The Texas Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that would prohibit a college or university professor from “compelling” a student to adopt certain political beliefs, a proposal belonging to a slew of legislation introduced this session that university leaders and faculty worry will restrict academic freedom in the classroom.

Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, told lawmakers on the Senate floor Tuesday he believed that universities are places where students are exposed to different ideas to develop their own critical thinking skills and that his bill would not censor the discussion of any topics in the college classroom.

“What we are not for is when professors attempt to compel a student to adopt a certain belief, require adherence to a professor’s viewpoint, to a certain viewpoint. That’s another matter entirely. That’s what this bill is about,” Hughes said.

Senate Bill 16 would bar university professors from compelling students “to adopt a belief that any race, sex, or ethnicity or social, political, or religious belief is inherently superior to any other race, sex, ethnicity, or belief.”

The Texas Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that would prohibit a college or university professor from “compelling” a student to adopt certain political beliefs, a proposal belonging to a slew of legislation introduced this session that university leaders and faculty worry will restrict academic freedom in the classroom.

Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, told lawmakers on the Senate floor Tuesday he believed that universities are places where students are exposed to different ideas to develop their own critical thinking skills and that his bill would not censor the discussion of any topics in the college classroom.

“What we are not for is when professors attempt to compel a student to adopt a certain belief, require adherence to a professor’s viewpoint, to a certain viewpoint. That’s another matter entirely. That’s what this bill is about,” Hughes said.

Senate Bill 16 would bar university professors from compelling students “to adopt a belief that any race, sex, or ethnicity or social, political, or religious belief is inherently superior to any other race, sex, ethnicity, or belief.”

A survey released today finds that among Florida’s incoming college freshmen, dissatisfaction with Governor Ron DeSantis’s education policies runs deep—in some cases, deep enough to make them look for college opportunities in another state.

In March, Intelligent.com surveyed over 1,000 Florida students, including 783 still in high school and 364 current undergrads.

Among the survey’s findings:

91% of prospective college students disagree with the governor’s policies.

1 in 8 graduating high school students won’t attend college in Florida due to education policy in the state.

1 in 20 current college students in the state plan to transfer because of those policies.

A survey released today finds that among Florida’s incoming college freshmen, dissatisfaction with Governor Ron DeSantis’s education policies runs deep—in some cases, deep enough to make them look for college opportunities in another state.

In March, Intelligent.com surveyed over 1,000 Florida students, including 783 still in high school and 364 current undergrads.

Among the survey’s findings:

91% of prospective college students disagree with the governor’s policies.

1 in 8 graduating high school students won’t attend college in Florida due to education policy in the state.

1 in 20 current college students in the state plan to transfer because of those policies.

Since House Republicans first won their narrow majority in the midterm elections, I’ve been stressing that their far-right members will be the biggest hindrance to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and his ability to govern as speaker. I can now say that I was myopic. While McCarthy’s inability or unwillingness to rebuff the far right is an ongoing problem, it won’t be the sole reason his speakership eventually collapses.

As it turns out, McCarthy is also just as bad at managing everyone else in his caucus, including the members of his own leadership team. And if he can’t get everyone on the same page, and fast, the global economy stands to be the biggest loser of the GOP power struggle.

The current drama is that Republicans have yet to agree on a budget. President Joe Biden, well aware of the divisions among the GOP on this matter, has said he won’t negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling until he can see their full budget plan. And, according to The New York Times, McCarthy has “no confidence” in Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the chair of the Budget Committee.

But apparently, that’s not the extent of McCarthy’s beef with Arrington. During the drawn-out struggle for the speaker’s gavel in January, Arrington reportedly floated the name of Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. That trial balloon went nowhere, not least because Scalise — the House majority leader, who has long been McCarthy’s No. 2 — reportedly “discouraged members from floating his name as an alternative.”

As for budget negotiations, Arrington told reporters last month that the GOP was readying a “term sheet” with its conditions for raising the debt ceiling. McCarthy told reporters, “I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Convinced Arrington can’t pull together a budget, McCarthy regards him as “incompetent,” the Times reported.

Ouch.,,,,

McCarthy’s lack of skill at moving his caucus forward could otherwise be seen as the feel-good event of the spring — except there’s the looming debt ceiling crisis. Because while his ineffectiveness in most policy areas is a benefit for the Americans who would be most affected by the draconian cuts the GOP is pushing, a failure to lift the debt ceiling would have repercussions for us all.

The Senate plans to consider a resolution next week condemning Donald Trump’s call to “defund” the Justice Department and FBI, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a letter to colleagues Tuesday, setting up a vote that will test the loyalties of Republicans to the former president.

A day after being arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom on state charges last week, Trump said in a social media post that “Republicans in Congress should defund” the two federal law enforcement agencies “until they come to their senses.” His comments echoed those of several Republican House members, notably Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who has called for using Congress’s “power of the purse” against agencies that he claims have engaged in “egregious behavior.”

“Donald Trump’s call for defunding federal law enforcement agencies is a baseless, self-serving broadside against the men and women who keep our nation safe,” Schumer wrote in his letter. “The good work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice sends criminals to prison for bank robbery, sex trafficking, child pornography, hate crimes, terrorism, fraud and so much more. The former President and his allies in Congress must not subjugate justice and public safety because of their own personal grievances.”

A wholesale defunding of federal law enforcement agencies is unrealistic in a divided government and would certainly draw opposition even from some Republicans in the GOP-led House. As Schumer’s letter makes clear, the idea stands no chance in the Senate, and it would undoubtedly face a veto from President Biden.

By putting the issue to a vote in the Senate, Schumer is forcing Republicans to make the awkward choice of standing by Trump, now a 2024 presidential candidate, or supporting law enforcement. Democrats, who are often attacked by Republicans as weak on crime, will also get an opportunity to vote for a measure that praises “the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of Federal law enforcement agencies who keep the communities of the United States and the United States safe.”