Education Secretary Linda McMahon refuses to say if teaching kids that Trump lost in 2020 is ‘illegal DEI'
Secretary Linda McMahon instead repeatedly told House lawmakers on Wednesday that social studies 'should all be taught accurately' and that 'we should hear all sides.'
During a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee, of Pennsylvania, repeatedly asked McMahon whether she believes certain lesson plans constitute 'illegal DEI' — referring to the Trump administration's threat to withhold federal funding to schools it believes are engaged in 'illegal DEI practices.'
In a heated back and forth, Lee pressed McMahon to say whether curriculum on the 2020 election and African-American history lessons on the Tulsa race massacre and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges are considered 'illegal' diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
McMahon said she would 'look into' them. Asked whether she even knows who and what those people and events are, McMahon fumbled for answers.
'Do you know what the Tulsa race massacre is?' asked Lee, referencing a white mob's bloody destruction of a bustling Black town in Oklahoma in 1921.
'I'd like to look into it more,' McMahon said.
'How about the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges?' Lee asked.
McMahon said she hasn't read it.
'Have you learned about Ruby Bridges?' said Lee, referring to the first Black child to enter an all-white school in the South during desegregation efforts in 1960.
'If you have specific examples—,' McMahon replied.
'That was an incredibly specific example,' Lee fired back.
The congresswoman then asked whether social studies standards that teach that Biden won the 2020 presidential election would also be considered 'illegal DEI.'
McMahon said social studies 'should all be taught accurately.'
Lee demanded a 'yes or no' answer. McMahon repeated her reply.
'I think I have said we should teach accurately,' she said. 'We should hear all sides.'
Lee's questions follow newly established curriculum standards in Oklahoma, where the state's controversial schools superintendent ushered through sweeping changes that introduce 2020 election conspiracy theories into school curriculums.
Students will be required to 'identify discrepancies' in the 2020 presidential election, appearing to amplify Trump's baseless narrative that the election was fraudulent.
Students will also learn about 'the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps' and 'an unforeseen record number of voters,' appearing to repeat unsupported claims that bolster conspiracy theories surrounding election results.
McMahon is appearing before members of Congress this week to present a budget for a department that the president wants to eliminate entirely.
The White House wants to reduce the department's budget by 15 percent in 2026, targeting a range of programs supporting K-12 students and higher education. Advocacy groups fear the cuts will be particularly devastating to students from lower-income families and in rural areas, and 'ultimately harm schools and the students they serve,' according to the School Superintendents Association.
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CBS News
25 minutes ago
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Florida lawmakers visit Alligator Alcatraz for the first time after weeks of being denied entry
Florida lawmakers got their first tour of the new migrant detention facility in the Everglades called Alligator Alcatraz. Democratic lawmakers had been asking for a tour for weeks after detainees claimed there were "inhumane" conditions inside the facility. A group of the lawmakers had sued Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration to be allowed in. On Saturday, protesters lined the streets as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle arrived at the site. "We saw people, of course, yelling for help," said Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost. "We even saw someone yelling in the background, 'I'm an American citizen.'" After touring the facility for several hours, Florida Democrats said that the food portions were smaller for detainees than for the staff, and while they didn't get to see any of the detainees, they said the conditions they saw were "appalling." Democratic lawmakers said they couldn't take pictures or bring their phones inside. Authorities have also denied media access to the detention center. "I brought a thermostat in with me — a manual thermostat," said Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who called the facility "an internment camp" in a post on social media. "In the medical area, it was 85 degrees." Detainees said they've went days without showering or getting prescription medicine, and at times the air conditioners would abruptly shut off in the sweltering heat. Officials have disputed such descriptions of the conditions at the detention center, with spokesperson Stephanie Hartman of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which built the center, saying: "The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order." "Water has to be trucked into this facility — no working pipes," Democratic Rep. Darren Soto said Saturday. "It makes no sense [that] this is here." "Their drinking water comes from the toilet," Frost said. "You're using the toilet, but you can't drink water." Republican lawmakers also got a tour, and said they were satisfied with what they saw. "I will tell you I was in one of the areas where I actually laid down on a bed. The bed was probably more comfortable than my bed at home," said Republican State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia. "I'm not kidding." Alligator Alcatraz was built and opened in a matter of eight days at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the middle of the Florida Everglades. Lawmakers at the county, state and federal levels had been asking to see the inside of the facility after detainees claimed there were "inhumane" conditions. CBS News Miami has reported how detainees described the conditions. One call posted online by a detainee's girlfriend showed he and others claiming limited access to water and inadequate food. The state has denied those accusations. Lawmakers told CBS News Miami they'd like to hold hearings on Alligator Alcatraz and that they're planning an unannounced visit at another date. "When I was in that facility, looking at those cages, I saw young men who looked exactly like me," Frost said. "So, there will be hearings and there will be accountability." Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava was not at Saturday's tour, telling CBS News Miami she hasn't been offered a chance to see the facility yet. She said that the state seized control of the property from the county, raising further questions about local authority and oversight. Cava also said she hopes that she can get regular access to Alligator Alcatraz.
CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
Florida lawmakers allowed into ‘Alligator Alcatraz' say detainees packed into cages
Deep in the hazardous and ecologically fragile Everglades, hundreds of migrants are confined in cages in a makeshift tent detention facility Florida's Republican governor calls 'safe and secure' and Democratic lawmakers call 'inhumane.' Two days after filing a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for being 'unlawfully denied entry' to inspect conditions at the facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' members of Congress and state representatives were given a limited tour Saturday to inspect conditions after calling the lack of access a 'deliberate obstruction meant to hide what's really happening behind those gates,' according to a joint statement from lawmakers. They said they heard detainees shouting for help and crying out 'libertad'— Spanish for 'freedom' — amid sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,' Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida's 25th Congressional District, said during a news conference following their tour. The families of some of the detainees have also decried conditions in the facility, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials defend it as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons. On the tour, the lawmakers said they were not allowed to visit areas where migrants are currently being detained but instead were shown cells not yet being used. Wasserman Schultz said each cage contained three small toilets with attached sinks, which detainees use for drinking water and brushing their teeth, sharing the same water used to flush the toilets. When they toured the kitchen area, Wasserman Schultz said government employees were being offered large pieces of roast chicken and sausages, while the detainees' lunch consisted of a 'gray turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple and chips.' 'I don't see how that could possibly sustain them nutritionally or not make them hungry,' Wasserman Schultz said. 'And when you have hungry people, obviously their mood changes.' Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who was also on the tour, said the lawmakers were concerned about reports of unhygienic conditions due to toilets not working and 'feces being spread everywhere,' but were denied access from viewing units where migrants are currently detained. They were also not permitted to view the medical facilities, with officials citing HIPAA laws, despite lawmakers being allowed to examine the medical facilities at other detention facilities, he said. 'It is something everyone, whether you're Democrat, Republican or anything, should be deeply ashamed of,' Frost said. 'Immigrants don't poison the blood of this nation. They are the blood of this nation.' US Rep. 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Her husband had a valid driver's license, she said, but when the officer realized she didn't have any documents proving she was in the country legally, the officer called immigration authorities who detained the whole family. After spending seven-and-a-half hours in what she describes as a 'dirty holding cell,' she and her baby – a US citizen – were released, but her husband was detained. She now wears an ankle bracelet. Her husband later told her he remained in detention at the Dania Beach Jail, near Fort Lauderdale, for eight days, before being transferred to 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Once transferred, he was unable to take a shower for six days and there were not enough facilities for washing hands, she said. On Friday, he was woken up at 3 a.m. to take a shower because of the number of people waiting for their turn, she said. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Florida detention facility, did not immediately reply to CNN's request for comment about specific allegations about conditions there. In a written statement posted on X Tuesday, DHS said, 'ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.' In little over a week, workers transformed the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport from an 11,000-foot runway into a temporary tent city President Donald Trump toured last week. Trump raved about the facility's 'incredible' quick construction during his visit and pointed to the detention center as an example of what he wants to implement 'in many states.' The project was fast-tracked under an executive order from DeSantis, who framed illegal immigration as a state emergency. CNN's Isabel Rosales and Natalie Barr contributed to this report
CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
Florida lawmakers allowed into ‘Alligator Alcatraz' say detainees packed into cages
Deep in the hazardous and ecologically fragile Everglades, hundreds of migrants are confined in cages in a makeshift tent detention facility Florida's Republican governor calls 'safe and secure' and Democratic lawmakers call 'inhumane.' Two days after filing a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for being 'unlawfully denied entry' to inspect conditions at the facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' members of Congress and state representatives were given a limited tour Saturday to inspect conditions after calling the lack of access a 'deliberate obstruction meant to hide what's really happening behind those gates,' according to a joint statement from lawmakers. They said they heard detainees shouting for help and crying out 'libertad'— Spanish for 'freedom' — amid sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,' Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida's 25th Congressional District, said during a news conference following their tour. The families of some of the detainees have also decried conditions in the facility, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials defend it as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons. On the tour, the lawmakers said they were not allowed to visit areas where migrants are currently being detained but instead were shown cells not yet being used. Wasserman Schultz said each cage contained three small toilets with attached sinks, which detainees use for drinking water and brushing their teeth, sharing the same water used to flush the toilets. When they toured the kitchen area, Wasserman Schultz said government employees were being offered large pieces of roast chicken and sausages, while the detainees' lunch consisted of a 'gray turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple and chips.' 'I don't see how that could possibly sustain them nutritionally or not make them hungry,' Wasserman Schultz said. 'And when you have hungry people, obviously their mood changes.' Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who was also on the tour, said the lawmakers were concerned about reports of unhygienic conditions due to toilets not working and 'feces being spread everywhere,' but were denied access from viewing units where migrants are currently detained. They were also not permitted to view the medical facilities, with officials citing HIPAA laws, despite lawmakers being allowed to examine the medical facilities at other detention facilities, he said. 'It is something everyone, whether you're Democrat, Republican or anything, should be deeply ashamed of,' Frost said. 'Immigrants don't poison the blood of this nation. They are the blood of this nation.' US Rep. Darren Soto said lawmakers also witnessed evidence of flooding, highlighting serious concerns of what could happen to detainees if there's severe weather during what forecasters said may be a busy hurricane season. 'What we saw in our inspection today was a political stunt, dangerous and wasteful,' Soto said after the tour. 'One can't help but understand and conclude that this is a total cruel political stunt meant to have a spectacle of political theater and it's wasting taxpayer dollars and putting our ICE agents, our troops and ICE detainees in jeopardy.' About 900 people are currently detained at the facility, Wasserman Schultz said during the news conference but it has the capacity to hold 3,000 people, with room for more, according to Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The wife of a 43-year-old Guatemalan man currently detained at 'Alligator Alcatraz' told CNN her husband is enduring harsh conditions similar to those described by lawmakers who toured the facility. After more than two weeks in detention, she said, he has yet to see a lawyer. 'There are too many mosquitoes … He's in a really bad condition. The power goes off at times because they're using generators,' the woman told CNN in an interview Tuesday. 'The detainees are being held in tents, and it is very hot there. They're in bad conditions. … There's not enough food. Sick people are not getting medication. Every time I ask about his situation, he tells me it's bad,' she said. The Guatemalan woman said she, her husband, and their 11-month-old baby went fishing on June 25 in the Everglades. A Florida wildlife officer approached them and asked for documents. Her husband had a valid driver's license, she said, but when the officer realized she didn't have any documents proving she was in the country legally, the officer called immigration authorities who detained the whole family. After spending seven-and-a-half hours in what she describes as a 'dirty holding cell,' she and her baby – a US citizen – were released, but her husband was detained. She now wears an ankle bracelet. Her husband later told her he remained in detention at the Dania Beach Jail, near Fort Lauderdale, for eight days, before being transferred to 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Once transferred, he was unable to take a shower for six days and there were not enough facilities for washing hands, she said. On Friday, he was woken up at 3 a.m. to take a shower because of the number of people waiting for their turn, she said. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Florida detention facility, did not immediately reply to CNN's request for comment about specific allegations about conditions there. In a written statement posted on X Tuesday, DHS said, 'ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.' In little over a week, workers transformed the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport from an 11,000-foot runway into a temporary tent city President Donald Trump toured last week. Trump raved about the facility's 'incredible' quick construction during his visit and pointed to the detention center as an example of what he wants to implement 'in many states.' The project was fast-tracked under an executive order from DeSantis, who framed illegal immigration as a state emergency. CNN's Isabel Rosales and Natalie Barr contributed to this report
