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The majority of respondents favor policies that promote increased transparency and accountability for institutions of higher education.

Gonzo 247 / University of St. Thomas Houston

Even as the publics loss of faith in higher education dominates headlines amid campus protests, the rising cost of attendance, growing anti-DEI sentiment and more, it seems that most Americans still see value in a college degree. According to a survey of 1,500 U.S. voters conducted by Global Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group for Third Way, 80percent of respondents still believe higher education has value, including 88percent of Democrats and 75percent of Republicans.

The finding is a departure from recent reports about declining confidence in higher education, including a Gallup survey published in 2023 that showed that the percentage of Americans who felt highly confident in higher education had dipped significantly from previous years to a historic low. It also sharply contrasts the public attitudes of many Republican politicians, who, in recent months, have antagonized higher education leaders in Congressional hearings and in the press.

But Sophie Nguyen, a senior policy analyst at the left-leaning think tank New America, where she focuses on public opinion of higher education, noted that believing college degrees have value and having confidence in the institution of higher education are two separateif relatedideas. In fact, Third Ways report shows only 56percent of American voters have a favorable view of the higher education system in the United States as a whole; by comparison, 77percent hold a favorable view of trade schools, 75percent hold a favorable view of community colleges and 65percent hold a favorable view of four-year institutions, while 37percent hold a favorable view of for-profit colleges.

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Im not saying these numbers refute the numbers from Gallup; I think they show different sides of the story in Americans perspective in higher education, she said. Even though there are things they are not happy with in higher education, a high percentage still think the college degree is valuable or they still believe in the value a college degree can bring to them or to society. Thats a narrative we dont often hear.

The survey also sought to evaluate what people see as the primary way higher education provides value: by setting students up for successful careers or creating informed citizens? When asked to choose which outcome aligns most closely with their own beliefs, a slight majority of respondents, 57percent, chose career outcomesthough, on a different question, 49percent of respondents said they believed the true value of college was a combination of those two options. The gap between the number of Democrats (53percent) and Republicans (63percent) who chose career outcomes was 10 percentage points.

While many Americans still consider higher education valuable, Ben Cecil, a senior education policy advisor at Third Way, said that he sees the current moment as an inflection point, where universities, policymakers and advocates must make changes to retain that perceptionor risk losing it.

Respondents expressed concern about the cost of college, with four out of five voters noting that higher educations price tag is on the rise. They also said they want institutions to be held accountable for students outcomes; 70percent of respondents, for example, said they believe programs should be required to demonstrate that their graduates can pay back their student loans in order to receive federal financial aid.

Voters want to know upfront from a transparency angle what theyre investing inand accountability for when thats not happening, Cecil said.

Jodie Adams Kirshner, a research professor at New York University studying the barriers low-income and minority students face in accessing higher education, said she supports the idea of increased transparency, but stressed that such data must be presented in a way that students can easily parse to help them decide where and what they want to study.

It makes sense to want more data on outcomes. I think the tricky thing is that the American higher ed system is already so complicated and so theres a lot of information that is hard to navigate, even when it comes to what the ultimate price is, she said.

Proponents of postsecondary education may face a timeline in making their case. Though todays voters see value in higher education, the majority of survey respondents65percentpredicted that in the next decade, high schoolers are going to be less interested in pursuing higher education.

That, to me, is an alarm bell for anyone who is an institutional leader or higher education advocate, Cecil said.

Kirshner said that moving forward, she would like to learn more about how the survey respondents defined certain termssuch as value and return on investment (ROI). For example, do they believe colleges produce a good ROI five years past graduation, or over a course of a lifetime?

She said such a distinction can be a major consideration for low-income families, who often dont have the financial flexibility to invest in something that will have a major payoff in a decade, regardless of how good that payoff is.

Its so compelling for people who have immediate, urgent needs [to get] a job that for an 18-year-old looks like its paying wellsomething like 17 dollars an hour at a warehousebut over time, thats not going to be very much, she said.

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Democrats, Republicans say higher education is valuable - Inside Higher Ed

Appearing last week on Morning Joe, Hillary Clinton lamented what she views as the ignorance of students protesting the war in Gaza. The host, Joe Scarborough, asked her about the sort of radicalism that has mainstream students getting propaganda, whether its from their professors or from the Chinese Communist government through TikTok. Ms. Clinton was happy to oblige. I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months, she said. They dont know very much at all about the history of the Middle East or frankly about history in many areas of the world, including in our own country.

Ive taught students at the college level for 12 years, most recently at New York Universitys journalism school. Ive also seen and heard the assumptions made about them by some of their elders administrators, parents and others. So its no surprise now to hear protesters described as spoiled and entitled kids or delicate snowflakes who cower in their safe spaces and dont believe in free speech. Billionaires like Ken Griffin, Bill Ackman and, of course, Donald Trump as entitled as anyone have been particularly vocal in their disdain, calling the students in one instance whiny and demanding that they be punished for protesting. Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, even suggested that TikTok should be banned in part because youre seeing how these kids are being manipulated by certain groups or entities or countries to foment hate on their behalf and really create a hostile environment here in the U.S.

Whether they realize it or not, Ms. Clinton, Mr. Lawler and the rest are engaging in a moral panic about Americas youth that is part of a larger effort to discredit higher education in general. That effort includes fearmongering about diversity programs and critical race theory. But it starts with students.

In the current panic, the protesters are described as somehow both terribly fragile and such a threat to public safety that they need to be confronted by police officers in riot gear. To justify the police departments excessive response at Columbia University, Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry showed Newsmax viewers a large chain and a book with the title Terrorism that had been recovered from one site of protest. The former was a common bike chain Columbia sells to students and the latter was part of Oxford University Presss lovely Very Short Introductions series, which covers topics from animal behavior to Rousseau and black holes.

There are some obvious partisan factors at work here: Staunch support for Israel among Republicans, for instance, and the long-running right-wing insistence that elite universities are liberal indoctrination camps. But recent research reveals a significant generational divide as well. A recent YouGov poll found that 45 percent of people ages 45 to 64 strongly opposed the protests, as did 56 percent of people 65 and older. By comparison, only 12 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds strongly opposed them, and 21 percent of people ages 30 to 44.

Its not just about Gaza; similar age gaps emerged in response to protests after the murder of George Floyd, too. Eighty-seven percent of adults ages 18 to 34 supported the protests in June 2020, according to Gallup, while only 54 percent of adults 65 and older did. And just 3 percent of the older group had participated in the protests, while 26 percent of the younger group had.

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Opinion | Dear Boomers, the Student Protesters Are Not Idiots - The New York Times

Former President Donald Trump relished a very interesting day after his defense team roughed up Michael Cohen, the star witness in the hush money case against the presumptive GOP nominee.

A gag order bars Mr. Trump from talking about witnesses in the case. But he seemed pleased with how the cross-examination of Mr. Cohen, his lawyer-turned-accuser, unfolded on Thursday. He also repeated his belief the case is politically motivated.

That was my crime I won an election I wasnt supposed to win against Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump said, evoking the cases focus on actions near the 2016 election.

He said when he announced his 2024 campaign, it was a hot iron again.

Prosecutors allege Mr. Trump, using Mr. Cohen, paid $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 and then concealed reimbursements to Mr. Cohen in an unlawful manner.

Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.

His attorney, Todd Blanche, cast doubt on the veracity of Mr. Cohens version of events by pointing to an oddity in his testimony about a key phone call with Mr. Trump.

Records suggested the brunt of the call from Mr. Cohen to Mr. Trumps bodyguard, Keith Schiller, focused on a young prankster who called his phone, though Mr. Cohen insists the call included Mr. Trumps approval of the Daniels payment.

I think it was a very interesting day, a fascinating day and it shows what a scam this whole thing is, Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump said the trial and other cases are being rushed to ruin his campaign against President Biden.

You know, theyre trying to rush to get it done before the election so that they can harm me, so they can hurt their political opponent, Mr. Trump said.

Other cases against him may not go to trial before November, though the New York trial could reach a verdict before the month is over, or at least by mid-June.

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Trump: My only crime was beating Hillary Clinton - Washington Times

Last week Hillary Clinton appeared on MSNBC and expressed her opinions regarding the student protests happening around the country in response to the United States backing Israel, even after Israel has committed mass war crimes in the Gaza conflict.

She emphasized that young individuals lack knowledge about Middle Eastern history and many areas of the world [history], including in our own country.

I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months now, Clinton said. They dont know very much at all about the history of the Middle East, or frankly about history, in many areas of the world, including in our own country.

Clinton continued by asserting that the Palestinians would have an independent state if Yasser Arafat, the former leader of the Palestinian Authority, had agreed to a proposal put forth by former President Bill Clinton.

Its one of the great tragedies of history that he was unable to say yes, she said.

Notwithstanding the intricate historical context, there is no justification for Israels commission of war crimes in retaliation against Hamas war crimes.

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of these college protesters are anti-war, not pro-Hamas, as Clinton appears to presume.

Furthermore, Clintons argument remains ambiguous: are we expected to disregard the fact that indiscriminate Israeli bombings have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza and constitute a war crime according to International Humanitarian Law? Right now, experts consider the total death toll in Gaza to be around 35,000.

AIPAC has spent over $60 million since 1998 lobbying both Democrats and Republicans. They spent over three million dollars in 2023 alone lobbying the government to support Israeli.

Mearsheimer, along with Dr. Stephen Walt, wrote a book on this topic called The Israeli Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.

They conclude in their book that the Israel lobby significantly influences U.S. policy in the Middle East. They contend that in the event of a successful lobby, Israel enjoys greater autonomy with the Palestinians, its adversaries are weakened, and the majority of the expenditures, reconstruction efforts, and financial obligations are covered by the United States. They also assert that the lobbys influence impairs the U.S.s relationship with allies and heightens the threat of global jihadist terror, and that its policies are not in the long-term interests of the United States or Israel.

This phenomena is not unique to Israel or Jews it can occur with any country that has domestic lobbying groups within the U.S. that represent it. Money is one of the the most significant factor that influences policy in American politics. The United States campaign finance system is among the most undemocratic in the world; in fact, some political scientists contend that it is an oligarchy ruled by the affluent.

Those with extreme wealth can spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections and politicians, due to Supreme Court cases like Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United v. FEC.

Campaign finance is one of the most logical explanations for Clintons remarks regarding this war.

The actions carried out by Hamas on October 7th were abhorrent and constituted a violation of the laws of war. However, this does not justify Israels acts that violate international humanitarian law by targeting non-combatant individuals. Clinton appears to be unwilling to acknowledge the fact that Israel is violating international human rights laws.

The pervasive impact of lobbying is presumably the rationale behind the unwavering military support of Israel by many political figures on the left and right.

Clinton must be aware that a very large number of people in Gaza were unlawfully killed.

Labeling young anti-war protesters as unintelligent is counterproductive in shaping the perception of Democrats among young individuals.

Furthermore, it is a deceitful ad hominem attack aimed at evading genuine discourse regarding international law.

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Analysis: Out of Touch Hillary Clinton Insults Young Voters - Daily Kos

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who is campaigning for reelection and bringing up his past in the 1990s, repeated on Monday that he was unfairly singled out by former President Bill Clintons Justice Department when he was the CEO of Columbia/Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).

The hospital chain was fined $1.7 billion in Medicare for fraud, which at the time was the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history.

Speaking to reporters in Pinellas County following an event with small businesses, Scott said Monday that the federal government is unfairly going after Donald Trump, saying, I can relate to this. I went through this I was the lead opponent of HillaryCare. HillaryCare was a government takeover of health care. I completely opposed it. I was in the hospital business at the time. She used the the Clinton Justice Department went after me. Now, I think it was wrong, and Ive watched this happen to businesses.

Also, Thats not the way this country should operate, Scott said. This country you should not be worried about your government. So Im very appreciative that [Former President Donald] Trump has been able to stand up for what he believes. Hes fighting for our Constitution. Im going to continue to support him, but this idea of using the court systems, your federal government using your court system to go after political opponents is wrong.

A reporter for the Phoenix then followed up, asking whether the senator was saying that he and Columbia/HCA had been treated unfairly because of his criticism of the Clinton health care plan.

Absolutely, Scott replied.

HillaryCare was the derisive term used by Republicans to oppose the health care reform package proposed by the Bill Clinton administration in 1993. The former president had appointed First Lady Hillary Clinton to lead a task force charged with coming up with a new health care reform plan, but a year later the proposal died in the U.S. Senate. Columbia/HCA was the largest hospital company in the U.S. at the time, and Scott was a leading opponent of the reform plans.

But in 1997, Scott resigned as CEO of Columbia/HCA following allegations of Medicare fraud. In 2000, Scott invoked the 5thAmendment 75 times in a deposition as part of a civil case involving his time leading the company.The company ultimately was fined $1.7 billion, according toPolitiFact.

The issue has been raised by Democrats to hurt Scotts candidacies in all three previous statewide races that hes been engaged in Florida, none of which he has won by more than 1.2 percentage points (that was in 2010, his first run for governor against Alex Sink). In 2018, he defeated Democratic Senate incumbent Bill Nelson by just a little more than 10,000 votes out of more than 8.1 million cast.

In a 2014 gubernatorial debate broadcast on CNN, moderator Jake Tapper asked Scott about a previous comment that he took responsibility for the $1.7 billion Medicare fraud fine. Tapper asked: what was he taking responsibility for?

I could have hired more auditors, Scott said at the time.

One reason perhaps why Scott isnt concerned about bringing up the issue now is that he is in much better political position currently with nearly six months to go before the election compared to his previous campaigns.

Recent polls show him with a comfortable, double-digit lead over his likely Democratic Senate opponent in the fall former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Scott is up 15 points (54%-39%) in a Florida Chamber of Commerce pollpublished last week. AUSA TODAY/Ipsos surveypublished last month had him by 10 points over his Democratic opponent (36%-26%), with 74% of those surveyed admitting that they had never heard of the Democratic candidate.

Those large leads are in part because for the first time since hes run for statewide office, Republicans now outrank Democrats in voter registration. The GOP now has nearly a 900,000 voter-registration lead over Democrats, according to the most recent statistics posted by the states Division of Elections.

Scott was at Ascend Engineering in Largo on Monday, where he launched his Small Businesses for Rick Scott effort. He was joined by dozens of local small business owners and received formal endorsements from the upper crust of the Florida business establishment, including Mark Wilson from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Scott Shalley from the Florida Retail Federation, Walter Carpenter from the National Federation of Independent Businesses in Florida, and Adam Basford, the VP of governmental affairs for Associated Industries of Florida.

Scott says that the Biden administrations Justice Department is persecuting Trump, when in fact it is the District Attorney of Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, who is prosecuting the case. But Scott maintains that because one of the prosecutors in Braggs office was previously a senior official at the U.S. Justice Department, there is a link.

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Sen. Rick Scott again maintains that Clinton DOJ 'went after me' when he led his hospital chain Florida Phoenix - Florida Phoenix