By Brian Lyman | Editor
Good morning. Let’s jump in.
An adolescent girl uses an AI application on her phone. (Getty Images)
EDUCATION
By Andrea Tinker
A state commission Tuesday heard testimony on developing best practices for the use of screens in classrooms. The Commission on Screen-Based Instruction, formed after several efforts this spring to limit screentime in the state’s classrooms, heard about the results of a small survey of K-12 teachers on screen use and discussions of terminology around artificial intelligence, which one presenter said remain hazy.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 21, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
DC BUREAU
By Jennifer Shutt
A Congressional Budget Office report Tuesday found that the war in Iran has cost $40 billion and will continue to cost taxpayers $2 billion to $3 billion a month. The bombing campaign has also significantly reduced American weapons stockpiles, particularly missile defense interceptors. CBO also expects the war to raise inflation by 0.5 percentage points in the first half of next year, due to increases in energy prices caused by the war.
Students head into a New Jersey high school this month on the first day of classes. (Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)
EDUCATION
By Robbie Sequeira, Stateline
Declining birthrates mean fewer students, which means many school districts around the country are grappling with closing and merging schools. More than 1,000 schools nationwide closed nationwide in the 2025-26 school year, the fourth straight year school closures have gone up. Keeping schools open can be costly for districts, but closing them can mean losing a neighborhood hub for community services.
ICYMI
FBI’s Patel dodges questions on election interference at rambunctious US Senate hearing | Ashley Murray, DC Bureau
Census data shows US poverty rate drops to lowest on record, but experts are cautious | Nada Hassanein, Stateline
Past secretaries, union leader call for probe into Education Department slashing | Shauneen Miranda, DC Bureau
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