The best way to answer the question: What does the Department of Education do?

It might be to tell you what it doesn't do.

The Department of Education DOES NOT OPERATE US SCHOOLS OR SET CURRICULA. That responsibility belongs to the States.

However, some states are poor, and there is no funding for some programs The Department of Education runs.

Here is a short list:

Education is one of the smallest in the Cabinet.

It was created by Congress, and Congress controls FUNDING - POWER OF THE PURSE. Trump's move to shut down the Department must be approved by Congress. Red states, the states that voted for Trump, will be the most brutal hit.

The plan to close the Department of Education is laid out in Project 2025. 

Mexico, China, and Canada account for over a third of the products brought into the United States.

That adds up to more than $1 trillion in goods annually.

Tariffs on those goods are going to cost us-- U.S. Consumers Billions.

Here is the shortlist.

Food: Mexico is the largest supplier of fruit and vegetables to the US, while Canada leads in exports of grain, livestock and meats, poultry, and more.

The US imported $97 billion worth of oil and gas from Canada last year, that country’s top export to the US. The US imported $87 billion worth of motor vehicles and $64 billion worth of vehicle parts from Mexico last year, not accounting for December, the top two goods imported from there that year, according to Commerce Department data.

Steel Canada and Mexico are the largest and third-largest exporters of steel to the United States, respectively. I will post a longer list on my website, gloriamoraga.com.

On Tuesday, a memo that ordered the Freezing of Federals Funds for Grants and Hundreds of Programs set off a nationwide firestorm of confusion and complaints. 

A group of non-profits sued to block the order from Trump's Office of Management and Budget. 

And a Federal Judged paused the freeze temporarily. 

A spokesman for the Trump Administration said the directive should not be interpreted as a complete funding freeze. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the internal memo publicly, said that agencies should review their grants, loans, and programs to ensure they align with the new administration's priorities.

This is a developing story. I will be posting updates on YouTube and TikTok. 

And today and tomorrow, two Senate Committees will question Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services. 

On Tuesday, Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, wrote a letter to Senate leaders asking them to reject her cousin's nomination. 

“Laughable" is how the Special Prosecutor's 4-paged Letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland described Trump's attacks on him and the investigation.

The letter is a parting shot at the former and future president.

Jack Smith defended his conduct as fully lawful, free of partisan influence, and vital to the aspirations of the justice system.

"While we were not able to bring the cases we charged to trial, I believe the fact that our team stood up for the rule of law matters. I believe the example our team set for others to fight for justice without regard for the personal costs matters. The facts, as we uncovered them in our investigation and as set forth in my Report, matter," Smith wrote.

Trump pleaded not guilty in 2023 to 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House, and later that year pleaded not guilty to separate charges of undertaking a "criminal scheme" to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

This Friday, Jan. 19, is the TikTok Ban Deadline -

Lawyers for TikTok told the Supreme Court that the law banning TikTok violates the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech. But, attorneys arguing for the government warn that the popular App is a threat to National Security. After listening to the Supreme Court Case, which was argued Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, it doesn't appear that the Justices will step in to save TikTok.

About 20 minutes into the Trump Sentencing, the former President and future President said this, “This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a tremendous setback for New York, the New York court system.” 

“I get indicted for business records? Everybody should be so accurate. It’s been a political witch hunt ... to damage my reputation so that I’d lose the election. Obviously, that didn’t work.”

The Trump legal team tried to delay the sentencing, but even the Supreme Court let Donald Trump Down. So he will begin his second term as a convicted felon.

This is from "The Guardian," The judge who presided over Trump’s criminal trial, Juan Merchan, issued a sentence of “unconditional discharge”, meaning the president-elect will be released without fine, imprisonment or probation supervision for his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. While the sentence makes Trump a convicted felon, he will face no penalty other than this legal designation. Trump, whose presidential inauguration is scheduled for 20 January, is the first US president – former or sitting – to face a criminal trial, let alone a guilty verdict and subsequent sentencing.

President-Elect Donald Trump lost two court battles on Thursday.

Still, it didn't appear to bother him as he and former President Obama shared a conversation and a few smiles as they prepared to Honor former President Jimmy Carter at Washington's National Cathedral.

In fact, five U.S. Presidents attended memorial services for Carter, who passed away last week at the age of 100.

"Trump will Overplay his Hand - How to be Ready When He Does"

I first read this essay from Journalist Asli Aydintasbas on Substack.

Here is the link: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trump-will-overplay-his-hand-be-ready.

It was first published by Politico, "Trump Will Overplay His Hand. Here’s How to Be Ready." Here is that link: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/12/01/anti-trumpists-guide-next-four-years-00191724

The author, was a political reporter in Turkey. Here is how she describes this experience: "I lived through the slow and steady march of state capture as a journalist working in Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey. Over a decade as a high-profile journalist, I covered Turkey’s descent into illiberalism, having to engage in the daily push and pull with the government. I know how self-censorship starts in small ways but then creeps into operations on a daily basis. I am familiar with the rhythms of the battle to reshape the media, state institutions and the judiciary."

Aydintasbas offers six tips on how to survive Trump's quest to become a Dictator, and how to be ready when he fails.

This is the text on page 1 of the Congressional investigation into former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz:

"In sum, the Committee found substantial evidence of the following:

• From at least 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him.

• In 2017, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl.

• During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.

• Representative Gaetz accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts.

• In 2018, Representative Gaetz arranged for his Chief of Staff to assist a woman with whom he engaged in sexual activity in obtaining a passport, falsely indicating to the U.S. Department of State that she was a constituent.

• Representative Gaetz knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the Committee’s investigation of his conduct.

• Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House.

The Third Bill was the Charm. After the House voted and approved the Continuing Budget Resolution, the Senate quickly followed with little drama, and with even less drama, President Biden signed the Spending Bill into law.

The bill includes funding for basic government operations, as well as $100 billion in hurricane disaster aid and $10 billion in farmer subsidies.

I will post a link to the full CR on my website, gloriamoraga.com.