US President Donald Trump is seen as backing a campaign to discredit and undermine the Chicago Teachers Union, one of the largest and most politically active public worker unions in the country. The union's president, Stacy Davis Gates, who is Black, has been a vocal critic of the administration's deportation policies and has worked to support working families, including those affected by immigration actions.
A Department of Labor audit, requested by House Republicans, is seen as part of this campaign to discredit the Chicago Teachers Union. The union fears that the audits could be used by right-wing groups, such as the Illinois Policy Institute, to launch a public attack on the organization.
The union has shared its independent auditors' reports from 2018 to 2024 with journalists and says it is more transparent than the organizations accusing it of malfeasance. The audit's timing raised suspicion within the union and outside experts.
In an effort to silence critics, corporations have been buying up media outlets and rebuilding the information environment according to their own interests. As a result, news outlets that challenge Trump have been put under investigation or silenced.
A Department of Labor audit, requested by House Republicans, is seen as part of this campaign to discredit the Chicago Teachers Union. The union fears that the audits could be used by right-wing groups, such as the Illinois Policy Institute, to launch a public attack on the organization.
The union has shared its independent auditors' reports from 2018 to 2024 with journalists and says it is more transparent than the organizations accusing it of malfeasance. The audit's timing raised suspicion within the union and outside experts.
In an effort to silence critics, corporations have been buying up media outlets and rebuilding the information environment according to their own interests. As a result, news outlets that challenge Trump have been put under investigation or silenced.