The Department of Education (ED) announced a significant new investment in school choice.
On Monday, ED pledged “historic” investments into charter schools, American history and civics programs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
The department repurposed funding from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs to fund these investments.
ED Secretary Linda McMahon said the funds were reserved for programs “which support student success.”
“The Department has carefully scrutinized our federal grants, ensuring that taxpayers are not funding racially discriminatory programs but those programs which promote merit and excellence in education,” said McMahon. “The Trump Administration will use every available tool to meaningfully advance educational outcomes and ensure every American has the opportunity to succeed in life.”
ED also pledged over $160 million to the American History and Civics Education National Activities — Seminars for America’s Semiquincentennial program. 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.
ED will award American history and civics grants for seminars that “directly commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Founding of the United States.” Eligible seminar programming must make a feature study of American political tradition: the ideas, institutions, and texts instrumental to this nation’s constitutional government and history. The seminars must also be based on “the first principles of American founding.” Eligible seminars must include the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
$500 million in grants will be distributed to charter schools for the 2025 fiscal year. Another total of nearly $500 million collectively will be sent as one-time investments to HBCUs and TCCUs.
As justification for the reallocation of millions in government grants, ED cited the poor student outcomes exhibited by the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores released earlier this month. Student NAEP scores reached “historic lows” throughout K-12.
Nationally, average NAEP scores were lower across all three assessments: science at grade 8, mathematics at grade 12, and reading at grade 12.
Arizona students scored lower across the various subjects than the average national scores for both fourth and eighth graders. Fourth grade math scores averaged 232, compared to the national average of 237; fourth grade reading scores averaged 208, compared to the national average of 214; and fourth grade science scores averaged 149, compared to the national average of 153.
Eighth grade math scores averaged 270, compared to the national average of 272; eighth grade reading scores averaged 254, compared to the national average of 257; and eighth grade science scores averaged 148, compared to the national average of 153.
McMahon called the NAEP results “devastating,” and indicative of a trend of generations unprepared for adult life. McMahon questioned the spending of billions annually with such dismal results, and pledged to claw back some of those funds to invest in individual states and educational choice.
“At a critical juncture when students are about to graduate and enter the workforce, military, or higher education, nearly half of America’s high school seniors are testing at below basic levels in math and reading. Despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before,” said McMahon. “If America is going to remain globally competitive, students must be able to read proficiently, think critically, and graduate equipped to solve complex problems. We owe it to them to do better.”
In May, ED pledged to increase charter school funding by $60 million for a program budget total of $500 million.
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Arizona voters have low confidence in their elected leaders at both the state and national levels, according to a new poll.
The poll from Noble Predictive Insights, conducted in August, surveyed over 900 voters across the state.
Democrats have the least confidence in the state (56 percent), followed closely by independents (55 percent), and then Republicans (52 percent).
The poll also asked Arizonans if they thought the state is better off now than it was four years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and the Maricopa County ballot audit.
Most of the respondents said they preferred the state of the state and nation four years ago compared to the present. Mike Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, said in a press release these latest polling results indicate that Arizonans don’t believe the government they elected is delivering on its promises.
“Arizonans are signaling that they want to see tangible progress – whether it’s cost of living, housing, water, or the ability of leaders to work past gridlock, voters are looking for reasons to feel the state and the country are on a better path. Right now, they just don’t see it,” said Noble.
50 percent of Democrats expressed a preference for the 2020 state of Arizona to now, followed by 40 percent of independents, and 37 percent of Republicans.
The results didn’t vary too much across generational demographics. About one-quarter of voters across age groups expressed satisfaction with the present state of Arizona, and 40 percent across generational groups expressed dissatisfaction with the present.
When asked about the state of the nation four years ago compared to now, 74 percent of Democrats said the country is worse now, followed by 54 percent of independents, and 24 percent of Republicans.
The majority of Republican subgroups among respondents expressed greater satisfaction with the present state of the nation compared to four years ago.
Younger respondents (aged 18 to 29) had the most pessimism about the trajectory of the country. 23 percent of young voters expressed greater satisfaction with the country presently compared to four years ago. 53 percent of young voters expressed much less satisfaction.
Those above the age of 65 had less of a divide. 42 percent said the country is better off now than it was four years ago, and 50 percent said the country is worse off.
The top five concerns for respondents were, in order: affordable housing (38 percent Republican, 41 percent Democrat, 54 percent independent); inflation (48 percent Republican, 45 percent Democrat, 38 percent independent); immigration (62 percent Republican, 29 percent Democrat, and 39 percent independent); health care (34 percent Republican, 41 percent Democrat, and 40 percent independent); and education (23 percent Republican, 27 percent Democrat, and 23 percent independent).
Those outside the top five, in order, were: taxes, unemployment rate, climate change, gun policies, abortion, income gap, national defense, something else not listed, and LGBT rights.
Rankings for those categories were established by summarizing the totals from the responses of the three voter groups.
Overall, respondents expressed the opinion that immigration was overrepresented in political discourse and elected officials’ focus.
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Requests to establish Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapters exploded in the days following the assassination of its CEO and founder, Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a devout, professed Christian and Phoenix native, was a month shy of turning 32 years old at the time of his death. Kirk left behind a wife — CEO of Proclaim Streetwear and Bible in 365, and former Miss Arizona USA, Erika Kirk (née Frantzve) — and two young children.
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer for “The Charlie Kirk Show,” said on Sunday that TPUSA received over 37,000 requests for new chapters.
Prior to Kirk’s assassination, TPUSA reported having approximately 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters, or about 3,500 chapters total.
“The organization has received over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48-hours to start new campus chapters,” said Kolvet. “Charlie’s vision to have a Club America chapter (our high school brand) in every high school in America (around 23,000) will come true much much faster than he could have ever possibly imagined.”
🚨 I wanted to share a paise report from TPUSA. The organization has received over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48-hours to start new campus chapters. To put that in perspective, TPUSA currently has 900 official college chapters and around 1,200 high school chapters, with a…
Kolvet also reported to Fox News that he personally received “hundreds of offers” to work or volunteer for TPUSA.
Many have reported witnessing a massive increase in church attendance the Sunday following Kirk’s assassination, accompanied with online postings of baptisms directly influenced by Kirk.
Donations also poured in to support Kirk’s widow and two children.
One GiveSendGo for the Kirk family sits at over $4.9 million as of Monday, with a goal of $6 million. ALP Pouches, a nicotine pouch company, organized the fundraiser.
Another GiveSendGo organized by TPUSA has raised over $1.8 million. TPUSA is also soliciting donations to continue its work and grow.
Another GiveSendGo was launched by conservative pundit Glenn Beck as a resurrection of the 912 Project. That fundraiser has raised over $500,000.
Several smaller fundraisers have also cropped up online and collected thousands: over 200 on GoFundMe as of Monday. The fundraisers pledge money to the Kirk family, TPUSA, or creating memorials.
Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University during another one of his viral campus debates, part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
Several days following Kirk’s death, law enforcement arrested Tyler Robinson, 22, for the assassination.
Per the FBI, Robinson had an “obsession” with Kirk and “hated” the conservative evangelist. FBI Director Kash Patel said that Robinson told another individual ahead of the assassination via text that he had an opportunity to kill Kirk and would do so because of Kirk’s Christianity.
“He had a text message exchange with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk — and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for,” said Patel.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News that it was “fairly obvious to everyone” that Kirk’s assassination was “an ideologically motivated attack.”
In addition to the messaging evidence, ammunition recovered at the assassination site indicated allegiances to transgender and anti-fascist ideologies. Robinson’s romantic partner, his roommate, was an individual who identified as a “furry” and a transgender woman.
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Senator Ruben Gallego lionized a California Senator detained for disrupting an immigration-related media event by the Trump administration.
California Senator Alex Padilla was detained for disrupting a news conference on immigration by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles amid the ongoing anti-ICE protests and riots.
Federal agents removed and handcuffed Padilla on the belief he was an unidentified man breaching the news conference. While the senator admitted he wasn’t originally included or expected in the news conference, he claimed he did identify himself.
“After identifying myself and trying to ask a question, I was aggressively pushed out of the room, forced to the ground, and handcuffed,” said Padilla.
If that’s what they do to a United States Senator with a question, imagine what they can do to any American that dares to speak up. We will hold this administration accountable. pic.twitter.com/ZMExvMmZfE
— Senator Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla) June 12, 2025
Videos of the incident show Padilla initially interrupted the news conference without identifying himself, walking quickly toward Noem at her podium while interrupting her with questions. Reports also indicate Padilla’s attire didn’t confirm his insistence after interrupting Noem and while being detained that he was, in fact, a U.S. Senator.
New video showing Senator Padilla was being disruptive and was removed.
This is all a theater. He should not have assaulted the officers.
Gallego sided with Padilla’s version of events. The senator called the arrest a “raw abuse of power,” implying a pattern of the current administration acting unlawfully in regard to immigration.
“They shoved, pinned, and handcuffed Senator Padilla – for asking a question to protect his community,” said Gallego. “A sitting U.S. Senator.”
They shoved, pinned, and handcuffed @SenAlexPadilla —for asking a question to protect his community. A sitting U.S. Senator.
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) June 12, 2025
Noem said in interviews that Padilla was arrested for interrupting the news conference without identifying himself and engaging in troubling behaviors. Noem shared that she met with Padilla after his arrest to hear his concerns.
“This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me, and elevating his voice, and was stopped, did not identify himself, and was removed from the room,” said Noem.
After he interrupted our press conference with law enforcement, I met with Senator Padilla for 15 minutes. We probably disagree on 90% of the topics but we agreed to exchanged phone numbers and we will continue to talk—that is the way it should be in this country.
The arrest preceded a federal court order reverting California National Guard authority back to California Governor Gavin Newsom starting Friday. The Trump administration appealed.
Gallego chose to raise awareness of Padilla’s arrest as an injustice before upcoming anti-ICE protests nationwide on President Donald Trump’s birthday — Flag Day — which many believe will devolve into violence, given the recent riots in Los Angeles and spurts of violence emerging at anti-ICE demonstrations locally, like the incident on Tuesday in Peoria in which protesters assaulted an officer.
The organization behind the coordinated protests that have many concerned, No Kings, has listed dozens of protests across Arizona for Saturday: Anthem, Buckeye, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cottonwood, Douglas, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Glendale, Globe, Green Valley, Kingman, Maricopa, Mesa, Nogales (two), Oracle, Oro Valley, Page, Patagonia, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix (two), Prescott, Safford, Scottsdale (two), Sedona (two), Show Low, Sierra Vista, Sun City, Surprise (two), Queen Creek, Tempe, Tucson, Vail, Williams, and Yuma.
In a pre-mobilization call on Thursday, No Kings insisted their protests remain peaceful.
Governor Katie Hobbs offered public support for the anti-ICE rioters in California. Hobbs condemned President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to control the days-long rioting in the state. The governor called the president’s actions “ineffective and dangerous,” and disrespectful of local law enforcement.
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Arizona State University (ASU) issued an email advising students on avoiding President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
The university’s action potentially interferes with a decision by the Trump administration to improve national security.
ASU sent out an email last Friday, obtained by ABC 15, telling international students to return and remain in the country until the completion of their degree so as to avoid any potential conflicts with immigration enforcement.
“At ASU, we measure success as a university not by whom we exclude, but by whom we include and how they succeed. This principle is foundational to our charter as a New American University because we know that diverse perspectives enhance the strength of our scholarly community and of our democracy. This proclamation has no effect on our fundamental institutional values. We advise you to stay in the U.S. Per the proclamation, all nationals from these countries will not be able to enter the U.S. until further notice. If you are currently not in the United States, we strongly recommend you return before June 9, 2025. If you are currently in the United States, the International Students and Scholar Center highly recommends that you do not leave the country until the completion of your degree.”
ASU has over 17,000 international students.
The New American University is a model of higher education conceptualized by ASU President Michael Crow. Its cofounder, Jerry Hirsch, is known for his longtime chairmanship of the Lodestar Foundation in Phoenix and establishment of nonprofit iterations designed to thwart Trump.
The New American University received funding from leading Democratic dark money donor George Soros in recent years.
President Donald Trump issued a travel ban last week on nationals from the countries of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The proclamation also further restricted travel on individuals hailing from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The purpose of the travel ban is to ensure enemies of the country don’t enter it, according to the president. Trump’s proclamation revealed that the foreign countries named in the travel ban had “deficient” screening and vetting procedures, with many exhibiting a “historic failure” to take back their nationals.
“The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security,” said Trump.
The president cited the recent terrorist attack on protesters by an illegal immigrant in Boulder, Colorado, as an impetus for the ban. 15 individuals were injured as a result of the attack.
Trump’s travel ban doesn’t apply retroactively to visa holders hailing from the affected countries.
Exceptions to the ban also extend to lawful permanent residents; dual nationals of a designated country traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country; foreign nationals traveling with certain nonimmigrant visas; athletes and their team members traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or certain other major sporting events; immediate family immigrant visas; adoptions; Afghan Special Immigrant Visas; Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees; and immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
The travel ban took effect on Monday, the day by which ASU advised its international students to return and remain in the country.
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