Biden Notecard Raises Question of Collusion Between White House, Media

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The White House and a newspaper are denying there was collusion this week when a reporter asked U.S. President Joe Biden a question very similar to what was written on a card Biden held while facing journalists in the White House Rose Garden. “We do not have specific questions in advance. That’s not something that we do,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded when asked at Thursday’s briefing about the president’s pocket card, titled “Question # 1,” which contained the name and photograph of Los Angeles Times correspondent Courtney Subramanian, along with a question: “How are YOU squaring YOURmore

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Is the End of Race-based Affirmative Action Near?

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In June, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on two cases that claim that the affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina discriminate against Asian American applicants. While the court has upheld the legality of such preferences in admissions three times, the past is no guide to the future – and colleges must now plan for one that could be race-blind. Henry Gass and Ira Porter of the Christian Science Monitor dive into the history and law behind the case. (April 2022) …

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Yoon to Congress: South Korea Will Stand With US to Support Freedom

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In a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told American lawmakers the 70-year-old alliance between their countries was stronger than ever. Earlier this week, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen nuclear cooperation in the face of increasing regional tensions. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. …

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Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern Accepts Harvard Fellowships

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Harvard University said in a statement that former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had been appointed to dual fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School and to a concurrent fellowship at the Berkman Klein Center later in 2023.    “I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow — not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn,” Ardern said in the statement.  Reuters has more. (April 2023)  …

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Appeals Court Rejects Trump Effort to Block Pence Testimony

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A federal appeals court on Wednesday night moved former Vice President Mike Pence closer to appearing before a grand jury investigating efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting a bid by former President Donald Trump’s lawyers to block the testimony. It was not immediately clear what day Pence might appear before the grand jury, which for months has been investigating the events preceding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts by Trump and his allies to subvert the election outcome. But Pence’s testimony, coming as he moves closer to entering the 2024more

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Montana Transgender Legislator Silenced After ‘Blood on Your Hands’ Comment

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Montana statehouse Republicans on Wednesday silenced Democratic transgender legislator Zooey Zephyr from floor debates for breaking decorum after she said lawmakers who backed a ban on gender-affirming health care for minors would have “blood on their hands.” Under the motion that passed 68-32, Zephyr will be allowed to vote but is barred from the House floor, anteroom or gallery for the remainder of the legislative session, scheduled to end on May 10. The discord in Montana — which has garnered national attention amid an escalating culture war in the United States over issues such as transgender rights — has brewedmore

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Ex-Harvard Professor Sentenced, Fined for Lying About China Ties

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A former Harvard University professor convicted of lying to federal investigators about his ties to a Chinese-run science recruitment program and failing to pay taxes on payments from a Chinese university was sentenced Wednesday to supervised release and ordered to pay more than $83,000 in restitution and fines. Charles Lieber, 64, was sentenced by Judge Rya Zobel in U.S. District Court in Boston to time served — the two days he spent in jail after his arrest — two years of supervised release — the first six months in-home confinement — a $50,000 fine and $33,600 in restitution to themore

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Japan’s Colleges Are Reeling, Does That Mean America’s Will, Too?

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Japan has one of the lowest birthrates in the world, and the number of 18-year-olds in the country has dropped by nearly half in the past 30 years. The result is shrinking enrollments, lowered standards, shuttered schools and economic pains as companies fight over a limited supply of young talent. As the U.S. ages, its education system could resemble Japan’s – unless international students reverse the decline. Read the story from Jon Marcus of the Hechinger Report. (April 2023) …

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After Weeks of Hinting, Biden Announces Reelection Bid

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After weeks of hinting he would run for reelection, U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced his candidacy for 2024 in a three-minute video that drew a stark picture of what he believes is at stake: the very soul of America. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Washington on the prospect of another election battle between Biden and his likely challenger, former President Donald Trump. …

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Why Are Students Choosing Trade Programs Instead of College?

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Almost every category of higher education in the U.S. has declining enrollments. But trade programs – short certificates that offer real-world skills like auto repair and industrial automation – are a hit. The Hechinger Report’s Olivia Sanchez looks at one program in Tennessee to discover why: students love the flexibility, practicality and high wages. Read her story published by The Associated Press. (April 2023) …

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To Help Students, Some Colleges Provide Double the Teachers

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Terrica Purvis squinted through goggles as her hands carefully guided a pipette full of indigo-tinted fluid into clear glass test tubes. It was the last chemistry lab of the winter quarter at Everett Community College. Purvis was working through the steps of what chemistry professor Valerie Mosser jokingly refers to as the “post-apocalypse survival” lab — an experiment using boiled red cabbage water to test the acidity of common household chemicals. Purvis, 27, is in her first year of study for an associate degree in nursing at Everett Community College. She is also one of more than 6,000 Washington communitymore

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What’s the Landscape for International Students in 2023?

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A survey of more than 1,000 global education agents from five continents found that there will be a surge in applications this year. However, students’ top concerns vary – Chinese students care most about rankings, while students from the Middle East and Africa worry more about costs. Dive into the research in this report from INTO University Partnerships. (April 2023) …

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 US Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Pill Access for Now

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday preserved access to the abortion drug mifepristone while a lawsuit challenging the use of the drug plays out in lower courts. The high court issued a brief on Friday evening granting emergency requests from the Biden administration and the drug’s manufacturer, Danco Laboratories, to continue to allow women to access the drug. The ruling puts on hold a preliminary injunction from a federal judge in Texas, who earlier this month ordered restrictions on the abortion drug. Two justices on the nine-member court — conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — dissented from the decision.more

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What’s a ‘Practical Major’?

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French! That’s according to writer Freddie DeBoer, who cites the hundreds of millions of French speakers across Africa. DeBoer argues that “safe majors” like business or computer science often suffer from high competition, low educational standards, volatile demand and susceptibility to artificial intelligence (AI). Furthermore, the idea of a “practical major” is meaningless, constantly changing and used to blame people for economic issues beyond their control. Read his take on the topic in New York Magazine. (April 2023) …

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Biden 2024 Campaign Announcement Expected Next Week

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President Joe Biden will formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign as soon as next week, three people briefed on the discussions said Thursday. The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said they were not aware that a final decision on timing had been made, but that Biden had been eyeing Tuesday, April 25, four years to the day since the Democrat entered the 2020 race. The upcoming announcement is expected to be in the form of a video released to supporters. Biden, 80, has repeatedly said he intends to run for a second term,more

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Why Does the United Nations Think Global Education is ‘Seriously off Track’?

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The latest session of the U.N. Commission on Population and Development is happening this week in New York. Attendees have discussed how women and girls are still denied equal access to education, how aging in rich countries and high birth rates in poorer ones affect public schooling, and how the pandemic may have punched a hole in the goal of equal education for all. Read a summary of their discussion in this U.N. press release. (April 2023) …

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Taraji P. Henson Partners With HBCUs on Mental Wellness

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Alabama State University is partnering on a new project to make free mental health resources more widely available to students at historically Black colleges and universities, The Associated Press reported.     The “She Care Wellness Pods” will give students access to therapy sessions, workshops, yoga and quiet spaces. Actress Taraji P. Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation is partnering with the Kate Spade Foundation to place the pods on HBCU campuses. Alabama State is the first to participate in the program, AP reported.  Henson said the foundations are trying to make resources more available and eradicate the stigma around mental health issuesmore

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Is College in the US a ‘Business’?

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The authors of a new book, “Campus Economics: How Economic Thinking Can Help Improve College and University Decisions,” think so. Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson weigh in on the future of tenure, the effects of high inflation and why colleges don’t shut down unpopular majors. Weigh their arguments for yourself in this interview with Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed. (April 2023) …

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Fox Settles Dominion Defamation Lawsuit for $787.5 Million, Avoiding Trial

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Fox Corp. and Fox News on Tuesday settled a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, averting a high-profile trial that would have put one of the world’s top media companies in the crosshairs over its coverage of false vote-rigging claims in the 2020 U.S. election. The settlement was announced by Fox, Dominion and the judge in the case at the 11th hour, with a 12-person jury selected on Tuesday morning and the case poised to kick off with opening statements on Tuesday afternoon. Dominion had sought $1.6 billion in damages in the lawsuit filed in 2021, withmore

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How Election Lies, Libel Law Are Key to Fox Defamation Suit

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A major defamation lawsuit against Fox News goes to trial Tuesday, carrying the potential to shed additional light on former President Donald Trump’s election lies, reveal more about how the right-leaning network operates and even redefine libel law in the U.S. Here are some things to know about the case.  The case  Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, claiming the news outlet repeatedly aired allegations that the company’s voting machines were rigged to doom Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign while knowing they were untrue. Fox contends that it was reporting newsworthy charges made by supporters of the Republicanmore

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How Much Should the US Government Interfere With the Colleges It Helps Fund?

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Florida is home to New College, whose roughly 700 students largely devise their own degree programs. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has accused Florida’s public education system of indoctrinating students in left-wing ideas and has removed New College’s president and board. (DeSantis is expected to announce this summer as a Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential race.) Supporters of his actions say it brings accountability to colleges run with taxpayer money; opponents claim it threatens academic freedom. Dan Friedell from VOA Learning English examines the controversy, based on a report from The Associated Press. (April 2023) …

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Does Joint Research Between the US and China Have a Future?

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The Biden administration announced it would end the China Initiative, a Trump-era plan to investigate academic espionage by China. However, the Biden administration has set new compliance, disclosure and privacy rules, and research collaboration has declined. Many researchers, especially Asian American ones, report being afraid to work alongside their Chinese peers. Can the U.S. balance national security with academic openness? Karin Fischer of the Chronicle of Higher Education looks at both sides of the issue. (April 2023) …

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