Whenever Donald Trump fumes about “fake news” or labels the press “the enemy of the people,” First Amendment scholar David L. Hudson Jr. hears echoes of other presidents – but a breadth and tone that are entirely new. Trump may not know it, but it was Thomas Jefferson who once said, “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper,” said Hudson, a law professor at Vanderbilt University.
Category: Vanderbilt University
Senate Democrats seek answers about a Trump higher ed task force
Betsy DeVos greets Sen. Patty Murray before her confirmation hearing on Jan. 17. DeVos took office as education secretary on Feb. 7. Senate Democrats are asking Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for details on a higher education task force that the president of Liberty University says the Trump administration has asked him to lead. In a letter to DeVos released Thursday, six lawmakers said they are concerned that there has been no public explanation by the president or the administration about the purview of the task force.
Judges’ response to Trump criticism: Silence
Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch meets with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch meets with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington.