Gloria Moraga - Political Woman

It was an embarrassing 30 minutes of television. One of the United States closest Allies, King Abdullah, sat quietly next to Donald Trump, refusing to agree with the President's ridiculously conceived plans for Gaza.

Here is the King's post: “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he said. “Achieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability.” There are already over 2 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which says that most of them have citizenship. Jordan's Queen Rania and her family were Palestinian refugees who fled Kuwait.

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The best way to answer the question: What does the Department of Education do?

It might be to tell you what it doesn't do.

The Department of Education DOES NOT OPERATE US SCHOOLS OR SET CURRICULA. That responsibility belongs to the States.

However, some states are poor, and there is no funding for some programs The Department of Education runs.

Here is a short list:

• Manage Student Loans - College Students
• Administer Pell Grants - College Students
• Breakfast and School Lunch Programs - k -12
• Head Start - early education for poor children.
• Programs for students with Disabilities and poor children.
• Ensure that schools adhere to Civil Rights so students are guaranteed equal education opportunities.

Education is one of the smallest in the Cabinet.

It was created by Congress, and Congress controls FUNDING - POWER OF THE PURSE. Trump's move to shut down the Department must be approved by Congress. Red states, the states that voted for Trump, will be the most brutal hit.

The plan to close the Department of Education is laid out in Project 2025. 

Mexico, China, and Canada account for over a third of the products brought into the United States.

That adds up to more than $1 trillion in goods annually.

Tariffs on those goods are going to cost us-- U.S. Consumers Billions.

Here is the shortlist.

Food: Mexico is the largest supplier of fruit and vegetables to the US, while Canada leads in exports of grain, livestock and meats, poultry, and more.

The US imported $97 billion worth of oil and gas from Canada last year, that country’s top export to the US. The US imported $87 billion worth of motor vehicles and $64 billion worth of vehicle parts from Mexico last year, not accounting for December, the top two goods imported from there that year, according to Commerce Department data.

Steel Canada and Mexico are the largest and third-largest exporters of steel to the United States, respectively. I will post a longer list on my website, gloriamoraga.com.

On Tuesday, a memo that ordered the Freezing of Federals Funds for Grants and Hundreds of Programs set off a nationwide firestorm of confusion and complaints. 

A group of non-profits sued to block the order from Trump's Office of Management and Budget. 

And a Federal Judged paused the freeze temporarily. 

A spokesman for the Trump Administration said the directive should not be interpreted as a complete funding freeze. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the internal memo publicly, said that agencies should review their grants, loans, and programs to ensure they align with the new administration's priorities.

This is a developing story. I will be posting updates on YouTube and TikTok. 

And today and tomorrow, two Senate Committees will question Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services. 

On Tuesday, Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, wrote a letter to Senate leaders asking them to reject her cousin's nomination. 

“Laughable" is how the Special Prosecutor's 4-paged Letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland described Trump's attacks on him and the investigation.

The letter is a parting shot at the former and future president.

Jack Smith defended his conduct as fully lawful, free of partisan influence, and vital to the aspirations of the justice system.

"While we were not able to bring the cases we charged to trial, I believe the fact that our team stood up for the rule of law matters. I believe the example our team set for others to fight for justice without regard for the personal costs matters. The facts, as we uncovered them in our investigation and as set forth in my Report, matter," Smith wrote.

Trump pleaded not guilty in 2023 to 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House, and later that year pleaded not guilty to separate charges of undertaking a "criminal scheme" to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

This Friday, Jan. 19, is the TikTok Ban Deadline -

Lawyers for TikTok told the Supreme Court that the law banning TikTok violates the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech. But, attorneys arguing for the government warn that the popular App is a threat to National Security. After listening to the Supreme Court Case, which was argued Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, it doesn't appear that the Justices will step in to save TikTok.

About 20 minutes into the Trump Sentencing, the former President and future President said this, “This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a tremendous setback for New York, the New York court system.” 

“I get indicted for business records? Everybody should be so accurate. It’s been a political witch hunt ... to damage my reputation so that I’d lose the election. Obviously, that didn’t work.”

The Trump legal team tried to delay the sentencing, but even the Supreme Court let Donald Trump Down. So he will begin his second term as a convicted felon.

This is from "The Guardian," The judge who presided over Trump’s criminal trial, Juan Merchan, issued a sentence of “unconditional discharge”, meaning the president-elect will be released without fine, imprisonment or probation supervision for his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. While the sentence makes Trump a convicted felon, he will face no penalty other than this legal designation. Trump, whose presidential inauguration is scheduled for 20 January, is the first US president – former or sitting – to face a criminal trial, let alone a guilty verdict and subsequent sentencing.

President-Elect Donald Trump lost two court battles on Thursday.

Still, it didn't appear to bother him as he and former President Obama shared a conversation and a few smiles as they prepared to Honor former President Jimmy Carter at Washington's National Cathedral.

In fact, five U.S. Presidents attended memorial services for Carter, who passed away last week at the age of 100.