Educators hope 'abysmal' national literacy rates will be addressed now that DEI, gender ideology out the door
"Literacy has taken a backseat, and it's because people don't know our kids can't read," said Pete Geren, former secretary of the Army and a former Democratic congressman from Texas. "I make a lot of public presentations. I meet with elected officials, state reps, who you know it's really a state issue. They have no awareness of this."
At Grade Level, a Texas-based organization behind the "Have Your Child Read to You" campaign, is partnering with Geren – a former state lawmaker from the '90s and now president and CEO of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation – who is a well-known advocate for public education.
"The federal government has told us over and over and over that most of our kids cannot read proficiently, and it has never led to a literacy movement in this country," Geren said.
Geren and At Grade Level are urging parents to do a simple task: ask their children to read out loud to them to see if they are learning proficiently in school.
Only 43% of more than 170,000 students are reading at proficient grade level, according to state test scores in Fort Worth, and close to 100% of parents believe their children can read at grade level. The numbers on a national scale show a similar trend.
"It's our goal to build awareness," Geren said. "The missing link in the political movement is the parents… if they know, everything will change. Parents will do anything for their kids, and they'll fix this problem at home and at the governmental level."
Reading proficiency among eighth graders dropped to 67%, the lowest in 32 years, while only 60% of fourth graders met basic reading standards, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Only 67% of eighth-graders met or exceeded basic reading skills on the 2024 NAEP exam, down 2 percentage points from 1992 when the testing began. The NAEP, often referred to as the Nation's Report Card, is the gold standard for measuring student academic performance.
And poor literacy rates are closely tied to crime, according to At Grade Level, reporting that approximately 80% of Texas prison inmates are functionally illiterate.
"We've got the district attorney, we've got the county judge, and so many leaders coming out because of the connection to crime," Geren said.
In February, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said at a press conference that the statistics "paint a stark, tragic picture of our present situation, but that doesn't have to be our future."
"Many of the people incarcerated right now are there, in part, because of that lack of proper literacy levels that they did not receive when they were young," Noakes said.
Trump signed executive orders to eliminate DEI programs and gender ideology instruction in K-12 schools in January. Two months later, he moved to significantly downsize the Department of Education to shift more control over education back to the states.
While downsizing the department, Trump criticized the billions of dollars funneled into the public education system while students' test scores in core subjects have continued to plummet.
"We want great education. So they rank 40 countries in education, we're ranked dead last, but the good news is we're number one in one category. You know what that is? Cost per pupil," Trump told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy at a press conference in February. "We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world."
U.S. federal, state and local governments collectively spend about $857.2 billion annually on K-12 public education. Despite a record $190 billion in federal aid since the pandemic, students' academic performance has seen little improvement. An analysis by The New York Times in March found that, since the pandemic, students have fallen behind by more than half a year in math and also struggled in reading and science.
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Flurry of trade deals offers relief for some Asian countries, while others wait
BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced trade deals with Japan and a handful of other Asian countries that will relieve some pressure on companies and consumers from sharply higher tariffs on their exports to the United States. A deal with China is under negotiation, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying an Aug. 12 deadline might be postponed again to allow more time for talks. Steep tariffs on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum remain, however, and many other countries, including South Korea and Thailand, have yet to clinch agreements. Overall, economists say the tariffs inevitably will dent growth in Asia and the world. The deals reached so far, ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced a deal Wednesday that will impose 15% tariffs on U.S. imports from Japan, down from Trump's proposed 25% 'reciprocal' tariffs. It was a huge relief for automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda, whose shares jumped by double digits in Tokyo. Trump also announced trade deals with the Philippines and Indonesia. After meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Trump said the import tax on products from his country would be subject to a 19% tariff, down just 1% from the earlier threat of a 20% tariff. Indonesia also will face a 19% tariff, down from the 32% rate Trump had recently said would apply, and it committed to eliminating nearly all of its trade barriers for imports of American goods. Earlier, Trump announced that Vietnam's exports would face a 20% tariff, with double that rate for goods transshipped from China, though there has been no formal announcement. Talks with China may be extended Negotiations with China are subject to an Aug. 12 deadline, but it's likely to be extended, Bessent told Fox Business on Tuesday. He said the two sides were due to hold another round of talks, this time in Sweden, early next week. Meanwhile, Trump said a trip to China may happen soon, hinting at efforts to stabilize U.S.-China trade relations. A preliminary agreement announced in June paved the way for China to lift some restrictions on its exports of rare earths, minerals critical for high technology and other manufacturing. In May, the U.S. agreed to drop Trump's 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days, while China agreed to lower its 125% rate on U.S. goods to 10%. The reprieve allowed companies more time to rush to try to beat the potentially higher tariffs, giving a boost to Chinese exports and alleviating some of the pressure on its manufacturing sector. But prolonged uncertainty over what Trump might do has left companies wary about committing to further investment in China. No deals yet for South Korea and other Asian countries Pressure is mounting on some countries in Asia and elsewhere as the Aug. 1 deadline for striking deals approaches. Trump sent letters, posted on Truth Social, outlining higher tariffs some countries will face if they fail to reach agreements. He said they'd face even higher tariffs if they retaliate by raising their own import duties. South Korea's is set at 25%. Imports from Myanmar and Laos would be taxed at 40%, Cambodia and Thailand at 36%, Serbia and Bangladesh at 35%, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 30% and Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia at 25%. Nearly every country has faced a minimum 10% levy on goods entering the U.S. since April, on top of other sectoral levies. Economists expect tariffs to sap growth even with trade deals Even after Trump has pulled back from the harshest of his threatened tariffs, the onslaught of uncertainty and higher costs for both manufacturers and consumers has raised risks for the regional and global economy. Economists have been downgrading their estimates for growth in 2025 and beyond. The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday it had cut its growth estimate for economies in developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.7% in 2025 and 4.6% in 2026, down 0.2 percentage points and 0.1 percentage points. The outlook for the region could be further dimmed by an escalation of tariffs and trade friction, it said. 'Other risks include conflicts and geopolitical tensions that could disrupt global supply chains and raise energy prices,' as well as a deterioration in China's ailing property market. Economists at AMRO were less optimistic, expecting growth for Southeast Asia and other major economies in Asia at 3.8% in 2025 and 3.6% next year. While countries in the region have moved to protect their economies from Trump's trade shock, they face significant uncertainties, said AMRO's chief economist, Dong He. 'Uneven progress in tariff negotiations and the potential expansion of tariffs to additional products could further disrupt trade activities and weigh on growth for the region,' he said. Elaine Kurtenbach, The Associated Press
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
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FTSE 100 LIVE: Stocks surge as Trump strikes trade deals with Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia
This embedded content is not available in your region. The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) and European stocks soared higher on Wednesday as traders cheered news that US president Donald Trump has agreed to a "massive" trade deal with Japan, one of the country's largest trading partners. Posting on his social media site Truth Social, Trump said: "We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made. Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits. This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it. "Perhaps most importantly, Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things." Japan's prime minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the announcement on Wednesday, adding that he expects the agreement to contribute to the world economy. "Japan's tariff rate, which had been set to increase to 25% on reciprocal tariffs, was kept at 15%. This is the lowest figure to date among countries with trade surpluses with the US," he said. Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio "The agreement does not include any reduction of tariffs on the Japanese side, including on agricultural products." "This is precisely the result of my consistent advocacy and strong lobbying of the US since I proposed 'investment over tariffs' to president Trump at our White House summit in February this year." Separately, Trump also announced that the US would levy a 19% tax on imports from the Philippines. He wrote on social media that the new tariff was part of a wider pact, in which the Philippines would remove duties on US goods and the two countries would cooperate militarily. "It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal," Trump wrote on Truth Social, offering no further details about the apparent agreement. Meanwhile, Indonesia is set to pay a 19% tariff rate. Trump posted: "It is agreed that Indonesia will be Open Market to American Industrial and Tech Products, and Agricultural Goods, by eliminating 99% of their Tariff Barriers. "The United States of America will now sell American Made products to Indonesia at a Tariff Rate of ZERO, while Indonesia will pay 19% on all of their products coming into the U.S.A." London's benchmark index (^FTSE) was 0.4% higher in early trade - a fresh intraday high. Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) rose 0.7% and the CAC (^FCHI) in Paris headed 1.4% into the green. The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) was up 0.9% amid raised hopes that the EU might also be able to reach a trade deal with the US. Wall Street is set for a positive start as S&P 500 futures (ES=F), Dow futures (YM=F) and Nasdaq futures (NQ=F) were all in the green. The pound was 0.2% up against the US dollar (GBPUSD=X) at 1.3548. Follow along for live updates throughout the day: Indonesia to pay 19% tariff rate And the tariff news doesn't stop there... It has been announced that Indonesia is set to pay a 19% tariff rate. Trump posted: US also strikes trade deal with the Philippines Separately, Trump also announced that the US would levy a 19% tax on imports from the Philippines. He wrote on social media that the new tariff was part of a wider pact, in which the Philippines would remove duties on US goods and the two countries would cooperate militarily. "It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal," Trump wrote on Truth Social, offering no further details about the apparent agreement. Compared to Japan, the Philippines is a relatively small trade partner with the US. Last year it sent around $14.2bn worth of goods to America, including car parts, electric machinery, textiles and coconut oil. Japan welcomes US trade deal Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the US-Japan trade deal on Wednesday. He said: It comes as Japan was the fourth largest single-country export market for US agriculture and related products in 2022, valued at nearly $17bn (£12.5bn). This is according to a report from the International Trade Administration. The US was the country's largest supplier of food and agricultural products, followed by the EU, China, Australia, and Thailand. Japan was also the biggest export market for US beef and pork, valued at roughly $5bn combined, and the second largest market for US corn, valued at $3.3bn. Asia and US overnight Stocks in Asia were higher overnight, with the Nikkei (^N225) surging 3.7% to a one-year high in Japan as the country struck a trade deal with the United States that lowers tariffs on its cars. US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that a trade deal with Tokyo will include Japan paying a lower-than-threatened 15% tariff on shipments to the US. It also comes after an agreement with the Philippines that will see the US collect a 19% tariff rate on imports from there. Trump added that said representatives from the European Union were coming for trade negotiations on Wednesday, even as the EU was reportedly refining countermeasures in case of a deadlock before the 1 August deadline. Shares of carmakers surged on the back of the news with Mazda Motor (7261.T) rallying 17% and Toyota (7203.T) jumping more than 14%. Meanwhile the Hang Seng (^HSI) rose 1.3% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite ( was 0.3% up by the end of the session. In South Korea, the Kospi (^KS11) added 0.4% on the day, with carmakers in the country also rising as the Japan deal fuelled optimism over potential progress in tariff negotiations between South Korea and the US. Across the pond on Wall Street, stocks inched to another record following some mixed profit reports. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. The Dow Jones (^DJI) gained 0.4% to end at 44,502.44. Coming up Good morning, and welcome back to our markets live blog. As usual we will be taking a deep dive into what's moving markets and happening across the global economy. To the day ahead we have data releases including US existing home sales for June, and the Euro Area's preliminary consumer confidence reading for July. Otherwise, earnings releases include Alphabet (GOOG) and Tesla (TSLA). Here's a snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: Kier, Compass Group, Mitie, Greencore, Marstons, ME Group 7am: UK Public Sector Net Borrowing 9.30am: Supreme Court to rule on appeal against LIBOR and EURIBOR convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo 12pm: US weekly mortgage approvals data 3pm: US new home salesIndonesia to pay 19% tariff rate And the tariff news doesn't stop there... It has been announced that Indonesia is set to pay a 19% tariff rate. Trump posted: And the tariff news doesn't stop there... It has been announced that Indonesia is set to pay a 19% tariff rate. Trump posted: US also strikes trade deal with the Philippines Separately, Trump also announced that the US would levy a 19% tax on imports from the Philippines. He wrote on social media that the new tariff was part of a wider pact, in which the Philippines would remove duties on US goods and the two countries would cooperate militarily. "It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal," Trump wrote on Truth Social, offering no further details about the apparent agreement. Compared to Japan, the Philippines is a relatively small trade partner with the US. Last year it sent around $14.2bn worth of goods to America, including car parts, electric machinery, textiles and coconut oil. Separately, Trump also announced that the US would levy a 19% tax on imports from the Philippines. He wrote on social media that the new tariff was part of a wider pact, in which the Philippines would remove duties on US goods and the two countries would cooperate militarily. "It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal," Trump wrote on Truth Social, offering no further details about the apparent agreement. Compared to Japan, the Philippines is a relatively small trade partner with the US. Last year it sent around $14.2bn worth of goods to America, including car parts, electric machinery, textiles and coconut oil. Japan welcomes US trade deal Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the US-Japan trade deal on Wednesday. He said: It comes as Japan was the fourth largest single-country export market for US agriculture and related products in 2022, valued at nearly $17bn (£12.5bn). This is according to a report from the International Trade Administration. The US was the country's largest supplier of food and agricultural products, followed by the EU, China, Australia, and Thailand. Japan was also the biggest export market for US beef and pork, valued at roughly $5bn combined, and the second largest market for US corn, valued at $3.3bn. Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the US-Japan trade deal on Wednesday. He said: It comes as Japan was the fourth largest single-country export market for US agriculture and related products in 2022, valued at nearly $17bn (£12.5bn). This is according to a report from the International Trade Administration. The US was the country's largest supplier of food and agricultural products, followed by the EU, China, Australia, and Thailand. Japan was also the biggest export market for US beef and pork, valued at roughly $5bn combined, and the second largest market for US corn, valued at $3.3bn. Asia and US overnight Stocks in Asia were higher overnight, with the Nikkei (^N225) surging 3.7% to a one-year high in Japan as the country struck a trade deal with the United States that lowers tariffs on its cars. US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that a trade deal with Tokyo will include Japan paying a lower-than-threatened 15% tariff on shipments to the US. It also comes after an agreement with the Philippines that will see the US collect a 19% tariff rate on imports from there. Trump added that said representatives from the European Union were coming for trade negotiations on Wednesday, even as the EU was reportedly refining countermeasures in case of a deadlock before the 1 August deadline. Shares of carmakers surged on the back of the news with Mazda Motor (7261.T) rallying 17% and Toyota (7203.T) jumping more than 14%. Meanwhile the Hang Seng (^HSI) rose 1.3% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite ( was 0.3% up by the end of the session. In South Korea, the Kospi (^KS11) added 0.4% on the day, with carmakers in the country also rising as the Japan deal fuelled optimism over potential progress in tariff negotiations between South Korea and the US. Across the pond on Wall Street, stocks inched to another record following some mixed profit reports. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. The Dow Jones (^DJI) gained 0.4% to end at 44,502.44. Stocks in Asia were higher overnight, with the Nikkei (^N225) surging 3.7% to a one-year high in Japan as the country struck a trade deal with the United States that lowers tariffs on its cars. US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that a trade deal with Tokyo will include Japan paying a lower-than-threatened 15% tariff on shipments to the US. It also comes after an agreement with the Philippines that will see the US collect a 19% tariff rate on imports from there. Trump added that said representatives from the European Union were coming for trade negotiations on Wednesday, even as the EU was reportedly refining countermeasures in case of a deadlock before the 1 August deadline. Shares of carmakers surged on the back of the news with Mazda Motor (7261.T) rallying 17% and Toyota (7203.T) jumping more than 14%. Meanwhile the Hang Seng (^HSI) rose 1.3% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite ( was 0.3% up by the end of the session. In South Korea, the Kospi (^KS11) added 0.4% on the day, with carmakers in the country also rising as the Japan deal fuelled optimism over potential progress in tariff negotiations between South Korea and the US. Across the pond on Wall Street, stocks inched to another record following some mixed profit reports. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. The Dow Jones (^DJI) gained 0.4% to end at 44,502.44. Coming up Good morning, and welcome back to our markets live blog. As usual we will be taking a deep dive into what's moving markets and happening across the global economy. To the day ahead we have data releases including US existing home sales for June, and the Euro Area's preliminary consumer confidence reading for July. Otherwise, earnings releases include Alphabet (GOOG) and Tesla (TSLA). Here's a snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: Kier, Compass Group, Mitie, Greencore, Marstons, ME Group 7am: UK Public Sector Net Borrowing 9.30am: Supreme Court to rule on appeal against LIBOR and EURIBOR convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo 12pm: US weekly mortgage approvals data 3pm: US new home sales Good morning, and welcome back to our markets live blog. As usual we will be taking a deep dive into what's moving markets and happening across the global economy. To the day ahead we have data releases including US existing home sales for June, and the Euro Area's preliminary consumer confidence reading for July. Otherwise, earnings releases include Alphabet (GOOG) and Tesla (TSLA). Here's a snapshot of what's on the agenda: 7am: Trading updates: Kier, Compass Group, Mitie, Greencore, Marstons, ME Group 7am: UK Public Sector Net Borrowing 9.30am: Supreme Court to rule on appeal against LIBOR and EURIBOR convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo 12pm: US weekly mortgage approvals data 3pm: US new home sales Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
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Trump Accuses Obama of Treason Over 2016 Election Allegations
In a bold accusation, Donald Trump has claimed that former President Barack Obama committed treason by attempting to sabotage his 2016 election win through links to Russian interference.
