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Chapter 1: What cabinet positions did President-elect Trump announce?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. After a weekend whirl of announcements, plans for the incoming presidential cabinet are now complete. NPR's Amy Held reports President-elect Donald Trump named nine picks on Friday.
Trump's announcement Saturday of longtime aide and ally Brooke Rollins as Agriculture Secretary rounds out his selections of executive branch department heads. The Republican-controlled Senate begins the confirmation process early next year. Trump's choices, charged with the nation's health, defense, education, and more, share some common threads.
Fierce loyalists, some with tons of TV experience, but not much related to the top jobs. Trump campaigned on promises to shake up government bureaucracy. His transition so far is behind on its paperwork. still unsigned, documents that would show which interest groups or wealthy donors may be contributing, and allow his cabinet picks to get FBI background checks. Amy Held, NPR News.
Chapter 2: What are the implications of school choice initiatives?
Supporters of so-called school choice put ballot initiatives before voters in three states this month. Kentucky Public Radio's Sylvia Goodman reports 65 percent of voters said no to sending tax dollars to private or charter schools.
Kentucky teacher unions and rural voters were worried the measure could lead to the defunding of public schools, especially where private schools are rare. And in urban areas, some voters say they want to fix the existing system before investing in a new one. But University of Arkansas education policy professor Patrick Wolf says he expects private school choice advocacy to continue.
Chapter 3: How did voters respond to school choice measures?
It seems like it's inevitable, right? Because right now you're a school choice donut hole. So you're sort of an island of no choice in a sea of school choice.
Nearly every state border in Kentucky has some way to help parents pay for private school tuition. For NPR News, I'm Sylvia Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky.
Contentious negotiations at the climate conference in Azerbaijan ended this weekend with wealthy countries agreeing to triple a previous pledge to help developing nations cope with a hotter climate. NPR's Jeff Brady reports many of those developing countries are not happy.
Chapter 4: What happened at the climate conference in Azerbaijan?
Under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, rich countries that mostly created climate change by burning fossil fuels agreed to pay developing nations that are disproportionately suffering the consequences. India's representative called the $300 billion a year by 2035 a paltry sum considering the damage.
Chapter 5: How are developing nations reacting to climate aid pledges?
Chandni Raina said her country was not even allowed to make a statement before the decision was finalized.
We are extremely disappointed with this incident.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to pull the U.S. from the U.N. climate accord for a second time. Jeff Brady, NPR News.
This is NPR. There's new research on the benefits that come when child care workers are paid better. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports it comes from a program that aims to pay child care workers wages comparable to public school teachers.
Through a tax hike on the wealthy, the District of Columbia has been supplementing the wages of early childhood educators. On average, childcare teachers got a pay raise of $10,000 last year. And that's not all. Owen Chauchet, a researcher at Mathematica, found the program led to a nearly 7% increase in childcare employment. More teachers mean... More slots.
More children served.
And the quality of care has improved as turnover has fallen and experienced teachers have stayed on the job.
They're considerable benefits to society.
Chauchet acknowledges the cost of the program is high at $54 million last year, but working with an economist, he found the return on investment was also high at 23%. Andrea Hsu in PR News.
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