(WASHINGTON) — Education Secretary Miguel Cardona signed off Friday as the nation’s top education official — calling it his “dream job.”
“To the students, families, educators, and education leaders I’ve served these last 4 years, I want to make it clear that while I will no longer be your Secretary of Education, I will still be your partner in all that we hope to achieve for America’s students,” Cardona wrote in a farewell post on X.
Cardona was sworn in on March 2, 2021, a year into the coronavirus pandemic, serving nearly the entire Biden presidency.
During his tenure, the former Connecticut education commissioner touted helping President Joe Biden safely reopen K-12 schools for in-person learning after monthslong closures. He also championed the department’s efforts to fix the so-called broken student loan system and cancel debt for millions of borrowers. The secretary also faced right-wing attacks at every turn, including the classroom culture wars battle. He vowed to continue fighting after leaving his post.
“Our fight for education is happening all around us in classrooms and communities across the country and it continues,” he wrote. “And I’ll be right there with you in the fight.”
However, Cardona’s tenure was mired by higher education woes. For the past 2 1/2 years, the education secretary has been criticized for the botched rollout of a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid application and for how his department’s student debt relief plan was unconstitutional — facing Supreme Court rejections in 2023.
In his capstone event on Tuesday, Cardona laid into the next administration for choosing “a billionaire donor to lead the department of education.”
The Trump administration is expected to hand over the Department of Education to WWE co-founder Linda McMahon if she is confirmed by the Senate.
McMahon, a Trump loyalist and donor, is expected to carry out the president-elect’s policies, which Trump has said include shutting down the very department McMahon has been tapped to lead.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Friday said the Equal Right Amendment should be considered ratified, but is stopping short of taking any action on the matter in his final days in office.
“I have supported the Equal Rights Amendment for more than 50 years, and I have long been clear that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex,” Biden said. “We, as a nation, must affirm and protect women’s full equality once and for all.”
Biden said he agreed with the American Bar Association, which has said the amendment cleared the necessary hurdles to be added to the Constitution after Virginia in 2020 became the 38th state to ratify it even though that was well past the deadline for ratification.
“It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people,” Biden said. “In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex.”
Political debate around the ERA, which was first introduced in 1923, ramped up after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022 and again after the 2024 election.
In December, more than than 120 congressional Democrats called on Biden to officially ratify the amendment before ceding power to President-elect Donald Trump.
“Solidifying your legacy on equal rights with a final action on the ERA would be a defining moment for the historic Biden-Harris administration and your presidency,” they said in their letter to Biden.
The move prompted a rare statement from the leaders of the National Archives, who contended the amendment couldn’t be certified without action from Congress or the judicial system because states did not meet the deadline established by Congress for ratification.
Lawmakers had set a seven-year deadline in 1972 for state ratification, though later extended it by an additional three years. Efforts by Democrats in recent years to remove the deadline have failed.
“Court decisions at both the District and Circuit levels have affirmed that the ratification deadlines established by Congress for the ERA are valid,” the archivists wrote. “Therefore, the Archivist of the United States cannot legally publish the Equal Rights Amendment.”
Though Biden renewed his call for the ERA to become law of the land, he is not taking any action on the matter before he departs the White House on Monday, according to a senior administration official.
When pressed by reporters whether any steps would be taken in addition to Biden’s messaging, the official “he is using his power of the presidency to make it clear that he believes and he agrees with leading constitutional scholars,” but said he wasn’t taking any specific action.
When asked why the announcement came now, the official said that Biden has supported the amendment for decades but said that he felt strongly about making this push before he leaves office.
If Biden had taken any action to force ratification, it would have likely resulted in a legal fight, experts said.
“At that point, there would be further litigation,” Wilfred Codrington III, a constitutional law professor at Cardozo Law, previously told ABC News. “But really that would just become a question or a conflict between the president and Congress.”
“If Congress is not doing something to suggest that the amendment is ratified, then that’s kind of where the ball is going to end,” Codrington said. “Congress is ultimately the gatekeeper when it comes to amendments.”
The ERA is unlikely to be a priority in the incoming administration or new Congress, where Republicans control the House and Senate. Republicans have argued in the past that the amendment is unnecessary and duplicative.
“That doesn’t seem to be where the Republicans are going,” Codrington said. “But it is notable that states are also another avenue that advocates can look to.”
Codrington pointed to New York voters approving Proposition 1, a measure akin to the Equal Rights Amendment that also includes safeguards to abortion access, during the 2024 election.
(WASHINGTON) — Kristi Noem, South Dakota’s firebrand Republican governor, faced questioning Friday at her confirmation hearing to be secretary of homeland security.
Noem, the daughter of a farmer and a former representative from South Dakota, is being questioned before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
In an exchange with Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Noem said the border is not secure, but it will be soon.
“The southern border is not secure today. But in just three days, we will have a new president in this country, President Donald J Trump, and he will secure our border,” Noem said during the hearing.
She also told Hawley that, if confirmed, she will shut down the CBP One app. Some migrants have used the app in recent years in order to get screened, schedule appointments and make their case for asylum after entering the country.
“Yes, Senator, if confirmed and I have the opportunity to be Secretary, on day one, CBP One will be shut down,” Noem said Friday. “There’s data and information in there that we will preserve so that we can ensure we know who’s coming into this country and who’s already here that we need to go find.”
Noem first came on the national scene during the pandemic and gained notoriety when she did not shut down businesses and schools in the state — instead keeping it open and even hosting a Fourth of July fireworks show at Mt. Rushmore.
“We didn’t mandate anything,” Noem said at the Republican National Convention last July. “We never ordered a single business or church to close. I never even defined what an essential business was, because I don’t believe that the government has the authority to tell you that your business isn’t essential.”
During her last state budget address in December, Noem touted what she called progress on the state economy, education and public safety.
Noem was one of the Republican governors to send National Guardsmen to the southern border to help the Texas National Guard.
If confirmed, border security will be a main concern as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would fall under her purview at the Department of Homeland Security.
“I have increased resources to combat the horror of human trafficking,” she said in December. “And when President Trump secures the southern border, we’ll cut off the primary pipeline for human trafficking into our country.”
In an interview on Newsmax shortly after President-elect Trump’s election victory, she said the border would be the “No.1 priority.”
“We’ve got to secure our country, and we’ve got to get the murderers and terrorists and rapists out of this country, and make America safe again. That’s really what his goal is. And I’m just so proud of him that he’s working so hard at it immediately,” she said.
A one-time potential vice-presidential prospect, Noem would oversee 22 agencies with more than 260,000 employees — on issues ranging from the border to federal disaster management to the Secret Service.
Earlier this year, she was embroiled in a series of controversies, including drawing scrutiny and a lawsuit over her social media endorsement of a dental work she received from a practice in Texas.
She was also criticized for writing in her new memoir about how she shot and killed her 14-month-old dog “Cricket” after she said it demonstrated an “aggressive personality, and she was forced to admit what she called “errors” in her book, including claiming she once met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That description was removed from the book, according to the publisher.
Trump defended and praised her amid the controversies last year, saying she’s gone through “rough” days but that he likes her “a lot.”
(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday he spoke to China’s President Xi Jinping about TikTok and other issues as he prepares to take office in a matter of days.
Trump confirmed the call in a post on his social media platform, calling it a “good one” for both nations.
“It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” Trump said. “We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”
The call came just before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan law that could see TikTok banned in the U.S. after Jan. 19 unless its Chinese-owned parent company sells the widely popular app.
The Biden administration doesn’t plan to take action to immediately force TikTok go dark, ABC News has reported, instead leaving it to the incoming Trump administration to implement.
Trump, who tried to ban TikTok in his first term, has now promised to save it. He met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago club in December, and Chew plans to attend Trump’s inauguration, sources told ABC News.
In addition, Trump had extended an invitation to Xi to attend Monday’s ceremony in Washington. Though experts noted it was unlikely Xi would attend.
But Xi’s special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, will attend, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Friday.
“We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other,” the spokesperson added.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law set to ban social media platform TikTok in less than 48 hours.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the ruling states. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
It continues, “For the foregoing Per Curiam reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights. The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed.”
The court’s ruling was unanimous, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor and conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch writing concurring opinions.
In an apparent effort to limit the implications of its ruling, the court said its judgment should not be interpreted as a rebuke of common practices taken up by social media companies, such as data collection.
“We emphasize the inherent narrowness of our holding,” the unsigned ruling says. “Data collection and analysis is a common practice in this digital age. But TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the Government’s national security concerns.”
Unless TikTok severs ties with China-based parent company ByteDance, the ban will take effect on Sunday, the day before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
The ruling follows indication from the Biden administration that it would not enforce the potential ban in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, leaving implementation of the law to Trump. Trump, who opposed the ban, has said he will seek to reverse it.
Trump said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning with TikTok being one of the topics they discussed, according to a Truth Social post.
TikTok — which boasts more than 170 million U.S. users — challenged the sale-or-ban law on First Amendment grounds, arguing that a potential ban would limit the free-expression rights of its users.
Lower courts, however, found merit in security concerns about potential data collection or content manipulation undertaken by the Chinese government.
Even after the ban takes effect, TikTok could remain available for U.S. users.
Rather than force TikTok to take the app dark, the law targets third-party companies like cloud-service providers and app stores. TikTok could circumvent such restrictions, at least temporarily, though experts say the quality of the app would degrade over time.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — The Democratic Mayors Association will appoint Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb as the organization’s next president during its meeting on Saturday, a source familiar told ABC News.
Representing the new coalition of Democratic up-and-comers, Bibb, who is Black and 37, has been labeled a “homegrown rising star.” He will be succeeding Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
“Democratic Mayors are uniquely poised for this moment. We know how to lead, and we know how to get things done. Mayor Bibb is a proven leader of his city, and I know will do a fantastic job at the helm of the Democratic Mayors Association,” Gallego said in a statement to ABC News.
Bibb will be overseeing the group, which reaches as many as 500 current and former mayors, at a time of reflection as the party looks to rebuild and recoup from its election losses and figure out who is best positioned to lead it as Donald Trump begins his second presidential term. The Democratic National Committee is also in the throes of selecting new leadership and will be electing a slate of officers on Feb. 1.
(Martin O’Malley, a former Democratic mayor of Baltimore, is one of the leading candidates for DNC chair.)
As it moves forward, the party as a whole is looking to strike a balance between effectively messaging against Trump and Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress, working with the incoming administration on issues key to the Democratic mayors’ cities and reestablishing its brand with key facets of its base who turned to the GOP — or stayed home — last November.
“Over the next four years, Democratic mayors will play a pivotal role in communicating the Democratic Party’s message, combating misinformation — particularly about our cities, which Trump repeatedly attacks – and continuing to deliver results locally, keeping their communities safe and creating and connecting people to opportunity,” a source familiar with the DMA’s plans told ABC News.
In a recent interview with the Ohio-based news site Signal Cleveland, Bibb said he’s uninterested in being part of any formal Trump “resistance.”
“I think Clevelanders and the American people are tired of ‘the resistance,'” Bibb said. “They’re tired of the bickering between Democrats and Republicans. They are tired of this left vs. right debate.”
For his part, Bibb said that despite uncertainty, the DMA, under his leadership, will move forward with “unity.”
“While there is uncertainty and concern on the eve of the Inauguration, the Democratic Mayors Association is clear in its mission,” Bibb said in a statement to ABC News. “We will stand together. We are going to deliver. We are going to move forward with positive action and real results. Our time is now.”
Bibb is currently running for a second term as mayor.
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who served as a Biden and Harris campaign co-chairman, said the group is lucky to have Bibb at the helm.
“Nobody knows better than Democratic Mayors on how to deliver,” Landrieu said in a statement. “Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. This work is more important now than ever, and we are lucky to have Mayor Bibb leading the way.”
(WASHINGTON) — Kristi Noem, South Dakota’s firebrand Republican governor, faces a grilling Friday at her confirmation hearing to be secretary of homeland security.
Noem, the daughter of a farmer and a former representative from South Dakota, will be questioned before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
She first came on the national scene during the pandemic and gained notoriety when she did not shut down businesses and schools in the state — instead keeping it open and even hosting a Fourth of July fireworks show at Mt. Rushmore.
“We didn’t mandate anything,” Noem said at the Republican National Convention in July 2024. “We never ordered a single business or church to close. I never even defined what an essential business was, because I don’t believe that the government has the authority to tell you that your business isn’t essential.”
During her last state budget address in December, Noem touted what she called progress on the state economy, education and public safety.
Noem was one of the Republican governors to send National Guardsmen to the southern border to help the Texas National Guard.
If confirmed, border security will be a main concern as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would fall under her purview at the Department of Homeland Security.
“I have increased resources to combat the horror of human trafficking,” she said in December. “And when President Trump secures the southern border, we’ll cut off the primary pipeline for human trafficking into our country.”
In an interview on Newsmax shortly after President-elect Trump’s election victory she said the “number one priority” will be the border.
“We’ve got to secure our country, and we’ve got to get the murderers and terrorists and rapists out of this country, and make America safe again. That’s really what his goal is. And I’m just so proud of him that he’s working so hard at it immediately,” she said.
A one-time potential vice-presidential prospect, Noem would oversee 22 agencies with more than 260,000 employees — on issues ranging from the border to federal disaster management to the Secret Service.
Earlier this year, she was embroiled in a series of controversies, including drawing scrutiny and a lawsuit over her social media endorsement of a dental work she received from a practice in Texas.
She was also criticized for writing in her new memoir about how she shot and killed her 14-month-old dog “Cricket” after she said it demonstrated an “aggressive personality, and she was forced to admit what she called “errors” in her book, including claiming she once met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That description was removed from the book, according to the publisher.
Trump defended and praised her amid the controversies last year, saying she’s gone through “rough” days but that he likes her “a lot.”
(WASHINGTON) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to meet with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, a spokesperson for the mayor said, marking his latest correspondence with the incoming administration as he also faces federal bribery charges.
The two will sit down ahead of Trump’s inauguration to “discuss New Yorkers’ priorities,” the mayor’s spokesperson, Fabien Levy, said in a statement on Thursday.
“Mayor Adams has made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers — and that partnership with the federal government is critical to New York City’s success,” Levy said. “The mayor looks forward to having a productive conversation with the incoming president on how we can move our city and country forward.”
Last month, Adams, a Democrat, met with incoming border czar Tom Homan to discuss their plans to remove what the mayor said were violent undocumented immigrants.
While discussing the closed-door meeting at a news conference last month, Adams said the city is going to “protect the rights of immigrants who are hard-working and giving back to the city in a positive way.” The mayor repeatedly said that he and Homan agreed that they do not share the same courtesy for immigrants who he says commit violent crimes.
“We will not be a safe haven for those who commit violent acts. We don’t do it for those who are citizens and we are not going to do it for undocumented citizens,” Adams said.
The mayor was indicted on federal bribery and fraud charges in September. He has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to the five-count indictment, which alleged he accepted luxury travel in exchange for political favors.
The mayor has the backing of Trump, who has claimed Adams was unjustly charged by federal prosecutors and has said he would “take a look” at a pardon for him.
“I think that he was treated pretty unfairly,” Trump said of Adams during a press briefing last month.
The president-elect suggested the charges were retribution for the mayor speaking out against migrants flooding into the country.
“It’s very interesting when he essentially went against what was happening with the migrants coming in,” Trump said. “And, you know, he made some pretty strong statements like ‘This is not sustainable.’ I said, ‘You know what? He’ll be indicted soon.’ And I said it. That is a prediction, a little bit lightheartedly, but I said it. I said, ‘He’s going to be indicted.’ And a few months later he got indicted. So I would certainly look at it.”
Last week, federal prosecutors said in a court filing that the FBI had uncovered “additional criminal conduct” by Adams. They did not elaborate but have said in prior court hearings a superseding indictment is “likely” in the mayor’s criminal case.
Alex Spiro, the mayor’s lawyer, said in response it was “amateur hour” and that the government is “just looking for a headline instead of doing the right thing. I assume we are at the point where New Yorkers are not falling for it.”
Adams, who was elected in 2021, is the first sitting New York City mayor to ever face charges. He is scheduled to stand trial in April.
ABC News’ Ivan Pereira, Aaron Katersky, Lalee Ibssa and Selina Wang contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — In his farewell address, an emotional Attorney General Merrick Garland sought to encourage an embattled Department of Justice facing uncertainty and to unabashedly defend his tenure and their work.
“I know that you have faced unfounded attacks simply for doing your jobs. At the very same time, you have risked your lives to protect our country from a range of foreign and domestic threats,” Garland said. “But the story that has been told by some outside of this building about what has happened inside of it is wrong. You have worked to pursue justice — not politics. That is the truth. And nothing can change it.”
He took head-on the criticism that has been leveled at his leadership of the DOJ from both sides of the political aisle.
“But I also know that a lot has been said about this department by people outside of it — about what your job is and what it is not and about why you do your work the way you do,” he added. “I know that, over the years, some have criticized the department, saying that it has allowed politics to influence its decision-making. That criticism often came from people with political views opposite from one another, each making the exact opposite points about the same set of facts.”
Without ever mentioning President-elect Donald Trump’s name, Garland discussed the DOJ’s historic investigation of Jan. 6, which led to the now-closed prosecution of the incoming president.
“You charged more than 1,500 people for criminal conduct that occurred during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as well as in the days and weeks leading up to the attack. You brought to justice those who kicked, punched, beat and Tased law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol that day. And you pursued accountability for that attack on our democracy wherever it led — guided only by your commitment to follow the facts and the law,” Garland said.
“Our norms are a promise to treat like cases alike — that we will not have one rule for the powerful and another for the powerless, one rule for friends and another for foes,” he said earlier in the speech.
Speaking to the over 114,000-person career workforce that will remain into Trump’s next tenure, he urged them to retain the DOJ’s independence, no matter the challenge.
“We know that only an independent Justice Department can protect the safety and civil rights of everyone in our country. And we know that only an independent Justice Department can ensure that the facts and law alone will determine whether a person is investigated or prosecuted,” Garland said. “It is the obligation of each of us to adhere to our norms even when — and especially when — the circumstances we face are not normal.”
And he was adamant that there are times when the attorney general has to have the backs of a department that will often do things that will make people angry on the Left and the Right.
“The attorney general must not just lead this department’s workforce but must respect it and, when necessary, defend it. It is the responsibility of every employee of the Justice Department to do what is right. And it is the obligation of the attorney general to have their backs when they do,” Garland said. “That is what you have done. And that is the kind of attorney general I have tried to be.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris continued their farewell tour on Thursday, attending the Department of Defense Commander in Chief Farewell Ceremony, offering his thanks to U.S. troops for their service throughout his administration.
“Serving as your commander in chief has been the greatest honor of my life. While I’m deeply grateful for your thanks and affection, I’m here to thank you. Thank you for your service to our nation and for allowing me to bear witness to your courage, your commitment, your character. As I listened to the choir sing, I thought about it. You all represent what America is: Character, honesty, integrity, commitment,” Biden said.
The president spoke to the global conflicts he faced during his time in office that as commander in chief he asked American troops to help carry out, including ending the war in Afghanistan and the chaotic withdrawal.
“I believe history will reflect, it was the right thing to do. But I know it was hard. After decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including through withdrawal, the pain was still real. And it was for me as well,” Biden said of the decision with a much more reflective tone than we’ve seen in recent speeches.
Biden also spoke about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Six months after that war ended, when Russia began its largest war in Europe since World War II, I asked you to help defend Ukraine. You didn’t hesitate. You kept Ukraine in the fight. Trained Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, troops bolstered NATO’s eastern flank. And above all, you showed the world, America stands up for freedom. Stands with our friends. America stands strong with our allies. We never bend down,” Biden said.
Biden also praised U.S. troops for playing a part in the hostage and ceasefire deal finally coming together, and their service in the Middle East.
“I asked you to deploy to the Middle East. Again, you stepped up, pulling long nights and long deployments to weaken Hamas, to defending Israel against unprecedented attacks in Iran. Imagine, had we not? If we don’t lead the world, who will lead the world?” he said.
The president praised the work of the armed forces for helping to keep China in check and strengthening America’s standing in the Pacific.
Biden also highlighted the work his administration has done to help veterans, including passing the PACT act to help veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits while serving, like his late son Beau.
Speaking personally about his own family’s experience with the military, Biden praised the first lady’s work with military families. “Most Americans never see the sacrifices that you make every single day. They’ll never see all those holidays and birthdays with an empty seat at the dinner table, because mom or dad was deployed. They’ll never see all the moves you had to make to new states, to new schools, to new jobs. But I see it and Jill saw it. She made it her life’s work. She’s done everything big and small,” Biden said of his wife.
“So, for the last time as commander in chief, I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the families. We owe you. I’ve long said as a nation, we have many obligations. But I say we only have one truly sacred obligation. That’s the prayer of those we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don’t,” Biden added. Closing out his remarks, Biden gave one final request to the troops “not as your president or commander in chief, I say it as a man who spent 50 years of his life serving his country in a different way.”
“Remember your oath. My son, Major Beau Biden, used to call it home base. That’s a set of principles of values that give you light and darkness that guide you,” he said. “It’s true to the military. It’s the best weapons, the best training in the world, with the most cutting-edge ships, planes, and subs. We have the smartest, most well-trained force on Earth. That’s all critical. But that alone is not what makes us strong. This is not what brought Washington its band of brothers together all those years ago.”
“It’s our values. I mean it sincerely, it’s our values, American values, our commitment to honor, to integrity, to unity, to protecting and defending not a person or a party or a place, but an idea,” he said.
Prior to his remarks, the president and first lady were presented with the Distinguished Public Service Medal. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed the medal on the chest pocket of Biden’s suit jacket and presented him with a framed certificate, after a commendation was read overhead.
