowed to pressure to oust its outstanding Chief Editor Laura Helmuth. Right wingers love to attack Democrats for "censorship," but it is Republicans who forced Helmuth's ouster and Republicans who ban books. He wrote: Well before Scientific American’s…
Miranda Yaver: Disaster Ahead at the National Institutes of Health | Diane Ravitch's blog
Miranda Yaver, a professor of public health policy at the university of Pittsburgh, writes about Trump's disastrous choice to run the National Institutes of Health. She writes: I first got interested in health policy because of Ronald Reagan, but not in the way you might think. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area with…
Trump Tries to Bypass the Senate to Install His Cabinet of Horribles | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump knows that there is a strong possibility that some of his nominees for his Cabinet are so unqualified that they may not be approved by the Republican majority of the Senate. The Senate typically advises and gives its consent to high-level appointments. But Trump is trying to exercise a relatively obscure provision of the…
Muslim Leaders Who Endorsed Trump Are Dismayed by His Pro-Israel Cabinet Picks | Diane Ravitch's blog
Reuters reports that Muslim leaders in Michigan who endorsed Trump are having buyers' remorse. Thus far, his cabinet selections are pro-Israel; none is pro-Muslim or pro-Palestinian. Trump got a campaign donation of $100 million from Dr. Miriam Adelson, Israeli-born wife of the billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson. She is passionate about Israel. Secretary of State-designate…
James Talarico: What Jesus Teaches about How to Live | Diane Ravitch's blog
James Talarico is a Texas legislator who is studying to be a minister. He gave this speech recently in response to the claims of Christian nationalists. It has received more than 500,000 views. The clip is from Instagram. I hope you can open it. I loved it. I hope you do too. You don't have…
Trump’s Enemies List: Should They Worry? | Diane Ravitch's blog
Vanity Fair posted a partial list of people who have been threatened by Trump. It's a partial list because Trump has threatened so many people that no one can name them all. He is truly at heart a Mafia Don. Who, exactly, would be within their rights to be sweating buckets—or, more likely, shitting bricks—at…
The Bulwark: Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian Asset | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump nominated former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence, the person at the pinnacle of the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency, and more than a dozen other intelligence agencies. Her nomination is startling, not only because she has no relevant experience, but far more important, because she has a history…
The Atlantic: Tulsi Gabbard Should Not Be Confirmed as Director of National Intelligence | Diane Ravitch's blog
Tom Nichols writes about national security for The Atlantic. In this article, he writes that Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for the highest ranking position in the intelligence community, is not only manifestly unqualified but is a threat to national security. She has spent the past few years as an apologist for the dictator of Syria,…
Matt Gaetz Should Not Be Confirmed as Attorney General | Diane Ravitch's blog
When Trump announced that he intended to nominate Representative Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney General, a gasp went up in both political parties. Gaetz has been a fierce Trump loyalist, which is why Trump chose him. He certainly didn't choose him because he is an eminent member of the bar, because he has the…
Associated Press: What Trump Promised to Do on Day One | Diane Ravitch's blog
Throughout the campaign, Trump issued threats and promises of what he would do on Day One. Elections have consequences. The AP assembled his to-do list for Day One. It will be a very busy day. WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t be a dictator — “except for Day 1.” According to his own statements, he’s got…
Pete Hegseth is Unqualified to be Secretary of Defense | Diane Ravitch's blog
Writing on the MSNBC website, former Obama administration official Brandon Friedman explains why Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense is unqualified. Pete Hegseth is a FOX News host on "Fox and Friends." He served in the National Guard and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo. He started his career as a financial analyst at Bear…
John Thompson: Ryan Walters Wants to be a Pea in Trump’s Pod | Diane Ravitch's blog
John Thompson describes Ryan Walters' frenzied campaign to be chosen as Trump's Secretary of Education. In Oklahoma, where he is State Superintendent, Walters has been pushing the Trump agenda long before the election. He wants religion in the schools, he wants to dismantle the Department of Education, he wants to destroy public schools, he wants…
CBS: NPE Report Finds 36% of Michigan Charter Schools Fail in First Five Years | Diane Ravitch's blog
CBS News in Detroit reported on the latest study by the Network for Public Education, which showed that more than one-third of charter schools close within the first five years. The NPE study is based on federal data. Most charter schools in Michigan operate for-profit. Please open the link to see the video. (CBS DETROIT) —…
ProPublica: Voters in Three States Rejected Vouchers | Diane Ravitch's blog
It remains a fact that vouchers have never won a state referendum. Typically, voters reject vouchers by large margins. Yet Republicans continue to push them. This election, three states that voted for Trump defeated vouchers. ProPublica reported on the public's rejection of vouchers: In 2018, Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected school vouchers. On the ballot that year was…
Tass: Putin Believes Trump Owes Him for His Victory | Diane Ravitch's blog
As you recall, I wrote here that I believe that Putin rigged our election. I don't know how but the best hacking leaves no tracks. But "no evidence" is not evidence. No one is investigating. But there is more. A woman named Julia Davis translates Russian media and posts what the Russian press reports. Tass,…
Trump Names Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to Redesign the Federal Government; and a FOX News Host to Lead Dept of Defense | Diane Ravitch's blog
Trump announced that his $100 million donor Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would head a Department of Government Efficiency with the job of redesigning and downsizing the federal government. Did we elect Musk? Ramaswamy? Who are these guys? They say they will cut the federal budget by 1/3. Will they cut Social Security? Medicare? National…
Mercedes Schneider: Trump’s Plans for Education | Diane Ravitch's blog
If Trump follows through with his education proposals, if the Republican-controlled Congress lets him do it, America's students and teachers are in for a world of hurt. Mercedes Schneider writes here about what's at stake. I did not copy and paste the article in full. It is excellent. I urge you to open the link.…
Peter Greene: Another Charter Miracle School Implodes | Diane Ravitch's blog
Perhaps you remember "Waiting for 'Superman,'" the overhyped documentary from 2010 that made the audacious claim that public schools were failing due to "bad teachers"and that the only sane alternative was charter schools. The documentary was funded by the Gates Foundation, with the obvious purpose of smearing public schools and promoting charter schools. I reviewed…
Jamelle Bouie: Do Trump Voters Know What He Plans to Do to Them? | Diane Ravitch's blog
Jamelle Bouie writes regularly for The New York Times. I subscribed to get extra writing from him. In this one, he asks the question that has undoubtedly occurred to many people. Bouie writes: On Tuesday, Donald Trump became the first Republican in 20 years to win the national popular vote and the Electoral College. The…
Michael Tomasky: The Real Reason Trump Won | Diane Ravitch's blog
Michael Tomasky of The New Republic offers his view about why Trump won. I think it was because Putin intervened with hacking. Most think it was high prices, the cost of eggs and gasoline. Some say it was because Kamala had no agenda (I disagree). Some say it was her unwillingness to detach from unpopular…
Heather Cox Richardson: Why Kamala Lost | Diane Ravitch's blog
Pundits today have spent time dissecting the election results, many trying to find the one tweak that would have changed the outcome, and suggesting sweeping solutions to the Democrats’ obvious inability to attract voters. There is no doubt that a key factor in voters’ swing to Trump is that they associated the inflation of the…
Robert Hubbell: The Pundits Who Blame Democrats Are Wrong | Diane Ravitch's blog
Robert Hubbell is a popular and insightful blogger who has been an inspiration during the campaign. In this post, he takes issue with the pundits who blame Democrats for Trump's victory, specifically, those who say that Democrats abandoned the working class. Hubbell wrote: People continue to be in shock. Many readers report that they have…
Politico: “The Greatest Failure of Federal Law Enforcement in History” | Diane Ravitch's blog
Donald Trump refused to accept the fact that he lost the 2020 election. He tried to overturn the election in federal and state courts and lost more than 60 times, because he had no evidence. He summoned his devoted fans to Washington on January 6 and whipped them into a frenzy, encouraging them to march…
“Democracy”: The Corrosion of the Republican Party | Diane Ravitch's blog
Our reader "Democracy" posted the following comment about the Presidential election: In April of 2012, Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, two of the most respected Congressional scholars in the country, published this piece in The Washington Post: “We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen…
Greg Olear: The Grim Reality Begins to Set In | Diane Ravitch's blog
Greg Olear is a novelist, journalist, author, and blogger. He has a long memory and thinks clearly. When I read his work, I hear echoes of what I'm thinking. He writes: We are a few days removed from an orange guillotine slicing through the neck of American democracy. The chicken that is our body politic,…
Adam Kinzinger: I Am Not Afraid of Trump. He Is a Coward. | Diane Ravitch's blog
Adam Kinzinger is a military veteran and was a Republican member of Congress. He voted to impeach Trump, then served on the J6 Commission. His was a reliable Republican vote until January 6, 2021. He wrote on his blog: When I decided to stand against Donald Trump, I knew exactly what was coming: backlash, threats,…
NYC: “Empty Beds” Mural Depicts Ukrainian Children Kidnapped by Russia | Diane Ravitch's blog
The war for Ukrainian freedom grinds on. One of its ugliest chapters is the mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children. Thousands have been stolen from their homes and taken to Russia, where they are "adopted" by Russian families. A new art exhibit in New York City is a stark reminder of their plight: On a quiet…
Chris Tomlinson: Five Promises Trump Should Break to Save the Economy | Diane Ravitch's blog
Chris Tomlinson, a columnist for the Houston Chronicle, writes that Trump will break the economy unless he breaks five of his campaign promises. Fat chance. The U.S. voter will soon see what happens when President-elect Donald Trump’s hyperbole meets reality. The former and future president made a lot of big promises during his campaign, from blanket tariffs…
Peter Greene: This Election Taught Us a Lesson: Teach Truth | Diane Ravitch's blog
Peter Greene asks how teachers can insist on honesty and evidence when the new president exemplifies the success of their opposites. Please open the link and read the article in full. He writes: We are already talking about the worst, ugliest, most misogynistic and racist impulses that will be boosted by Trump's election. But for…