The Department Of Education's Uncertain Future Under Trump
Plus, families of American hostages still in Gaza tell Mo News they have hopes for the Trump administration
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Good morning,
Buckle up for the kickoff of a busy holiday travel season. TSA and AAA expect Thanksgiving travel will break records this year.
About 80 million people are expected to venture more than 50 miles away from home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
That's 1.7 million more people than last year's record-shattering figure, and a 2.5% increase from 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers.
The busiest travel days are projected to be Tuesday and Wednesday before the big meal, and then Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday after.
TSA is preparing to screen around 18 million people boarding flights.
That’s despite a 3% increase in domestic ticket prices from last Thanksgiving; bookings are up 23%.
A reminder from TSA: Gravy, cranberry sauce, jams, and preserves need to be in 3.4-ounce containers to be allowed on the plane.
For the road warriors, average gas prices are under $3/gallon, a drop from 2023’s $3.26 average.
Traffic is expected to be heaviest on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, while Thanksgiving Day is expected to be quieter. Transportation data source INRIX says people who need to leave on Sunday should hit the road early.
As always, pack your patience! 😜
Mosheh, Jill, Sair, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 INSIDE TRUMP’S PLAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
President-elect Donald Trump picked Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) executive, to head the Department of Education, an agency Trump has said is on his chopping block.
“As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” Trump said in a statement.
McMahon’s education experience: It is pretty limited compared to typical secretaries of education. She served a year on the Connecticut Board of Education more than a decade ago, and was on the Board of Trustees for Connecticut’s Sacred Heart University. She originally studied to be a French teacher, but instead went on to work alongside her husband, Vince, as co-founder and CEO of the WWE. [Some video of her “fighting” inside the WWE ring.]
McMahon has proudly pointed out that she oversaw WWE programs that sent wrestlers into schools to deliver positive messages. She also spotlighted the WrestleMania Reading Challenge, posters of wrestlers encouraging students to read.
McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, chaired a pro-Trump super PAC, and currently co-chairs Trump's transition team. She and her husband have donated tens of millions of dollars to Trump’s campaigns.
McMahon was originally vying for the commerce secretary job, but Trump picked Wall Street investor and transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick. He then offered McMahon Education.
Pending legal case: McMahon and her husband are accused in a civil lawsuit of turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse of five minors, called “ring boys,” by high-ranking WWE employees.
The Department of Education oversees Title IX rules that dictate how schools respond to sexual misconduct.
But didn’t Trump say he wanted to close the Department of Education?
If confirmed by the Senate, McMahon would oversee a department that Trump campaigned to “get rid” of as it currently exists.
Been here before: In Trump’s first term, he proposed merging the education and labor departments. His then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos argued for less money from Congress to try to dismantle the department, but lawmakers mostly kept spending intact.
While Republicans have control of both chambers of Congress, it is unlikely Trump will be able to fully axe the Education Department.
Trump needs congressional approval and a filibuster-proof supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate to eliminate the agency. And with Democrats’ widespread support of the agency, the Republican’s 53-seat Senate majority is unlikely to be enough. Plus, a number of Republicans are advocates for reforming the department, not abolishing it altogether.
However, Trump can still make some major changes, including rolling-back protections for LGBTQ students and establishing a federal, universal school choice program. They can also cut funding to a number of programs.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Education Department has thousands of employees and a roughly $240 billion annual budget.
Education was previously part of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, until President Jimmy Carter and Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act in 1979 – in part to manage new programs like the GI Bill after World War II and oversee civil rights legislation passed in the sixties and seventies.
Almost immediately, Republicans criticized the agency for perceived federal overreach. Ronald Reagan proposed closing the agency, but did not have congressional support.
Republicans complain that the US spends 3x of what any other developed, western nation spends, but American students rank 28th in math and 12th in science. [Note that spending is mainly at state and local levels.]
The federal department has expanded, and its biggest job is running the $1.6 trillion federal student loan program. More than half of all undergraduates are a part of it.
The Education Department also oversees national achievement tests, funds low-income schools, collects data on enrollment/crime/staffing, and enforces civil rights laws for any schools and universities that receive federal funds.
REMINDER: Most federal financial support for K-12 schools goes to help low-income students and those with disabilities. About 90% of K-12 funding comes from states and local governments.
What it does not do: State and local authorities overwhelmingly oversee school districts’ curriculum.
📌 TRUMP ADMINISTRATION GIVES FAMILIES OF HOSTAGES IN GAZA HOPE FOR NEW DEAL
About 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza – more than 400 days after the October 7 attack on Israel. Nearly a year has passed since Israel and Hamas exchanged 105 hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners, leaving the families of hostages with little hope.
Seven Americans remain captive in Gaza. Four of them are believed to still be alive. One of them is Omer Neutra. Orna and Ronen Neutra, the parents of the 23-year-old hostage, told Mo News that they hope a new administration in the White House will shake up months of stalled negotiations. The Neutras said they are thinking about the transition “in similar terms to what happened in 1981, when President Reagan took office” and was able to secure the release of hostages from Iran.
A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
President Joe Biden has stood by Israel and has been pushing for a cease-fire and hostage release deal for months. However, he has increasingly expressed public criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war tactics.
Omer’s parents note that “there is a very different level of relationship and trust between President Trump and the Israeli government” than with Biden.
Trump has stated that the war will end by the time he takes office on January 20. But it is unclear how he will get both sides to agree to a deal in the next 8 weeks.
UPDATE ON THE WAR
Over the last month, a lot has happened: Israel’s defense minister was fired and replaced with a new Netanyahu ally. Qatar suspended its mediation efforts in Gaza. And US officials say a cease-fire deal in Lebanon, between Hezbollah and Israel, is on the horizon.
Hezbollah’s leadership has been decimated by Israeli strikes in recent months. The terror group’s new leader, Naim Qassem, said Wednesday that a truce should include a complete end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Israel wants all Hezbollah fighters to stay at least 19 miles away from the Lebanon-Israel border (per a previously agreed to UN resolution), and says it reserves the right to resume strikes if the group violates the terms of a cease-fire agreement.
A truce between Israel and Hezbollah was signed in 2006, but Hezbollah breached the terms of the resolution when it built bases next to the Israeli border and sent rockets over Israel’s border in solidarity with Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Turning to Gaza: Netanyahu this week offered $5 million and safe passage out of the enclave to anyone who returns a hostage.
It comes as widespread devastation and hunger continue to impact nearly the entire strip. 90% of the two million people there have been displaced, according to the UNRWA. The Hamas-run health ministry reports that more than 40,000 people have been killed, and the UN states that virtually no aid has reached the estimated 65,000 to 75,000 people in northern Gaza for 40 days.
Organized gangs and Hamas are reportedly stealing much of the aid that is allowed into Gaza.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Illegal migrant found guilty of murder in the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, sentenced to life in prison (MO NEWS)
📌 New threat emerges as atmospheric river combines with once-in-a-decade bomb cyclone on the West Coast (CNN)
📌 House Speaker will not allow transgender women to access women’s bathrooms on the House side of the US Capitol complex (MO NEWS)
📌 Susan Smith, who killed her 2 young children 30 years ago, denied parole (CBS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 US Embassy in Kyiv closes over anticipated ‘significant’ air attack (POLITICO) Biden approves Ukraine’s use of anti-personnel mines (AXIOS)
📌 Hong Kong hears from jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai for the first time in four years at his trial (CNN)
📌 US vetoes UN resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza (TIME)
📌 Ugandan opposition leader who was ‘kidnapped’ in Kenya turns up in court (BBC)
📌 Accident or sabotage? American and European officials disagree as key undersea cables are cut (CNN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 US businesses stockpile imported goods ahead of Trump’s China tariffs (MO NEWS)
📌 Murdoch family retains majority control of News Corp after shareholder vote (GUARDIAN)
📌 Tom's of Maine toothpaste contained bacteria-contaminated water, FDA says (NBC)
📌 Radical Jaguar rebrand and new logo sparks ire online (AP)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Alec Baldwin film ‘Rust’ has world premiere with dedication to cinematographer killed on set (AP)
📌 One Direction stars mourn Liam Payne at funeral (BBC)
📌 Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces five new lawsuits (CNN)
📌 Matthew McConaughey ditched Hollywood for Texas, turned down $14.5M offer after being dubbed ‘rom-com dude’ (FOX)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: NOVEMBER 21
1783: The first free (non-tethered) flight carrying a human occurred in Paris, France in a hot air balloon made of paper and silk.
1934: Then-17-year-old Ella Fitzgerald won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. She submitted her name to perform that night on a bet from friends.
1976: ‘Rocky’ opened in theaters. The massive hit earned 10 Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture.
1992: "The Thanksgiving Song" was performed by Adam Sandler for the first time on SNL’s ‘Weekend Update.’