The future of charter schools could be in doubt if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) finds his way into the White House. Early reactions to the news are mixed.
Sanders, one of the frontrunners in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary unveiled an ambitious, 10-point education policy plan on Saturday — which is the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that made school segregation illegal — during a speech in South Carolina.
Sanders' proposal would put a halt to public funding for charter schools, at least until the completion of a national audit on such schools, which have become a "polarizing" topic in America, HuffPost reports. Sanders would also attempt to implement a ban on for-profit charter schools, which make up 15 percent of all charter schools. Sanders' reasoning is that charter schools can often "drain" communities of already limited resources, hurting traditional public schools in the process and leading to unofficial school segregation. However, HuffPost writes, polls show that black Democrats tend to hold more favorable views of charter schools than white Democrats. Amy Wilkins, the senior vice president of advocacy at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, called Sanders' plan "the opposite of the spirit" of the Brown v. Board decision.
Sanders is, to date, the only presidential candidate to have proposed a moratorium on charter school funding.
Other highlights of Sanders' plan are a minimum salary of $60,000 for teachers, tripling federal Title I funding, and providing universal school meals, Vox reports. Tim O'Donnell
It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect President Trump's quick trip to Ireland in June to meet with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar next month to go off without a hitch. But what seemed like a standard, mostly ceremonial visit is now in jeopardy because the two sides can't agree on a venue, putting Varadkar in an unenviable position.
Trump, who is planning on stopping in Ireland en route to Great Britain and France for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, reportedly really wants his meeting with Varadkar to take place at Trump's golf course and hotel in Doonbeg, an Irish government source familiar with the situation told CNN. The Irish government, though, thinks that it would be a bit "unseemly" for Varadkar to host Trump at his own hotel.
As a compromise, Ireland has proposed the two have dinner at a nearby venue, the Dromoland Castle, and then have a follow-up breakfast at Trump's property. "Leo is doing his best to minimize his exposure to Trump on this visit, but he is in a tricky position, as practically every American digital company's European headquarters are in Ireland," said the source.
The Trump visit was already complicated because the president is wildly unpopular in Ireland, CNN writes. At the same time, the prime minister wants to maintain positive relations with the United States as Ireland hosts headquarters for Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Apple, CNN reports. Tim O'Donnell
This story has been updated.
In a surprising turn of events, Australia's governing Liberal-National Coalition has reportedly defied predictions on Saturday to win the country's federal elections.
Only 70 percent of the nationwide votes have been counted so far, but the Coalition has won — or is ahead in — 74 seats, with main opponent Labor trailing with 66 seats. The Coalition needs 76 seats to claim a majority government for center-right Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The anticipated victory comes as a shock in light of most pre-election opinion polling, which largely pointed to a narrow victory for Labor and its leader, Bill Shorten. BBC writes that it would be difficult to "find someone who says they saw this result coming" and Morrison described the result as a miracle. Shorten accepted defeat and announced he would resign his post.
The election was considered a crucial one, BBC reports, because Australia has had a tumultuous decade-plus in the political realm. While elections in the country are held every three years, no prime minister has served a full term since 2007.
Australia has mandatory voting and a reported record 16.4 million voters enrolled for the election. Tim O'Donnell
Iran and the U.S. have both maintained they have no intention of becoming mired in a physical, on-the-ground war. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he does not believe such a conflict will break out and that no country is under the "illusion it could confront Iran."
But as tensions heighten between the two nations, media reports out of Saudi Arabia said that multiple Gulf states have agreed to a U.S. request to redeploy military forces in Gulf waters and territories as a form of deterrence should Iran attempt to use force, Al Jazeera reports.
The U.S. has taken other precautionary measures, as well. U.S. diplomats have issued warnings to commercial airliners flying over the Gulf. The diplomats said the planes could be misidentified as military planes, putting them at risk. That said, commercial planes will still be able to fly as normal in the region. Lloyd's of London, an insurance company, also warned of increased risks for ships passing through the region's waters. The advisories went into place after Washington increased sanctions on Iran and pulled non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, citing possible threats from Iran's proxy forces. Tim O'Donnell
The Department of Homeland Security has remained embroiled in drama even after the tense resignation of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan threatened to leave his post after President Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller tried to dictate agency hiring, administration officials told The Washington Post on Friday. McAleenan blocked Miller's attempts, but he reportedly made known that he needed to have more control over his agency.
The dispute revolved around former FBI official Mark Morgan, whom Trump selected to be the new director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Miller, though, sought to have Morgan installed as the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection instead. But McAleenan made clear to White House officials, including Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, that he, not Miller, was the head of the DHS in closed-door meetings. One anonymous Trump aide described the clash as an "immigration knife fight."
McAleenan ultimately prevailed and Morgan will take over as acting ICE director next week. Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
In an attempt to relieve overcrowding at border facilities in Texas, hundreds of migrant families, mostly from Central America, detained while trying to cross the southern border will be flown to San Diego where they will be interviewed, finger printed, and photographed before being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"We're in the middle of a humanitarian crisis and the numbers in Texas are staggering so the BP is helping out in those sectors to more efficiently process those folks," an unnamed CPB official said, referring to the Border Patrol.
The first official flight arrived on Friday and three flights carrying between 120 and 135 people will take off weekly, Customs and Border Protection Interim Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison said on Friday. The families will be medically screened before departure to ensure they are fit for travel. There are not expected to be any unaccompanied minors on the flights.
The announcement comes as two Department of Homeland Security Officials said the DHS is planning to transport recent border crossers to cities around the country before releasing them after processing. It is not clear if the San Diego flights are part of that plan, NBC News reports. Tim O'Donnell
The self-proclaimed "Tariff Man" is slowing down a bit.
President Trump scaled back on the global trade war on Friday, lifting tariffs on metal imports from Canada and Mexico and delaying for six months a decision to impose tariffs on automobiles from Europe, Japan, and other countries. Canada and Mexico reportedly agreed to remove all retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, in turn.
Trump had previously described the metal tariffs as a source of leverage during negotiations for a new free trade agreement to replace NAFTA, but a bipartisan refusal to sign off on such a deal until the tariffs were lifted reportedly swayed Trump.
As for the auto tariffs, Trump will once again decide whether to implement them in November as he seeks new agreements with the European Union and Japan. The decisions will also allow Trump and his administration to focus more heavily on reaching a trade agreement with China, though Trump has not backed down from imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, despite the fallout they have caused for many American farmers, The New York Times reports. Tim O'Donnell