Trump admin takes major step toward dismantling Department of Education



The Trump administration is advancing its plan to dismantle the Department of Education, seeking to return more power to the states.

The department announced on Tuesday that it had entered into six new interagency agreements with four government agencies to "break up the federal education bureaucracy" and "ensure efficient delivery of funded programs."

'What we want to do is to show Congress that this implementation works.'

These new agreements involved partnerships with the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State.

"Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. "As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms. Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools — ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system."

The Education Department and the DOL will establish the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership, which aims to "empower parents and states" to promote improvements in the education system that will better serve students.

"DOL will take on a greater role in administering federal K-12 programs, ensuring these programs are better aligned with workforce and college programs to set students up for success at every part of their education journey," a press release from the Education Department read.

A separate partnership with the DOL aims to improve postsecondary education and workforce development programs. The Labor Department will administer grant programs to "help students from all walks of life obtain the credentials and career training they need to prosper and contribute to the American economy."

RELATED: America's largest teachers' union declares war on the Trump administration, will use kids as foot soldiers

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The Department of the Interior will work with the Education Department to establish the Indian Education Partnership to improve Native American education.

"Through a vital partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of the Interior will assume administration for enhancing Indian education programs, streamlining operations, and refocusing efforts to better serve Native youth and adults across the nation," Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated.

The HHS will establish the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership to assess whether the standards of foreign medical schools are comparable to U.S. standards.

"Medical education must incorporate timely, rigorous science on nutrition, metabolism, and all medical subjects. [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] is leading the charge with American medical schools and HHS will encourage foreign medical schools through this partnership," Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill stated.

HHS will also create the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership to improve on-campus child care programs for parents attending college.

Lastly, the State Department will set up the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership "to streamline international education program funding and data collection measures, consolidate program management, and advance national security interests."

RELATED: Trump admin battles teachers’ unions in latest Education Department legal challenges

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

McMahon told CNN on Wednesday that these partnerships are not yet ready to implement but are in the "beginning stages" of establishing interagency agreements.

She acknowledged that the Trump administration would need congressional approval to make these moves permanent, adding that the current goal is to demonstrate that the changes will be effective.

"What we want to do is to show Congress that this implementation works," McMahon told CNN.

Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, has previously pledged to take legal action against the Trump administration's attempts to dismantle the Education Department.

Freedom Foundation CEO and Teacher Freedom Alliance President Aaron Withe responded to the Education Department's latest "bold action" and the union's roadblocks, in a statement emailed to Blaze News.

"President Trump is delivering on his promise to dismantle the federal education bureaucracy, and who is leading the opposition? Randi Weingarten and the teachers' unions," Withe stated. "The teachers' unions have enjoyed unprecedented power over this department since Jimmy Carter created it as a political favor to the [National Education Association]. They've had decades to deliver results. Instead, American students keep falling further behind while spending keeps going up."

"The unions oppose these reforms because they threaten the special access they've enjoyed for too long," Withe continued. "Well, that era is over. Parents, students, and local communities deserve better than a system designed to serve union bosses. The Freedom Foundation applauds President Trump and Secretary McMahon for taking bold action to break up this failed bureaucracy and return control of education where it belongs."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Fewer New Foreign Students Enroll In US Schools, Colleges Fear Losing Cash Cow

Recruiting foreigners is a priority, with 60% citing "financial contributions"

Europeans want US missiles to defend them, not America — and Rubio's had enough of their hypocrisy



Secretary of State Marco Rubio called out European officials on Wednesday for criticizing America's self-defense while expecting the U.S. to provide military support for their own.

The Trump administration has obliterated at least 19 alleged narco-terrorist drug boats since Sept. 2 with the stated aim of "protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people."

'I don't think that the European Union gets to determine ... how the United States defends its national security.'

President Donald Trump has suggested that each drug boat vaporized by U.S. fighter jets, AC-130J gunships, and drones amounts to 25,000 American lives saved.

— (@)

A day after War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. had sunk an additional two boats in the Eastern Pacific, altogether killing six alleged narco-terrorists, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot joined the chorus of foreign dignitaries who have been complaining about the strikes.

Barrot reportedly said at the G7 summit on Tuesday, "We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside."

RELATED: 'Begin repatriating': German chancellor admits it's time to give Syrian migrants the boot

Photo by Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu via Getty Images

When confronted with questions about the U.S. maritime strikes during a meeting with Latin American leaders last week, the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the EU upholds international law and "international law is very clear on that. You can use force for two reasons: one is self-defense, the other one is the U.N. Security Council resolution."

Rubio addressed the European pearl-clutching on Wednesday, politely suggesting to reporters that the continentals should pound sand.

"I don't think that the European Union gets to determine what international law is, and what they certainly don't get to determine is how the United States defends its national security," said Rubio. "The United States is under attack from organized criminal narco-terrorists in our hemisphere, and the president is responding in the defense of our country."

After indicating that the Europeans are out of their depth, Rubio hammered America's allies across the Atlantic for their apparent hypocrisy.

"I do find it interesting that all these countries want us to send, you know, and supply, for example, nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to defend Europe, but when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere where we live, somehow that's a problem," said the secretary of state.

Rubio added, "The president ordered it in defense of our country. It continues. It’s ongoing. It can stop tomorrow if [terrorist cartels] stop sending drug boats."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democrats Furious After Out-Of-Office Employee Emails Reportedly Call Them Out Over Shutdown

'Where's the lie?'

Trump Admin Halts Visas For Nearly All Palestinian Passport Holders

'It is in our national security interests'

Denmark Made a Special Exception To Let In Hundreds of Palestinian Refugees. Here’s What Happened.

In 1992, the Danish Parliament passed a special law granting asylum to 321 Palestinian refugees from Lebanon who were living in the country illegally. Twenty-five years later, a Danish minister, Martin Henriksen, asked a parliamentary committee to examine how they had fared in their new home.

The post Denmark Made a Special Exception To Let In Hundreds of Palestinian Refugees. Here’s What Happened. appeared first on .

Trump admin to vet all visa holders — revoke and deport threats to America



President Donald Trump's administration is strengthening its vetting of foreign nationals in the United States.

On Thursday, the State Department announced plans to review all of the more than 55 million current visa holders. Those individuals are subject to "continuous vetting" to ensure that they are permitted to be in the U.S., the department told the Associated Press.

'[A quarter] of the country is foreign but the corporate class says we still need more.'

The audit will include looking for indicators of potential ineligibility, including overstays, criminal activity, public safety threats, and ties to terrorist activity. In the event the State Department determines an individual is ineligible, their visa will be revoked, and if they are currently in the U.S., they could be subject to deportation.

"We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility," the department stated.

The State Department has already revoked "more than twice as many visas, including nearly four times as many student visas, as during the same time period last year," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

RELATED: 'A more direct solution': State Department rolls out key strategy to prevent foreigners from overstaying their welcome

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"There is no national sovereignty in a country with 55 million people on visas and another 50 million illegals without them. Our entire system is a joke," BlazeTV host Auron MacIntyre wrote in a post on social media.

William Wolfe, the executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership, responded to MacIntyre, stating, "100 million must go back."

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has "on a roughly one-to-one ratio, traded an aborted American citizen baby for an imported foreigner," Wolfe noted.

Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, stated, "55 million legal. 20 million illegal. [A quarter] of the country is foreign but the corporate class says we still need more. Their 'need' will never be satisfied. They must be completely ignored and never taken seriously again."

RELATED: Rubio takes action to prevent more foreigners from 'endangering American lives' with big rigs

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The same day that the State Department announced its plans to review all visa holders, Secretary Marco Rubio declared an immediate pause on "all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers."

"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers," Rubio stated.

His announcement came after a crash in Florida last week involving an illegal alien truck driver. The driver made an illegal U-turn, which caused the trailer to jackknife and crush a minivan, resulting in the death of all three passengers inside.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rubio’s warning to UK: Persecuting Christians for prayer is an ‘egregious violation’ of free speech, religious liberty



Marco Rubio's State Department is standing up for free speech in the United Kingdom after the arrests of Christians participating in silent prayer.

Individuals in the U.K. can face unlimited fines for protesting or silently praying within 150 meters, just under 500 feet, of an abortion clinic. The buffer zones were introduced last year.

'The US State Department is right to call out this injustice.'

Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64-year-old retired medical scientist, was convicted in April for holding a sign reading, "Here to talk, if you want to," near a facility offering abortion services. She was sentenced to a conditional discharge and fined £20,000.

Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran of the British Army Reserves, was fined £9,000 last year for silently praying near an abortion clinic.

Rose Docherty, a 75-year-old grandmother, was arrested in Scotland in February for holding a sign that read, "Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want." The case against her was dropped last week.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is under investigation for silently praying near a Birmingham abortion facility.

RELATED: Vance bashes UK censorship — this time with gaslighting prime minister just feet away

Livia Tossici-Bolt. Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

The Trump administration has been monitoring Tossici-Bolt's case and warns that individuals' fundamental rights are at risk in the U.K.

During the Munich Security Conference in February, Vice President JD Vance accused European leaders of engaging in censorship. He later confronted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer about this issue during a meeting at the Oval Office.

“We do have, of course, a special relationship with our friends in the U.K. and also with some of our European allies,” Vance told reporters. “But we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British — of course, what the British do in their own country is up to them — but also American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens. So that is something we’ll talk about today at lunch.”

Starmer responded to Vance’s comments, stating, “Well, we’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom, and it will last for a very, very long time.”

The State Department's 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released earlier this month, stated that "the human rights situation worsened in the United Kingdom during the year."

"Significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism," the report read.

The State Department issued a warning to the U.K. this week about its buffer zone policies.

RELATED: Abortion clinic ‘buffer zones’ turn the UK into a censor’s paradise

Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

A spokesperson for the State Department told the Telegraph, "The U.K.'s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the shared values that ought to underpin U.S.-U.K. relations."

"It is common sense that standing silently and offering consensual conversation does not constitute harm."

The spokesperson noted that the administration continues to monitor U.K. cases and "other acts of censorship throughout Europe."

The U.K. has rejected the Trump administration's claims that the buffer zone policies violate fundamental freedoms.

"Free speech is vital for democracy, including here in the UK, and we are proud to uphold freedoms while keeping citizens safe," a government official told the Telegraph.

Lorcan Price, Irish barrister and legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, stated, "The U.K.'s treatment of individuals like Livia, Adam, Isabel, and Rose for the false 'crimes' of praying silently or offering conversation shows just how far the country has strayed from its own proud traditions of liberty. The U.S. State Department is right to call out this injustice. It is time for the U.K. government to restore fundamental freedoms and repeal buffer zone legislation."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Trump's inner circle under attack: AI fraudster impersonates Rubio to manipulate top officials



President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly battling impersonation campaigns amid warnings that artificial intelligence-powered security threats are becoming increasingly more common.

An unknown culprit reportedly used AI to imitate Secretary of State Marco Rubio's voice to contact top officials, according to a July 3 cable from the State Department obtained by the Washington Post.

'The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal.'

The individual reportedly used text messaging and Signal to contact "at least five non-Department individuals, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a U.S. member of Congress."

The imposter apparently began the scheme in mid-June, creating a Signal account with the display name "Marco.Rubio@state.gov," which is not Rubio's official email address.

"The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal," the agency's cable read.

The State Department speculated that the culprit was likely attempting to manipulate the officials "with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts."

The department's correspondence did not reveal the names of the officials whom the imposter contacted, the contents of the messages, or whether those officials responded.

RELATED: Deep-staters threaten to use color revolution tactics against Trump admin: Report

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Bad actors also impersonated other State Department personnel, according to the federal agency.

The State Department told the Post that it would "carry out a thorough investigation and continue to implement safeguards to prevent this from happening in the future."

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is investigating the incident. The State Department urged U.S. diplomats to report any impersonation attempts to the bureau, while non-State Department personnel should alert the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

This is not the first time that the Trump administration has faced impersonation attempts.

RELATED: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act hides a big, ugly AI betrayal

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In May, a fraudster reportedly breached the phone of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The culprit impersonated Wiles while making calls and sending messages to senators, governors, and business executives.

Around the same time, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning that "malicious actors" had been impersonating U.S. officials since April, sending text messages and AI-generated voice messages to gain access to personal accounts.

"One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform. Access to personal or official accounts operated by U.S. officials could be used to target other government officials, or their associates and contacts, by using trusted contact information they obtain," the FBI's alert read.

The FBI declined a request for comment from the Post.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!