The U.S. Department of Education found that George Mason University violated civil rights laws in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion policies—potentially calling into question the future of the school’s already embattled president.  The department accused Virginia’s largest public university of violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by illegally using race and other characteristics in hiring and promotion policies.  Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal funding. A violation could result in losing federal funds. “In 2020, University President Gregory Washington called for expunging the so-called ‘racist vestiges’ from GMU’s campus,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a public statement on Friday. “Without a hint of self awareness, President Washington then waged a university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race. You can’t make this up.” “Despite this unfortunate chapter in Mason’s history, the university now has the opportunity to come into compliance with federal civil rights laws by entering into a resolution agreement with the Office for Civil Rights,” Trainor continued.  A GMU spokesperson referred The Daily Signal to a statement from the GMU Board of Visitors.  “Today, the Board of Visitors received notification from the United States Department of Education that the university has been in violation of federal civil rights law. This is a serious matter,” the board statement says.  “The board is reviewing the specific resolution steps proposed by the Department of Education,” the statement continued. “We will continue to respond fully and cooperatively to all inquiries from the Department of Education, the Department of Justice and the U.S. House of Representatives and evaluate the evidence that comes to light. Our sole focus is our fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of the university and the people of the commonwealth of Virginia.” Earlier this month, the GMU board held a closed-door performance review of Washington amid speculation he would be fired. The board instead voted to keep him and give him a 1.5% pay increase. The review came after faculty complaints and the investigations from both the Education and Justice Departments.  In July, the Education Department opened the investigation in response to multiple GMU professors alleging the school’s leadership adopted unlawful DEI policies in 2020 to give preferential treatment to “underrepresented groups” to advance “anti-racism.” One university administrator accused Washington of creating an atmosphere of surveillance regarding DEI, according to the Education Department.   Washington, the first black GMU president, made his case to the board at the Aug. 1 meeting before it went into closed session for the review. He pointed to increased fundraising and a strong university.  “Despite the commentary you’re hearing, this institution is doing extremely well,” Washington told the board. It’s unfortunate what has happened to the university, said Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation.  “It’s sad that the administration had to call out George Mason University, which is Virginia’s largest university,” Gonzalez told The Daily Signal. “It’s unfortunate the university’s leadership was promoting woke ideas in contravention of law and in contravention of what voters at both the federal and Virginia levels rejected.”  When the university board met on Aug. 1 to decide Washington’s future, protesters gathered outside for a “day of action,” to support Washington. It included faculty who supported Washington and who accused the Trump administration of politicizing its investigations of the school.  The post Trump Admin Finds University’s DEI Policies Violate Civil Rights Act appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Crockett (and Newsom?): ICE Should Be Nothing More Than a 'Fancy Uber Ride' for Illegals

President Donald Trump's effective crackdown on crime in the nation's capital is beginning to catch the attention of his political opponents.Trump told reporters Friday that he has received calls from Democrats across the country asking him to clean up their cities the same way he did in Washington, D.C. In early August, Trump took bold action by federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying the National Guard, quickly reducing violent crime across the city.'Half of them got mugged and they don't want to get mugged again.'"When we're ready, we'll go in and we'll straighten out Chicago just like we did in D.C.," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Chicago is very dangerous. ... I hate to see what's happened to Chicago. Chicago was our greatest city, actually." "We've already had calls from other cities, quiet calls, calls from Democrats," Trump added. "'We'd love you to come here,' because they've lost control of their cities."RELATED: Trump to patrol DC streets alongside law enforcement amid crime crackdownPresident Trump: "When we're ready, we'll go in and straighten out Chicago just like we did in DC. Chicago was our greatest city, actually. We can clean San Francisco up too. We've already had calls from Democrats in other cities because they've lost control." pic.twitter.com/7PlSV82sS8— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 22, 2025 When asked which Democrats specifically extended the invitation to the president, Trump declined to specify."I'm not going to say because I don't want them to lose their elections," Trump said. "But we've had calls from Democrats and calls from people generally: 'We'd love you to come here.' Because we'll straighten out the problems." Trump clarified that Chicago "will probably be next" after D.C.'s crime is under control, followed by New York City. RELATED: President Trump's DC crime crackdown is getting resultsPresident Trump announces that the efforts to crackdown on crime in DC will be expanding to other Democrat-run cities: "I think Chicago will be next and then we'll help with New York." pic.twitter.com/UJhtPhfDce— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 22, 2025 "The people in Chicago ... are screaming for us to come," Trump said. "African-American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, 'Please, President Trump, come to Chicago.' ... I think Chicago will be our next, and then we'll help with New York," he continued.Trump also highlighted the media's hypocritical coverage of the crime crackdown, pointing out that even his harshest critics are benefiting from the administration's efforts."A lot of these people that you see on television, including the people in this audience, they'll say bad things about me," Trump said, pointing to the reporters. "And then they'll say, 'Thank God he's here.' Because half of them got mugged, and they don't want to get mugged again." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled on Friday that he may consider cutting interest rates in the near future.During a speech at an annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Powell hinted at the possibility of changes to interest rates at the next September meeting due to a "shifting balance of risks."'I personally believe the Fed could cut a full percent and still not have policy unleash inflationary pressures, but I don't foresee a cut that substantial in September.'He contended that the Federal Reserve's "restrictive policy stance" has been "appropriate to help bring down inflation and to foster a sustainable balance between aggregate demand and supply."Powell blamed "higher tariffs" for introducing "new challenges" to the U.S. economy and "tighter immigration policy" for causing an "abrupt slowdown in labor force growth." He contended that both factors have impacted demand and supply."Over the longer run, changes in tax, spending, and regulatory policies may also have important implications for economic growth and productivity," Powell claimed. "There is significant uncertainty about where all of these policies will eventually settle and what their lasting effects on the economy will be."RELATED: Powell’s tight money policy is strangling the US economy Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesHe argued that "risks to inflation are tilted to the upside and risks to employment to the downside." Powell called it a "challenging situation" given that the Fed's "framework calls for us to balance both sides of our dual mandate," referring to the labor market and price stability.However, he indicated that with the policy rate "100 basis points closer to neutral" compared to last year and stability in labor market measures, the Federal Reserve may "proceed carefully as we consider changes to our policy stance.""Nonetheless, with policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance," Powell said.RELATED: Trump orders Labor Statistics chief to be fired over revisions in weak jobs report Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Powell to drop interest rates."He should have cut them a year ago. He's too late," Trump said Friday afternoon in response to Powell's speech. Blaze Media contributor Carol Roth told Blaze News, "Reading between the lines, it certainly sounded like Powell was signaling a higher likelihood of a September rate cut, something that the market had already been expecting. In terms of the Fed's stated 'dual mandate,' the pendulum seems to be swinging to more concern over the labor market than inflation, although certainly not ignoring inflation, but rather wanting to avoid a stagflation scenario," Roth said."Powell is definitely late to a rate cut, both in terms of supporting the economy and giving the Fed room in terms of future ability to raise rates in the face of any potential spikes in inflation," Roth continued. "While 25 basis points (one quarter of a percent) is the likely size of a cut, it probably isn't enough to be meaningful in terms of consumer or business behavior — it seems more symbolic. I personally believe the Fed could cut a full percent and still not have policy unleash inflationary pressures, but I don't foresee a cut that substantial in September."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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