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‘See you in court’: Teachers union vows to fight Trump’s Education Department order
The president plans to sign an executive order on Thursday attempting to dismantle the Education Department. A leading teachers union is already preparing to challenge him.
Is this the end of the Department of Education?
Recent moves by the Trump administration effectively signal his fulfillment of a campaign promise to end ED.
WASHINGTON – “See you in court.”
That was the one-sentence retort from a leading teachers union Wednesday following news that President Donald Trump planned to sign an executive order Thursday aimed at eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, vowed to sue the administration if it moved forward with a mandate to obliterate the agency’s limited federal role in the nation’s schools.
The action is unlawful, she and others have argued, because only Congress has the power to close federal agencies. Still, the Trump administration has slashed the Education Department’s workforce in half, which is prompting widespread concern from students and schools about reductions in vital services. Democratic state attorneys general and advocates for students with disabilities sued last week to stave off those cuts.
Multiple polls have shown that the idea of abolishing the Education Department is unpopular among Americans.
Teachers unions have been at the forefront of litigation against the Trump administration’s education policies in recent weeks and months. The AFT filed a separate suit this week accusing the Education Department under Trump of “effectively breaking the student loan system.”
The president plans to sign his much-touted executive order alongside Republican governors Thursday afternoon at the White House. Lawsuits will likely follow once the full text of the order has been released.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
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Iran’s fight for survival / The widening war / Trump’s nebulous goals : Sources & Methods
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Map: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Louisiana
Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. The New York Times
A light, 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck in Louisiana on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The temblor happened at 5:30 a.m. Central time about 6 miles west of Edgefield, La., data from the agency shows.
U.S.G.S. data earlier reported that the magnitude was 4.4.
As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.
Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Central time. Shake data is as of Thursday, March 5 at 8:40 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Thursday, March 5 at 10:46 a.m. Eastern.
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Donald Trump has no ‘phase two’ plan for Iran war, says US senator
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