One person is dead and another is in critical condition after a shooter opened fire at Kentucky State University Tuesday.
The Frankfort Police Department responded to an &#8220;active aggressor&#8221; at the historically black university around 3:35 p.m., <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/injuries-reported-shooting-kentucky-state-university/69677946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to WLWT. The shooting happened at a dorm on campus known as Young Hall, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/us/kentucky-state-university-frankfort-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Police have taken a shooter, later identified as Jacob Lee Bard of Evansville, Indiana into custody. He was not a student at the school, according to police.
“We will share more information as available,” Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear <a href="https://x.com/GovAndyBeshear/status/1998495044144427362" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an X post Tuesday. “Law enforcement are on scene, and a suspect has been arrested. Let’s pray for all those affected.”
The school remains &#8220;on lockdown until further notice,&#8221; the police department said.
A university official told <a href="https://www.wkyt.com/2025/12/09/one-dead-multiple-injured-after-shooting-kentucky-state-universitys-campus-suspect-custody/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WKYT</a> that the shooting left multiple people injured.
Police are expected to hold a press conference at 7:00 p.m. local time to share updates on the developing situation, according to WKYT.
The shooting comes nearly two weeks after an Afghan migrant opened fire on two National Guard soldiers deployed to Washington, D.C., by the Trump administration, resulting in the death of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom.
The attack also follows two separate shootings at historically black universities in October, according to CNN.
One of the shootings, which occurred near Howard University in the nation&#8217;s capital, left five people injured.
The next day, at least one person was killed and six others were hurt at an attack on Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University during the school&#8217;s homecoming weekend.
Kentucky State University has more than 2,200 students and 450 faculty and staff, <a href="https://www.kysu.edu/about-ksu/index.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the school&#8217;s website.

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Shooting At Kentucky State University Leaves One Dead

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A new <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/08/us-news/f-grades-handed-to-14-colleges-in-antisemitism-report-card-as-jewish-students-forced-to-hide-identities/">report</a> by the civil rights watchdog StopAntisemitism finds that antisemitism has become widespread and deeply entrenched across American college campuses, with many Jewish students reporting fear, harassment, and inadequate institutional protection.
Based on a survey and incident data from 90 colleges, the group’s annual “report cards” show that 39% of Jewish students have concealed their identities on campus, while 62% say they have been directly blamed for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Fifty-eight percent report experiencing antisemitism personally, and nearly two-thirds feel unwelcome in parts of campus amid escalating anti-Israel protests.
Fourteen colleges received failing grades, including Columbia University, the New School, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Penn, MIT, Northwestern, and UC Berkeley. According to the report, these institutions allowed a “pervasive” and sometimes violent environment to develop, one marked by harassment, property vandalism, hateful communications, and protest disruptions. Columbia and the New School were specifically cited for federal findings of “deliberate indifference” toward Jewish students. StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez argued that the worst-performing schools have become “ground zero” for antisemitism in higher education.
Some institutions improved. Cornell rose from an F to a C for more responsive administrative action, while Vassar increased from a D to a B. Fifteen schools earned A ratings — including Baylor, Clemson, Elon, and Colorado State — highlighted as examples of campuses that consistently enforce standards and act proactively against antisemitism.
The fallout has extended to federal intervention. In July, the Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/columbia-university-retreats-as-trump-scores-historic-220m-settlement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">administration reached a high-profile settlement </a>with Columbia, requiring the school to pay $200 million to the federal government and $20 million to Jewish employees, in exchange for lifting freezes on federal funding and ending several investigations. Columbia also agreed to eliminate race-based DEI initiatives, ensure merit-based admissions and hiring, provide compliance data, and take steps to better support Jewish students. University leadership emphasized that while they disputed wrongdoing, they recognized the need to address harmful incidents.
Harvard likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-finds-harvard-discriminated-against-jewish-students-threatens-funding">faced</a> a federal civil rights finding in June. A letter from the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that Harvard violated Title VI by failing to stop discrimination, threats, and physical intimidation against Jewish and Israeli students. Investigators cited assaults, hate imagery, rule-breaking demonstrations, and lenient discipline of offenders. The administration warned Harvard could lose federal funding without swift reforms. Harvard disputed the findings but acknowledged antisemitism as a serious problem and said it was committed to improving campus safety and inclusion.
Overall, only 62% of surveyed Jewish students would recommend their schools to other Jews. StopAntisemitism urged universities nationwide to emulate the highly rated institutions by condemning antisemitism unequivocally, enforcing clear policies, and ensuring transparent investigations into hate-based incidents.

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Almost 40% Of Jewish Students Have Hidden Their Identity On Campus: Report

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Thanksgiving is a time when families thrive, and our conservative movement can learn key lessons from this uniquely American tradition as we move forward together.
Let’s begin with what’s best about the day: a shared table, familiar laughter, and the quiet grace of gratitude. Gratitude is not the fruit of harmony; it is the seed. Traditions renew; children grow up knowing the laugh of a cousin; and an uncle regales with stories of where the family came from. The mystic chords of memory, those invisible threads that bind generations, grow stronger and endure.
Thanksgiving is meant to be practiced. The meaningful work of breaking bread with people who vote differently, pray differently, and have different points of view preserves more than a holiday tradition. Amongst people you don’t always like but with whom you share a deep bond is where public deliberation starts — a practice foundational to American self-government. We keep the muscle memory of belonging to something larger than ourselves.
What’s true for our families is, of course, also true for our conservative movement and the nation we all endeavor to save.
Ronald Reagan is often remembered for saying, &#8220;All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” What is left out, however, is the line that follows: “So, tomorrow night in the kitchen, I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven&#8217;t been teaching you what it means to be an American, let &#8217;em know and nail &#8217;em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.&#8221;
Let the talking begin this week — and let our conversations be an invitation to those we love to once again find unity in our purpose, first as families and then as a nation. At Heritage, we’ve started this family conversation, centered around four questions plain enough to ask around the dinner table and significant enough to guide a movement and save a republic:
What does it mean to be a flourishing American family?
What does it mean to honor the dignity of work and secure the future of free enterprise?
What does it mean to have true national security?
What does it mean to be an American citizen?
At Heritage, we have a point of view, confident in our thinking and our institution’s 52 years of robust intellectual history. We believe that united, good-faith conservatives will engage in this discussion. We are also certain we know what a restored America looks like:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Marriage and family celebrated, not ignored or mocked.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Work dignified, wages rising, and two incomes a family choice, not a necessity.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Borders secure, military strong, enemies deterred.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Children learning truth — not ideology — in educational institutions that parents control.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Faith respected, civic virtue restored, patriotism the norm.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Government limited, debt shrinking, freedom expanding.</li>
</ul>
We call this Heritage 2.0 inside our organization, where every colleague contributed to its creation. We present it to you as our battle plan to save America.
Let there be no mistake; we are taking back Washington to save America. That puts a target on us — from the uniparty, the entrenched bureaucracy, and the deep state. Now may be a suitable time to reiterate with clarity our message to the purveyors of the status quo: Bring it on.
We sweat not for the elites, but for everyday Americans. We toil not to be keyboard warriors but to chart a course of national renewal. The future of conservatism — a fusion of old and new right — will succeed when we return power to the people.
Today’s populism didn&#8217;t emerge in a vacuum. It arose from failed leadership, calcified institutions, and elites who prioritized bureaucracy over everyday Americans. The people aren&#8217;t seeking minor fixes; they&#8217;re challenging the very credibility of the system, and often, they&#8217;re spot on. This ought to inspire our movement!
The clearest path to returning power to the people is through a wholehearted rejuvenation of federalism. We will never lose sight of the many millions who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. More than any organization across the country, Heritage is fully engaged in the work required to ensure a free, self-governing people can raise families and engage in community and commerce with peace, principles, and prosperity.
Of course, the people will decide our future, as President Trump last week noted, appealing to the beauty of our American system. We are clear-eyed that our effort comes at a time of cultural and civic strain. But we’ve been here before. My friend and predecessor Ed Feulner wrote in his book The March of Freedom that conservatism is “a broad social movement of diverse but reinforcing beliefs, gathering travelers on the same journey — pilgrims who argue over the topography of their promised land but move in the same direction.”
As Vice President Vance also said, the forces arrayed against conservatives of all stripes have massive resources, and there is a point where infighting becomes counterproductive.
So, let us pull up chairs at the family table. Let us channel that turbulent passion and refine it with cool reason through public deliberation. Let us all be builders of a better America. Just as we will nurture the family tree through open dialogue, let us build America’s next 250 years under a thriving canopy of vibrant, interconnected branches rooted in self-governance.
Our Heritage is our future. Through it, together, we will save the republic and secure its future.
* * *
Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., is president of the Heritage Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Roberts III

Thanksgiving, The Family Table, And A Playbook For The Work Ahead

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The Ohio state House of Representatives passed a bill along party lines last week that would allow public schools to teach on the &#8220;positive influence of religion,&#8221; particularly Christianity, in history courses.
House Bill 486, titled the &#8220;<a href="https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb486">Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act</a>,&#8221; would codify teachers&#8217; rights under the state constitution to instruct their students on how Christianity positively shaped U.S. history, according to one of the bill&#8217;s sponsors, state Rep. Gary Click, NBC Columbus affiliate WCMH <a href="https://www.nbc4i.com/news/politics/charlie-kirk-bill-to-teach-positively-about-christianity-passes-ohio-house/">reported</a>.
&#8220;The teaching of the historical, positive impact of religion on American history is consistent with the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. An accurate and historical account of the influence of Judeo-Christian values on the freedom and liberties ingrained in our culture is imperative to reducing ignorance of American history, hate, and violence within our society,&#8221; the bill states. &#8220;Accurate historical instruction regarding verifiable, historical impacts of religion on American history is factual and is not proselytization or a violation of the First Amendment.&#8221;
The text of House Bill 486 provides examples of how public school teachers can teach on the positive influence of Christianity, such as the faith of the pilgrims, the clear presence of Christianity in the Mayflower Compact, the appeal to divine power in the Declaration of Independence, and Christianity&#8217;s influence on the U.S. Constitution. The bill is named after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a devout and outspoken Christian, who was assassinated while speaking on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10.
“Charlie was a committed Christian, whose life and work will serve as a testament to the power of conservative ideals combined with a legacy of faith for generations to come,” Click said.
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All 62 Republicans in the Ohio House voted in favor of the legislation, while all 27 Democrats opposed it. It now heads to the state Senate, where Republicans hold a 24-9 majority.
“It’s essential that we highlight the positive influence religion has had throughout our history – uniting communities, enriching our shared values, and safeguarding our First Amendment rights as Americans to speak and worship freely,” said Republican state Rep. Michael Dovilla.
The bill was criticized by education and civil liberties groups and advocates for the separation of church and state. The Ohio American Civil Liberties Union <a href="https://www.acluohio.org/news/house-bill-486-opponent-testimony/">argued</a> that the bill &#8220;is obviously designed to paint Christianity in the most positive light while deliberately avoiding the negative.&#8221;
&#8220;The ACLU of Ohio submits HB 486 is, at a minimum, unneeded,&#8221; the organization added. &#8220;Politicians leaning on schools and universities to teach their version of Christianity and religion is an idea rejected centuries ago, and for good reasons.&#8221;
Gabe Guidarini, chairman of the Ohio College Republican Federation, pushed back on the criticism, arguing, “This bill does not impose a belief system, it simply allows teachers and professors to include historical truths that have too often been neglected — how faith shaped the resolve of the pilgrims, guided our Founders’ convictions, inspired movements that provided us the liberties we enjoy today and informed the moral fabric that has bound our republic together since its birth.&#8221;

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Charlie Kirk-Inspired Bill Allowing Schools To Teach Christianity’s ‘Positive Influence’ Nears Law

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Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced six interagency agreements (IAAs) with four federal agencies to take another major step forward toward fulfilling the promise of dismantling the 45-year failure of the astronomically expensive and ineffective department.
The agreements are with the Department of Labor, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State. According to a <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-six-new-agency-partnerships-break-federal-bureaucracy">press release</a> from the Department of Education, “by partnering with agencies that are best positioned to deliver results for students and taxpayers, these IAAs will streamline federal education activities on legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.”
The six agreements are as follows. First is the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Going forward, the Department of Labor will begin playing a larger role in the administration of federal K-12 education programs to enhance <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-labor-dol-elementary-and-secondary-education-partnership-112465.pdf">alignment</a> with workforce and postsecondary programs, resulting in “a cohesive, unified strategy for talent development.”
Second is the Postsecondary Education Partnership, which is also between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. It will streamline the administration of postsecondary education programs and <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-labor-dol-postsecondary-education-partnership-112464.pdf">will</a> “create a better coordinated Federal approach to postsecondary education and workforce development to help more Americans achieve career success.”
Third is the Indian Education Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior. This includes the Department of the Interior administering Indian education spanning from elementary, secondary, and higher education, as well as career and technical education and vocational rehabilitation. This will ensure Native American students are better served with education, training, and workforce programs.
Fourth is the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. It leverages the expertise of the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate whether the accreditation standards for foreign medical schools are comparable to those of U.S. medical schools. According to a <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-health-and-human-services-hhs-foreign-medical-accreditation-partnership-112462.pdf">fact sheet</a> in conjunction with the press release, the “accreditation standards must be comparable between U.S. and foreign medical schools in order for American students enrolled in medical schools outside of the U.S. to be eligible for federal student loans.”
Fifth is a second agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, termed the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership. The partnership <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-health-and-human-services-hhs-child-care-access-means-parents-school-partnership-112460.pdf">will</a> “promote innovation and process improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for parents and children” by streamlining policies and program requirements, and also <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-health-and-human-services-hhs-child-care-access-means-parents-school-partnership-112460.pdf">providing</a> “campus-based child care services to low-income students.”
Sixth is the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of State. It enhances the efficiency of the Fulbright-Hays grant programs, which equip Americans with skills critical to our national security and interests.
Speaking of these partnerships, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission.” The mission is nothing other than — with the votes necessary from Congress — to eliminate the ineffective U.S. Department of Education, which has wasted trillions of dollars without improving student learning.
Continuing, Secretary McMahon explained what lies ahead: “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.”
Since January, the Trump Administration has been focused on cutting wasteful spending within the U.S. Department of Education and removing harmful ideologies. For example, just three days after taking office, under the President’s direction, the <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-takes-action-eliminate-dei">U.S. Department of Education</a> took action to “eliminate harmful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” This <a href="https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_89d2f95a-da74-11ef-881f-c31173f69a5c.html?seyid=48320">included</a> placing U.S. Department of Education staff leading DEI initiatives on administrative leave, removing more than 200 web pages containing DEI resources that promote or endorse harmful ideological programs, and cutting over $2.5 million of DEI contracts.
<div id="attachment_1002607" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1002607" class="size-large wp-image-1002607" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-864x576.jpg" alt="US President Donald Trump holds an executive order after signing it alongside US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon (R) in the East Room of the White house in Washington, DC, March 20, 2025. US President Donald Trump will sign an order March 20, 2025 to start dismantling the Department of Education, fulfilling an election campaign pledge and a long-held dream of American conservatives. By law, the Education Department -- created in 1979 -- cannot be shuttered without the approval of Congress, and Republicans do not have the votes to push that through. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images.</div>
In March, President Trump signed the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/">Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities</a>” executive order <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-empowers-parents-states-and-communities-to-improve-education-outcomes/">directing</a> Secretary McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
President Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjnoGgEJvLs">explained</a> and communicated confidence, stating, “We are going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs. And this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it is a common-sense thing to do, and it is going to work. Absolutely, it is going to work.” Signing the executive order was a foundational first step toward eliminating the department.
Despite the opposition&#8217;s rhetoric, dismantling the Department of Education is about partnering with other federal agencies to improve efficiency, break down bureaucracy, and return education to the states where it rightfully belongs. This will give moms and dads a bigger voice while providing for greater accountability for academic results.
The recent 43-day government shutdown highlighted the lack of need for the federal education department. Just two days before the major IAAs partnership announcement, Secretary McMahon <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2025/11/16/school-funding-trump-dismantle-education-department/87251723007/">wrote</a> in USA Today on November 16, “The Schumer shutdown underlined just how little the Department of Education will be missed. As such, the Trump administration will work to end federal micromanagement of our schools and empower state and local leaders to create high-quality education programs that lead to a rewarding career. We know that the stakes could not be higher.”
These strategic actions under Secretary McMahon’s leadership mark a decisive departure from decades of federal bureaucratic bloat and chart the much-needed path forward toward making good on President Trump’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-empowers-parents-states-and-communities-to-improve-education-outcomes/">executive order</a> commitment to return “power over education to families instead of bureaucracies.”
* * *
Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Correction: The title of this article has been updated.
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Trump Takes Steps Toward Dismantling Education Department

Trump Admin Delivers On Promise To Dismantle U.S. Department Of Education

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A survey distributed by the government of New Mexico asked high school students whether they identify as “two-spirit” or transgender, drawing concerns from parents. 
The 2025 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey <a href="https://youthrisk.org/data-collection/questionnaires/">asked</a> middle and high school students deeply personal questions about their sexual preferences, drug use, and whether they had ever had suicidal thoughts. The survey is the result of a partnership between the state’s Public Education Department and the Department of Health, with the stated goal of assessing “risk behaviors” among students. 
Some of the questions on both the middle and high school surveys this year raised eyebrows. The survey was <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/new-mexico-state-survey-asks-students-about-sexual-orientation-transgender-status/">flagged</a> by Defending Education, an organization that works to get politics out of the classroom. Parents are allowed to opt their kids out of the survey, but advocates say the questions expose children to mature themes that would be better introduced at home. 
On the high school survey, students were asked if they described themselves as “heterosexual (straight),” “gay or lesbian,” “bisexual,” “I describe my sexual identity some other way,” “I am not sure about my sexual identity (questioning),” and “I do not know what this question is asking.” 
Another question said, “Some people describe themselves as transgender, two-spirit, or non-binary when their sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about their gender. Do you consider yourself transgender, two-spirit, or non-binary?”
&#8220;Two-spirit&#8221; is a supposed term used by LGBT activists to describe American Indians who identify as both male and female. Though the term seems to imply ancient origins, it was <a href="https://humanrights.ca/story/what-two-spirit-part-one-origins#:~:text=Against%20this%20backdrop%2C%20Myra%20Laramee,or%20%E2%80%9CTwo%E2%80%90Spirit.%E2%80%9D">coined</a> by Myra Laramee, an LGBT activist, in 1990.
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Other questions on the topic of sexuality ask the students how old they were when first having sex (with the option starting at age 11 and younger), how many people they have had sex with, if condoms were used during sex, what kind of birth control they used when last having sex with an &#8220;opposite sex partner,” and if they have had sex with males or females or both. 
Middle schoolers were also asked if they had had sex before and what their sexual orientation was. They were given options of straight, gay, bisexual, or other. 
Other questions that raised concerns from parents focused on suicide. Questions on this included if they had ever considered committing suicide and if they had ever made a plan to commit suicide.
Erika Sanzi, Defending Education&#8217;s senior director of communications, said the questions were very troubling. 
“All 11-year-olds should not have to answer questions about their gender identity, sexuality, or suicidal ideation,” Sanzi told The Daily Wire. “As of now, parents can opt out. Perhaps it&#8217;s time to make these surveys opt-in instead. There really is no justification for asking asymptomatic children if they&#8217;ve ever made a suicide plan — that&#8217;s a scary question and it has no place in a school classroom.&#8221;
The New Mexico Youth Risk and Resilience Survey is linked to the CDC’s Youth Risk Surveillance System. The Trump administration made changes to that system, but a judge blocked those changes. As a result, the administration has a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/index.html">disclaimer</a> posted on the website. 
“Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website to its version as of 12:00 AM on January 29, 2025. Information on this page may be modified and/or removed in the future subject to the terms of the court’s order and implemented consistent with applicable law,” the web notice says. “Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from truth.” 
“The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology due to the harms and divisiveness it causes. This page does not reflect reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it,” the notice adds. 
New Mexico&#8217;s survey is administered every other year, and parents are given an opportunity to opt their kids out. Answers to the questions are supposed to be anonymous, administrators say.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to <a href="http://speakingofsuicide.com/resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources</a> for a list of additional resources.

US-POLITICS-SOCIETY-HOLIDAY-LGBTQ+-DEMONSTRATION

New Mexico Government Survey Asks Middle And High School Students If They Are ‘Two-Spirit’

New Mexico Government Asks Students If They Are ‘Two-Spirit’

LGBTQ

New Mexico

Transgender

The Trump administration on Tuesday rolled out a new plan to “break up the federal education bureaucracy&#8221; as part of President Donald Trump’s promise to dismantle the Department of Education. 
The plan shifts responsibility for several legally required programs from the Education Department to the State, Labor, and Interior Departments, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services. Each of those agencies has signed an interagency agreement with the Education Department to administer the programs.
&#8220;The Trump Administration is taking bold action to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission. 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,” McMahon added. 
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://www.dailywire.com/shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.dailywire.com/shop" data-sk="tooltip_parent">30% off razors &amp; DW Shop, 25% off Candle Club, 7–10% off Mayflower—bundles, gifts, &amp; last-chance holiday shipping</a>
The announcement came after the Education Department posted a video on social media depicting former presidents, from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, discussing the need for dramatic educational reform. Trump campaigned on eliminating the Education Department and moving education primarily back to the states. 
“We’re going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs, and this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it’s a common-sense thing to do, and it’s going to work. Absolutely, it’s going to work,&#8221; Trump said earlier this year when he signed an executive order to dismantle the Education Department.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The clock is ticking&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/Go0UlCdkrK">pic.twitter.com/Go0UlCdkrK</a>
— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/usedgov/status/1990807480109011438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The partnership between Education and Labor will <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-labor-dol-elementary-and-secondary-education-partnership-112465.pdf">include</a> the administration of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education programs. This will consist of more than a dozen programs related to education, ranging from grants for local education agencies to education for homeless children. 
The Department of the Interior will administer additional Indian Education programs, while HHS will oversee a program providing child care for parents who are in school and will supervise the work of the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation.
“Medical education must incorporate timely, rigorous science on nutrition, metabolism and all medical subjects. Secretary Kennedy is leading the charge with American medical schools and HHS will encourage foreign medical schools through this partnership,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill.
In partnership with the State Department, the Education Department will establish the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership to administer specific research, foreign language, and business programs. 
Trump&#8217;s plan was opposed by the National Education Association, a teachers union closely tied to Democrats. Beck Pringle, the association&#8217;s president, said the announcement was &#8220;cruel&#8221; and &#8220;shameful.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-EDUCATION

Trump’s Plan To Dismantle Education Dept Gains Momentum

Department of Education

Politics

A couple who won a landmark Supreme Court victory in favor of parental rights said their Christian faith helped them through the dramatic ordeal that began when their daughter took a book pushing transgender ideology home from her Maryland school.
In April, Chris and Melissa Persak, a Catholic family, found themselves and other allied parents arriving at the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in their case against the Montgomery County Board of Education over whether they had the right to opt their kids out of instruction on transgender ideology. In June, the Persaks, who were represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, won a decisive 6-3 victory with the Supreme Court majority declaring that they and other parents had expansive oversight over what their children were taught at schools.
“We said prayers of the Holy Spirit, and just felt this unbelievable calmness as we&#8217;re walking in. Even with the protesters, even with members of the leadership of Montgomery County, who were protesting against us live that day,” Chris told The Daily Wire.
“We just felt like this was the right thing that God was saying, ‘Yep, this is exactly what I asked you to do. It&#8217;s been 24 months, and I know you guys have taken shrapnel and things that have come at you and people threaten your children, and you and your friends, and it was vindication day,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Persaks <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfCn1zWnXGQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> on Becket’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfCn1zWnXGQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stream of Conscience</a>” podcast alongside Jeff and Svitlana Roman, another family who challenged Montgomery County’s opt-out policies.
The legal battle began in March 2023, when the school board said that it would no longer let parents opt out of books pushing transgender and queer ideology. In response, a group of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish parents challenged the county in Mahmoud v. Taylor.
Svitlana said during her appearance on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfCn1zWnXGQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a>, which was previewed by The Daily Wire, that she became involved in the legal fight because she just wanted parents like her to have the option to opt their elementary-aged kids from sexualized materials in the classroom.
“All I would like to ask is, one, to make it very clear that the teachers have an optionality to teach it or not, and then two, give the choice to parents to opt in,” she said.
Melissa Persak echoed that sentiment.
“This whole lawsuit was we just wanted the rights to our own children and what they&#8217;re gonna learn,” she said. “It has nothing to do with anybody else&#8217;s kids, but, you know, obviously, in the process, now, we want to protect everyone, all the parents, and all of their children.”
<div id="attachment_1002015" style="width: 1952px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1002015" class="size-full wp-image-1002015" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-17-at-3.44.53-PM.png" alt="" width="1942" height="1089" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-17-at-3.44.53-PM.png 1942w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-17-at-3.44.53-PM-300x168.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-17-at-3.44.53-PM-1024x574.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-17-at-3.44.53-PM-768x431.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-17-at-3.44.53-PM-1536x861.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1942px) 100vw, 1942px" />The Romans and Persaks appear on the Becket podcast.</div>
Chris, her husband, added that the entire saga revealed how citizens could fight for their rights under the Constitution. He described being at the Supreme Court as a “powerful moment” because “citizens can stand up for what we believe protected under the Constitution by a system that was essentially set up nearly 250 years ago.”
“We just want the best for our kids and our families and have access to the freedoms granted under the Constitution,” he added. “And the ability to see that happen in real time at the political level has been awesome, it&#8217;s been awe-inspiring.”
When the decision was announced, Chris said the “jubilation was unbelievable.”
Becket Lawyer Will Haun told The Daily Wire that the decision in Mahmoud came 100 years after the Supreme Court issued a decision protecting the rights of parents to send their kids to religious schools.
“It took a long time for the Supreme Court to confirm that parents don&#8217;t lose that freedom when they send their children to public schools,” he said. “But thanks to the heroic example of Chris and Melissa and all the parents who stood with us, that is confirmed in the law now as well.”
In light of the decision, Montgomery County has rolled out a system known as &#8220;refrigerator curriculum,” giving parents broad access to essentially every material used in the classroom. The breadth of material has prompted some parents to worry they might miss something, but Haun said it was a sign that things were changing.
“Business as usual in Montgomery County when it came to opt outs was not acceptable anymore,” he said. “And I think that became abundantly clear with the Supreme Court&#8217;s decisive victory for the parents.”

Mahmoud v. Taylor

Caught In A SCOTUS Clash Over Trans Ideology, Parents Turned To Faith And The Constitution

Maryland

Religious Liberty

Schools

Supreme Court

A historically black university whose president is under scrutiny for plagiarism allegations <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maryland-college-president-heidi-anderson-plagiarized-dissertation">reported on</a> by The Daily Wire is a &#8220;criminal enterprise to divert federal and state funds,&#8221; according to a federal lawsuit filed by the school&#8217;s former Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.
It is one of four similar lawsuits filed in the last few months against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, its president Heidi Anderson, its provost Rondall Allen, and its diversity, equity, and inclusion czar Jason Casares, that all follow a similar pattern: A faculty member allegedly discovers wrongdoing at the university, and then is retaliated against by the university&#8217;s DEI office.
Claims from the suits paint a picture of a university with almost no academic standards, that admits <a href="https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?163338-University-of-Maryland-Eastern-Shore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90%</a> of applicants and looks the other way at cheating and truancy to avoid worsening its 17% on-time graduation rate and keep the federal student loan money flowing.
The<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379.1.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> lawsuit filed July 28</a> by Sandeep Gopalan, a Rhodes scholar who until recently was the school&#8217;s vice president for research and vice provost for academic affairs, said that after he claims to have exposed a scheme by Anderson and other top administrators to steal thousands of iPads, the university axed Gopalan&#8217;s program and Ph.D. students in retaliation.
The students were funded by a $4.6 million grant from the federal Department of Education that Gopalan had secured and the university had no ability to terminate, but it dismissed the scholars anyway, falsely suggesting that the Trump administration had cut off funding to the historically black college, he said.
&#8220;As a result of this blatantly unlawful act, highly valuable research on cancer, environmental pollution, and AI, representing thousands of hours of research work by the Plaintiff, Ph.D. students and research staff has been stopped,&#8221; the suit said.
As part of his duties monitoring compliance for the university&#8217;s accreditor, &#8220;Gopalan learned that Rondall Allen and Heidi Anderson were embezzling iPads intended for poor minorities and diverting those resources to their cronies. The thousands of iPads were purchased from a federal grant awarded by the US Department of Commerce,&#8221; the suit said.
&#8220;After being convinced that the scam was organized criminal activity based on direct observation of the devices’ stealthy storage, destruction of evidence, fraudulent documentation, attempts to trick the auditors, the apparent enablement of concealment by University System of Maryland apparatchiks, Dr. Gopalan sent whistleblower letters to federal agencies, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, and the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland in June 2024,&#8221; it said.
Soon after, Anderson began asking if the Ph.D. students in Gopalan&#8217;s Futures Institute program, the highest-performing students at the school, were black. &#8220;Gopalan explained that students were selected based on strict merit, but the projects had a focus on minority populations. Anderson expressed displeasure,&#8221; the suit said.
In December 2024, the lawsuit states he filed additional complaints &#8220;about Heidi Anderson and Rondall Allen’s embezzlement, diversion of federal funds, fraudulent reporting of student data to deceive the government, fraud in connection with physical plant and facilities,&#8221; including to Chancellor Jay Perman, who oversees all public universities in the state.
According to the complaint, &#8220;Anderson and Jason Casares began conspiring to steal Dr. Gopalan’s Futures Institute grant of $4.6 million,&#8221; and notified Ph.D. students that their scholarships were being revoked. The Department of Education had to step in, <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379.1.6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a> that the grant had not been terminated and ordering Maryland to restore it.
The willingness to terminate the university&#8217;s brightest scholars was all the more remarkable because &#8220;UMES has some of the worst student outcomes in the United States under Rondall Allen and Heidi Anderson. The 4-year graduation rate is 17% whereas the 6-year graduation rate is about 35% and graduates’ median incomes are on par with high school graduates. To Dr. Gopalan’s astonishment, Rondall Allen and Dr. Heidi Anderson were indifferent to these outcomes and appeared resentful whenever he mentioned the need to improve,&#8221; it added.
Anderson is a pharmacist, and Allen, another pharmacist, was appointed Provost in 2022. &#8220;Allen has no record of original intellectual publications and had copied and pasted Dr. Gopalan’s work to steal credit,&#8221; the suit said.
The suit asked the court to &#8220;direct the University System of Maryland Board of Regents and the Office of Attorney General to claw back Jay Perman’s $1.4 million salary, Heidi Anderson’s $450,000 salary, and Rondall Allen’s $300,000 salary and proportionate amounts from Casares.&#8221;
On Monday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379.15.1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">response</a> in court. It noted that Gopalan was acting as his own lawyer, and sought to have the case dismissed based in part on legal technicalities, the claim that the public college and its officials had &#8220;sovereign immunity,” and that he did not provide enough detail showing he was a victim of intentional racial discrimination.
<h2>&#8216;Private looting opportunity&#8217;</h2>
A <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.587750/gov.uscourts.mdd.587750.1.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second lawsuit</a> was filed on August 1 under the pseudonym Jacob Doe, a faculty member who says he &#8220;directly observed the top administrators of the university engaging in criminal activities.&#8221;
When Anderson took over in 2018, UMES had an enrollment of 4,800; it is now only 3,000. The passing rate in Anderson&#8217;s own field of pharmacy fell from 95% to 57%. Allen became provost a few years later, despite a background in &#8220;discount pharmacies, and no record meriting a provost position,&#8221; it said.
&#8220;Plaintiff found one cause of the university’s terrible outcomes: rogue administrators led by the president Heidi Anderson and provost Rondall Allen turning the vast investments by the federal and state governments in the university into a private looting opportunity. Unlike other normal universities where administrators are appointed pursuant to merit, credentials, and experience, at UMES many were appointed based on a propensity for corruption and collusion in Anderson and Allen’s schemes,&#8221; the suit said.
&#8220;After directly witnessing and determining that there was organized criminal activity to siphon off federal and state funds led by Defendant 1 Heidi Anderson and Rondall Allen, in Summer and Fall 2024, Plaintiff filed reports with the USM Chancellor and Board, and state and federal officials. The USM initiated a cosmetic investigation – intended to save Anderson rather than determine the truth,&#8221; it said.
&#8220;Upon learning about the Plaintiff&#8217;s complaints, the Defendants took retaliatory actions under the guise of a fake complaint alleging in December 2024 that the Plaintiff had created a &#8216;hostile working environment&#8217; for one temporary worker whose contract was due to expire in two months&#8221; – an Iranian student who, the complaint claimed, was allowed to stay in the country as a reward for going along with the scheme.
Casares, the DEI director, accused Doe of sexually harassing the temp, even though no evidence was provided that the pair had ever been in a room alone together. Casares himself left his previous job after being <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/update-iu-administrator-casares-resigns-amid-sexual-assault-claim/531-610f5e2c-e658-4b3b-a008-e7d1df4b7e4c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of sexual assault; the suit said &#8220;Casares is unemployable in US higher education and his grossly inflated salary and continued promotion by Anderson are bribes&#8221; for &#8220;intimidating faculty and staff who oppose illegal activities.&#8221;
The temp worker&#8217;s primary boss was a different professor, who witnessed every encounter between Doe and the temp, but Casares did not interview him, the suit said.
Casares was accused of telling the temp worker that “people say Turkish women are beautiful, but I prefer Persian women,&#8221; and &#8220;all work and no fun makes [her] a dull girl.&#8221; Doe said that these statements were fabricated, but that they would not meet the standard for sexual harassment even if they were true.
He said the temp worker had falsified timesheets, leading him to admonish her, and the false claim was in retaliation. Nonetheless, Doe was suspended, banned from campus and his students were told that he was fired. He filed a complaint against Casares, which was ignored, he said.
<h2>A grades for illiterates</h2>
A similar <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.589179/gov.uscourts.mdd.589179.1.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit was filed on August 22</a> by Ciu Fang, an &#8220;award-winning computer science lecturer&#8221; who said she was retaliated against for raising concerns that University of Maryland Eastern Shore had almost no academic standards and condoned cheating in order to keep student tuition flowing.
With enrollment plummeting, the school seemingly began relying on foreign students from countries like Iran to fill slots. Although the HBCU was a low-performing institution that few Americans wanted to attend, foreigners who wanted to come to America could use it to gain a student visa.
Iranians began taking over the faculty as well, and Asad Azemi became chair of the computer science program. &#8220;Since his arrival, Azemi expressed a preference for hiring Iranians and manipulated hiring processes to create vacancies for his friends,&#8221; the suit said, citing one job search in which 80% of candidates were Iranian.
Azemi took all the course preparation that Fang had created and appropriated it for himself, while pushing her out of a teaching slot after she was unwilling to give students passing grades even if they skipped class and did not know the material, she said.
Fang said the college admitted students with low high school grades and SAT scores, and most proved unable to master the content in her advanced computer science class, with many not showing up to class at all. But when Azemi taught the course, the failure rate was 0%.
&#8220;Many students plagiarized code from the internet and were unable to answer basic syntax questions&#8230; Dr. Azemi awarded nearly all students a grade of B or higher,&#8221; Fang said. &#8220;Azemi encourages cheating and apparently fraudulent practices to maintain a false facade of enrollment to pad his salary and deceive the federal government,&#8221; she added, saying he pressured her to change students&#8217; grades.
On March 31, Fang emailed Chancellor Perman and &#8220;filed a complaint via the USM Fraud Hotline with information about enrollment, grading, and attendance fraud in specific courses,&#8221; but investigators never contacted Fang for more information, she said.
&#8220;Perman knew that he would be embarrassed if the fraud were to be publicly revealed because of scandals at other universities under his watch,&#8221; the suit said.
(The Daily Wire exposed the president of Maryland&#8217;s flagship campus at College Park as a plagiarist<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-maryland-president-copied-rocket-science-paper-from-aussie-student" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> more than a year ago</a>, but there have been no repercussions.)
Perman&#8217;s assistant merely referred her to Casares, who wrote a report taking Azemi&#8217;s side, without interviewing Fang&#8217;s witnesses, she said. Then Anderson personally <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.589179/gov.uscourts.mdd.589179.1.25_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emailed Fang to terminate her</a> without explanation. &#8220;The abrupt unlawful firing whilst the appeal process was ongoing is illegal retaliation,&#8221; Fang said.
Fang said Anderson developed personal animosity toward her years earlier. Fang had also worked as a personal trainer at the school&#8217;s gym, and &#8220;Heidi Anderson, who is obese,&#8221; asked a school coach to help her lose weight. The coach refused to continue helping Anderson due to her poor attitude, and delegated it to Fang. Anderson insisted on losing weight while refusing to do the necessary workouts, and became &#8220;resentful,&#8221; she said.
On October 31, Maryland filed a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379/gov.uscourts.mdd.587379.15.1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reply</a> to the federal court that was similar to its motion in the first case, raising technical legal objections without denying specific allegations.
<h2>Director of Human Resources</h2>
The university&#8217;s former Director of Human Resources, Rosalie Hornbuckle, also filed a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.589179/gov.uscourts.mdd.589179.1.13.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whistleblower complaint</a>, though not a lawsuit. Hornbuckle said she was terminated several months into her job after identifying &#8220;payment to individuals who were placed in fictitious jobs&#8221; and other misconduct.
The complaint alleged a large number of employees remained on paid leave for long periods after being accused of wrongdoing. She said in one case, Casares placed a staff member on paid leave after a complaint of discriminating against white students; six months later, Casares claimed that he had been investigating but had not taken any notes.
As another cited example, a finance employee arrested with a &#8220;large amount of marijuana packaged for sale&#8221; was provided severance instead of simply being terminated; Hornbuckle couldn&#8217;t understand why until learning that he was the nephew of the school&#8217;s budget director, she said.
The Daily Wire previously reported on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maryland-college-president-heidi-anderson-plagiarized-dissertation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth lawsuit</a>, by former agriculture professor Donna Satterlee, who said that a Kenyan who was &#8220;incapable of writing in English at the level required of university professor&#8221; took over her department and made her do much of the work, while black faculty took credit and received much higher salaries.
After she called for a study that would publish salary information broken down by race, Casares&#8217;s DEI department accused her of bullying her boss, and she was placed on &#8220;transitional terminal leave.&#8221;
On October 31, Maryland’s attorney general filed a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.586969/gov.uscourts.mdd.586969.21.1_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reply</a> in court saying that Satterlee signed papers agreeing not to sue the university in exchange for nine months of severance, and that the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declined to pursue a complaint she filed with it.
<h2>Cyber Warrior Diversity Program</h2>
The Daily Wire separately obtained a contract signed in August 2019 by President Anderson with Lance Andre Lucas for a &#8220;Cyber Warrior Diversity Program.&#8221; The next year, Lucas<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/baltimore-businessman-lance-lucas-sentenced-18-months-federal-prison-honest-services-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> pleaded guilty</a> to bribing a state lawmaker $42,500 to create a state law pushing such a program, because he anticipated it would benefit his company.
“I’m from Baltimore for real, for real Baltimore … this is the least illegal thing that I’ve ever done,” he told Maryland Delegate Cheryl Glenn as he handed her cash in his Porsche.
The contract signed by Anderson said &#8220;the State of Maryland is paying a total of $10,000 dollars [sic] per student. The Cyber Warrior Diversity program direct cost [sic] are $7000 or 70%. University of Maryland Eastern Shore Cyber Warrior Diversity Program administrative cost [sic] are $3000 or 30%.&#8221;
&#8220;Once payment is made to University of Maryland Eastern Shore by the State of Maryland trough [sic] MHEC they [sic] have 30-90 days period of grace to pay Digit All City for program direct cost [sic] incurred,&#8221; it continued.
It said Lucas&#8217;s firm would run a computer science course, saying &#8220;The SWDP [sic] courses offer the hard and soft skills needed to work in this industry.&#8221; It is not clear why the school did not simply use its existing computer science program–taught by faculty like Fang–for that.
The<a href="https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2018RS/bills/sb/sb0615E.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> bill</a> creating the program allocated $2.5 million to black colleges to create programs &#8220;to train students in computer networking and cybersecurity,&#8221; and said &#8220;the governing entity at each institution is responsible for administering the program at that institution.&#8221;
Spokesmen for Anderson and Chancellor Perman both declined to comment on the lawsuits against the Eastern Shore college, citing policies on ongoing litigation.
Anderson hired a lawyer to threaten The Daily Wire with a lawsuit after it presented <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maryland-college-president-heidi-anderson-plagiarized-dissertation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">side-by-side academic papers</a> showing thousands of words of her dissertation were identical to older papers by others. University spokesman Robert Vickers said the lawyer was hired by Anderson personally, not by the school.

Heidi Anderson / University of Maryland Eastern Shore

This Black College Is A ‘Criminal Enterprise,’ Ex-Top Official Says In Lawsuit

University of Maryland

The Regents of the Texas A&amp;M University System voted unanimously on Thursday to adopt a policy requiring college presidents to sign off on any course that could be interpreted as pushing “race and gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The new policy seeks to prevent another controversy like the one that erupted at Texas A&amp;M earlier this year when an English professor was filmed pushing pro-LGBT talking points during a children’s literature course. The policy approved by regents defines race ideology as “attempts to shame a particular race or ethnicity” or anything that “promotes activism on issues related to race or ethnicity rather than academic instruction,” The Texas Tribune <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/13/texas-am-regents-race-gender-ideology-course-audit/">reported</a>. Gender ideology is defined under the policy as “a concept of self-assessed gender identity replacing, and disconnected from, the biological category of sex.”
The policy also prohibits professors from teaching any material that is not consistent with the approved syllabus. Enforcement of the policy is set to begin at all 12 colleges in the Texas A&amp;M University System in the spring 2026 semester.
“What we’re doing is pretty simple,” regent Sam Torn told The Texas Tribune. “It’s not as complex. We’re simply making sure that we do educate, and we’re simply making sure that we teach what the course syllabus specifies that we teach.”
Videos obtained and shared by Republican Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-texas-am-student-booted-from-lecture-after-objecting-to-professor-pushing-radical-gender-theory?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=WATCH%3A+Texas+A%26M+Student+Booted+From+Lecture+After+Objecting+To+Professor+Pushing+Radical+Gender+Theory">first reported</a> by The Daily Wire in September showed children’s literature professor Dr. Melissa McCoul advocating for leftist views on race and gender and asking one student who pushed back on her arguments to leave a lecture. The children’s literature course included material that advocated for introducing leftist gender ideas to children. One of the slides in the class was titled “Let’s talk gender in children’s lit!” and argued that “Childhood is the time for figuring out how to be a boy, girl, man, woman, or another gender.”
In a phone call with the student who publicly opposed the leftism espoused in the literature course, then-Texas A&amp;M President Mark Welsh said, “There’s not a problem” with teaching LGBT literature as long as the university makes it clear it will be part of a class. When the student asked Welsh if any more changes would be made, such as firing McCoul, Welsh accused the student of attempting to “pick a fight,” adding that the university would not punish the professor.
Welsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-am-president-to-resign-after-leftist-politics-infiltrated-university-childrens-lit-course">stepped down</a> as Texas A&amp;M president less than two weeks after the videos and details of the children’s literature class were made public. A rule implemented in September requires that all course content at each of the Texas A&amp;M System’s 12 schools be audited.
“It’s a serious system-wide review of every course, every syllabus,” Torn said on Thursday. “We are examining the body of knowledge behind each degree, low-producing programs, workforce relevance and financial stewardship.”
Rep. Harrison <a href="https://x.com/brianeharrison/status/1989310142291100113">celebrated</a> after the regents approved the new policy on race and gender ideology, saying that his use of social media to highlight the issue at Texas A&amp;M “has done more this year to combat woke indoctrination than the entire Texas House and Texas Senate… combined.”
Some professors are concerned that the policy will only add confusion.
Geography professor Andrew Klein told the board of regents, “The vagueness of the language is problematic. Faculty are now assuming that all instructions in the topic of concern will be prohibited. Will subjects like medicine, public health and law, where such content is required to prepare professionals for the Texas workforce, be disallowed?”
Philosophy professor Martin Peterson added that academics must “seek the truth,” arguing, “When we seek the truth, we sometimes have to explore ideas that touch on controversial issues.”
“It is not always clear what counts as advocating for an ideology in those contexts,” Peterson said.
European history professor Miranda Sachs argued that the new rule would prevent her from addressing certain historical topics, such as the Holocaust. Regent John Bellinger responded to Sachs’s comment, saying, “There’s got to be some common sense in this.”
“I think we’re taking it a little bit too far when [we say] that we’re not going to teach about what happened in world wars,” Bellinger said.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M Restricts ‘Race And Gender Ideology’ After Leftist Literature Course Exposed

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Texas A&amp;M

Conservatives attending the final stop on the “This is the Turning Point” tour at the University of California, Berkeley, on Monday night were met by hundreds of leftist agitators as police in riot gear tried to keep the protesters contained.
Protesters, some of whom wore keffiyehs, showed up outside the venue on campus hours before the event started and confronted the attendees as they lined up to enter the building. At one point, an agitator got into a fistfight with a man wearing a red Turning Point USA shirt. The event attendee was pictured with a bloodied face, as both he and the agitator were detained by police, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/11/us-news/bloody-brawl-breaks-out-as-agitators-protest-tpusa-event-at-uc-berkeley-in-california/">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At least two people detained after violence breaks out at a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TurningPointUSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TurningPointUSA</a> event at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ucberkeley?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ucberkeley</a> Our crews say tensions are growing as the number of protesters grow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ktvu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ktvu</a> <a href="https://t.co/r8YuYvcqgr">pic.twitter.com/r8YuYvcqgr</a>
— Claudine Wong (@ClaudineKTVU) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaudineKTVU/status/1988059428340592641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Police confirmed that two people were arrested, including one person charged with battery, following the fistfight. It&#8217;s unclear if one of the men involved in the fistfight was the person charged with battery. Police set up a barricade between protesters and attendees before and after the event as agitators lit flares and shouted at the conservative attendees. Two more people were arrested after attempting to get past the barricade, The Mercury News <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/10/uc-berkeley-turning-point-usa-arrests/">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UC Berkeley currently looks like a war zone.
An ANTIFA member just lit off a flare resulting in TPUSA event attendees being rushed inside.
A car then comes and starts backfiring visibly scaring multiple attendees who feared they were hearing gunshots. <a href="https://twitter.com/TPUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TPUSA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Savsays?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Savsays</a> <a href="https://t.co/u3mG8rJDSx">pic.twitter.com/u3mG8rJDSx</a>
— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/1988063048825970850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The event at Cal Berkeley, one of the most liberal universities in America, featured comedian Rob Schneider and Christian apologist and writer Dr. Frank Turek. It was the final event on the TPUSA college tour that Charlie Kirk began in September. Kirk was assassinated while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University on the first stop of the tour on September 10.
Andrew Kolvet, the chief spokesman for TPUSA and executive producer of &#8220;The Charlie Kirk Show,&#8221; said &#8220;Antifa thugs&#8221; were responsible for attempting to stop Monday&#8217;s event. Even as left-wing protesters crowded outside, the event went ahead as planned before a packed audience inside.
&#8220;Despite Antifa thugs blocking our campus tour stop with tear gas, fireworks, and glass bottles, we had a PACKED HOUSE in the heart of deep blue UC Berkeley,&#8221; Kolvet said. God bless these brave students. For Charlie 🇺🇸🇺🇸&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Despite Antifa thugs blocking our campus tour stop with tear gas, fireworks, and glass bottles, we had a PACKED HOUSE in the heart of deep blue UC Berkeley.
God bless these brave students.
For Charlie 🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/EGgiH2wplF">pic.twitter.com/EGgiH2wplF</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1988092309507072374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Shortly before the event began, Schneider wrote on X, &#8220;Thank YOU, Antifa for welcoming us tonight at UC Berkeley. We Look forward to our thoughtful, teargas free discussion and debate.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank YOU, Antifa for welcoming us tonight at UC Berkeley. We Look forward to our thoughtful, teargas free discussion and debate.👇👇🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/BSN0aOdIvw">https://t.co/BSN0aOdIvw</a>
— Rob Schneider 🇺🇸 (@RobSchneider) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobSchneider/status/1988065552510972075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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UC Berkeley said it was prepared for the fierce opposition to the TPUSA event on its campus.
“The campus fully supports the rights and ability of every single student organization to invite whatever speakers they wish, regardless of their beliefs or perspectives,” said UC Berkeley Assistant Vice Chancellor Dan Mogulof.

Turning Point USA Tour Event Held At University Of California, Berkeley

Chaos Breaks Out At TPUSA Event As Leftist Agitators Harass Attendees

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University of California Berkeley

For all the attention Generation Z gets, we need to start talking about Generation Alpha while there is still time to save them from their older siblings’ dismal futures. Born between 2010 and 2024, Gen Alpha is the youngest living age demographic with its members ranging from toddlers to younger adolescents. Most still have all of high school ahead of them and none have entered the workforce as adults.
American twelfth graders, who are on the younger side of the Gen Z cohort, are at their <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/test-scores-low-reading-math-naep-d87099b6?mod=Searchresults&amp;pos=1&amp;page=1">lowest reading proficiency levels</a> on record. Our broken education system has enabled that steady decline over the last two decades as K-12 schools push forward failing students who cannot read, and college curriculum has made it possible to earn a degree <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/">without reading a whole book</a>. Poor literacy levels have, of course, led to a national crisis with <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/05/lifestyle/gen-z-turns-to-ai-for-homework-essays-and-college-apps/">writing ability</a>.
This confluence of trends — combined with the rise of AI — risks Gen Alpha’s future success in work and in life. The good news is that the solution is found at home. Parents can make the home life more conducive to their children’s future success by prioritizing off-screen reading … yes, physical books. Reading books is vital to keeping children ahead of the AI curve. And the home is where children need to become good readers so they can go on to become good writers.
Writing is the necessary transferable skill young people must perform to apply critical thinking, self-awareness, and logic to their jobs, tasks, and everyday lives. Lack of proficiency in the classroom leads to lack of accountability and responsibility in adulthood.
It is impossible to be a good writer without being a good reader, which makes fixing reading proficiency all the more urgent for today’s elementary and middle schoolers. As <a href="https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/agentic-ai-vs-generative-ai">generative and agentic AI</a> reorganize the workforce, high social and economic status will not be won by those that can simply use AI well, but those who think better than AI and can apply the technology in the production of new knowledge.
The urgency is today. A grown adult with poor reading proficiency is already lost and will spend the rest of his life behind the curve of those that can read, write, think, and do better. That string of verbs is not a list — it is a sequence of inseverable skills necessary to achieve success. If that prognostication seems bleak, that’s because children who use AI to do schoolwork do not see the pitfall lying beyond short-term convenience.
Children&#8217;s futures may come to resemble Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World in which the lower castes of menial workers toil under the elite few who are capable of intelligent output. AI <a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/02/ai-can-catalyze-and-inhibit-your-creativity-here-is-how/">does not create</a> new ideas or knowledge; it produces and iterates content based on past information and results. It yields answers derivative of other people’s intellectual labor without activating or engaging critical reasoning skills in the user.
The solution is for children to read good books that stand the test of time and have complex sentence structure. Reading early and reading often in childhood <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_reading_is_important_children_brain_development#:~:text=We%20discovered%20that%20reading%20for,time%20spent%20on%20electronic%20devices.">unlocks</a> intellectual and productive potential <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/brief/foundational-learning">later in life</a>. Parents should replace at least some of their children’s screentime with good books. The number of books children read is less important than the quality of stories they read. They should mix non-fiction with fiction. The topics and sub-genres do not matter. It is the complement between truth in fact, and truth in expression that helps cultivate minds and critical reasoning.
Millennials are the parents of Gen Alpha and their childhoods model how to select rewarding books in a digital age filled with screentime. Millennials grew up on Reading Rainbow and Wishbone. Reading Rainbow brought children’s books to life with lively narration and Wishbone retold William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Walter Scott, Walter Irving, and other great authors. 
Parents can find worthwhile books about the animals, fantasy settings, sports, historical figures, and situations depicted in their children’s favorite shows, movies, and games. That is the strategy Reading Rainbow and Wishbone deployed: limited but enriching television content as a tool to catalyze lifelong love of reading and intellectual exploration in children. 
Technology has crushed the inner drive and desire to read, and AI is poised to turn that absence into personal failure on a mass scale. Meeting children where they are with a physical book can transition them away from complete dependence on digital technology for entertainment. Exposing children to slightly more literature can open up their worlds and increase chances for success.
I already dubbed Gen Z as the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gen-z-shaping-itself-into-wasted-generation">“Wasted Generation”</a> in early 2024, and that still holds true. But if nothing changes substantially, Gen Alpha will suffer from more severe and longer-lasting consequences than the arbitrary concentrated learning-loss Gen Z underwent during COVID-19.
Even with the lightning speed of President Trump’s educational reforms, it will still take years for reforms implemented today to take hold and reverse prevailing trends. Let’s focus on where we can make a long-term difference for most people. That focus needs to be on Gen Alpha. Let’s help them now while we can. Cultivating and encouraging reading at home is the best way for parents to set their children up for success in our brave new world.
* * *
Zachary Marschall, PhD is Editor-in-Chief of Leadership Institute&#8217;s Campus Reform and an adjunct assistant professor of arts administration at the University of Kentucky.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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