In today’s newsletter: A law enforcement overhaul led by Stephen Miller; the AI tool DOGE is using to cancel contracts; the cost of Chicago’s nearly empty schools; and more from our newsroom.
Experts who reviewed the model’s underlying instructions and code for ProPublica found numerous and troubling flaws in the system, providing a disturbing glimpse into how the Trump administration is allowing AI to guide critical cuts in services.
Following our investigation, a trio of lawmakers demanded transparency from the VA, saying the administration continues to “stonewall” requests for details on the agency’s recent cancellation of hundreds of service contracts.
The VA is standing behind its use of AI to examine contracts, calling it a “commonsense precedent.” An agency spokesperson said final decisions to cancel or reduce the size of contracts are made after multiple reviews by VA employees.
Cost per student to run the 28-student Frederick Douglass Academy High School in the Chicago Public Schools system. The district operates more than 500 schools and spends about $18,700 per student to run buildings that it considers well-utilized, but an investigation by ProPublica and Chalkbeat found that declining school enrollment has left 30% of Chicago public schools at least half-empty. The city’s failure to address this problem has come at a high cost to the district — and its students.
The outgoing district CEO Pedro Martinez said Chicago has too many schools for the number of students it serves today, but he said he inherited a closure moratorium and worked with school boards that had no appetite for closing or merging schools. The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
