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COMMENTARY: Teachers union brainwashing. 1 hour, 56 minutes ago by Betsy McCaughey, Creators Syndicate It's time to go to war to stop teachers unions from brainwashing its kids. Here's the latest red warning flag: The American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and other K-12 education unions are trying to take control of the AI-generated material students see. The unions are collaborating with giant AI providers like Microsoft and Anthropic, who are footing the bill for nationwide programs to train teachers on using AI in the classroom. Sounds at first like a win-win: more resources for students, and access to the next generation of customers for Microsoft and other AI providers. But the dirty secret, alleges a new research report from the watchdog group Defending Education, is that the unions want to alter the answers AI produces to ensure students are seeing not what is factually most accurate but instead what is politically correct. The AFT is launching a nationwide training program for 10 percent of its teachers, paid for with $12.5 million from Microsoft and smaller grants from other AI companies. Defending Education claims that the plan includes embedding diversity, equity and inclusion ideology into the AI programs. The rationale is that this step must be taken because AI, having been designed by mostly white and Asian males, is biased. Similarly, according to the Defending Education expose, the NEA mandates that local school boards integrate DEI into their AI programs. The unions call the changes to AI "guardrails." In truth, unions want to block students from seeing actual, un-doctored facts about anything. Their mission is to indoctrinate, not educate. That misguided mission is largely to blame for the past decade of drastic learning loss in K-12 schools. Too much indoctrination, too little emphasis on the basics of math and reading. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that test scores on reading and math have steadily declined since 2013. It's a bad omen for its country. Parents and the public need to respond to this threat immediately, demanding that AI providers not sell out to the leftwing goals of the unions in exchange for more business. Corrupting AI fits into a dangerous pattern of union-sponsored K-12 indoctrination. Two months ago, the NEA launched its May Day 2026 toolkit for teachers, striking the theme "Workers Over Billionaires" and calling for a day with "no work, no school, no shopping." This is a holiday commemorated in communist countries. It doesn't belong in American classrooms. Days after launching his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to halt federal funding going for schools that promote gender indoctrination, leftwing brainwashing and DEI. To accomplish the same goal, on May 17, the House passed the "Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act," and a similar bill is now moving through the Senate. Halting federal funding will help, but the fight has to be waged state by state, school district by school district. It will be toughest in the 12 states where, according to a new Fordham University ranking, teachers unions hold the tightest grip on state government - Vermont, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Oregon, Illinois, Rhode Island, Alaska, New York, Minnesota and Connecticut. In nearly all of these, Democrats control the governor's office and both legislative houses. Unions' right to organize is protected by the First Amendment. But lawmakers in red or purple states can trim union power by passing state laws that limit what is bargained collectively, taking teacher promotions, performance evaluations, automatic dues collection and curriculum off the table, like Wisconsin did under former Gov. Scott Walker. That's a blueprint for red and purple states. Lawmakers in these states should also ensure maximum competition with union-run schools by eliminating caps on charter schools, something New York Gov. and union sycophant Kathy Hochul refuses to do. In New York, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman pledges to get "back to the basics," support parental rights and eliminate the Board of Regents, a statewide appointed body under the control of the state legislature. All good ideas. But the most promising battle strategy in deep-blue states is local. It starts with dispelling the myth that school board elections are nonpartisan contests over what's best for its kids. Truth is, they are power struggles dominated by the unions, which put up candidates without identifying them as union toadies and win 70% of the time in a typical state (90% of the time in New York state). School boards are the most powerful decision-makers over school curriculum. Republicans and other school reformers should intrude on these quiet, usually off-year local elections, back real reformers and expose the union shills for who they are. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pursued this strategy with considerable success. Diminishing union power over what its children are taught is no small feat, but if News Tribune Co. care about the future of its nation and its own kids, News Tribune Co. has no choice but to fight. Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York state and chairman & founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths at www.hospitalinfection.org. Follow her on X.com @Betsy_McCaughey.

Princess Moss elected NEA president with votes from 50% of assembly members. The former music teacher, who previously served as the union's vice president, narrowly avoided a run-off in July 5 election. July 6, 2026 Princess Moss was elected president of the National Education Association during its annual representative assembly on Sunday. She was previously vice president of the nation's largest teachers union and a music teacher from Louisa County, Virginia. Moss won the election with 50.3% of votes from a delegate assembly of nearly 6,000 members, according to the union. She narrowly avoided a run-off with Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, who received 31.2% of votes. Moss is the successor to Becky Pringle, who was president for two three-year terms and was unable to run again because of term limits. Sean Spiller, former president of the New Jersey Education Association and a past candidate for governor, received 17.4% of votes, while Tania Kappner, an Oakland Unified School District teacher, secured 0.94%. "Together, we will continue fighting for the resources, respect and professional voice educators deserve because when we invest in public education, we invest in the future of every student," Moss said in a statement. "I look forward to building on our union's proud legacy and working alongside our members to ensure every student, in every zip code, has access to a high-quality public education." Noel Candelaria, a special education teacher from El Paso, Texas, was elected vice president after serving as the union's secretary-treasurer. Robert Varela Rodriguez was elected secretary-treasurer. He previously taught special ed in California's San Bernardino City Unified School District before serving on the NEA's executive committee and board of directors. NEA's new leadership will take office Sept. 1, according to the union. Did you use this article in your work? We'd love to hear how The 74's reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us how

Federal Civil Rights investigation opened into American Psychological Association over alleged anti-semitic discrimination. Investigation follows Brandeis Center complaint alleging that the APA promoted anti-Semitic discrimination, marginalized Jewish and Israeli psychologists, and permitted the use of federally funded programs and professional platforms to advance discriminatory practices and anti-Israel advocacy Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the American Psychological Association (APA) following a complaint filed by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law alleging anti-Semitic discrimination within the nation's largest professional organization for psychologists. The investigation comes amid heightened concerns about anti-Semitism in the mental health profession, raised by Brandeis Center Chairman and CEO Kenneth L. Marcus in a USA Today op-ed last July and Litigation Staff Attorney Deena Margolis during a congressional hearing in May, which brought to light reports that Jewish and Israeli psychologists have faced exclusion, hostility, and discrimination in professional and clinical settings. The Brandeis Center urges HHS to review the APA's conduct as a recipient of federal funding, citing evidence that the organization promoted discriminatory and anti-Semitic practices, including "Decolonial Therapy," a treatment model increasingly used to frame Zionism as a mental illness and encourage patients to reject it; anti-Israel and anti-Semitic messaging disseminated through official channels; anti-Semitic continuing education and conference programming; and the marginalization of Jewish and Israeli psychologists. The complaints also allege that the APA tolerated harassment of Jewish members, questioned the legitimacy of recognizing Jews as an ethnic group, and ignored recommendations from its own anti-Semitism task force. The Brandeis Center's submissions documented reports from Jewish and Israeli psychologists who described being ostracized, marginalized, and subjected to hostility within APA-affiliated spaces. They also cited continuing education courses, conference presentations, organizational statements, listserv communications, and leadership actions that allegedly promoted anti-Semitic narratives or excluded Jewish viewpoints. In a June 2 letter to the Brandeis Center, OCR stated that it had determined there was sufficient authority and cause to investigate whether the APA engaged in discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The federal investigation marks a significant development in efforts to address rising anti-Semitism in healthcare and mental health settings and is believed to be the first HHS investigation arising from a Brandeis Center complaint alleging anti-Semitic discrimination within a major healthcare professional association. "The mental health profession is built on trust, ethics, and a commitment to do no harm," said Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Office for Civil Rights during two administrations. "When one of the nation's most influential psychological organizations permits anti-Semitic discrimination and marginalizes Jewish professionals, federal civil rights scrutiny is entirely appropriate. We commend HHS for taking these allegations seriously and investigating whether federal law has been violated." The APA receives federal funding through grants, fellowships, research contracts, and other programs. Under federal law, recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The Brandeis Center has been at the forefront of efforts to combat anti-Semitism in professional organizations, workplaces, and educational institutions. Recently, the organization filed a federal charge against the National Education Association (NEA) alleging anti-Semitic discrimination against Jewish educators, secured major settlements with UC Berkeley, Pomona College, the Nysmith School, and the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, and reached precedent-setting agreements with Harvard University and Unilever over Ben & Jerry's attempt to boycott Israel, marking one of the largest defeats for the BDS movement. About The Brandeis Center The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit corporation established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. LDB engages in research, education, and legal advocacy to combat the resurgence of anti-Semitism on college and university campuses, in the workplace, and elsewhere. It also empowers students by training them to understand their legal rights and educates administrators and employers on best practices to combat anti-Semitism. The Brandeis Center is not affiliated with the Massachusetts university, the Kentucky law school, or any of the other institutions that share the name and honor the memory of the late U.S. Supreme Court justice.