Trump started the Iran war with 5 goals. How far has he really gotten? The president claimed he achieved them all. The reality is more complicated.

In the #IranWar, President Donald Trump's goals shifted. Two @washingtonpost.com reporters assessed what some of what he and his administration set out to do and whether he really achieved it as he has claimed. Via Amy B Wang and @mariana-alfaro.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Democrats are turning Republicans’ arguments against them in midterm races Republicans won in 2024 by promising to cut the cost of living, but high gas prices are frustrating voters and providing a potent line of attack ahead of this year’s elections.

Democrats are turning Republicans’ arguments against them in midterm races washingtonpost.com/politics/202... #gaspricehike via @danmerica.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com

Trump administration to end civil rights settlements for trans students The Education Department is rescinding agreements that required schools to stop discriminating against transgender students. The agency will continue to investigate sex discrimination.

The Trump administration is ending civil rights settlements that aimed to protect transgender students from discrimination, the Education Department said.

The agency is rescinding agreements with Taft College and five local school districts.

House Democrat violated ethics rules, panel finds, putting her seat in jeopardy A House Ethics Committee panel found Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, accused of misusing covid funds, violated ethics rules. She has maintained her innocence.

A House Ethics Committee panel found
@congresswomanscm.bsky.social, accused of misusing covid funds, violated ethics rules. She has maintained her innocence. washingtonpost.com/politics/202... via
@kadiagoba.bsky.social and @mariannasotomayor.bsky.social for
@washingtonpost.com

What a GOP loss in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago district says about the midterms Including off-year elections last year, Democrats have flipped 30 Republican seats since the start of 2025.

Including off-year elections last year, Democrats have flipped 30 Republican seats since the start Trump's second term. @danmerica.bsky.social @mariannasotomayor.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Trump just voted by a method he calls ‘mail-in cheating’ The president’s decision to vote by mail comes as he pushes a sweeping bill to reform balloting nationwide, including restrictions on mail-in voting.

President Donald Trump chose a mail-in ballot in a Florida election as he pushes a sweeping bill to reform nationwide balloting, including restrictions on mail-in voting — and derides vote-by-mail at events.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... via @danmerica.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com

Republicans fear this Democrat in Georgia Senate race: ‘This guy’s no slouch’ Behind closed doors, Republicans have tamped down their hopes of unseating Jon Ossoff, a 39-year-old powerhouse fundraiser, as he seeks another term.

Behind closed doors, Republicans have tamped down their hopes of unseating Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia), a 39-year-old powerhouse fundraiser, as he seeks another term.

“You better have somebody who can go toe to toe with him,” Rep. Buddy Carter said.

Super PAC spending passes $200M, with some groups hiding their cause Groups that include pro-Israel organizations obscured their spending in some midterm races to try to defeat candidates that oppose their cause.

Special interest groups, including the pro-Israel #AIPAC, have sometimes veiled spending, using what appear to be unrelated organizations to support or attack candidates.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... via @ence.bsky.social @danmerica.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com

Analysis | The double pinch for travelers this spring The Washington Post’s essential guide to power and influence in D.C.

Spring ... brake? www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... via @matthewchoi.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com

In Texas race, House GOP leaders back ‘AK Guy’ criticized for past remarks Brandon Herrera, the de facto Republican nominee after Rep. Tony Gonzales exited amid a scandal over an affair, has been criticized for videos on his gun-focused YouTube channel.

Brandon Herrera, a candidate seeking to replace an embattled incumbent in Texas, owns a copy of “Mein Kampf,” poked fun at veterans’ suicide rates and claimed President Abraham Lincoln “didn’t free anybody.”

House Republican leadership is still backing him.

Republicans are ramping up attacks on Muslims — and getting rewarded Past GOP leaders, including George W. Bush, spoke out against Islamophobia. Now it is going unchallenged.

Republicans are ramping up attacks on Muslims and facing few political consequences.

Rather than rebuke broad criticism of Muslims in the wake of terrorism, GOP leaders have allowed the most blatant anti-Muslim comments to go largely unchallenged.

Trump’s withheld endorsement hangs over Senate primary in Texas John Cornyn casts himself as one of the president’s biggest supporters in the Senate, and Ken Paxton is running ads in the Florida region that includes Mar-a-Lago.

Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who are locked in a runoff, are vying for the endorsement of President Trump.

The president so far has withheld his support for either candidate in one of the most expensive and closely watched primaries of the cycle.

Israel urges Iranians to revolt but privately assesses they’ll be ‘slaughtered’ Israeli officials told U.S. counterparts they hope for an uprising even though it would lead to a massacre, according to a State Department cable reviewed by The Post.

Exclusive: Israeli officials warned U.S. diplomats that Iranian protesters will “get slaughtered” if they rise against their government, despite Israel’s public support for an uprising, according to a State Department cable.

Some artists trade DC for Maryland in response to Trump With President Donald Trump determined to weed out arts programming he deems “woke,” major artists across media are relocating their works from the nation’s capital to its neighbor to the north.

With Trump determined to weed out #arts programming he deems “woke,” (including at the @kennedycenter.bsky.social) major artists from across media are relocating their works from the nation’s capital to its neighbor to the north via @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/culture/arts...

An Institute for Training Machinists Takes on the Childcare Shortage A lack of childcare is one big barrier to training more machinists, so a union-backed institute in Washington state decided to train up more childcare workers too.

Finding childcare is a challenge. It’s even harder when you work in the trades—or any role that's not 9-5. One underlying reason: Childcare workers are scarce. A Washington state training institute for the trades is tackling both challenges workshift.org/an-institute... For @workshift.bsky.social

The Dish: The Philly cheesesteak invasion The Philadelphia-bre(a)d insurgency taking over Baltimore’s cheesesteak scene goes beyond the major chains and viral fads. It’s also being propelled by Charm City’s small businesses.

Do you eat your #cheesesteak the #Philly way or the #Baltimore way? Some new places in Baltimore want to set you straight about losing the lettuce and not scooping out the soft centers of the bread. More in @thebaltimorebanner.com from Matti Gellman: www.thebanner.com/culture/food...

After Kennedy Center exit, Philip Glass to bring new symphony home to Baltimore Famed composer and Baltimore native Philip Glass pulled his symphony from the Kennedy Center in protest of Donald Trump. Now, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform “Lincoln” in 2027.

Philip Glass brings the symphony he pulled from the Kennedy Center to Baltimore via @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/culture/arts...

What is immigration enforcement doing to kids and families? And what can schools do to protect their students’ mental health and physical safety? @nirvishah.bsky.social greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item... #academicsky #edusky

How ICE Raids Are Affecting Children—And What Schools Can Do What is immigration enforcement doing to kids and families? And what can schools do to protect their students’ mental health and physical safety?

What is #immigration enforcement doing to kids and families? And what can schools do to protect their students’ mental health and physical safety? greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item... via @greatergoodmag.bsky.social #K12 #mentalhealth #education

Investigations and a Billion-Dollar ‘Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education

Donald Trump unleashed the power of the presidency against American #colleges, with mixed results. #HigherEducation www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...

Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion threatening federal funding to the nation’s schools and colle...

Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges. This leaves in place a federal judge's ruling that the anti-DEI effort violated the First Amendment and federal procedural rules. (Via AP) apnews.com/article/dei-... #ncpol #nced

Conservatives see two-parent households as a solution to student achievement. It’s not that simple Conservatives have long argued that unwed motherhood and single parenting are major drivers of poor student achievement. They contend that traditional two-parent families — ideally with a married mother and father — provide the stability children need to succeed in school. Single-parent households, more common among low-income families, are blamed for weak academic outcomes. That argument has resurfaced prominently in Project 2025, a policy blueprint developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for the federal government to collect and publish more education data broken out by family structure.

Conservatives see two-parent households as a solution to student achievement. It’s not that simple

Conservatives have long argued that unwed motherhood and single parenting are major drivers of poor student achievement. They contend that traditional two-parent families — ideally with a married…

Early childhood educator apprenticeships offer an answer to child care shortages About six years ago, an apprentice training to be a machinist in Washington state told her supervisor she would probably have to drop out of the training program after having her baby: She couldn't find child care that accommodated her shift. It was one of the first challenges Shana Peschek was tasked with solving when she became executive director of the Machinists Institute, which trains workers for jobs in the aerospace, manufacturing and automotive industries all over the state. Peschek knew it was essential to do something for workers with young children.

Early childhood educator apprenticeships offer an answer to child care shortages

About six years ago, an apprentice training to be a machinist in Washington state told her supervisor she would probably have to drop out of the training program after having her baby: She couldn't find child care…

Front Page Awards — THE NEWSWOMEN'S CLUB OF NEW YORK

🎉 @hechingerreport.org @sarahelizcarr.bsky.social @merkolodner.bsky.social @reportermarina.bsky.social @jillbarshay.bsky.social w/@nicholedobo.bsky.social & @nobleingram.bsky.social edits by me @sarahbutro.bsky.social @casamuels.bsky.social +Barbara Kantrowitz www.newswomensclubnewyork.com/fps-index

Schools are closing across rural America. Here’s how a battle over small districts is playing out in one state PEACHAM, Vt. — Early on a chilly fall morning in this small Vermont town, Principal Lydia Cochrane watched a gaggle of kids chase one another and a soccer ball around their school recess yard. Between drop-off and first bell, they were free, loud and constantly moving. With only about 60 students in prekindergarten through sixth grade, Peacham Elementary is the sort of school where all the kids know one another and locals regularly respond to calls for supplies and volunteers for field trips and other school activities. Cochrane gestured at the freshly raked wood chips around the swings and climbing structures, one of many tasks Peacham families completed at a recent community workday.

Schools are closing across rural America. Here’s how a battle over small districts is playing out in one state

PEACHAM, Vt. — Early on a chilly fall morning in this small Vermont town, Principal Lydia Cochrane watched a gaggle of kids chase one another and a soccer ball around their school recess…

5 years after California banned holding college students’ transcripts hostage for unpaid debt, some colleges neglect the law OAKLAND — In 2020, California led the nation in outlawing transcript-withholding, a debt collection practice that sometimes kept low-income college students from getting jobs or advanced degrees. Five years later, 24 of the state’s 115 community colleges still said on their websites that students with unpaid balances could lose access to their transcripts, according to a recent UC Merced survey. The communications failure has been misleading, student advocates said, although overall, the state’s students have benefited from the law. It “raises questions about what actual institutional practices are at colleges and the extent to which colleges know the law and are fully compliant with the law,” said Charlie Eaton, a UC Merced sociology professor who led the research team that conducted the survey in October.

5 years after California banned holding college students’ transcripts hostage for unpaid debt, some colleges neglect the law

OAKLAND — In 2020, California led the nation in outlawing transcript-withholding, a debt collection practice that sometimes kept low-income college students from getting…

Probes into racism in schools stall under Trump LUBBOCK, Texas — The meeting of the local NAACP chapter began with a prayer — and then the litany of injustices came pouring out. A Black high school football player was called a “b—h-ass” n-word during a game by white players in September with no consequence, his mom said. A Black 12-year-old boy, falsely accused last December of touching a white girl’s breast, was threatened and interrogated by a police officer at school without his parents and sentenced to a disciplinary alternative school for a month, his grandfather recounted. A Black honors student was wrongly accused by a white teacher of having a vape (it was a pencil sharpener) and sentenced to the alternative school for a month this fall, her mom said.

Probes into racism in schools stall under Trump

LUBBOCK, Texas — The meeting of the local NAACP chapter began with a prayer — and then the litany of injustices came pouring out. A Black high school football player was called a “b—h-ass” n-word during a game by white players in September with no…

11 numbers that capture the Trump effect on education About 1.5 million people teach on college campuses in the United States, and nearly 4 million teachers work in its public elementary and secondary schools. More than 15 million undergraduates attend U.S. colleges and universities. There are more than 50 million school-age children across the country. They all have one thing in common: Federal education policy affects their lives. President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon say they want to close the Department of Education and return control of education to the states. At the same time, however, they have aggressively, and rapidly, wielded federal power over schools.

11 numbers that capture the Trump effect on education

About 1.5 million people teach on college campuses in the United States, and nearly 4 million teachers work in its public elementary and secondary schools. More than 15 million undergraduates attend U.S. colleges and universities. There are…

How education changed in one year under Trump Even with a conservative think tank’s blueprint detailing how the second Trump administration should reimagine the federal government’s role in education, few might have predicted what actually materialized this year for America's schools and colleges. Or what might be yet to come. “2025 will go down as a banner year for education: the year we restored merit in higher education, rooted out waste, fraud and abuse, and began in earnest returning education to the states,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon told The Hechinger Report. She listed canceling K-12 grants she called wasteful, investing more in charter schools, ending college admissions that consider race or anything beyond academic achievement and…

How education changed in one year under Trump

Even with a conservative think tank’s blueprint detailing how the second Trump administration should reimagine the federal government’s role in education, few might have predicted what actually materialized this year for America's schools and colleges.…

The Trump administration’s biggest impact on education in 2025 It was almost impossible for the average observer to keep track of the Trump administration’s biggest impacts on education in 2025. Here’s what changed across colleges and universities, K-12 schools, ...

A new @hechingerreport.org collection of stories looks at how education changed during the first year of the second Trump administration. hechingerreport.org/how-educatio... Thanks to the many people who labored to put this insightful work together. #education #college #highered #K12 #earlyed