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Kevin Carey

@kevincarey1.bsky.social

4K followers 730 following 630 posts

VP, Education & Work, New America. Writes about education for the New York Times, Atlantic, Vox, etc. I’ve made my mind a sunless space.

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Kevin Carey is an American higher education writer and policy analyst. He serves as Director of the Education Policy Program at New America, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization based in Washington, D.C. He writes regularly on education for The Upshot at the New York Times, and is guest editor of the annual Washington Monthly College Guide. He has taught education policy at Johns Hopkins University, and was a monthly columnist for six years at The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has been described by New York Times Washington columnist David Leonhardt as “one of the sharpest higher education experts out there” and by Washington Post education reporter Jay Mathews as “the best higher education writer in the country.” .. more

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · Jul 29

1/ I wrote for @theatlantic.com about what happened when Trump and Linda McMahon fired half the U.S. Department of Education: Everyone responsible for preventing higher education fraud is now gone. It's open season on students and taxpayers.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

How Trump Defunded the Higher-Education Police

The U.S. Department of Education used to employ people whose job was to stop waste, fraud, and abuse. Now, almost all of their desks are empty.

www.theatlantic.com

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 52m

Unelected billionaire private equity guy says colleges must bend the knee or "they need not accept federal funding."

1) Get bent.
2) It's high time for Congress to regulate your predatory business model out of existence.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o...

Opinion | Academia Is Broken. Trump’s University ‘Compact’ Can Help Fix It.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Mark D. White, Johan P. Olsen, Kevin Carey , and 7 more Mark D. White, Johan P. Olsen, Kevin Carey, Lesley Bartlett, Robert B. Reich, José Antonio Noguera, Noel D. Johnson, Simon Lester, Klaus Oschema, David Darmofal

James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 17h

“I’ll declare war on you if you don’t give me the peace prize” is an incredible bit

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 18h

Re-reading for the first time in full Absolute Edition glory, still one the greatest single issues ever made.

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Sanford F. Schram , and 3 more Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Sanford F. Schram, Kevin Carey, Daniel W. Drezner, Scott A. Imberman

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 18h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer, Joseph Schafer , and 7 more Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer, Joseph Schafer, Kevin Carey, Smith, Alan Richardson, Andrew Jacobs, Scott A. Imberman, Simon Lester, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h

RFK Jr: "Somebody showed me a TikTok video of a pregnant woman at 8 months pregnant -- she's an associate professor at the Columbia Medical School -- and she is saying 'F Trump' and gobbling Tylenol with her baby in her placenta. The level of Trump Derangement Syndrome is now a pathology."

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Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Kevin Carey

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

ICE is not only chasing down every random brown person in Chicago, they have a cameraman following them to film this for social media. Cruelty and inhumanity as content.

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Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Kevin Carey

Reposted by Kevin Carey, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman , and 3 more Kevin Carey, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman, Michael D. McDonald, Ryan Calo, David Darmofal

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 2d

“Who was president in 2020?” is the question of our time

Senator Jim Banks V
@SenatorBanks
Follow g..
The 2020 Census was a fraud. The Biden admin used a shady "privacy" formula that scrambled the data and miscounted 14 states.
It included illegal immigrants and handed
Democrats extra seats. Americans deserve a fair count and l'm fighting to fix it.
Zinited Statcs SScnate
MASHNORON DEYNN
October 6, 2025
an. Thow arewutn
Socretary
U.S. Department of Commerce Washington, DXC 20230
Dear Secretary Lutaick:
I urge you to investigate and correct erroes from the 2020 Census that handed disproportionntd political power to Democrats and illogal alicns. The Census Burcau adoptod a now and opaque
voting districts. As preparod by the Biden administration, the 2020 Censas roports miscountod the population of fourteen states, ' wrongly allocating six congressional scats aod Electoral
xx conwuu tmora uy, toc taroro tu mot đoo tnn Cunu lc pung t imber of votine districts. And the reoorts de aniovety inchaded ilecnl nhens widhout track those aliens' citiz enship status, If left uncorrected, these erroes will coetinue diluting the political power of American citizens.
Consus data plays a crucial role in allocating political roprescntation and goverment funding
Under the Constitution, cach state gets Congressional represcotutives and Electoeal College votes- based on "the whole number of persons" within the state." The number of persoes is in
tum clabaabod by a consttubocalty-mandalcd dcccacaal ccavas. Pcual agcco nely on census data to allocate billions of dollars in federal funding, much of which hinges ee opulation. And states use consus data to deaw congrossicnal and voting districts, »hich the
The it eiy of tie soaren alie n tor dur at ce hor inc ae oam toy ee n
nght wilbout statsica ly signilicant ciroo.
Diffcrcntial privacy is opaque and liable to mistakcn count totals. Sure cnough, the 2020 Ccnsus ovarocunted the noculation in cicht states and undercounted it in six." Tihe most extrcmi andercount was Arkansas, at 5.04%, and the larg…

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Reposted by David Passmore, Kevin Carey, Gerald Friedman , and 4 more David Passmore, Kevin Carey, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Erin O’Donnell, Ann Bartow, Greg Linden

Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 2d

This is Adelita Grijalva.

She was elected to Congress two weeks ago, officially making her the final vote needed to force the release of the Epstein files.

She has still not been sworn in because Mike Johnson refuses to do so.

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 3d

It describes the compact as a "Mafia protection racket" and a "shakedown."

Reposted by Kevin Carey

Sarah Carr @sarahelizcarr.bsky.social · 4d

My latest: Why early interventionists -- who provide critical therapies and care for developmentally disabled babies and toddlers -- may be the only professionals in America who haven't gotten an absolute pay raise in 30 years: www.the74million.org/zero2eight/3...

30 Years Without a Real Raise: New York’s Early Intervention Pay Crisis

New York’s early intervention providers haven’t seen a substantive raise in three decades — and vulnerable young children are losing out.

www.the74million.org

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 4d

The compact defines "benefits" as access to loans, grants, and contracts, research funding, student visas, and preferential treatment by the tax code. It then says "Institutions..are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits."

Reposted by Kevin Carey

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 5d

Donald Trump is offering nine universities funding if they sign a compact that’s a “complete adoption of the MAGA high-education agenda,” Kevin Carey writes. The document is “shot through with the tensions that mark Trumpism in its latest form”:

A Deal That Would End Universities’ Independence

The free-speech provisions of the so-called compact are an exercise in contradiction.

bit.ly

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Daniel Connerton @lordnad.bsky.social · 5d

@govpritzker.illinois.gov

37 and Kedzie, East Garfield, Illinois.

This is assault.

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 6d

In a just and normal world, billionaires with opinions about restructuring all of American higher education would be not-so-politely told to pipe down and go back to Wall Street. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...

The Billionaire Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Laia Balcells, David W. Kerstetter, Kevin Carey

Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 6d

“The administration is inviting universities to voluntarily put on a yoke and hand it the keys.“

From @kevincarey1.bsky.social: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

A Deal That Would End Universities’ Independence

The free-speech provisions of the so-called compact are an exercise in contradiction.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Sean P. Corcoran

Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 6d

I wrote about Trump’s new higher education “compact” for @theatlantic.com. It’s bad!

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

A Deal That Would End Universities’ Independence

The free-speech provisions of the so-called compact are an exercise in contradiction.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Kevin Carey, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 7d

Setting aside the philosophical questions about the relationship between higher ed and democracy, accepting this compact is to accept lies about the history of higher education. I wrote a whole book about it. adamhsays.substack.com/p/a-raw-new-...

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Reposted by Kevin Carey

Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 7d

The Trump administration compact with higher education turns a manifesto of conservative grievances into policy, sprinkled with cost-cutting measures, and violates the very principles it claims to protect. I wrote about it here. It's free: adamhsays.substack.com/p/a-raw-new-...

A Raw New Deal

The administration’s proposed compact would seek to remake higher education in its own image

adamhsays.substack.com

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Reposted by Kevin Carey, Rebecca Tushnet

Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 7d

I also noted to Inside Higher Ed that the compact may be a bigger deal than individual campus settlements. The government could easily declare signatories out of compliance and use the arrangement to punish whole universities, specific programs, or individual faculty members.

White House Floats Compact for Preferential Treatment

Advocates condemned the proposal, which asked nine universities to overhaul admissions, hiring and speech policies and to suppress criticism of conservatives in exchange for more federal money.

www.insidehighered.com

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Reposted by Kevin Carey

Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 7d

I went to pull up a list of land-grant universities...and was greeted by the following statement on the USDA website. This isn't a typical government shutdown.

A disclaimer saying "Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people."

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Menzie Chinn, Will Jennings , and 11 more Anna O. Law, Menzie Chinn, Will Jennings, Tom Clark, Robert W. Wallace, Michael A. Clemens, Kevin Carey, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Dean Eckles, Greg Linden, David Gamage, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 8d

What DHS pulled in Chicago on Tuesday is wildly unconstitutional. They smashed down almost every door in the building, dragged entire families into the street, and detained people for hours ("Kavanaugh stops").

Ms. Fisher was held for five hours and another senior citizen was held for three hours.

Rodrick Johnson, 67, is one of many residents who were detained by federal agents during the South Shore raid. A U.S. citizen, he said agents broke through his door and dragged him out in zip ties.

Johnson said he was left tied up outside the building for nearly three hours before agents finally let him go.

“I asked [agents] why they were holding me if I was an American citizen, and they said I had to wait until they looked me up,” Jones said. “I asked if they had a warrant, and I asked for a lawyer. They never brought one.”

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Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Mark Rice

Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

It was obvious from the start that turning over a public institution of higher education to dimwit ideologues would end in tears. These people are a bunch of incompetents who can't do anything but tweet.

www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Spending Soars, Rankings Fall at New College of Florida

Student outcomes and rankings are slipping at the liberal arts college while spending is up. Critics believe the college is at risk of implosion, and some are calling for privatization.

www.insidehighered.com

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Reposted by Kevin Carey, Nelson Flores

Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 9d

After increasing spending to $134,000 per student (!!!) and facing retention problems, the New College of Florida is apparently having discussions about privatization or closure after DeSantis leaves office.

Spending Soars, Rankings Fall at New College of Florida

Student outcomes and rankings are slipping at the liberal arts college while spending is up. Critics believe the college is at risk of implosion, and some are calling for privatization.

www.insidehighered.com

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

I hear you but hope we don't have to maintain public services that grossly advantage the rich in order to keep the rich from exiting the public sphere altogether.

Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

9/ Many of these rich and poor districts are *right next to one another,* as the report below shows.

This is not a matter of moving students or money over long distances. It's about making a foundational public service fair for everyone, at the local level.

www.newamerica.org/education-po...

Segregation and Resource Inequality Between America's School Districts

In America, it’s not uncommon for children living just one mile apart to experience radically different educational outcomes. Why? Historic segregation.

www.newamerica.org

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

8/ Unequal school districts don't just reinforce inequality -- they accelerate it. Rich people buy their way into expensive, property-rich districts, generating more money for better schools, which in turn drives up prices. For poor districts, the cycle runs in the opposite direction.

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

7/ School district boundaries might seem permanent and unchangeable, but they're not. In 1940, America had 117,000 school districts, for less than half as many students as we have today. Decades of consolidation followed, often in ways that were deliberately discriminatory.

Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

6/ Our interactive web tool lets you select any state and compare the current district map to three alternatives: A completely new map with all-new boundaries, a map that improves equality by consolidating existing districts, and a map that uses county boundaries.

redrawingthelinesmap.org

Redrawing the Lines

redrawingthelinesmap.org

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 9d

5/ Just by changing the school district boundaries, Iowa could achieve 82% more tax wealth equality between districts, 58% more racial integration, and 77% better economic integration.

That's without any students changing where they go to school.

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