Latest news with #RogerWicker
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Education board axes U.S. history test for Mississippi high schoolers
Mississippi high schoolers no longer have to pass the U.S. history test to graduate. The Mississippi State Board of Education voted Thursday to remove the requirement starting this fall. Department officials reiterated at the meeting that high schoolers would still have to take and pass history classes to graduate. Paula Vanderford, the education department's chief accountability officer, said the agency has informally discussed releasing test resources to local districts if they want to create their own assessments. She said at a previous board meeting that getting rid of the test would save the state money. The state board voted to open public comments about the decision in April after the Commission on School Accreditation voted to propose eliminating the test. Ultimately, it received 20 comments in support of the test's removal, many of them from parents who cited their children's test anxiety, and 16 against it, arguing that getting rid of the test would diminish the importance of the country's history. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker recently co-authored an editorial advocating against removing the U.S. history state test with board member Mary Werner, who voted against the decision at the meeting. 'Our state has been making remarkable strides in education, and this progress is equipping the very Mississippians who will lead our state into the 21st century,' the editorial reads. 'As they take on our future, we believe they should be as knowledgeable as possible about our past.' Werner said after the meeting that she was 'disappointed' in the board's decision because the history test provided a measure of accountability for teachers. Passing the state algebra I, biology and English language arts tests will remain a graduation requirement. The U.S. history assessment was the sole test not required by state or federal law. 'Though the U.S. history statewide assessment will be eliminated starting next school year, it's important to emphasize that students will still learn U.S. history and will be required to successfully complete the course to graduate,' said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, in a press release. 'Having fewer state tests required to graduate should be less taxing on educators, students and families alike.' ___ This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
GOP senators are not fans of Trump's new TikTok delay
Some Senate Republicans wish President Trump would quit standing in the way of the TikTok ban. Why it matters: A bipartisan majority passed legislation requiring TikTok to divest or be banned in the U.S., and many Republicans view the app as a serious national security threat. But Trump is fine keeping it around a little longer. "I'm not overly delighted," Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told reporters about the delay. "I don't think it's a good idea." "That's not my favorite thing," Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Axios about Trump's extension. "I'm fine with him trying to sell it, that's fine, but I think at a certain point we've got to enforce this law." "I'd like to see the law go into effect," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters on Tuesday. The White House announced Tuesday that Trump will again extend the deadline for the TikTok ban another 90 days. Between the lines: Some senators did not directly respond to the latest plans for delay but again warned about the dangers of TikTok and urged a quick solution. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Axios on Tuesday he is "hoping that the negotiations on a buyer are making headway enough" to find a suitable match, but "I don't think they have yet." He added he had "to think about" whether another delay is the right move. "It's probably taking second place to everything else going on in the world," Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said, adding that "at some point" it will have to be eliminated from the U.S. — either by sale or ban. The bottom line: "China has used TikTok for espionage and propaganda," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
The shadow war raging in DC over Iran pits Donald Trump vs. Tulsi Gabbard: ‘They're kind of winging it any given hour'
President Donald Trump's feud with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard about whether Iran is crafting a nuclear weapon has led to Republicans explicitly siding with the president. The House of Representatives was out of session this week. But Senate Republicans, who are generally more hawkish than their House counterparts, have sided with Trump in terms of whether Iran is building a nuclear weapon. 'I trust President Trump,' Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told The Independent. 'He's undoubtedly correct.' Cornyn faces a primary challenge against a MAGA challenger in Texas Attorney General Paxton during next year's Republican primary and he voted to confirm Gabbard. In March, Gabbard told The House Intelligence Committee that the US Intelligence Community continued to 'assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon' and that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had 'not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.' But Trump directly contradicted her when CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked him about her testimony earlier this week. 'I don't care what she said — I think they were very close to having one,' he said. Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, echoed Trump's words to The Independent. 'I'm just saying, listen to what the president said,' he said. Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia also told The Independent that he trusted Trump. 'For God's sakes of living, they have told the whole world what they're wanting to do,' he said of Iran. 'They're wanting to eradicate Israel.' Gabbard represents a unique spot. A former four-term Democratic congresswoman who had endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2016 and ran for president in 2020, she quit the party and in 2024, endorsed Trump. As a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard, Gabbard has criticized nation-building and military interventionism. Despite her previous criticisms of U.S. surveillance programs, she received almost unanimous consent from Senate Republicans, with the exception of former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian Republican from Kentucky who has criticized the idea of war with Iran, did not want to comment about the split between Trump and Gabbard. 'I don't need to get in the middle of a fight between those two, I've made many pronouncements, you're welcome to use any of my quotes,' Paul told The Independent. Trump's split with Gabbard represents a larger contradiction between his campaign and his support for Israel. Despite his ardent support for Israel in his first presidency, Trump has criticized 'so-called 'nation-builders,' 'neocons,' or 'liberal non-profits.'' During his announcement for his 2024 campaign, he bragged about how he did not send the country into new wars and was ' the first president to do it for a long period.' But Israel's decision to conduct strikes on Iran and Trump's decision to fully support its efforts has led some of Trump's most devoted followers, including right-wing provocateur Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, to break with Trump. 'Clearly the Republicans are in a cat fight, because there's the wing of the party that clearly wants to do this and the clean wing of the party that clearly doesn't,' Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst, told The Indepndent. 'I don't know how much this is rooted in an intelligence conversation. I think they're kind of winging it any given day.' Gabbard was initially set to meet with the Senate Intelligence Committee. Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, criticized the the administration for contradicting the intelligence community. 'If this president wants to completely ignore the intelligence community, we are playing in dangerous ground, and this is exactly the way we got ourselves into Iraq,' he told The Independent.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Senate confirms Trump's FCC pick, Olivia Trusty
The Senate confirmed Republican Olivia Trusty to serve on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, installing another nominee by President Donald Trump and ending the brief lack of quorum at the agency. The vote was 53-45, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) being the only Democrat to vote in her favor. Trusty will join Republican Chair Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez on the panel, with two seats remaining empty. Trump has yet to select other nominees for the roles. No more than three commissioners on the independent agency are allowed to be from the same party, though Gomez had expressed doubt that Trump may nominate another Democrat to the agency. Former Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington endorsed his chief of staff, Gavin Wax, a MAGA loyalist who once said Trump's return to office would be a 'time for retribution,' after announcing he'd be stepping down from his post. Trusty was a longtime staffer for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who previously served as the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC and related issues. Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Monday, she opposed Trusty's confirmation largely due to concern with the Trump administration's actions. 'Although I respect the nominee's professional background, when I spoke in support of Ms. Trusty's nomination in Committee on April 30, I explained that my support was not absolute,' Cantwell wrote. 'Since then, the Trump Administration has pursued a series of concerning policies, leading me to oppose Ms. Trusty's nomination.' Cantwell said she's concerned that Trusty's nomination was not paired with a Democratic one, which would be 'consistent with longstanding practice,' she wrote. She pointed to Trump's attempted firing of two Democratic commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, another agency created to be independent from the president and whose commissioners the Supreme Court has said cannot be fired without cause. 'I remain seriously concerned that this Administration will try to illegally terminate Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez, refuse to nominate any Democratic replacements, and then operate the Commission on a strictly partisan basis,' Cantwell wrote. 'These are not normal times' Trusty's confirmation gives Carr a 2-1 Republican majority to carry out his agenda, including slashing agency regulations and pursuing action against media outlets he views as countering the administration. 'I look forward to welcoming Olivia to the Commission as a colleague and advancing an agenda that will deliver great results for the American people,' Carr said in a statement. Gomez similarly praised Trusty's experience and welcomed her to the panel. 'I have known Olivia for years and have been very impressed with her strong background in communications policy, which will be a great asset to this agency,' Gomez wrote in a statement. 'In normal times, there'd be little reason to oppose the confirmation of a candidate as qualified as Trusty. But these are not normal times.' Matt Wood, VP of policy and general counsel of nonpartisan group Free Press Action, said in a statement. 'Trusty's confirmation gives Carr the majority he needs to radically reshape the media sector in Trump's image, including offering policy favors to large broadcasters in exchange for their unwavering loyalty to the president.'
CNN
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Live updates: Trump military parade, ‘No Kings' protests
Update: Date: Title: Here's where "No Kings" protests are expected to take place across the country today Content: Millions of Americans are expected to attend protests today in what organizers predict will be the strongest display of opposition to President Donald Trump's administration since he took office in January. More than 2,000 demonstrations across all 50 states have been planned through the 'No Kings' movement, which organizers say seeks to reject 'authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy.' The mobilization is a direct response to Trump's military parade tonight celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Army — which coincides with his 79th birthday. Update: Date: Title: Many GOP senators aren't attending Trump's military parade and one says he would've "recommended against" it Content: The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman said he would've advised against hosting a big military parade in Washington, DC — an unease with the event reflected by some of his fellow Senate Republicans. 'I would have recommended against the parade,' Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi told CNN when asked for his views on the event. Wicker, the chamber's top Republican with oversight of the military, said he would be out of town attending the Paris Air Show during the parade, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday. Most of the GOP senators surveyed by CNN this week said they did not plan to attend: • Senate Majority Leader John Thune won't be in DC for the parade. Asked about spending some $45 million on it at a time when many Republicans are demanding government austerity, he said: 'There are a lot of people who believe that's a cause worth celebrating.' • An aide to Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said that after being at the White House twice this week, the senator would be back in Wyoming celebrating the Army's 250th birthday and Flag Day with his constituents. • Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, Senate Foreign Relations chairman, said he would miss the parade. 'Come on guys, we have lot of stuff to do. We have lots of parades in Washington,' he said. • Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas will also be at the air show in Paris, and Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will be home celebrating his wedding anniversary, though he said he 'would love to see it.' • Sens. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Josh Hawley of Missouri, John Curtis of Utah, John Kennedy of Louisianna and Chuck Grassley all won't be there. One Republican with whom CNN spoke — Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall — told reporters Thursday he plans to attend the parade.
