While much of the world is focused
on which nuclear conflict will destroy it,
back here in the U.S.,
the president's cabinet is forging ahead.
Just look at Betsy DeVos,
secretary of education and the stepmom
who definitely killed the original mom.
DeVos has been criticized for not doing more
to support struggling schools.
The good news is she's finally stepping up
to provide some help.
The bad news is it's to the wrong schools.
REPORTER: The Education Department is unwinding
the unit investigating fraud at for-profit colleges.
Members of that team have reportedly been marginalized
or reassigned.
It has effectively killed investigations
into possible fraudulent activities
at several large for-profit colleges.
These are schools that allegedly were misrepresenting
their enrollment benefits, job placement rates,
and program offerings,
often leaving students with big debts and no degrees.
So Betsy DeVos is stopping the people
who are stopping the fraud.
She's like a reverse superhero, you know?
Flies into a bank robbery to help the robbers.
"Stop right there, thieves!
"You need to turn it this way to open the vault!
"There you go, and kill that woman with the baby.
She saw your faces!"
Now, if you're not familiar with for-profit colleges,
they're the shady schools whose ads you probably know from TV.
I love learning new things in my pajamas,
and I'm not the only one.
Every day, thousands of people go to college online
in their pajamas and never leave home.
♪ I say ICDC, I'm so ICDC ♪
♪ College, college. ♪
Hi. I'm Percy Miller, also known as Master P.
The key to suh-sess starts by getting a solid education.
I set goals,
built my empire, enjoy suh-sess and live the life I wanted
because I made education a top priority.
Ah, yes. Nothing says "education"
like not being able to pronounce the word "suh-sess."
(laughter)
How are you ignoring the "C" in suh-sess
when you're standing right on top of it?!
(laughter)
But despite what Master P says,
many of these for-profit schools are allegedly scams.
You see, they put students into deep debt, right,
without teaching them useful skills
or training them for good jobs.
And thanks to government investigations,
we've learned just how false their advertising actually is.
WOMAN: The Federal Trade Commission says
DeVry University deceived students
about their chances of getting a job
and increasing their income after graduation.
MAN: The Education Management Corporation claims job success
for this fashion marketing grad,
this accounting major and this business grad.
EDMC's own documents show this one is actually working
for minimum wage selling shoes.
One works at McDonald's, the other a janitor.
Now that's not right.
An accounting major working as a McDonald's cashier.
That's not right.
He's stealing jobs from English majors.
(laughter)
And look, and look, don't get me wrong.
There's no shame in being a McDonald's cashier.
I just think if you go $100,000 in debt, you want a job
that offers you a greater level of financial suh-sess. Now...
(laughter)
...the Obama administration cracked down
on for profit-schools for deceptive practices, right?
It helped push some of them out of business,
and forced others like DeVry University
to pay more than a $100 million in settlements.
But now, under Betsy DeVos, the Education Department
is shutting these investigations down,
which makes sense when you learn who she put in charge of them.
WOMAN: The team of investigators,
believe it or not, is lead
by a former dean at DeVry University,
one of the schools under investigation.
By last summer, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
had installed Julian Schmoke, who was a former dean
at DeVry University, to head the unit.
That's right. DeVos appointed a former dean
from one the schools accused of fraud
to head the unit investigating the schools for fraud. Yeah.
Now, I wish DeVos was doing that thing
where you hire the criminals to catch the other criminals,
you know, like on that fedora, crime-man TV show.
But this feels more like Swamp-onomics 101,
especially considering
that Betsy DeVos has major financial interests
in for-profit colleges.
So under Betsy DeVos, fraudulent, for-profit schools
look poised to make a comeback, which is why
we at The Daily Show got Roy Wood, Jr.
to make their ads a little more accurate.
What's up? It's your boy Roy Wood, Jr., also known
as "Round-the-Way Roy."
Are you looking to spend $100,000 you don't have
to get a degree that won't help you find a job?
Then you've got to go to DevRoy University.
We train you for all kinds of great jobs that might not exist,
like forensic mechanic, marketing hygienist or packing.
And the best part is,
we'll let you take your classes in your own bed.
No real college does that.
WOMAN: I thought you was going to class!
I am in class!
Call DevRoy College and destroy your credit rating today.
♪ ♪
(applause and cheering)
Thanks, Betsy.
Now that's what I call suh-sess.