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Tennessee Republican Argues Federal Funds to Feed Schoolchildren Should Be Performance-Tested

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A Tennessee Republican state lawmaker is arguing federal funds to feed school children from low-income families should not be accepted unless it can be proven that the program will increase test scores.

GOP Rep. John Ragan, who has a history of  targeting school students from low-income households, told the legislature’s Joint Working Group on Federal Education Funding he was concerned about “tying ourselves to the federal government,” and inquired about the amount of “waste” in the federal program, according to a video clip posted by The Tennessee Holler. The Working Group’s purpose is to determine how the State of Tennessee can reject $1.8 billion in federal education funds.

“The question that is, in the top of my mind, is how – we get this money that’s supposedly aimed at the most needy students and the lowest performing students. What’s the measure of improvement? For this money coming in? How much has it improved the performance of these students?

Rep. Ragan also claimed, “if we are tying ourselves to the federal government by accepting their money to do this thing, then it would seem to me that we as a state should be looking for the improvements that this money is purportedly going to make. Otherwise we’re just throwing money at something and being potentially wasteful.”

READ MORE: ‘Ho Hum That’s Just America’: Top Dem Furious Over Report of Man With AR-15 Near US Capitol

“Yesterday,” Ragan continued, referring to a prior meeting, “a question was addressed concerning the nutrition program related to the waste that’s involved in that. To my knowledge, there is no measurement of that waste.”

Tennessee is exploring becoming the first state in the nation to reject $1.8 billion in federal education funding.

The Joint Working Group on Federal Education Funding was appointed by embattled House Republican Speaker Cameron Sexton and Republican Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, and is comprised of six Republicans and two Democrats from both the House and Senate.

Its purpose is to “review what funding state and local governments in Tennessee receive from the federal government, how the funding is used, whether the state could provide the same services, and whether it would be feasible to reject the funds,” according to The Tennessean. “Tennessee receives $1.8 billion in Title I, IDEA, and other federal program funding each year, which support low-income students, students with disabilities, and school lunch programs.”

But The Tennessean also reports the Working Group’s members have been tasked not with whether to reject the funds, but “with recommending a strategy for how to reject the federal funds.”

Democratic Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is running to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), was the target of Speaker Sexton who tried but failed to expel her earlier this year from the legislature. (Sexton successfully had expelled two Black Democrats, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who later were returned to the legislature by voters.)

READ MORE: Mike Johnson Put Anti-Porn Software on His Phone – Could National Security Secrets Be at Risk?

Responding to the video clip of Rep. Ragan, Johnson, a retired special education teacher, wrote on social media: “Sure, because how do we know kids with food in their bellies perform better? (there is research for that.) How do we know kids with speech problems improve w/speech therapy? (Research for that too.) Guess 7 yr olds need to prove to him they’re working for those meals.”

In 2020 Rep. Ragan targeted school students whose families were behind on paying their lunch bills. Ragan’s amendment, which passed the House according to The Tennessean, “Allows schools to deny students who don’t qualify for free or reduced lunch the opportunity to participate in school events and activities, to graduate, or to receive a diploma if they don’t use their own work money to pay off the lunch debt.”

It also “Requires schools to tell parents and guardians they may be reported to the Department of Children’s Services for investigation of child abuse or neglect related to the accumulation of meal debt,” and “Removes the word ‘stigmatize’ from the line saying schools shall not ‘publicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot pay for a meal.'”

 

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Congressman Conway? Top Trump Critic Reportedly Eyeing House Bid

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November 13, 2025

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George Conway, the prominent attorney, Trump critic, and ex-husband of former Trump White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, may be considering a run for Congress.

According to a report at CNN and a post by New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni, Conway is eyeing a run for retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler’s New York district.

CNN reported that Conway, 62, is “actively considering running for Congress from New York City, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.”

Karni reported, “the Conway pitch being — what the House will need next year is an aggressive lawyer with an investigative background just going after Trump.”

READ MORE: Melania Trump to Appear With President as Epstein Files Take Center Stage

Conway is a former Republican who became an independent in 2018. He has a law degree from Yale, and successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, obtaining a unanimous ruling. He is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project and currently co-hosts a podcast at The Bulwark.

Should Democrats retake the majority in the House of Representatives, it’s likely there will be numerous investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration — not to mention possible efforts to impeach the unpopular and controversial Commander in Chief.

Conway would have good company in a primary.

“Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, entered the race this week,” CNN noted.

The Daily Beast adds that “much of the buzz around Conway stems from his personal life. While he and his 58-year-old ex-wife, Kellyanne, tried to make their marriage work amid his dramatic political realignment, the couple frequently made headlines. As Kellyanne served as senior counselor to Trump from 2017 to 2020, her husband routinely sounded off on her boss and advisers—including Stephen Miller, whom Kellyanne referred to as one of her ‘best friends’ in the current administration earlier this month.”

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

 

Image by Presia Debauch via Flickr and a CC license

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Melania Trump to Appear With President as Epstein Files Take Center Stage

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November 13, 2025

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First Lady Melania Trump will make a rare appearance with President Donald Trump as the Epstein files crisis continues to take center stage.

The President has been all but radio silent for almost a full day, with the exception of a Wednesday Oval Office appearance where he took no questions from reporters.

“President Trump will be joined by First Lady Melania Trump in the East Room for an executive order signing aimed at expanding opportunities for education, career development, housing, and other resources for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said the initiative is “part of the First Lady’s Fostering the Future efforts, which are a Be Best initiative.”

“In May,” Newsmax reported, “Melania Trump announced a $25 million investment from the Trump administration to support youth aging out of foster care.”

Recently, the President and First Lady appeared together in the United Kingdom at state visit events in September. That month they also appeared together at a 9/11 event at the Pentagon. Late last month they hosted a White House Halloween event.

Thursday’s event is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

 

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‘Out of Touch’: Eric Trump Blasted for $500 Million Bitcoin Brag

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November 13, 2025

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Eric Trump, President Donald Trump’s son in charge of the family’s real estate empire, is under fire for bragging about millions of dollars of bitcoin as millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table, after his father urged the Supreme Court to allow him to not fund SNAP during the shutdown.

Millions of Americans found their SNAP accounts unfunded on November 1. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps about 42 million Americans buy groceries. Most people who use SNAP are elderly, children, disabled, or working more than one job.

“There’s no reason, at 5 o’clock, on a Friday afternoon, you should, you know, I should be able to send out a SWIFT wire transfer,” the middle Trump son lamented to Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “You know, right now, you can’t.”

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

“I try and make a transfer every single week, and you’re trying to push before the 5 o’clock deadline to either receive money or to get it out. How is that modern day finance?” he complained.

“You can send $500 million worth of Bitcoin on a Sunday night at, you know, at 11:00 p.m. while having a glass of wine with your wife,” Trump explained. “For virtually zero fees.”

“You know, how is the system this lethargic? Why does it take you 120 days to get a, you know, go through, Know Your Customer with your bank? If you want to get a home mortgage, it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Cryptocurrency is gonna fix every single one of these issues, and Bitcoin is digital gold.”

“Bitcoin is going to be one of the greatest stores of value we’ve ever seen,” he concluded.

Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the Trump economy, polls show. Inflation has been on the rise, as have prices at the supermarket. The average cost of a car is now over $50,000. Major corporations have announced or are planning to lay off thousands — or even tens of thousands — of workers. Unemployment is estimated to be up, to a four-year high, per the most recent data. Consumer confidence has dropped to a near-record low. There is a possibility that some parts of the country may already be in a recession, according to one economist.

Critics blasted Trump’s remarks.

READ MORE: ‘Utter Detachment From Reality’: Expert Breaks Down Trump’s Economic Policy Flaws

“Just like every normal American does,” The Bulwark’s Colin Jones sarcastically remarked.

“Is that before or after you figure out how you’re going to feed your family without the SNAP payments his father went to the Supreme Court to suspend? Or pay the health care costs his administration has made sure to skyrocket? I just want to get the sequencing right,” wrote Franklin Leonard, founder of the Black List.

“I’m just like Eric. Except on my Sunday nights I’m trying to order my Instacart for the family while the low grade gummy kicks in,” wrote The Bulwark’s Sam Stein.

“Don’t let anyone tell you the Trumps are out of touch with rising costs,” remarked MSNBC’s Matt Fuller.

“Starting to think they may not understand what families going through with higher prices…” commented communications professional Eddie Vale.

“These are the same people who blast Zohran Mamdani for caring about affordability,” noted The Friendly Atheist’s Hemant Mehta.

READ MORE: Trump Stumbles Over ‘God Bless America’ Lyrics at Veterans Day Ceremony

 

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