2 h. ago Trump expected to sign executive order to dissolve education department, reports say – live

Trump order to Linda McMahon expected to claim that department has failed ‘children, teachers and families’, ABC News reportsDonald Trump’s pressure to make Canada the 51st state has prompted the return of a famous patriotic beer ad on the country’s airwaves, the Guardian’s Leyland Cecco reports:For the second time in 25 years, a lone figure takes to the stage, an oversized maple leaf flag rippling on a screen behind him as he approaches the microphone. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Department of Education braced amid reports of imminent Trump order to close it – US politics live

Trump order to Linda McMahon expected to claim that department has failed ‘children, teachers and families’, ABC News reportsThe Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has said that Republicans cannot meet their own budget target to pass Donald Trump’s legislative priorities without imposing cuts on Medicare or Medicaid.The House Republican budget blueprint envisions the House Energy and Commerce Committee will cut spending by $880bn, however, when its spending on Medicare and Medicaid are excluded from its spend, it only has $581bn of expenditure with which to make the savings.This letter from CBO confirms what we’ve been saying all along: the math doesn’t work without devastating Medicaid cuts. Republicans know their spin is a lie, and the truth is they have no problem taking health care away from millions of Americans so that the rich can get richer. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Texas border facility due to close over falling number of crossings from Mexico

The Firefly holding facility at Eagle Pass is due to shut its doors as apprehensions for illegal crossings plummet

Politics

17 h. ago Political poll news site 538 to close amid larger shuttering across ABC and Disney

Disney is reportedly cutting staff across ABC News Group and its entertainment network as media layoffs continueThe popular political poll news and analysis website, 538, is being shut down as part of a broader shuttering effort across ABC News and Disney Entertainment, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday night.Disney is reportedly cutting 200 positions across ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, including shutting down the data-driven 538. Continue reading...

Politics

41 h. ago Linda McMahon wastes no time using Day 1 to announce ‘overhaul’ of Department of Education

Trump has repeatedly said he wants McMahon to ‘put herself out of a job’ and shut down the department

Politics

63 h. ago Linda McMahon, wrestling industry billionaire, confirmed as US education secretary

US Senate confirmed Trump ally and ex-wrestling executive as chief of department president wants dismantledThe US Senate has confirmed Linda McMahon as the nation’s next education secretary, entrusting the former wrestling executive with a department marked for dismantling by Donald Trump.The 76-year-old billionaire businesswoman and longtime Trump ally was approved 51-45, reflecting deep divisions over her qualifications and the administration’s education agenda. McMahon, who previously led the small business administration during Trump’s first term, now faces the paradoxical task of running an agency while simultaneously working toward its potential elimination. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago Hundreds of thousands of families in England to find out secondary school places

Parents of children with special educational needs face a ‘postcode lottery’ to secure specialist provision, a school leaders’ union has warned.

Politics

5 d. ago US education department offers buyout that employees call ‘beyond misleading’

Email offers up to $25,000 but employees note severance and unused leave compensation would add up to moreDon’t let a billionaire’s algorithm control what you read. Download our free app to get trusted reporting.The US Department of Education sent an email to employees department-wide on Friday offering up to $25,000 to voluntarily resign or retire, or take severance, whichever is less.The email, obtained by the Guardian, states “this is a one-time offer in advance of a very significant Reduction In Force for the US Department of Education” and gives employees until the end of day Monday to accept. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump administration quietly shutters online form for student debt repayment

Removal comes after court decision pausing Joe Biden’s Save program, leaving millions of Americans in the lurchDon’t let a billionaire’s algorithm control what you read. Download our free app to get trusted reporting.The Donald Trump administration has taken down the online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, causing confusion among borrowers and likely creating complications for millions of Americans with outstanding loans.Those seeking payment plans are unable to access the applications for income-driven repayment plans (IDR), which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, as well as the online application to consolidate their loans on the US Department of Education website. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago As Trump's deadline to eliminate DEI nears, few schools openly rush to make changes

Schools and colleges across the U.S. face a Friday deadline to end diversity programs or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes

Politics

7 d. ago Getting out of DOGE? Federal agencies given deadline to come up with plans to leave DC

‘You go around Washington and see all these buildings with the Department of Education. We want to move education back to the states, where it belongs,’ Trump said at a Cabinet meeting

Events

7 d. ago South Carolina again faces showdown over spending public money on private school tuition

The South Carolina House has approved its own version of a bill that would let parents spend taxpayer money on private school tuition

Economics

8 d. ago Teachers union sues over Trump administration's deadline to end school diversity programs

A new federal lawsuit in Maryland is challenging a Trump administration memo giving the nation’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate “race-based” practices of any kind or risk losing their federal money

Politics

1 week ago Charity launches guide for parents of LGBT children to help tackle homophobia

Research by Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity says 78% of primary school children have reported hearing derogatory comments.

Society

1 week ago Government urged to restore school break times as more children miss out on play

A report has called on the Department for Education to discourage ‘the punitive withdrawal of playtime’ in schools.

Politics

1 week ago Kids' disability rights cases stalled as Trump began to overhaul Education Department

As President Donald Trump reshaped the Education Department, parents say investigations and mediations into kids' disability rights cases ground to a halt

Politics

1 week ago They moved to the US ‘the right way.’ But with babies due imminently, these families are afraid for their future

Families on H-1B visas who are expecting babies imminently tell Rhian Lubin how Trump’s birthright citizenship order has left them fearing for their children’s future

Politics

2 w. ago Department of Education workers brace for Trump to shut agency down: ‘Everybody is distraught’

Education department meeting in wake of new Trump policies was ‘incomplete and chaotic’, staff sayWorkers inside the US Department of Education have described a “horrible, intimidating and unnerving” atmosphere among the rank-and-file as Donald Trump vows to shut it down.Widespread panic and confusion over the department’s future led to an “incomplete and chaotic” staff meeting on Wednesday, according to sources, as managers tried to explain new policies. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The Department of Education approved a grant to help students with disabilities into adulthood. Then Trump came along

The Department of Education had awarded a grant to survey to research how to help students with disabilities transition to adulthood. Eric Garcia reports how the program was then stopped

Politics

2 w. ago New Stormont Bill aims to make school uniforms more affordable

It also includes scope to potentially introduce a price cap on school uniforms in the future.

Events