Latest news with #JeffJackson
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Trump administration releases portion of frozen North Carolina education funding
The U.S. Department of Education has released a portion of North Carolina's $165 million in education funding frozen by the Trump administration, the state's education department announced Monday night. Why it matters: The nearly $36 million in funding released will allow North Carolina's after-school and summer programs to continue operating. The programs, which served more than 10,000 K-12 students last year, "provide critical academic support and safe environments for students, particularly those in high-poverty areas," North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction said in a statement. Catch up quick: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is one of a dozen attorneys general nationwide who are suing the U.S. Department of Education for withholding more than $6 billion in education funding nationwide. Those funds were expected to be accessible July 1. North Carolina's portion of that — more than $165 million — made up more than 10% of the state's federal education funding. The freeze comes amid what the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget called an "ongoing programmatic review" and pointed to initial findings that they said "show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda," Axios' Avery Lotz reported earlier this month. Driving the news: Nearly 30 statewide full-time jobs would have been in jeopardy had the federal government not released $36 million as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports academic enrichment during non-school hours, per data released by North Carolina's Department of Justice. Wake, Durham and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school districts had not been awarded any funding under that program, according to the data. State of play: Around $130 million in K-12 education funding remains frozen and under review, North Carolina's education department said. More than 900 jobs remain at risk. Those funds come from four programs, which support migrant children, help students learn English, ensure the "quality and effectiveness of educators," and improve school conditions and the use of technology to improve academic achievement, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies.
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
North Carolina sues over withheld education funding
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Monday he is suing the U.S. Department of Education for withholding more than $165 million for K-12 funding in the state. Jackson is joining attorneys general in more than a dozen states who are suing the Trump administration's decision to withhold more than $6 billion in education funding nationwide. Why it matters: At a press conference, Jackson said the withheld funds will affect mental health services, after-school programs and English-learning programs across the state, and potentially cut 1,000 jobs. These cuts affect rural school districts more on a per-pupil basis, Jackson added, specifically noting Graham, Ashe and Polk counties. Zoom in: The withheld funds include money for programs for migrant children, English-language proficiency and some after-school programs, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies. What they're saying: The Department of Education previously referred Axios' questions on the withheld funds to the Office of Management and Budget. An OMB spokesperson said no decisions have been made amid "an ongoing programmatic review of education funding." The spokesperson pointed to initial findings that they said "show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda." Jackson said in a statement that the Education Department was not following the Constitution. "It's unlawful and unconstitutional for the Department of Education to withhold money that Congress has appropriated," he said. "I'm going to court to get this money for our students, our schools, and North Carolina families."
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Five ways Edmonton Oilers can extend Connor McDavid contention window
Edmontonians are well into summer now, with steaks on the barbeque, walks in the river valley and trips to the lake. Oilers talk is small, and when there's talk at all, it's mostly about the unsolved goaltending dilemma. Hidden under the warm days and 9:49 p.m. sunsets is an unwavering anxiety about Connor McDavid, his next contract, and future NHL seasons without the team's brilliant captain. Insiders universally agree McDavid is likely to sign, with most of the media speculation surrounding length of contract. Advertisement In a city that once saw the NHL's all-time best player sold out from under it almost 40 years ago, there will be unrest until the contract is signed and the ink is dry. For Oilers management, there are some things that can be done to ensure a Stanley Cup parade during McDavid's time in the Alberta capital. Here are five fixes that can help the organization reach the ultimate goal. Last summer, the organization was between general managers on July 1, the official start of free agency. CEO and president Jeff Jackson was point man for the proceedings, and the club quickly signed free-agent forwards Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique to contracts. All three were value deals, and at first blush, fans were invigorated. The offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway were not matched by the Oilers, mostly due to the $10 million invested in veteran forwards on July 1. Recognizing some innovation by the organization for signing short-term deals (Skinner and Arvidsson have already left the team for new NHL cities), the loss of Holloway and Broberg had a massive impact on the future quality of the roster. The threat of an offer sheet remained this summer and had an impact on the Evan Bouchard deal. Each fall starts with the Oilers having a massive advantage with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Every dollar counts. The offer sheets a year ago, and the Bouchard extension this year, were all a heavy price brought on by a management group slow to understand shifting sands. Bowman has done solid work on the roster since arriving last August, the offer sheets going unmatched aside. Reports of running all year well under the cap offer hope for strong additions at the deadline. The window of opportunity to win remains, but it's not infinite. Advertisement The cap is about to spike, but Edmonton's cap wisdom remains a concern. During the period leading up to drafting McDavid, the Oilers employed analytics innovator Tyler Dellow. As the movement toward using statistical analysis was in its infancy, the Oilers had a chance to be the tip of the spear in an important new area. It was not to be. Dellow moved along to the New Jersey Devils, and has joined Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky (himself an impact analytics pioneer) in an effort to bring the Stanley Cup back to Raleigh. Adding to the Carolina numbers department is the recent hiring of Dennis King, who pioneered 'dangerous shots' and the impact of events that forced the goalie to move on possible scoring plays. Meanwhile, credit to the Oilers for recent improvement. Michael Parkatti's hiring as senior director of analytics in September 2023, the fine work being done by Kalle Larsson in player development (detailed by Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic), and solid work from Bowman and the pro scouts in landing one of the top 10 free agents in terms of contract quality are all signs of innovation via the numbers. The Oilers missed an opportunity a decade ago, but are firing on all pistons based on recent additions. Even before Bowman arrived as Oilers general manager, the team made procurement across the board more of a priority. Last summer, the team acquired top prospect Matt Savoie via trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and traded up to select right-handed centre Sam O'Reilly at the 2024 draft. This summer, Bowman dealt O'Reilly to the Tampa Bay Lightning for NHL-ready scoring winger Ike Howard. That doesn't necessarily improve the prospect pipeline, but the organization is hopeful it can introduce two future foundation wingers (Savoie and Howard) this winter. Advertisement That's an aggressive timeline, made necessary by the loss of Holloway one year ago. The talent is there, and one or both men could see action on a line with an elite centre, but there is risk involved. All over the roster, there are gaps and holes behind aging veterans. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was ineffective as a five-on-five contributor on the McDavid line one year ago, scoring just 1.5 points per 60 at five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick. That number was 2.26 points per 60 in 2023-24, meaning a lot of goals were left behind last season. The organization may trust Andrew Mangiapane with the role in 2025-26, but Howard or another young player should eventually push his way into the lineup. There are plenty of stopgap options (Henrique, Trent Frederic), but the organization's acquisition of Howard suggests a recognition Nugent-Hopkins may not be able to deliver in the role much longer. A recovery by Nugent-Hopkins would be best, as he's the strongest two-way winger on the team. Even if there is positive regression, the time to plan for the future (via the Howard trade) is here. Bowman appears to have solutions for the future at No. 1 right wing (possibly Matt Savoie taking over for Zach Hyman, but that's probably two years away) and No. 1 left defence (most likely Jake Walman in for Mattias Ekholm, but Darnell Nurse is also a candidate). Even the strongest defenders of Stuart Skinner must be wondering if a stronger goaltending partner is required for next season. The problem for Bowman is a severe lack of options, or so it seems as July begins to fade into August. Management did add a new goalie coach for the coming year. Peter Aubry carries an impressive resume, and the hockey industry speaks well of him. If he can be a goalie whisperer for Skinner, and help him backstop the team to a Stanley Cup, fans will build Aubry a monument next to Wayne Gretzky's by this time next summer. In the first period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final versus Florida Panthers, the Oilers' No. 1 line and top pairing made a series of poor plays that led to the game's first goal. Much of what needs to be cleaned up is contained in that single goal:
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top admaker to Dems: Get online or retire
A rising Democratic advertising firm has a stern message for members of its party: Get comfortable making social media content or step aside. In a strategy memo shared with Semafor that will be sent to Democratic campaigns and firms Monday morning — titled — Van Ness Creative Strategies issued a strong warning about the party's communication strategy, saying that Democrats in key 2026 battleground districts are 'failing' to reach Americans online. 'Electeds, candidates, and organizations must take social media seriously,' the memo says. 'If you do not feel like you can handle communicating directly with voters or constituents… now is a great time to retire.' The memo continued: 'After an election where the Democrats lagged woefully behind on social/new media, the party is too slow to adapt to the current social media landscape. While digital media has pivoted to video, from video, and back again over the past decade+, many Dems have not treated new media like the primary resource it is.' The ad firm said that it had spent the past several weeks surveying the accounts of frontline congressional Democrats up for election in 2026. A significant portion had left their personal and campaign social media accounts dormant. Only 16% post videos often or even occasionally on their campaign accounts, the firm found, and only 4% are posting there more than once a week. The lack of communication by Democrats on shortform social video has effectively ceded that ground to other perspectives, and will make it that much harder for Democrats when they try to introduce themselves to voters next year. 'People are on their phones. They're on their phones a lot. If they're not hearing from you, they're hearing from someone else,' the memo said. The organization offered a list of do's (be consistent, speak extemporaneously, post frequently across all platforms, and highlight constituents) and don'ts (don't just read a script, don't hop on viral trends in an awkward way). It also highlighted some of the strong Democratic voices across the party's ideological spectrum, noting that North Carolina Attorney Gen. Jeff Jackson, Sen. Adam Schiff, and New York City Councilmember Chi Ossé had all cultivated massive followings online by posting unscripted direct-to-camera videos consistently. While VNCS knocked incumbent Democrats for their lack of engagement, the organization said that 2026 Senate primary candidates had taken a much more aggressive approach with frequent Democrats self-flagellate over 2024, the party's younger, savvier strategists have seen some positive signs. This cohort points to New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani's rout of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June's New York City Democratic mayoral primary, on the back of a viral video campaign and podcast tour. They also note the successes of lawmakers like Schiff, who have seen massive audience growth by throwing themselves enthusiastically into YouTube, and the virality of new media appearances by people like Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Ro Khanna. Not all of these efforts have been well-received. After launching a podcast in which he talked at length with Republican pundits, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has slightly retooled his show, bringing in guests who are more palatable to his supporters. Newsom told Semafor earlier this year that he wanted his podcast to 'soften the edges of the world that we're living in, political world, to try to distill a better sense of well-being.' 'It's just exploring the other side. Why are they kicking our ass?' Newsom said. 'Why are these guys so successful? They are. I mean, I'm sorry, Democrats, they are.' He continued: '[Conservatives] feel like we talk down to them, that we talk past them,' he said. 'It's the elitism of being so f*cking judgmental and being so quick to dismiss people. So what I'm trying to do is acknowledge that criticism.'
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Oilers sign Evan Bouchard to 4-year, $10.5 million AAV extension: Sources
The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed pending RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $10.5 million AAV contract, league sources told The Athletic's Chris Johnston. Bouchard, 25, led the Oilers in average ice time in both the regular season and playoffs. With arbitration rights this summer, he was due for a massive raise. Advertisement He had a $3.9 million cap hit for the last two seasons and morphed into one of the best offensive blueliners in the game during that span. He was third among NHL rearguards with 149 points over the last two campaigns. Bouchard also led all NHL defensemen in points in each of the last three postseasons, twice helping the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final. He recorded 23 points in 22 games in the 2025 playoffs, giving him 72 points in 59 contests over the last three years. Only Bobby Orr (1.24) has a greater points per game rate among defensemen in the postseason than Bouchard (1.08) of those who've recorded at least 25 career points. Locking up Bouchard was a top priority for the Oilers this offseason. Hockey operations CEO Jeff Jackson previously worked in lockstep with Bouchard's agent, Dave Gagner, before he joined the team in August 2023. He's always spoken highly of Bouchard's abilities. GM Stan Bowman has been clear in his preference for having puck-moving defensemen on the roster to complement and facilitate Connor McDavid's and Leon Draisaitl's skills. It's why he brought in Jake Walman and John Klingberg this season. There aren't many better in the NHL in that capacity than Bouchard. And then there's McDavid's viewpoint. The captain is eligible to sign an extension this summer and wants to see a vision for sustained Cup contention before he considers putting pen to paper. He was adamant at his season-ending availability that Bouchard is part of the solution in Edmonton. 'Every time there's a big game or a big moment, he shows up. That's a skill that not everybody has,' McDavid said. 'Does he make some boo-boos every now and then in November? Sure. We all do. But his game has been just improving year after year. It seems like month by month, he just gets better and better. Advertisement 'He's incredibly important to the group. Definitely a deal that needs to get done and one that is really important for us.' The Oilers have a little less than $1 million in cap space with Bouchard's contract on the books, per PuckPedia. They're looking to move Viktor Arvidsson and the last year of his $4 million AAV contract, which includes a full no-movement clause.
