Monday, June 9, 2025

The New York State Education Department has rejected the Trump administration’s demand that a ban on Native American mascots be reversed, challenging the federal government’s interpretation of civil rights law. The New York Times reports that President Donald Trump recently accused New York of illegal discrimination, condemning a state requirement that strips funding from school districts that appropriate Native culture in sports teams and other activities. President Trump has shown support for parents in Massapequa, a community on Long Island’s South Shore, that protested a ban on the district’s “Chiefs” logo and moniker. Trump then ordered New York to allow all school districts to choose their own mascots. But the state’s education department shot back in a letter, that the Trump Administration’s determination was based on “internally inconsistent arguments.” The ban has been in place for two years, and follows many tribe’s complaints that Native mascots are derogatory, inaccurate, and harmful. New York’s schools also rebuked the White House when it demanded that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs be ceased or face defunding. The New York Education Department’s letter also questioned the Trump administration’s involvement in a state issue, adding that a federal court in Brooklyn has previous rejected challenges to the Native mascot ban. Four Corners Power Plant. (Public domain) Last week, the Interior Department announced more than $119 million meant to aid communities reclaiming abandoned coal mines – part of President Trump’s agenda to achieve American energy dominance. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, two tribes were named as grant recipients. The Navajo Nation and Crow Tribe of Montana are among 24 coal producing states getting federal dollars, including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Despite diversifying and transitioning to some sources of renewable energy like solar, the Navajo Nation still heavily depends on coal to fuel its economy. Four Corners Power Plant solely relies on coal coming from the Navajo Mine in New Mexico. It produces almost 5,000.000 tons of coal annually, generating over a third of the tribe’s general fund. (Courtesy Oregon State University) A new species of bacteria that conducts electricity has been found on the Oregon Coast. Scientists have named it for the Native Americans who historically lived there. The bacteria was found in a mud flat in the Yaquina Bay estuary, and has been deemed Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensi. The original people’s descendants are now part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, who helped the researchers come up with the name. Cheng Li was a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University during the research. The rod-shaped cells that make up this form of “cable” bacteria have filaments that have electrical conductivity that help optimize their metabolic processes in the muck. “The cable bacteria are able to oxidize sulfide and channeling electrons along themselves conducting like wires, and then go to the surface of the sediment and reduce oxygen. Kind of connecting the two parts together by using electrical currents, so that’s why I think is super cool, and then they’re ecologically important to the environment.” Li says it’s important to honor the original inhabitants of the land where this bacteria was found. “So I think that history, it’s really rich, and should be preserved and telling people what had happened. And I think especially more important nowadays, because we’re facing some unforeseen drawbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.” The findings are published in the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.