Ties to Terror
What to know: Texas officials have ordered a Muslim university in Dallas to immediately cease all operations. Texas American Muslim University at Dallas has been offering degree programs without authorization.
The TPPF take: It’s worse than that; the “school” has ties to terror.
“TexAM’s fiscal sponsor, Mercy Without Limits (MWL), has long been closely involved with supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States, an international franchise of Islamist movements, whose branches the state of Texas and the federal government have designated as terrorist organizations,” says TPPF’s Sam Westrop. “MWL chairman Mohamad Albadawi is chairman of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood-established Muslim American Society, described by federal prosecutors as the ‘overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America,’ and with which MWL has a long-standing partnership.”
For more on TexAM and Islamist extremism, click here.
Baby Blues
What to know: Kansas is among a growing number of states that is seeking to mandate child support from conception of a baby, rather than the birth.
The TPPF take: Fatherhood begins at conception.
“The conversation around fatherhood tends to start at the birth certificate,” says TPPF’s Hannah Bruck. “That includes child support orders and enforcement mechanisms. That architecture matters. But it starts nine months too late. A Texas single mother with one infant can expect to spend nearly half her annual income on base costs and childcare alone in her child’s first years of life.”
For more on fatherhood, click here.
A Higher Education
What to know: The Trump administration’s Department of Education has issued a new rule for colleges and universities: If graduates of an undergraduate program don’t earn as much as a high school graduate, then that college will no longer be eligible for federal student loans.
The TPPF take: It’s about time.
“The Wall Street Journal did an analysis recently showing how student loans have bankrupted an entire generation,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “Though Millennials often complain that Boomers had an easier time coming up economically than they do, the data show their wage and employment opportunities were about the same. What is holding many back from advancing to financial stability is massive student loan debt. Texas is way ahead on this.”
For more on higher education, click here.