WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued new guidance Friday reaffirming that race-based policies in educational institutions receiving federal funding are unlawful, citing the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA).

In a letter to schools, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor stated that discrimination based on race, color, or national origin remains illegal under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He warned that schools using race as a factor in admissions, hiring, financial aid, and other policies could face enforcement action, including the potential loss of federal funding.

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“The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions,” Trainor wrote. “Treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.”

This applies to public schools at all levels—K-12 and universities—because they receive federal funding.

The letter follows the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA v. Harvard, which struck down race-based college admissions practices. Trainor emphasized that the ruling applies beyond admissions, barring institutions from using race as a factor in any educational decision-making unless it meets the strict scrutiny standard, which allows for race-based action only in cases of remedying past constitutional violations or addressing imminent safety concerns, such as prison riots.

The guidance also takes aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, arguing that they frequently involve race-based preferences and reinforce racial stereotypes. Schools were advised to discontinue any practices that “preference certain racial groups” or that use non-racial factors as proxies for race in decision-making.

The Department warned that compliance assessments will begin within 14 days and urged schools to review their policies immediately. Institutions found in violation could face federal funding consequences.

The guidance does not create new legal standards but reiterates existing federal law. The letter also provides information on how individuals can file complaints regarding potential violations of civil rights protections in education.

Click here to read the entire letter sent to the states.

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LANSING, Mich - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget proposal would cut funding for schools serving some of the state’s neediest students. It would also fund preschool for all the state’s four-year-olds even though many parents have no interest in enrolling their children. Worse still, the budget fails to fix the dire state of Michigan’s K-12 education system.

The governor’s $21.2 billion School Aid Fund proposal for fiscal year 2026 would give districts a 4.1% increase to the foundation allowance, which is the state’s per-pupil minimum funding guarantee for every public school. The 2025 budget maintains the $9,608 allocation from the previous year, while the 2026 proposal would raise it to $10,000 per student. This would help narrow the funding gap between districts at opposite ends of the funding spectrum.

At the same time, the 2026 proposal would increase some funding disparities between conventional district schools and charter schools. Last year, the Legislature lowered the amount districts are required to contribute to the state’s retirement system for school employees, a decision that boosted districts’ funding by about $374 per student, on average. Charter schools, most of which do not contribute to the retirement system, received a one-time appropriation of $375 per student to offer comparable treatment. Click here to read more.

 

DALLAS, TX - Police in Dallas, Texas, will not join Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) deportation raids or arrests that have been targeting illegal immigrants across the nation in the midst of a resurgent Trump presidency.

Dallas Police Department (DPD) Interim Chief Michael Igo on Wednesday told a gathering of Spanish speakers at Familia Bethel Internacional church, “The Dallas Police Department is not assisting any federal agency on detaining people that are either documented or undocumented in the city of Dallas,” Fox News reported on Thursday.

His comments came amid several meetings planned to inform the community’s immigrants about the situation. Igo also told the group officers would not turn in or report illegals who call 911 for help or those police pull over regarding traffic violations. He then encouraged them to call the department when they needed help and continue living their daily lives. Click here to read more.

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich - Michigan’s largest health care system caved to pressure from transgender activists just days after announcing an end to sex change treatments for kids.

Grand Rapids-based Corewell Health announced Wednesday it’s “lifting (the) pause” on new “gender-affirming” hormone treatments for minors undergoing a sex change the company instituted on Friday, WOOD reports.

“We briefly paused beginning these therapies to allow us time to assess the potential impact that recent policy changes might have on our patients and their health,” Corewell said in a statement.

President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” that promises to end federal aid to medical institutions that engage in “gender affirming care” for minors. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - The most striking aspect of President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) isn’t that unsavory aid recipients have misused taxpayer dollars. It’s that anyone is shocked by the revelations of waste, fraud, and abuse. After all, watchdog groups have sounded the alarm for years about misuse of USAID funds.

People shouldn’t just be enraged by USAID’s wasteful spending. They should also focus on what that spending supported—particularly when it promoted terror or aligned with Hamas’s interests.

Rather than being used to provide humanitarian aid and stabilize conflict-ridden regions—in accordance with USAID’s stated goal—American funds have often been funneled into corrupt, Hamas-tied institutions, with minimal oversight. A new multiyear study of USAID by the Middle East Forum identified $164 million in grants to radical organizations, including $122 million to those “aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.” The MEF also found that “millions of federal dollars have been handed by USAID to organizations directly in Gaza controlled by Hamas, with government officials even visiting Gaza terror proxies’ offices and launching joint programs.”

FARGO, ND - A North Dakota woman is warning others after she suffered third-degree burns from an electric blanket.

Leslie Scott’s ordeal started just over two months ago when she decided to buy a heated blanket. She went to bed with the blanket on Dec. 6. The following day, she quickly noticed she had been burned, KVLY reports.

“I woke up, got ready, went to work, and on my way to work, I was like, ‘Why is my leg on fire?’” Scott said. “I made it to work... and I went and checked. I had a blister and my skin missing from my leg.”

Scott’s doctor says she suffered third-degree burns in her right lower leg, and the pain is still there.

 

FARGO, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A North Dakota woman is warning others after she suffered third-degree burns from an electric blanket.

Leslie Scott’s ordeal started just over two months ago when she decided to buy a heated blanket. She went to bed with the blanket on Dec. 6. The following day, she quickly noticed she had been burned, KVLY reports.

“I woke up, got ready, went to work, and on my way to work, I was like, ‘Why is my leg on fire?’” Scott said. “I made it to work... and I went and checked. I had a blister and my skin missing from my leg.”

Scott’s doctor says she suffered third-degree burns in her right lower leg, and the pain is still there. Click here to read more.

This email is free Monday through Friday! I also produce special investigations and shows on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

I left a high-paying media job to go independent, and I can’t do it without your support.

Paid subscriptions are just $6/month and keep this work alive. Cancel anytime. Click the red subscribe button to join!

Become a Supporter

 

 

LANSING, Mich - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget proposal would cut funding for schools serving some of the state’s neediest students. It would also fund preschool for all the state’s four-year-olds even though many parents have no interest in enrolling their children. Worse still, the budget fails to fix the dire state of Michigan’s K-12 education system.

The governor’s $21.2 billion School Aid Fund proposal for fiscal year 2026 would give districts a 4.1% increase to the foundation allowance, which is the state’s per-pupil minimum funding guarantee for every public school. The 2025 budget maintains the $9,608 allocation from the previous year, while the 2026 proposal would raise it to $10,000 per student. This would help narrow the funding gap between districts at opposite ends of the funding spectrum.

At the same time, the 2026 proposal would increase some funding disparities between conventional district schools and charter schools. Last year, the Legislature lowered the amount districts are required to contribute to the state’s retirement system for school employees, a decision that boosted districts’ funding by about $374 per student, on average. Charter schools, most of which do not contribute to the retirement system, received a one-time appropriation of $375 per student to offer comparable treatment. Click here to read more.

 

DALLAS, TX - Police in Dallas, Texas, will not join Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) deportation raids or arrests that have been targeting illegal immigrants across the nation in the midst of a resurgent Trump presidency.

Dallas Police Department (DPD) Interim Chief Michael Igo on Wednesday told a gathering of Spanish speakers at Familia Bethel Internacional church, “The Dallas Police Department is not assisting any federal agency on detaining people that are either documented or undocumented in the city of Dallas,” Fox News reported on Thursday.

His comments came amid several meetings planned to inform the community’s immigrants about the situation. Igo also told the group officers would not turn in or report illegals who call 911 for help or those police pull over regarding traffic violations. He then encouraged them to call the department when they needed help and continue living their daily lives. Click here to read more.

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich - Michigan’s largest health care system caved to pressure from transgender activists just days after announcing an end to sex change treatments for kids.

Grand Rapids-based Corewell Health announced Wednesday it’s “lifting (the) pause” on new “gender-affirming” hormone treatments for minors undergoing a sex change the company instituted on Friday, WOOD reports.

“We briefly paused beginning these therapies to allow us time to assess the potential impact that recent policy changes might have on our patients and their health,” Corewell said in a statement.

President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” that promises to end federal aid to medical institutions that engage in “gender affirming care” for minors. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - The most striking aspect of President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) isn’t that unsavory aid recipients have misused taxpayer dollars. It’s that anyone is shocked by the revelations of waste, fraud, and abuse. After all, watchdog groups have sounded the alarm for years about misuse of USAID funds.

People shouldn’t just be enraged by USAID’s wasteful spending. They should also focus on what that spending supported—particularly when it promoted terror or aligned with Hamas’s interests.

Rather than being used to provide humanitarian aid and stabilize conflict-ridden regions—in accordance with USAID’s stated goal—American funds have often been funneled into corrupt, Hamas-tied institutions, with minimal oversight. A new multiyear study of USAID by the Middle East Forum identified $164 million in grants to radical organizations, including $122 million to those “aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.” The MEF also found that “millions of federal dollars have been handed by USAID to organizations directly in Gaza controlled by Hamas, with government officials even visiting Gaza terror proxies’ offices and launching joint programs.”

FARGO, ND - A North Dakota woman is warning others after she suffered third-degree burns from an electric blanket.

Leslie Scott’s ordeal started just over two months ago when she decided to buy a heated blanket. She went to bed with the blanket on Dec. 6. The following day, she quickly noticed she had been burned, KVLY reports.

“I woke up, got ready, went to work, and on my way to work, I was like, ‘Why is my leg on fire?’” Scott said. “I made it to work... and I went and checked. I had a blister and my skin missing from my leg.”

Scott’s doctor says she suffered third-degree burns in her right lower leg, and the pain is still there.

 

FARGO, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A North Dakota woman is warning others after she suffered third-degree burns from an electric blanket.

Leslie Scott’s ordeal started just over two months ago when she decided to buy a heated blanket. She went to bed with the blanket on Dec. 6. The following day, she quickly noticed she had been burned, KVLY reports.

“I woke up, got ready, went to work, and on my way to work, I was like, ‘Why is my leg on fire?’” Scott said. “I made it to work... and I went and checked. I had a blister and my skin missing from my leg.”

Scott’s doctor says she suffered third-degree burns in her right lower leg, and the pain is still there. Click here to read more.