Why King Donald and MAGA hate the Education Department

The ultimate culture war

Alex Hinton, Rutgers University - Newark

“And one other thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education.”

Donald Trump made this promise in a Sept. 13, 2023, campaign statement and repeated it frequently on the campaign trail.

Trump tried to make this long-standing pledge a reality on March 20, 2025, by signing an executive order that he said will “begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all.”

Trump said that he hopes Democrats would support his executive order. “I hope they’re going to be voting for it,” said Trump, speaking from the White House in front of a group of children seated at desks. “Because ultimately it may come before them.”

Project 2025, the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for the Trump administration, provides detailed recommendations for closing the Education Department, which was created by an act of Congress in 1979.

The Department of Education already announced on March 9 that it laid off more than 1,300 of its 4,100 employees.

Trump’s new executive order calls for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,” according to a White House statement distributed to media.

I am an anthropologist and have been studying U.S. political culture for years. During Trump’s first presidency, I wrote a book about the extremist far right called “It Can Happen Here”. Since then, I have continued to study the Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement, seeking to understand it, as the anthropological expression goes, “from the native’s point of view.”

Education policies in the U.S. are largely carried out at the state and local levels. The Education Department is a relatively small government agency, which as late as February 2025 had just over 4,000 employees and a US$268 billion annual budget. A large part of its work is overseeing $1.6 trillion in federal student loans as well as grants for K-12 schools.

And it ensures that public schools comply with federal laws that protect vulnerable students, like those with disabilities.

Why, then, does Trump want to eliminate the department?

A will to fight against so-called “wokeness” and a desire to shrink the government are among the four reasons I have found.

MAGA reason #1. Education Department’s alleged ‘woke’ mentality

First and foremost, Trump and his supporters believe that liberals are ruining public education by instituting what they call a “radical woke agenda” that they say prioritizes identity politics and politically correct groupthink at the expense of the free speech of those, like many conservatives, who have different views.

Diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives promoting social justice – and critical race theory, or the idea that racism is entrenched in social and legal institutions – are a particular focus of MAGA ire.

So, too, is what Trump supporters call “radical gender ideology,” which they contend promotes policies like letting transgender students play on school sports teams or use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, not biological sex.

Trump supporters say that such policies – which the Education Department indirectly supported by expanding Title IX gender protections in 2024 to include discrimination based on gender identity – are at odds with parental school choice rights or, for some religious conservatives, the Bible.

Race and gender policies are highlighted in Project 2025 and in the 2024 GOP’s “Make America Great Again!” party platform.

Trump has repeatedly promised, as he did on Aug. 14, 2024, in North Carolina, to “keep critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.”

MAGA reason #2. American Marxist indoctrination

For MAGA supporters, “radical left” wokeness is part of liberals’ long-standing attempt to “brainwash” others with their allegedly Marxist views that embrace communism.

One version of this “American Marxism” conspiracy theory argues that the indoctrination dates to the origins of U.S. public education. MAGA stalwarts say this alleged leftist agenda is anti-democratic and anti-Christian.

Saying he wants to combat the educational influence of such radicals, zealots and Marxists, Trump issued executive orders on Jan. 29 that pledge to fight “campus anti-Semitism” and to end “Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools.”

MAGA reason #3. School choice and parental rights

Trump supporters also argue that “woke” federal public education policy infringes on people’s basic freedoms and rights.

This idea extends to what Trump supporters call “restoring parental rights,” including the right to decide whether a child undergoes a gender transition or learns about nonbinary gender identity at public schools.

The first paragraph of Project 2025’s chapter on education argues, “Families and students should be free to choose from a diverse set of school options and learning environments.”

Diversity, according to this argument, should include faith-based institutions and homeschooling. Project 2025 proposes that the government could support parents who choose to homeschool or put their kids in a religious primary school by providing Educational Savings Accounts and school vouchers. Vouchers give public funding for students to attend private schools and have been expanding in use in recent years.

Critics of school vouchers, like the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers unions, argue that vouchers would diminish public education for vulnerable students by taking away scarce funding.

Trump has already issued a Jan. 29 executive order called “Expanding Educational Freedom and Educational Opportunity for Families,” which opens the door to expanded use of vouchers. This directly echoes Project 2025 by directing the Education Department to prioritize educational choice to give families a range of options.

MAGA reason #4. Red tape

For the MAGA faithful, the Education Department exemplifies government inefficiency and red tape.

Project 2025, for example, contends that from the time it was established by the Carter administration in 1979, the Education Department has ballooned in size, come under the sway of special interest groups and now serves as an inefficient “one-stop shop for the woke education cartel.”

To deal with the Education Department’s “bloat” and “suffocating bureaucratic red tape,” Project 2025 recommends shifting all of the department’s federal programs and money to other agencies and the states.

These recommendations dovetail with Trump’s broader attempt to eliminate what he and his MAGA supporters consider wasteful spending and deregulate the government.

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 that establishes a “Department of Government Efficiency” headed by billionaire Elon Musk. Musk said on Feb. 4 that Trump “will succeed” in dismantling the Education Department.

Can Trump abolish the Education Department?

Trump’s executive order shuttering the Department of Education will almost certainly spark legal challenges in court.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota also introduced a bill in November 2024 to close the department.

Trump has dismantled other government agencies in his second term, chiefly the U.S. Agency for International Development, without the required congressional approval. A federal judge ruled on March 18 that the dismantling of USAID likely violated the Constitution and ordered the Trump administration to restore all USAID employees’ email and computer access.

Abolishing the Department of Education would legally require congressional approval and 60 votes to move forward in the Senate, which is unlikely since Republicans only have 53 seats.

Regardless of such legal challenges, Trump’s March 20 executive order will further weaken the Department of Education even as it remains in the crosshairs.

This story was updated on March 20, 2025, from an earlier version published originally on Feb. 7, 2025.

Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University - Newark

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

"I spent $12 million on a Wisconsin judge's race and all I got was this stupid hat"

Suck it, Elon!

Definitely recall

Hey MAGA!

Trying to be happy makes us unhappier by zapping our self-control

It's called the "Happiness Paradox" 

University of Toronto

Study author Sam Maglio seems like a happy guy

Researchers have a new explanation for why we experience the "happiness paradox" -- a phenomenon wherein trying to make ourselves happier actually makes us less happy.

Studies have documented the paradox for more than a decade, yet few have dug into what causes it. It turns out, according to new U of T Scarborough research published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, trying to be happier is mentally exhausting in a way that drains our ability to use self-control and willpower. 

As a result, we're more susceptible to temptation, and to making the kind of self-destructive decisions that make us less happy.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr says vitamin A protects you from deadly measles. Here’s what the study he cites actually says

Vitamin A does NOT prevent Measles. Period.

Vitamin A is NOT a substitute for vaccination.

Evangeline Mantzioris, University of South Australia

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who oversees the health of more than 340 million Americans, says vitamin A can prevent the worst effects of measles rather than urging more people to get vaccinated.

In an opinion piece for Fox News, the US health secretary said he was “deeply concerned” about the current measles outbreak in Texas. However, he said the decision to vaccinate was a “personal one” and something for parents to discuss with their health-care provider.

Kennedy mentioned updated advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to treat measles with vitamin A. He also cited a study he said shows vitamin A can reduce the risk of dying from measles.

Here’s what the vitamin A study actually says and why public health officials are so concerned about Kennedy’s latest statement.

Why is a measles outbreak so worrying?

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily including when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.

Measles initially infects the respiratory tract and then the virus spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, red eyes, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

Measles can also be severe, can cause complications including blindness and swelling of the brain, and can be fatal. Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children.

The psychology behind anti-trans legislation

Why is there so much hatred of transexuals?

Julia Standefer, Iowa State University and L. Alison Phillips, Iowa State University

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in the film classic
"Some Like It Hot"

A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, leaving transgender people vulnerable to discrimination. The rights of transgender people – those who present gender characteristics that differ from what has historically been expected of someone based on their biological sex traits – are under political attack across the United States. There are now hundreds of anti-trans bills at various points in the legislative process.

But why?

Reasons given usually center on protecting children, protecting cisgender women’s rights in bathrooms and sports competitions, and on removing funding for gender-affirming care. Some efforts appear to stem from fear-driven motives that are not supported by evidence.

Bias against trans people may not always feel like bias. For someone who believes it to be true, saying there can only be biological men who identify as men and biological women who identify as women may feel like a statement of fact. But research shows that gender is a spectrum, separate from biological sex, which is also more complex than the common male-female binary.

We are social psychologists who study and teach about the basic social, cognitive and emotion-based processes people use to make sense of themselves and the world. Research reveals psychological processes that bias people in ways they usually aren’t aware of. These common human tendencies can influence what we think about a particular group, influence how we act toward them, and prompt legislators to pass biased laws.

Trump administration sets out to create an America its people have never experienced − one without a meaningful government

Are you ready for anarcho-capitalism?

Sidney Shapiro, Wake Forest University and Joseph P. Tomain, University of Cincinnati

The U.S. government is attempting to dismantle itself.

Donald Trump has directed the executive branch to “significantly reduce the size of government.” That includes deep cuts in federal funding of scientific and medical research and freezing federal grants and loans for businesses. 

He has ordered the reversal or removal of regulations on medical insurance companies and other businesses and sought to fire thousands of federal employees. Those are just a few of dozens of executive orders that seek to deconstruct the government.

More than 70 lawsuits have challenged those orders as illegal or unconstitutional. In the meantime, the resulting chaos is preventing the government from carrying out its everyday functions.

The administration accidentally fired civil servants who were responsible for safeguarding the country’s nuclear weapons, preventing a bird flu epidemic and overseeing the nation’s electricity supply. 

A Veterans Administration official told NBC, “It’s leading to paralysis, and nothing is getting done.” A spokesperson at a nationwide program that provides meals to seniors, Meals on Wheels, which the government helps fund, said, “The uncertainty right now is creating chaos for local Meals on Wheels providers not knowing whether they should be serving meals today.”

Our recent book, “How Government Built America,” shows why the administration’s aim to eliminate government could result in an America that the country’s people have never experienced – one in which free-market economic forces operate without any accountability to the public.

Nothing to see here

Congratulations, Donald

American bird population declines continue

A world without birds?

Marc Devokaitis, associate editor for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

More than five years after a landmark study in the journal Science showed that North American bird populations declined by nearly 30% since 1970, a new report finds that the concerning trend is continuing apace.

The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report – an assessment of the health of the nation’s bird populations, published by scientists from U.S. conservation groups, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology – shows that bird populations across the United States are still in decline, with the losses touching the majority of bird groups and habitats from coast to coast. And some of the bright spots from recent reports, such as a long-term increase in waterfowl numbers, are beginning to dim.

The report was presented March 13 at the 90th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, which included wildlife and resource managers from around the country.

Key findings in the new report include:

• About a third of American birds (229 species) are of high or moderate concern due to low populations, declining trends or other threats to their survival;
• Both Eastern and Western forest birds are continuing to decline overall, and the rates of decline are increasing in the West;
• Grassland and arid-land birds in the U.S. are among the fastest declining groups (43% and 41% declines, respectively, since 1970); and
• Waterfowl populations, which have increased overall since 1970, have declined by 20% since 2014.

Tariffs won’t just hit your wallet. They could also increase food waste.

Wednesday, on April 2, Trump plans to announce major new tariffs

Frida Garza, Staff Writer

Spring has sprung, and you can tell by looking at Dig’s online menu. The fast-casual chain known for its bountiful salads and bowls is promoting a new sandwich for the spring — the “avo smash,” wherein a hearty piece of chicken or tofu is embraced by a brioche bun, pesto aioli, and plenty of bright-green avocado. 

The lunch spot’s seasonal menus are planned at least three months in advance, said Andrew Torrens, Dig’s director of supply, meaning the avo smash has been in the works for a while. However, if the United States decides to escalate a global trade war next month, Dig will have to come up with a backup plan fast.

“If avocado prices explode, what’s our backup? How do we pivot?” said Torrens on a recent phone call. 

Since his inauguration in January, Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada — creating confusion for restaurant owners, food distributors, grocers, and consumers who rely on the United States’ neighbor to the south for fruits and vegetables year-round. 

On February 1, Trump signed an executive order levying a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico. However, he has twice pushed back the start date; earlier this month, he paused tariffs on most goods coming in from Mexico and Canada until April 2. What will actually happen on that date — which Trump has dubbed “Liberation Day” — is still largely unclear.

A tariff on goods from Mexico, the single largest supplier of horticultural imports to the U.S., would almost certainly mean higher prices at the grocery store. It could also, according to experts, increase food waste along the supply chain.

Dig sources most of its avocados from Mexico, where the warm climate is ideal for growing these fruits. This is common — in fact, about 90 percent of avocados consumed in the U.S. come from Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Trumps Billionaire Commerce Secretary: Only 'Fraudsters' Will Complain If Social Security Checks Don't Arrive

Yeah, MAGA. Yeah Jim Mageau. You won't miss your Social Security checks, right?

Jessica Corbett for Common Dreams

Maybe HE won't miss his checks

As U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary leader of the Social Security Administration threatened to shut down the agency over an unfavorable court ruling on Friday, the billionaire commerce secretary came under fire for suggesting that only "fraudsters" will complain if they don't get their earned benefits.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on All-In—a podcast hosted by "four billionaire besties"—on Thursday. A brief clip of his interview, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, made the rounds on social media Friday.

Lutnick told two of the hosts that if the SSA didn't send out checks this month, his 94-year-old mother-in-law "wouldn't call and complain," but "a fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining."

Critics were quick to point out Lutnick's wealth. As More Perfect Union posted, "His net worth is estimated at $2 billion."

Richard Phillips, pensions and tax policy director for U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), called the commerce secretary's comments "shameful."

"Nearly 40% of seniors rely on Social Security for a majority of their income and nearly 1 in 7 rely on it for more than 90% of their income," according to Phillips. "These people would call due to missing checks because their very survival depends on it."

King Donald declares that media that criticize him are criminal

Trump's march to fascism takes another step

Jessica Corbett for Common Dreams

U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign-like speech at the Department of Justice sparked a fresh wave of alarm over the Republican's attacks on his critics, disrespect for the rule of law, and plans for his second term.

Trump—who was convicted of 34 felonies in New York before returning to the White House—slammed his perceived opponents as "scum" and "thugs," called efforts to hold him accountable for alleged criminal activity "bullshit," and declared: "We will expel the rogue actors and corrupt forces from our government. We will expose... their egregious crimes and severe misconduct."

Trump's appearance with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and props promoting drug enforcement displayed his intent to remake the federal judiciary and fueled speculation that he will appoint Florida-based District Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed the classified documents case against him, to the nation's Supreme Court.

King Donald in love

Victoria Gu's new bill helps protect beach access

You’ve Been Misreading Your Dog’s Emotions This Whole Time

You are probably projecting your own feelings onto your pooch

By Arizona State University

Life with a dog is a constant exchange—especially when it comes to communication. Since humans and dogs don’t share a common language, understanding each other depends on interpreting behavior and emotional cues. That process often feels effortless. You hand your dog a treat, she looks into your eyes as if to say, “I’m thrilled to have this!” With a wag of her tail, she takes the treat and trots off happily. In that moment, you feel a deep connection with your pet.

Or at least, that’s what you believe.

New research from Arizona State University suggests that people often misinterpret their dog’s emotions. One key reason? Humans tend to project their own feelings onto their pets rather than accurately reading canine expressions.

How Context Clouds Canine Emotions

In their study, “Barking up the wrong tree: Human perceptions of dog emotions is influenced by extraneous factors,” ASU researchers Holly Molinaro and Clive Wynne conducted experiments to examine how people perceive dog emotions. Their findings indicate that most humans don’t assess a dog’s emotional state based on the dog’s behavior alone. Instead, they rely on the context of the situation to make assumptions.

Probiotics Aren’t Enough

Scientists Recommend Doing This Instead To Improve Your Gut Health

By University of Cambridge

Researchers analyzed the gut microbiomes of over 12,000 people worldwide and discovered that a fiber-rich diet supports beneficial bacteria that protect against harmful Enterobacteriaceae, reducing infection risk. In contrast, probiotics are less effective since they don’t significantly alter the gut environment. 

Eating more fiber-rich foods can strengthen beneficial gut bacteria that protect against harmful Enterobacteriaceae, reducing infection risk more effectively than probiotics.

The Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria—which includes Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and others—naturally exists in small amounts within a healthy human gut microbiome. However, when these bacteria grow excessively, often due to factors like increased inflammation or consumption of contaminated food, they can lead to illness and disease. In severe cases, an overgrowth of Enterobacteriaceae in the gut can become life-threatening.

To better understand this risk, researchers analyzed the gut microbiome composition of over 12,000 individuals from 45 countries using computational methods, including artificial intelligence (AI), based on stool samples. Their findings revealed that a person’s unique microbiome profile can predict the likelihood of Enterobacteriaceae colonization. This pattern was consistent across various health conditions and geographic regions.

Americans will die, businesses will lose billions from Musk/Trump cuts to weather science

You don't need a DOGEr to know which way the wind is blowing

By Toby Ault, Daniele Visioni, Peter Hitchcock 

Photo by Will Collette

An invisible river of information flows through our daily lives, powering American commerce and keeping all of us safe in our homes, offices, and on our roadways. Its keepers are the dutiful public servants at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS). 

The recent elimination of over 800 positions, with another 1,000 planned, will not only threaten lives and diminish US leadership in weather prediction—it will invariably disrupt countless industries, from finance to agriculture to reinsurance.

Like haphazardly dismantling sections of our interstate highway system, these cuts create dangerous gaps in our national capacity that the private sector cannot fill. 

If we need to know the weather, King Donald can tell us

Every time an airline routes around turbulence, an insurance company prices a policy, or a farmer plans their planting season, they rely on a sophisticated network of 620 facilities nationwide that includes 100 upper-air monitoring sites and crucial satellite operations centers as well as advanced numerical models of weather and the supercomputers required to run them. 

This infrastructure, supporting more than one-third of US GDP, requires sustained investment in both infrastructure and highly trained personnel with advanced degrees.

Report Exposes Musk Operatives Who Have Infiltrated Social Security Agency

What could possibly go wrong?

Jake Johnson for Common Dreams

Despite his pledge of "maximum transparency," Elon Musk has gone to great lengths to obscure the names and activities of staffers working for his Department of Government Efficiency—even claiming at one point that it is illegal to publicly identify members of the advisory commission.

That didn't stop Wired from publishing a story that names 10 DOGE operatives who have infiltrated the Social Security Administration, which is facing deep staffing cuts that advocates warn could impact the delivery of benefits.

The staffers, according to Wired, are Akash Bobba, Scott Coulter, Marko Elez, Luke Farritor, Antonio Gracias, Gautier Cole Killian, Jon Koval, Nikhil Rajpal, Payton Rehling, and Ethan Shaotran. The list "includes a number of young engineers whose presence at the SSA has not been reported."

Trump's Apprentice 2025

From the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee...

 

C-Town Dems News

March 2025

Hands Off Rally! Saturday, April 5, 12-1:30 PM RI Fights Back!   Trump and Musk are taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring us to stop them. The time to act is now. This country-wide, mass-mobilization day is our message to the administration that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire cronies. Alongside Americans across the country, we're taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!   Saturday, April 5th | 12:00 PM Hope High School, 324 Hope Street, Providence RI  For more info, click HERE   Join us in the fight!   This event is being organized by Indivisible RI and several other RI based organizations. Contact indivisibleri2024@gmail.com with questions. Please contact us if you're interested in carpooling and we will see what we can get organized. The Amtrak NE Regional train 150 departs 9:55 AM from Westerly ($26), 10:10 AM from Kingston ($22) arrives 10:29 AM. Schedules are subject to change to please check here for up-to-the-minute train times. It's about a 22-minute walk from the station to Hope High School

For those who can't make it to Providence, there are two other rallies happening the same day in Westerly and Wakefield    WESTERLY Hands Off Rally! Saturday, April 5, 1-3 PM 14 Canal Street. For info, Click HERE   WAKEFIELD South County Resistance: Remove, Reverse, Reclaim  305 Main Street. Meet at the Bike Path, walk with the group towards CVS

And now for some good news: voters are rejecting the Republican Party's radical agenda!   Democrat Dan Goughnour won Pennsylvania State House District 35, ensuring a BLUE Democratic majority in the Pennsylvania State House;   Democrat James Malone won Pennsylvania State Senate District 36, which is a Trump district that has been held by Republicans for 46 YEARS;   South Carolina Democrat Peter Smith, Jr. won Dorchester County Council District 1, turning a solid Trump district BLUE!

Food Drive to benefit RI Community Food Bank April 2, 2025, 6-7 pm Charlestown Police Station

Help ensure that no Rhode Islander goes hungry. C-Town Dems will be collecting items for RICAN: you can drop them off April 2nd, from 6-7 PM at the Charlestown Police Center Community Room. See below for list of items. You can also donate virtually using the QR code.

Food items needed: Soups & stews: Any variety, canned or boxed Pasta, Macaroni & Cheese: Any variety, boxed, bagged or canned Breakfast Cereals: Any variety   Rice: Jasmine, yellow, basmati, white and brown Canned Fish & Meat: Tuna, chicken, sardines, salmon Canned Fruit: Pineapple, mango, peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail Canned Vegetables: Corn, green beans, peas, spinach, okra Tomato Products: Diced, crushed, sauce, paste Beans & Lentils: Canned or dried black, cannellini, kidney, fava, chick peas, etc. Nut & Seed Butters: Peanut, sunflower, soy nut, almond, cashew Sauces, Spices, and Condiments: In plastic bottles or cans only, no glass. Sofrito, fish sauce, soy sauce, coconut milk, extra virgin olive oil, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper, paprika, adobo, cinnamon, ginger Baby Formula

Financial District Referendum The Chariho District Financial Referendum will be held on Tuesday, April 8th. All Charlestown voters can vote at the Charlestown Town Hall in the Council chambers from 8 AM to 8 PM. It’s important to turn out to ensure we continue to invest in our schools, our students, and our future.

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The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee manages the affairs of the Democratic Party in the town of Charlestown, RI subject to RI Election Law, State Party rules and its own bylaws. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM at the Charlestown Police Station. Any Charlestown registered Democrat is welcome to attend.

P.O. Box 1088, Charlestown RI 02813 charlestowndemocrats.org