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Congressional Republicans continue to introduce bills eliminating the Department of Education

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds introduced the “Returning Education Back to Our States Act” on Thursday, signaling a commitment to deliver on President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to dismantle the Department of Education.

In the conservative movement to return education back to local control, Rounds said the legislation would “eliminate” the department while redistributing all critical federal programs to other agencies.

Rounds’ announcement was first reported by Fox News.

“For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education,” the Republican senator wrote in a statement, adding “I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year.”

In his statement, Rounds said the United States spends too much on education for students’ test scores to be lagging behind other countries in standardized assessments. He called the DOE ineffective and earmarked the department’s responsibilities for the Departments of Interior, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Labor and State, according to the bill text.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and aid programs under Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Indian Education of the Department of Education will be transferred to the Department of the Interior, the Federal Pell Grant and other higher education loan programs will be transferred to the Department of the Treasury.

According to the bill, the treasury department will allocate Block grants to states for K-12 and postsecondary education. The treasury secretary also has the power to withhold these funds if they are mishandled by the states. The Justice Department will oversee federal civil rights laws that were previously under Title VI.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie told ABC News Thursday morning that he would also bring forward legislation to abolish the DOE within the “first few weeks” of the 119th Congress.

“There’ll be one sentence – only thing that will change is the date: The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026,” Massie told ABC News.

Massie has been pushing to defund the U.S. Department of Education since the start of 2023 when he introduced H.R. 899. Massie’s bill wasn’t voted on in the House last year.

However, education analyst Neal McCluskey at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, argued Massie’s one-sentence bill was not realistic.

“You’ve got to figure out what to do with all the legislation that feeds into the Department of Education,” McCluskey said.

“If Congress were to pass that law that says, abolish the Department of Education, technically the department would go away, but then you’d have all sorts of questions, well, who’s going to administrate or be administrator for all these programs,” he said.

In March 2023, Massie wrote an amendment H.Amendment 124 in H.R. 5, the “Parents Bill of Rights Act” – the House’s signature K-12 education policy – to abolish the department. That amendment failed as all Democrats and 60 House Republicans voted against it.

Here are ways to gut the department

Even as Republicans hold majorities in both chambers next Congress, the Senate typically needs 60 votes to do anything, according to McCluskey. McCluskey said, “There’s no chance they’re going to be at 60, and so it’s going to be tough [to abolish the department legislatively].”

“The Department of Education administers a whole lot of laws, and then those laws have to be changed about who runs student aid and who is tasked with making decisions about canceling student debt, and who decides or who administers Title I and lots of these other federal programs,” McCluskey told ABC News.

“He [President-elect Trump] can certainly use the bully pulpit to drive this a lot. He could provide legislative blueprints if he wanted to. But ultimately this has to come through Congress,” McCluskey underscored.

Meanwhile, Augustus Mays, vice president for partnerships and engagement at the advocacy group The Education Trust, told ABC News that the president-elect could also ask Congress to gut federal programs like Title 1, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and others, in his congressional budget request.

Public education, particularly in high-need districts, would effectively be drained of millions of dollars, according to Mays.

“It would really cripple the ability to function and aid the support that these students need to really succeed from an academic standpoint,” Mays said.

Trump announces Pam Bondi is his new AG pick after Gaetz withdraws

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — On the same day that former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, Trump announced that he will pick former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to fill that role in his administration.

Bondi, 59, has remained in Trump’s inner circle for years and has continued to advise him on legal matters. She was one of the lawyers who defended Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial.

“I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Bondi’s nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. She did not immediately comment about Trump’s announcement.

For more than a decade, Bondi has been a key Trump supporter and has been involved in some controversies, including the “big lie,” pushed by Trump in 2020.

In 2013, the Trump Foundation sent a $25,000 donation to Bondi’s fundraising committee for her attorney general reelection campaign. Around the same time, Bondi’s office had been considering reviewing a lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general’s office that probed Trump and Trump University, but it ultimately did not join the suit.

Bondi and Trump both denied allegations that the donation led to her decision to not join the lawsuit. She endorsed Trump for his presidential run and spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention leading a “lock her up chant” against then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. She also served as a co-chair of Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.

Bondi left the Florida Attorney General’s office in 2019 and a year later was named part of Trump’s defense team for his first impeachment trial. He was acquitted in the Senate.

Bondi continued to be part of Trump’s legal team during the 2020 election and repeatedly made false claims about voter fraud when he lost to Joe Biden.

Recently, she has been a member of the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute where she serves as the chair for the Center for Litigation, and co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice, according to the think tank’s website.

Retirement plans are changing in 2025: What to know

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — If you are nearing retirement, you will soon be able to stash even more money into your nest egg — if you can afford it.

The Internal Revenue Service announced that the maximum amount individuals can contribute to their 401(k) or similar plans in 2025 will increase to $23,500, up from $23,000 for 2024.

The federal government already lets those 50 and older make extra contributions so that they can save more as they near retirement age. This is known as a “catch-up” contribution.

In 2025, the standard catch-up contribution will stay the same, with a max of $7,500, according to the IRS.

But starting next year, workers ages 60 to 63 will be able to make “super” catch-up contributions, up to $11,250 annually, which is an additional $3,750.

That means they can potentially contribute up to $34,750 in total, each year, to a workplace retirement account.

The substantially higher catch-up contributions are part of SECURE 2.0, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 as part of a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package.

“While anything that encourages more investing is generally a good thing, I’m afraid this rule change probably won’t make a big impact, ” Bankrate’s Senior Industry Analyst Ted Rossman, told ABC News. “There has to be a very small population between the ages of 60 and 63 who were maxing out their accounts and can now go higher.”

In 2023, just 14% of retirement plan participants maxed out their 401(k) limits, according to Vanguard Research.

Even those who have always maxed out their retirement savings contributions may need to reallocate funds as they age and start to face extra expenses, like sending children to college or caring for aging parents.

Aside from 401(k) plans and similar employee-sponsored plans, the limit on annual Individual Retirement Account contributions is unchanged next year, at $7,000, while the catch-up contribution for people 50 and older will remain $1,000.

Those limits apply to both traditional IRAs, which may offer a tax deduction depending on income, and to Roth IRAs, which don’t come with a tax deduction but do offer tax-free growth and withdrawals in retirement.

An aging population, coupled with fewer companies offering pensions, means that a smaller portion of the population overall is prepared for retirement.

The typical household headed by someone ages 55 to 64 has just $10,000 saved in a retirement account, according to an analysis of federal data by the Economic Policy Institute and the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis.

“Not to discourage investing at any age, but there’s a reason why Einstein said compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world,” Rossman said. “Investing is more powerful when you’re young.”

Still, catch-up contributions can be a valuable way to grow your retirement fund and enjoy the tax benefits.

Rossman said it’s also important to contribute regularly to your 401(k) and gradually increase your contributions. He suggested putting reminders in your calendar to increase your 401(k) contribution every year.

“The idea is that you’re less likely to miss the extra money if you do it gradually or if you do it in tandem with a pay raise,” Rossman said.

For instance, he said, if you’re currently contributing 5% of your salary, could you bump that up to 6% or 7% next year?

“Gradually dialing up your percentage makes it more likely that you’ll stick with the approach,” Rossman added, “and you won’t diminish your standard of living.”

Giraffes need endangered species protection for the first time, US officials say

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The tallest animal on Earth is in danger, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has called for federal protections for giraffe species for the first time.

In the face of poaching, habitat loss and climate change, the agency proposes listing three subspecies of northern giraffes from west, central and east Africa as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, foster biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote sustainable economic practices,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a press release Wednesday.

“This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not contribute further to their decline,” Williams added.

The subspecies officials say need endangered designation include the West African, Kordofan and Nubian giraffes.

The populations of these subspecies of northern giraffes have declined approximately 77% since 1985, from 25,653 to 5,919 individuals, according to the agency, which notes, only 690 West African giraffes remain.

Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends two subspecies of southern giraffes, Angolan and South African, be listed as threatened.

If the proposal is finalized, officials say the designation would reduce illegal hunting and trade of giraffes by requiring permits for import into the U.S. and increase funding for conservation and research efforts.

“Giraffes have been moving towards extinction for years, but their plight has gone largely unnoticed,” Danielle Kessler, U.S. Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said in a statement to ABC News.

The IFAW helped craft and submit the Endangered Species Act listing proposal.

Kessler said the decline in giraffe populations is known as the “silent extinction” with subspecies numbers plummeting dramatically by up to 40% over the last 30 years.

“Losing giraffes would be a devastating loss to Earth’s biodiversity,” Kessler said. “We hope that USFWS will move quickly to finalize this decision and safeguard the future of these species.”

Texas land commissioner open to offering Trump more land for mass deportation

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(STARR COUNTY, Texas) — A Texas official, who this week offered the incoming Trump administration a 1,402-acre plot of land to build “deportation facilities,” says other parts of Texas near the border could be offered up in a similar fashion.

“Absolutely — I have 13 million acres, if any of them can be of help in this process, we’re happy to have that discussion,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham told ABC’s Mireya Villarreal in an interview.

The Texas General Land Office purchased the plot of land from a farmer in October originally to facilitate Texas’ efforts to build a border wall. Together with this land, the state office owns about 4,000 acres in Starr County, about 35 miles from McAllen, Texas.

“My office is fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history,” Buckingham wrote in a letter addressed to President-elect DonaldTrump, earlier this week.

In an interview via Zoom, Buckingham claimed authorities were frequently “getting reports from the community” that crimes were happening on the property.

“There was a significant mass of humanity and terrible things happening on this property. We heard it again and again and again,” she said.

Buckingham placed the blame squarely on what she called the Biden administration’s “open border policies” and said the county voted Republican for the first time in a century because residents there felt those policies are “directly harming their communities” and jeopardizing their safety.

During the interview, Villarreal noted she had been speaking with residents and community leaders in the region who paint a different picture of the area, one of a safe community that does not have the violent crime that Buckingham has described.

When asked by Villareal to provide details of where those crimes are occurring, Buckingham said most of the migrants are passing through and, using some of the same rhetoric about migrants and crime used by President-elect Donald Trump on the campaign trail, said they “unleash some of their violent criminal habits” in other states across the country.

“Well, a lot of it is migrant-migrant crime, but you’re right, the communities along the border are lovely,” she said. “The people who live there are lovely. Obviously, most of the migrants who come across aren’t interested in sticking around too long. They go to other parts of the country, as we have seen in faraway states — people who came across the Texas border — and then tend to unleash some of their violent criminal habits in other states.”

She added, “But the bottom line is, until we have complete operational control of the border, until we have these violent criminals off of our soil that continue to hurt our sons and daughters, we need to keep working on it and get it done.”

In 2023, in the same county where the Texas commission recently bought the 1,402-acre plot of land, the Biden administration announced it had authorized building about 20 miles of southern border wall using money that was already appropriated under the first Trump administration.

President Joe Biden at the time claimed he had no choice to build the wall, which directly contradicted a promise he made during his 2020 presidential run.

“I tried to get them to reappropriate — to redirect the money,” Biden told reporters at the time. “They didn’t, they wouldn’t. And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what is appropriated. I can’t stop that.”

After that announcement, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there was an “immediate need to construct physical barriers” in the area.

Buckingham said she’s confident she’ll hear back from the incoming Trump administration about her offer of land.

“We have heard through back channels that they’re aware of our letter and they are definitely looking at it,” she said.

Incoming “border czar” Tom Homan, in an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, indicated the incoming administration would be open to using the land Texas is offering.

“Absolutely we will,” he said, adding that when they arrest a migrant, they’ll need a place to detain them.

Democratic governors of border states — such as Arizona and California — have said they will not aid the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs told ABC News Live earlier this week that she would not use state police or the National Guard to help with mass deportation.

ABC News’ Mireya Villareal contributed to this report.

Matt Gaetz AG nomination: Timeline

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In the span of eight days, former Rep. Matt Gaetz went from a reelected House member to an attorney general pick in President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration to ultimately bowing out before a Senate confirmation.

Here is a timeline of the roller coaster of events for the embattled ex-congressman.

Nov. 13, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump announces that Gaetz, who had won reelection for Florida’s 1st district on Election Day, was his nominee for attorney general.

Gaetz resigns from Congress that day, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Several House Republicans meeting behind closed doors said there was an audible gasp in the room when they heard Trump had picked Gaetz, sources told ABC News.

Gaetz was investigated for alleged sex trafficking by the Justice Department, however, no charges were ultimately brought.

The House Ethics Committee has also been probing Gaetz on those allegations, which he has repeatedly denied.

Nov. 14, 2024

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces he will hold a special election to fill the Gaetz’s seat but doesn’t immediately provide details.

Sen. John Thune, the incoming Senate majority leader, tells reporters he doesn’t know if Gaetz can get confirmed until they start the confirmation process.

Senators on both sides of the aisle call for the release of details from the Ethics Committee’s investigation into the former congressman.

ABC News reports the woman who was at the center of the Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations surrounding Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that the former congressman had sex with her when she was 17 years old.

Nov. 15, 2024

Johnson tells reporters that he would urge the Ethics Committee not to release their report on their probe into Gaetz.

The speaker says he didn’t think it was “relevant” for the public to know what’s in the report.

An attorney representing two women who were witnesses in the House Ethics Committee’s investigation tells ABC News one of his clients testified that she witnessed the Florida congressman having sex with a minor.

Nov. 18, 2024

In an interview with ABC News’ Juju Chang, Florida attorney Joel Leppard reveals new details regarding his clients’ closed-door testimony before the Ethics Committee — including that his clients told congressional investigators that Gaetz allegedly paid for them to travel across state lines to have sex on at least two occasions.

Nov. 19, 2024

Trump backer and Tesla/SpaceX/X CEO Elon Musk backs Gaetz despite more stories about his scandals coming to light. Musk said the scandals were “worth less than nothing” and called the former congressman “our Hammer of Justice,” in a post on X.

Johnson denied that he discussed the details of the draft ethics report on the Gaetz matter with House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest, and further denied that Trump or Gaetz pressured him to bury the report.

A hacker gained access to an online secure document-sharing file between attorneys involved in a civil lawsuit brought by a close friend to Gaetz, and potentially revealed documents, including unredacted depositions from key witnesses in the case, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

During a Space X launch, Trump tells reporters he is not reconsidering his pick for attorney general.

ABC News reports the Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear to show that Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes conducted by both the House and the Justice Department, according to documents.

Nov. 20, 2024

Gaetz meets with Republican senators ,who push for his nomination process to continue.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee write to FBI Director Christopher Wray to request the complete evidentiary file in the bureau’s closed investigation into Gaetz.

The Ethics Committee voted against releasing the report after multiple rounds of votes, with all Republicans on the committee voting against its release, during a closed-door, two-hour meeting. The committee schedules another meeting in December. Two Democrats introduce privileged resolutions to make the report public.

Nov. 21, 2024

Johnson says said the House will take up the privileged resolution to force the release of the Gaetz report after Thanksgiving break.

Gaetz announces on X that he is withdrawing his name from the nomination process.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” he said in the post.

Illinois Democratic Rep. Sean Casten suggests that he plans to still move forward with forcing the House to vote on compelling the Ethics Committee to release the Gaetz report.

Shinedown teases next album: ‘It’s going to sound like everything’

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

If there’s one word to describe the next Shinedown album, it would be “everything.”

That seems to be the takeaway from a new Facebook post teasing the upcoming effort, in which the “Second Chance” rockers declare, “It’s going to sound like everything.”

“Everything that we have been through personally,” the post reads. “Everything that we are excited about. Everything that we are ready to express to the world.”

The band adds that they hope people will listen to the record “with an open mind, a full heart, and a bold imagination.”

“We are doubling down on every style that has ever inspired us so that we may be fearless, and be the band that we set out to be from day one,” Shinedown writes. “That includes bending genres, flirting with soundscapes and personality, and above all pushing the envelope when it comes to creativity.”

They conclude, “And also, yes, doing our best to take our love of ROCK N’ ROLL to the next level.”

Shinedown’s most recent album is 2022’s Planet Zero, which spawned singles in “A Symptom of Being Human,” “Dead Don’t Die,” “Daylight” and the title track.

Bob Dylan responds to dancer who claimed she was told not to look him in the eye

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Believe it or not, Bob Dylan is now responding to comments on social platform X.

On Tuesday, Dylan shared a post about seeing Nick Cave perform the song “Joy” in Paris, which prompted a dancer to share her disappointing encounter with the rock legend.

“My Joy was taken away after rehearsing as one of the Backup dancers for your set on the Grammys in NYC 1991,” Cheryl Henry wrote, detailing how she walked by Dylan, who made a comment about her red hair.

“By the time I reached the exit door at Radio City I had been told not to return,” she added, sharing that the dancers had been told not to make eye contact with the him. “I guess I snuck a peek as I passed you !”

Well, apparently Dylan took issue with her comment.

“Saw your reply. Just want you to know I’ve never told anybody not to make eye contact with me,” he replied. “That is just ridiculous. And the next time you see me please look straight into my eyes.”

And Cheryl seemed to be happy with the response, replying, “I knew it wasn’t coming from you ! I look forward to it ! XXXX OOOO.”

Yes’ Steve Howe responds to lawsuit over song ‘Dare To Know’

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Yes’ Steve Howe has now responded to the copyright lawsuit filed by musician Riz Story.

Story, whose legal name is Rudolph Zahler, is claiming Howe and current Yes frontman Jon Davison stole the music from his song “Reunion” for the Yes song “Dare to Know,” which appeared on the band’s 2021 album, The Quest.

In a post on Yes’ Facebook page, Howe wrote, “Jon Davison did not write ‘Dare to Know.’ I did, and it was based on a theme I’ve been developing since 1973.”

“Early versions can easily be found in our demo and studio recordings from the time and on the internet – some were released on an expanded version of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ in 2002,” he adds.

Yes’ account then shared a link to a Soundcloud recording, which they say “demonstrates how Steve Howe has a version of this exact same melody in a 1974 recording (‘The Ancient’).”

The post notes, “Here is proof of Steve exploring that very same idea in 1974 and it should be obvious that it’s much more likely the source of this melody.”

Davison previously responded to the suit by his former bandmate Story, calling it “utterly fictitious” and filled with “blatant lies.”

Angelina Jolie talks motherhood and her new role in ‘Maria’

November 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

In her new movie Maria, Angelina Jolie plays the titular role of iconic opera singer Maria Callas, for whom singing meant so much.

For Jolie, who sat down to discuss her new work with Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan, motherhood is the main focus in her life, in the way singing was for Callas.

“It’s my happiness,” Jolie shared. “You can take everything else away from me. Nothing else matters.”

Jolie is mom to six kids: sons Maddox, Pax and Knox, and daughters Zahara, Shiloh and Vivienne.

And despite her life in the spotlight, Jolie said her children don’t have the desire to follow her footsteps into acting.

“None of my children want to be in front of the camera at this time,” Jolie said. “They’re quite private. Shiloh’s extremely private. They weren’t born with privacy, right? So I hope they can have that as they grow.”

For her starring role in Maria, Jolie learned how to sing opera in order to embody the tragic prima donna and her final days living in Paris while struggling to make a career comeback.

“All of my children suffered through my early opera singing in the house before I got kinda good, which was a nightmare,” Jolie recalled.

Jolie said she and Callas may have even been friends, had their paths ever crossed in real life. Callas died on Sept. 16, 1977, following a heart attack.

“There’s obvious things that people would tie our lives and see we have in common. But I think it’s more … how hard she is in herself with her work, sometimes seen as strong, but actually very vulnerable and human. I certainly am,” Jolie said.

“I think we would have been friends,” she added. “She might have hated me at first. Think it would have grown on her.”

Maria debuts in select theaters on Nov. 27 and will be available to stream on Netflix starting on Dec. 11.

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