November 14, 2016

No Mr. Trump, You Don’t Have To Fill Your White House with Lobbyists

trump60

Candidate Donald Trump pledged to “drain the swamp” in corrupt Washington DC.  But immediately after the election, he moved to pick out his transition team and Cabinet short-list from some Binders Full of Lobbyists — a collection of paid advocates for banks, oil companies, junk food, and cable TV providers. Pressed on this contradiction by Lesley Stahl
Continue Reading >>>

November 11, 2016

The Trump Swamp: Government By The Lobbyists

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-11-26-17-am

As we walked down my Washington DC block on election eve, before the returns starting coming in, a stranger in a darkened doorway suddenly addressed me and my friends. “Are you ready,” he asked tauntingly, “to drain the swamp?” A few hours later, the remark seemed ominous. But of course, just days after, it has proved to be
Continue Reading >>>

November 4, 2016

Where is the National Black Chamber of Commerce getting its money to attack solar power in Florida? And is it breaking the law?

alford_550-300x178

The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has been part of the utility-funded Consumers for Smart Solar ballot measure – Amendment 1 – since the early days of the campaign. The organization has extended its support in the press, on social media, and the organization’s logo is featured prominently on the endorsements page of the
Continue Reading >>>

September 23, 2016

Devastating Reports: ITT Tech Killed Itself

modanyTV

Two new reports — one from a journalist, the other from an investment research firm — confirm in stark terms that former ITT Tech CEO Kevin Modany, his top lieutenants, and the company’s board of directors have only themselves to blame for the company’s collapse. ITT shut its campuses and declared bankruptcy after the U.S. Department
Continue Reading >>>

September 21, 2016

Leaked Powell Emails Detail Ties to Key For-Profit College Investor

powell-leeds

The hacked emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell have been widely noted because of Powell’s candid remarks about topics including Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and nuclear weapons. But Republic Report is intrigued by a series of exchanges about the for-profit college industry between Powell and Jeffrey Leeds, a key private equity investor in, and advocate
Continue Reading >>>

September 21, 2016

New CEO Says DeVry Is Seeking to Resolve Deception Charges

lisawardell2

Lisa Wardell, who joined DeVry Education Group as CEO on May 24, says the for-profit college company is “working to resolve” claims made in a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission that DeVry misled students about job placement rates and salaries for its schools’ graduates. In an interview with Republic Report yesterday, Wardell maintained DeVry’s prior position that it
Continue Reading >>>

September 6, 2016

Good Riddance: 6 Facts About Shut-Down ITT Tech

ITTbldg

This morning, one of the nation’s biggest for-profit colleges, ITT Tech, announced that it has permanently shut down its academic operations and fired the “overwhelming majority” of its more than 8,000 employees. In a typically self-pitying, remorseless statement, the company blamed all its woes on the U.S. Department of Education, which, ITT claimed, acted with “a
Continue Reading >>>

August 1, 2016

Obama’s Last Chance to Protect Students & Taxpayers From Predatory Colleges

ObamaFtStewart

This is the comment (pdf) I submitted today to the Department of Education regarding new rules aimed at protecting students and taxpayers from deceptive practices and other abuses by unscrupulous colleges.   Secretary John B. King, Jr. ,U.S. Department of Education   Re: Docket ID ED-2015-OPE-0103 Dear Secretary King: I thank you and the Department
Continue Reading >>>