Can DEI be banned in schools?
Howdy! It’s Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at Paste BN. This week's gone by fast, hasn't it?
Trump gave schools 2 weeks to ban DEI. Lawyers say it's not that simple.
President Donald Trump’s Education Department has a simple message to schools: ban all diversity, equity and inclusion at school or else. Last week, Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a letter that the law now prohibits schools reliant on federal money from “using race in decisions” like admissions, financial aid and scholarships. The guidance has caused confusion on whether colleges would have to cancel special graduation ceremonies for marginalized groups or close resource centers and clubs for LGBTQ+, Black or Asian American students.
But lawyers and school administrators have expressed doubt about the feasibility of complying with such a broad and vague mandate in just two weeks. Read more.
- Civil rights groups sue Trump over anti-DEI orders
A politics pit stop
- Breaking: Sen. Mitch McConnell will not seek reelection in 2026
- Harris signs with Hollywood talent agency, joining Biden and Obama
- Reports: IRS to lay off around 6,000 workers amid Trump hiring freeze
- Some GOP senators disagree with Trump branding Zelenskyy a 'dictator'
- Hegseth tells military to find $50 billion in funds for Trump programs
- Trump says feds should 'take over' Washington D.C.
They feared death in Iran. Then the US banished them to Panama
Artemis Ghasemzadeh, a 27-year-old Iranian Christian, is desperate to get her case heard. After journeying to the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana to seek asylum, she and others in her group were shackled and flown to Panama. The flights are part of Donald Trump’s strategy of outsourcing some of its most challenging deportations and removing as many people as possible who are in the U.S. without permission. But these deportation flights trample migrants' rights and could return some asylum-seekers to dangerous situations, immigrant advocates and attorneys say. Read more.
- Appeals court rejects Trump's bid to curtail birthright citizenship
- What to know about Venezuelans with temporary protected status in US
Fired USDA workers were 'boots on the ground' in bird flu battle
Federal workers are calling it the “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Another round of federal workers were laid off last week, including individuals working with scientists researching bird flu in cattle and others who were scheduled to provide biosecurity in the battle against bird flu. One individual who was laid off, Ron Gregory, was going to be part of a team to go to Iowa and Ohio to help with bird flu efforts. Gregory, who went to the office every day, said that it’s not “bureaucrats” who are losing their jobs. Read more.
Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.