News Wrap: Civil rights, special education oversight shifted from Department of Education

Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/news-wrap-civil-rights-special-education-oversight-shifted-from-department-of-education Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio In our news wrap Tuesday, the Trump administration is taking additional steps to dismantle the Department of Education by moving two high-profile functions out of the agency, crews are making progress to contain a wildfire that broke out in the Los Angeles area and British officials are investigating reports that a Russian warship fired warning shots at a UK-registered civilian yacht. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Amna Nawaz: In the day's other headlines: The Trump administration is taking additional steps to dismantle the Department of Education by moving two high-profile functions out of the agency. The Justice Department will take over the enforcement of civil rights and education, while the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education. The secretary of education, Linda McMahon, says the changes better align the needs of certain students with the relevant federal agencies. Critics warn that the changes will undermine efforts to protect students, especially minorities, those with disabilities, and others. Washington, D.C.'s newly renovated Reflecting Pool is suffering from an old problem, algae. National Park Service workers were seen this morning dumping hydrogen peroxide to combat the issue. Observers have noted that the famous pool looks rather green, as opposed to the American flag blue that President Trump had promised. The $14 million project is part of a cleanup effort of the nation's capital, as the country marks 250 years of independents. Some visitors have questioned whether keeping the pool blue is realistic. Patrick Hicks, Florida Resident: I think it's an impossible task to actually expect that to be blue and stay blue. I don't think you can fight Mother Nature. And the nature of this pool, any time you have an environment that big, that's like cleaning a lake. Amna Nawaz: The Interior Department has claimed in recent days that a new water treatment system would help address the algae problem. A spokesperson has been quoted as saying -- quote -- "The algae is dead and being vacuumed up as we speak." In California, crews are making progress to contain a wildfire that broke out yesterday in the greater Los Angeles area. Closures were lifted this morning on a nearby freeway seen here behind a haze of smoke. It was shut down when the Shore Fire quickly expanded to more than 2,000 acres overnight, leading to evacuation orders that are largely still in place. As of this afternoon, the blaze was 25 percent contained and no injuries have been reported. The cause is under investigation. British officials are investigating reports that a Russian warship fired