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☆ 3 top Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation into a major student-loan company, accusing it of 'loan forgiveness mismanagement' for millions of borrowers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThree top Democratic lawmakers want federal and state officials to investigate a major student-loan company. AdvertisementThey called on the CFPB and attorneys general to "investigate MOHELA and pursue action to the fullest extent possible under the law. We’re standing with @theSBPC and @AFTunion in expressing outrage at MOHELA’s student loan mismanagement. Since student-loan payments resumed in October after an over three-year pause, federal servicers have been under scrutiny over their handling of the return to repayment. AdvertisementIn January, the Education Department withheld varying amounts of pay from the other three federal servicers for the same reason.

Persons: —, Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, MOHELA, they're, Biden, — Chuck Schumer, Warren Organizations: Service, Democratic, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Business, Protection, American Federation of Teachers, Sunshine Law, AGs, Education Department Locations: Sens, Missouri

WASHINGTON (AP) — As he looks past the GOP primary and towards a likely general election rematch against President Joe Biden, Donald Trump will meet with members of the Teamsters Union in Washington Wednesday afternoon as he tries to cut into Biden's support. Trump is hoping to cut into that support as he casts himself as pro-worker and tries to exacerbate longstanding divisions between union leaders and rank-and-file members. While the Teamsters endorsed Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, O'Brien stressed the union has “a very diverse membership. Wheaton estimates about 30% to 40% of its members voted for Trump in 2020, even though the union endorsed Biden. Teamsters members include UPS drivers, film and television workers, freight operators, members of law enforcement and other government workers.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Shawn Fain, “ Shawn Fain, ” Trump, “, Sean O’Brien, ” Biden, Lauren Hitt, Biden “, O’Brien, ”, —, Hillary Clinton, O'Brien, Wheaton, you’re, ” Wheaton, Fain, Nikki Haley, Trump’s, ___ Krisher, Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, GOP, Teamsters Union, Union, Democratic, AP, AFL, United Auto Workers, DJT, Automobile Industry, Workers, Teamsters, Trump, Fox Business, National Labor Relations Board, ”, Cornell University, Wheaton, Republican, UAW, UPS, American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of State, Municipal Employees, Associated Press Locations: Washington, Wisconsin, Michigan, Detroit, California, Wheaton, American Federation of State , County

This time, liberal and moderate candidates took control in high-profile races in conservative Iowa, and the swing states of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Pennsylvania saw a number of Democratic victories in school boards, particularly in districts that have recently seen GOP-led school boards adopt policies targeting transgender students, as well as reading materials and curriculum on LGBTQ+ history. Turn PA Blue, a partisan political organization, said Democrats gained control of at least seven school boards and gained ground in a half-dozen others in Pennsylvania, a swing state. In the Central Bucks School District north of Philadelphia, Democrats flipped three seats, ousting the incumbent school board president, and retained two others, giving the party majority control. School board politics have also become contentious in Virginia since 2021, when Republican Gov.

Persons: “, ” Randi Weingarten, Michael Geer, ”, ’, Bonnie Chang, Glenn Youngkin, Toni Morrison, Stephen Chbosky, Kirk Twigg, Mike Pence, Kim Reynolds, Brittania Morey, ___ Mulvihill, Matthew Barakat, John Hanna, Heather Hollingsworth Organizations: —, The American Federation of Teachers, Liberty, Associated Press, Conservative, PA Family Institute, Pennsylvania, Democratic, GOP, Central Bucks School District, Philadelphia Inquirer, Republicans, Turn Bucks, School, Republican Gov, Linn, Mar Community School District, Gov Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Virginia, York County, Philadelphia, Bucks County, Central Bucks, Spotsylvania County, Washington, D.C, Loudoun County, Cedar Rapids, Cherry Hill , New Jersey, Falls Church , Virginia, Topeka , Kansas, Mission , Kansas

The nearly week-old United Auto Workers strike against Ford (F.N), General Motors (GM.N) and Stellantis (STLAM.MI) is viewed as a signal of the strength of the U.S. labor movement that has garnered national support from Americans. The UAW members from two striking plants gathered in Toledo were rolling out for the one-hour, 45-mile (72 km) drive to Wayne, Michigan, where Ford workers also walked off the job last week. In Michigan, Ohio and Missouri, the three states where workers are currently striking, models made by the Big Three dominate the leaderboard of new auto registrations. The United States is still the second-largest car market in the world, trailing only China. Union membership has fallen steadily over several decades in the United States.

Persons: Esperanza Ledesma, I'm, Ledesma, Roxanne Stadtfeld, Stadtfeld, Randi Weingarten, Liz Shuler, Weingarten, Brandon Cappelletty, Cappelletty, Ben Klayman, Joe White, David Gaffen, Jamie Freed Organizations: Fords, United Auto Workers, Ford, General Motors, UAW, GM, Big, P Global, Union, American Federation of Teachers, AFL, Thomson Locations: TOLEDO , Ohio, Toledo, Stellantis's, Ohio, Michigan, Wayne , Michigan, Monroe , Michigan, Lake Erie, Michigan , Ohio, Missouri, United States, China, U.S, Toledo , Ohio, Detroit

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The prospect of an auto workers strike could test Joe Biden 's treasured assertion that he's the most pro-union president in U.S. history. Political Cartoons View All 1154 Images“I think the American public as a whole realizes the impact that the American auto workers have on the economy," Killian said. But, unlike with rail and airline workers, the president doesn’t have the authority to order autoworkers to stay on the job. Nowhere will the political fallout of an auto workers strike be felt more than Michigan, which Biden won by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020. And Ray Curry, the former UAW president who was unseated by Fain, had worked with Biden in the past, even attending White House ceremonies.

Persons: Joe Biden, Marick, Doc Killian, Killian, ” Biden, Biden, ”, Shawn Fain, “, Fain, Donald Trump, Trump, TRUMP, doesn't . Fain, Dave Green, ” Green, doesn’t, Mark Brewer, Brewer, Ray Curry, Gene Sperling, Biden's, he'll, what's, Randi Weingarten, Biden’s, Weingarten, ___ Weissert, Tom Krisher Organizations: United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, Wayne State University, CNN, UAW, Republican, UAW “, “ Union, Democratic, GOP, Michigan Democratic Party, U.S, White, longtime Democratic, Trump, American Federation of Teachers, Associated Press Locations: LANSING, Mich, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Detroit, Wayne , Michigan, America, China, Washington, United States, U.S, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

☆ Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other tech leaders in closed Senate session about AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hosted the panel of tech executives, labor and civil rights leaders as part of the Senate's inaugural "AI Insight Forum." Google CEO Sundar Pichai, arrives for a US Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 13, 2023. Working toward legislationSchumer said in his prepared remarks that the event marked the beginning of "an enormous and complex and vital undertaking: building a foundation for bipartisan AI policy that Congress can pass." Successful legislation will need to be bipartisan, Schumer added, saying he'd spoken with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was "encouraging." Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who leads the Commerce Committee, predicted lawmakers could get AI legislation "done in the next year."

Persons: Elon Musk, Alex Karp, Chuck Schumer, Leah Millis, CNBC's Eamon Javers, Sens, Mike Rounds, Martin Heinrich, Todd Young, Schumer, Sam Altman, Eric Schmidt, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella, Arvind Krishna, Bill Gates, Charles Rivkin, Liz Shuler, Meredith Steihm, Randi Weingarten, Maya Wiley, CIO's Shuler, Musk, Shuler, Sen, Pichai, Mandel Ngan, Meta's Zuckerberg, Meta, Julia Nikhinson, Reuters Schumer, Kevin McCarthy, he'd, Young, Maria Cantwell, Altman, We're, Elon Organizations: Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, Reuters Tech, Microsoft Nvidia, IBM, Microsoft, Former, Tesla, Meta, Nvidia, Federation of Teachers, Civil, Human Rights, AFL, Artificial Intelligence, AFP, Getty, EU, Reuters, Chinese Communist Party, Commerce, Science, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington ,, Washington, deepfakes

Instead, the student population at West Virginia University has dropped 10% since 2015, while on-campus expansion continued. Lawmakers recently approved a higher education funding formula rewarding schools for degree attainment, workforce outcomes and graduate wages. Mary Manspeaker, an English Ph.D. student, said she left her home state at 18 because she didn't see opportunity in West Virginia. He said the conflict reflects the fundamental question in higher education right now: How do we assess value? "And it might be in cash, endowment and buildings, but it could arguably be in other things.”___Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia.

Persons: Jim Justice, “ We’ve, ”, Gordon Gee, “, Gee, Joey Demes, Demes, Craig Blair, Marshall, hasn’t, Eric Tarr, Lisa Di Bartolomeo, Di Bartolomeo, ’ ”, Mary Manspeaker, Peter Lake, Lake, ” ___ Raby Organizations: West Virginia's, Gov, Marshall University, West Virginia University, Lawmakers, Marshall, WVU, —, American Federation of Teachers, ”, GOP, Republican, Center, Excellence, Higher Education Law, Florida's Stetson University Locations: MORGANTOWN, W.Va, West, East Coast, Morgantown, U.S, West Virginia, Appalachia, Charleston , West Virginia

☆ As student loan payments restart, can employers be a firewall for borrowers? Some groups hope so
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images17% of employers offer some kind of student loan aidFew employers offer student loan benefits, which can take many forms. Seventeen percent offer some type of student loan assistance, according to a 2021 survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The most popular workplace programs don't offer direct relief for student loan payments. The expanded tax break for student loan payments is temporary, however. Starting in 2024, employers will also be allowed to pay a 401(k) match to borrowers making student loan payments, a provision enacted by a 2022 law known as Secure 2.0.

Persons: Will Hansen, We're, Derrick Johnson, Johnson, Luis Alvarez, SHRM, We've, Randi Weingarten, " Hansen Organizations: Research, of America, NAACP, Digitalvision, Getty, American Federation of Teachers Locations: Albuquerque , New Mexico, Washington, Orange County , Florida

☆ The House just passed a bill to block student-loan forgiveness and end the payment pause immediately
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bill to overturn Biden's student-debt relief passed the House by a vote of 218-203. Along with blocking broad debt relief, the bill would also end the payment pause. The bill would overturn President Joe Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers, along with immediately ending the ongoing student-loan payment pause, throwing borrowers back into repayment earlier than expected. Pierce said that means the bill will "unwind debt relief already delivered to hundreds of thousands of public service workers across the country. This will happen because the seventh and eighth payment pauses also give credit towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness for each paused month covered by these executive actions,."

☆ The GOP's bill to permanently block Biden's student-debt relief could cause public servants' loan balances to unexpectedly balloon if it passes, advocacy groups say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The SBPC and AFT released a report analyzing the impacts of a GOP bill to overturn student-debt relief. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx rejected that idea during a hearing last week as Democrats said loans would be reinstated under the bill. However, the text of the CRA statute could suggest the GOP bill might do far more than block Biden's broad debt relief and the student-loan payment pauses. "This resolution will unwind debt relief already delivered to hundreds of thousands of public service workers across the country. The report also estimates that two million public servants making progress toward payments in PSLF could lose "at least some progress toward relief."

☆ Opinion: How to fight back against the ‘anti-woke’ movement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Opinion Khalil Gibran Muhammad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several states across the country have imposed bans on books, K-12 educational curricula and diversity programs in recent months. And even where statewide bans are not in place, restrictive measures are being enacted by local school boards. The mere mention of structural racism or gender discrimination or sexuality can potentially cost educators and librarians their jobs. The beginnings of this national movement to defend the freedom to learn is rekindling relationships between college students and civil rights activists and inspiring new ones between college faculty and K-12 teachers and librarians. With such formidable alliances among students, teachers, organizers and academics being forged in communities across the country, we finally have an answer to reverse the swelling tide of injustice and authoritarianism.

☆ The Long Shadow of Covid School Closures
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

During the early months of the Covid pandemic, Randi Weingarten and the teachers’ union she leads faced a vexing question: When should schools reopen? For years, advocates of public education like Weingarten had argued that schools played an irreplaceable role. Without public schools, their defenders argued, society would come apart. Teachers and parents feared that reopening schools before vaccines were available would spark Covid outbreaks, illness and death. Instead, Covid became an opportunity for her union, the American Federation of Teachers, to push for broader policy changes that it had long favored.

☆ Randi Weingarten’s Incredible Covid Memory Loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: Randi Weingarten deflects blame for Covid's learning losses. Images: AP/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyMuch still needs to be learned about the long-term health effects of Covid-19, but we already know one of the clear long-term political effects: memory loss. That’s the only way to explain why long-time advocates of pandemic lockdowns are now denying they ever supported the school and economic shutdowns that did so much harm to so many. Leading the amnesia parade is Randi Weingarten , the American Federation of Teachers president who attempted to erase two years of Covid history in testimony last week to the House of Representatives that was, literally, unbelievable.

☆ Officials Neglect Covid Vaccines’ Side Effects
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In testimony on April 26, 2023, Randi Weingarten detailed the cosy relationship between the American Federation of Teachers, the Biden Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control regarding Covid-19 school closure policy. Images: AP/Shutterstock/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyBrianne Dressen was an energetic mom, an avid hiker and a preschool teacher—until she got a Covid vaccine. Ms. Dressen, 42, was among the first Americans to be vaccinated. She volunteered to participate in AstraZeneca ’s trial, and she received her first dose on Nov. 4, 2020, at a clinic in West Jordan, Utah. “I was more than glad to participate in the scientific process.”

☆ The Lockdowns Are Over, but the Damage Goes On
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: AP/Shutterstock/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyThe World Health Organization on Friday acknowledged that the Covid-19 emergency is over, six days before the Biden administration’s declaration is set to expire. How about addressing more pressing public-health problems that have festered as they’ve obsessed about the virus? Developing countries are seeing a resurgence of deadlier infectious diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, measles and polio. In the U.S., young people are experiencing persistent problems that were aggravated by lockdowns including increased deaths, mental illness, drug overdoses and a detachment from the workforce. Call the phenomenon “long Covid lockdowns.”

☆ Chicago’s Sanctuary City Awakening
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: AP/Shutterstock/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyPosturing as a “sanctuary city” used to be fun when it meant resisting Donald Trump, but now the migrant crisis is everywhere. “We simply have no more shelters, spaces, or resources,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says in a letter Sunday to Texas Gov. “Though I am sympathetic to the significant challenges that border cities face, this situation is completely untenable.”And the scales fall. That’s nothing next to El Paso, which this week declared a state of emergency, as it braces for the end of Title 42 pandemic expulsions. The El Paso Times cites estimates of about “10,000 to 12,000 migrants in Juárez,” waiting to cross into the U.S.

☆ The Post-Pandemic Teaching Loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In testimony on April 26, 2023, Randi Weingarten detailed the cosy relationship between the American Federation of Teachers, the Biden Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control regarding Covid-19 school closure policy. Images: AP/Shutterstock/Reuters Composite: Mark KellySchools were given $190 billion in federal money for Covid safety measures and to help students catch up, and many have poured funds into tutoring or other programs. Then why are test scores still lagging? A new report suggests that pandemic learning loss is being exacerbated by teaching loss.

Persons: Randi Weingarten, Kelly Organizations: American Federation of Teachers, Biden Administration, Centers for Disease, Reuters, Kelly Schools

☆ Private school vouchers are shaping up to be huge part of the 2024 election as GOP candidates work to 'one up' each other on the issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The GOP movement toward "school choice" is gaining momentum in many states. GOP presidential candidates have promised to send more public money to private schools. While battles over how classrooms should teach about race and LGBTQ topics have fired up the GOP base, the expansion of school vouchers is taking hold in red states. Spar said vouchers amounted to "using taxpayer money to go to private schools and home schools with practically no accountability." As Congress then turned its attention toward COVID pandemic relief, at least one bill that didn't pass had funding for private schools and homeschooling.

☆ Amazon Union President Chris Smalls Seen Fighting Worker in Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

On the night of December 5, the president of the Amazon Labor Union pummeled another union member. Some longtime Amazon Labor Union organizers decided to begin organizing on their own, without Smalls. All three said they believe in Smalls' mission and support the goals of the Amazon Labor Union, but worry about Smalls' ability to lead. Amazon Labor Union members consoled each other after the union lost the vote at its second warehouse, LDJ5, last April. One purpose of the organization appears to be to raise funds for the Amazon Labor Union, according to its certificate of incorporation.

☆ Democrats choose Chicago as the site of the 2024 convention
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Natasha Korecki | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Democratic Party has chosen Chicago as the site of its 2024 convention. "Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention," Biden said in a statement. "The last Chicago convention was a huge success. It makes sense to put the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024. Republicans are holding their 2024 convention in Milwaukee.

☆ Trump wades into education culture war as he eyes race with DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Trump hasn't been waging the same kind of cultural warfare over education that DeSantis and other Republicans have since the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis was in Iowa on Friday, speaking at a pair of political events that appeared to be laying groundwork for a presidential bid. His education agenda in Florida was a recurring theme in his remarks, and DeSantis credited it as a reason that he convincingly won re-election last year. DeSantis has asked the Florida legislature to expand a ban on teaching gender-identity concepts to eighth grade from third grade currently. Some of Trump’s education ideas include rewarding teachers who teach “patriotic values” and requiring direct election of school principals by parents, although how he would bring that about is unclear.

☆ Trump looks to play catch-up to DeSantis on education in 2024 race
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a host of hot-button issues surrounding education that have mobilized the Republican base in the years since Trump left the White House. DeSantis was in Iowa on Friday, speaking at a pair of political events that appear to be laying groundwork for a presidential bid. DeSantis has asked the Florida legislature to expand a ban on teaching gender-identity concepts to eighth grade from third grade currently. That could leave an opening for Trump, who made school choice a priority in his administration but lacks the track record on state-level education issues that DeSantis and other governors have. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, another conservative parents' rights group, said DeSantis getting out ahead of Trump on the issue should not hurt the former president.

☆ Some schools are switching to the 4-day workweek to bring in and keep teachers, but education officials say it's not a 'magic pill' to fix the educator shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Korie Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"Right now, the climate across the country with educators is that they are exhausted and they are tired," Gabe Dannenbring, a middle-school-science teacher and popular TikToker, told Insider. His studies include deep dives on how the four-day schedule impacts student success, and he is considering future studies on how this schedule change can help curb educator burnout. As of 2020, about 550 districts nationwide have adopted a four-day schedule, according to the National Conference of State Legislature. Heather Luke Drozlek teaches in a small private school in Indiana, which is on a four-day school week. "I can see the benefits, but I can also see that it could cause systemic issues," Tell Williams, a preschool teacher and social-media influencer, told Insider.

☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness is about to have its day at the Supreme Court. Here's everything you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Supreme Court will hear two challenges to Biden's student-debt-relief plan on Tuesday. But the Biden administration has defended its legal authority and expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold the plan. Prominent figures in the legal and political worlds have weighed in on the two high-profile Supreme Court cases in dozens of briefs filed to the Supreme Court. More than 170 Republican members of Congress have argued against Biden's relief, along with 17 Republican-led states, the US Chamber of Commerce, and over a dozen conservative-leaning advocacy groups. Millions of student-loan borrowers' financial futures hang in the balance.

☆ Ben Crump plans to sue DeSantis over rejection of AP African American studies course
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump is expected to announce Wednesday that he intends to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his administration's decision to block a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools. DeSantis' administration rejected the AP's African American studies program in a letter this month to the College Board, which oversees AP classes. On Tuesday, The College Board said it would release a new framework for the AP course, which it said has been under development since March. “We are glad the College Board has recognized that the originally submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we are encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend,” Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.

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