Wednesday, November 20, 2024

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1/ Trump nominated Linda McMahon, the co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, to lead the Education Department that he has repeatedly vowed to dismantle. Like Betsy DeVos, Trump’s first-term education secretary, McMahon has no significant background working in public schools, teaching, or education policy outside of an appointment in 2009 to the Connecticut State Board of Education, where she served for just over a year. McMahon, a major Republican donor who has given tens of millions of dollars in support of pro-Trump causes, co-founded the America First Policy Institute, which advocates for school choice and the use of public funds — through vouchers and tax credits — for private schools. In his statement announcing the pick, Trump said McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.” Trump added: “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.” (NPR / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Axios / Politico / ABC News)

Trump will nominate Matthew Whitaker as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. Whitaker is a conservative attorney who spent four months serving as acting attorney general in Trump’s first term. (NPR / Politico / Associated Press)

Who’s in Trump’s new administration so far:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

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