Betsy DeVos confirmed as secretary of education
Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote Tuesday to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. The 51-50 vote was Trump’s toughest confirmation battle thus far. Pence cast the first tie-breaking vote by a vice president since 2008, according to Fox News.
Senate Democrats debated through Monday night and into Tuesday morning with Democratic senators taking shifts in the Senate arguing against DeVos in a final attempt to halt her confirmation, according to CNN. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also supported the Democrats.
DeVos has been criticized for her lack of experience with public schools, support of school vouchers and her suggestion that schools in Wyoming should have guns on campus to protect from grizzly bears.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer tweeted his displeasure seconds after the confirmation. “Today @VP Mike Pence did something no one else has ever done: cast the tie breaking vote on his own cabinet nominee.”
After the confirmation, DeVos tweeted, “I appreciate the Senate’s diligence & am honored to serve as @usedgov Secretary. Let’s improve options & outcomes for all US students.”
White House claims journalists poorly covered terror attacks
The White House issued a list of 78 terror attacks Monday as examples of Trump’s statement from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida of what the press is not adequately covering.
“And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that,” Trump said.
Many journalists have publicly denounced Trump’s accusation.
“Not only did we cover many of the attacks on that list the White House has released, we covered them heavily. I know because I was there on the ground reporting a number of them,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said Monday.
He then went on to show footage of himself reporting from Ottawa, Canada, in 2014, Paris in November 2015, San Bernardino, California, in 2015 and in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016, according to CNN.
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius said he found Trump’s comments “very troubling.”
“We have brave colleagues who everyday are taking big risks to cover these stories. Look at The New York Times, which the President demonizes often. The New York Times this weekend had an outstanding piece of reporting about how ISIS has been reaching out, is more involved in some attacks in Europe and abroad,” he said in an interview on CNN’s “The Lead” on Monday.
However, something notable about the White House’s list is it only mentions terror attacks that appear to have been carried out with Islamist motives, according to Fox News. The list does not include the recent Mosque attack in Quebec City or the racially motivated attack on a church in South Carolina where nine black worshipers were shot dead.
Jeff Sessions moves forward in confirmation process
Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, is now one step closer to an official confirmation.
The 52-47-1 vote was mainly along party lines.
The final vote to confirm Sessions is expected to occur Wednesday.
