President Donald Trump’s executive directive aimed at streamlining the process for closing the U.S. Department of Education sparks widespread protests and legal battles. Meanwhile, Elon Musk directs his focus towards the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced via social media that the tycoon known for cutting costs would be discussing “innovation, efficiency, and more intelligent manufacturing.” University leaders across numerous institutions currently under investigation by the Trump administration hurriedly dissociate themselves from a non-profit organization that previously assisted minority students in pursuing business educations. Additionally, the detention of tourists from Canada and Europe upon entering U.S. borders leads some critics to claim that nobody feels secure visiting America as a vacationer anymore.
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Following staff reductions, the National Weather Service states they will be discontinuing or scaling back weather balloon releases.
The weather service announced that they will discontinue weather balloon launches in Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota, because of insufficient staff at the Weather Forecast Offices (WFO). Additionally, they plan to reduce the frequency of these launches from twice daily to once daily in several locations including Aberdeen, South Dakota; Grand Junction, Colorado; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Gaylord, Michigan; North Platte, Nebraska; and Riverton, Wyoming.
Earlier this month, theWeather Service declared reductions inweather balloon operations inAlbany, New York, andGray, Maine.
Before hundreds, possibly over 1,000 budget reductions at NOAA were enacted under the Trump administration, the weather service was sending up weather balloons two times daily from 100 sites across the U.S., the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. These balloons carry equipment to monitor various atmospheric conditions including temperature, dew point, humidity, barometric pressure, as well as wind speed and direction.
▶ Learn more about staff reductions at NOAA
Trump’s suggestion to abolish the Education Department highlights the Republican Party’s shift to the right and his hold over the GOP.
Approximately 23 years ago, Republican President George W. Bush stood at a desk in a high school located in Hamilton, Ohio, where he signed legislation that significantly expanded the influence of the Education Department and reshaped American education systems.
On Thursday, his Republican successor, President Trump, signed a markedly different document: an executive order aimed at dismantling the department.
For years, despite calls from right-wing groups demanding the abolition of the agency, numerous Republicans merely voiced support for this idea without actually cutting funding. However, now President Trump, feeling empowered and unrepentant about his sweeping changes to the federal administration, has disregarded worries that had previously constrained his predecessors.
▶ Learn more about Trump and the Education Department
Democrats' fresh online strategy surges to the top of trending lists but becomes fodder for both supporters and opponents alike.
For several weeks, Democratic legislators have been meeting with and emulating individuals they see as potential avenues for reclaiming their position of influence in Washington: social media personalities and content producers.
Just hours prior to President Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress this month, Senate Democrats met privately with over a dozen influential liberal internet figures who collectively boast millions of followers. Meanwhile, House Democrats held a meeting, excluding staffers, with approximately 40 digital content producers whom party leadership believed had the potential to expand their reach through social media platforms.
A previous tutorial held in February included prominent online figures such as the YouTuber commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
The outcome has led to an explosion of Democratic digital material, featuring direct-to-camera explanations filmed inside stationary vehicles, carefully crafted vertical videos, guest spots on podcasts, and live streams—some reaching the top of online trend lists, while others faced ridicule from progressive supporters and Republican members of Congress.
▶ Learn more about the Democrats' online approach
The judge deems the Trump administration's recent response regarding deportation flights as 'grossly inadequate.'
U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg sought explanations from the Trump administration when aircraft transporting Venezuelan migrants, whom the administration accused of being gang members, arrived in El Salvador following the judge’s temporary halt on deportations using an 18th-century wartime statute.
Boasberg gave the administration until noon Thursday to either offer more information regarding the flights or assert that such disclosure should be barred as it could damage "state secrets." However, the administration pushed back against the judge's demand, labeling it an "unwarranted judicial witch hunt."
In a formal directive, Judge Boasberg characterized the Trump administration’s most recent reply as “ woefully inadequate.” He stated that the government once again failed to meet its responsibilities by simply restating “general details regarding the flights” without providing new insights. Consequently, he instructed the administration to provide justification for not complying with his previous court order mandating the return of the aircrafts, thereby raising the likelihood that he might contemplate holding senior administration members in contempt of court.
▶ Learn more about the legal battle surrounding the deportation flights
Maine has been deemed non-compliant with Title IX regarding transgender athletes following a disagreement between Trump and the state’s governor.
The education department in Maine is required to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports, otherwise they could be subject to federal prosecution.
On Wednesday, the Education Department stated that an investigation found Maine’s education office had breached the Title IX nondiscrimination statute by permitting transgender females to participate in girls’ athletic teams and utilize female facilities. The department has granted Maine a ten-day period to meet a set of requirements; failure to do so may result in federal legal action from the Justice Department.
The federal probe into Maine’s Department of Education commenced on February 21, shortly following an intense confrontation between President Trump and the state’s Democratic Governor, Janet Mills, during a gathering of governors at the White House. In this heated discussion, Mills addressed the Republican president saying, “We’ll see you in court.”
▶ Learn more about the probe into Maine's Department of Education
Amidst anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion probes, universities sever connections with nonprofits under conservative scrutiny.
The previous week, the Education Department announced an investigation into multiple universities suspected of practicing racial discrimination, linking them to involvement with a specific nonprofit group. This came after a prior notification one month ago that institutions might face withdrawal of federal funding due to "preferences based on race" in areas such as admission processes, scholarship awards, or other facets of student experience.
Some school administrators were taken aback and puzzled by the investigations, questioning what triggered them. Numerous individuals hurriedly distanced themselves from The PhD Project, an initiative designed to increase diversity within the business sector and university faculties.
The initiation of these investigations underscores the atmosphere of fear and doubt within higher education institutions. This comes as President Donald Trump’s administration starts monitoring policies that contradict his objectives, despite simultaneously working to dismantle the Education Department.
▶ Learn more about colleges separating themselves from the PhD Project
Trump's proposal to eliminate the Education Department would maintain certain essential roles within it.
Trump has criticized the Education Department as inefficient and influenced by liberal beliefs. Nonetheless, fully abolishing it would probably be unachievable without congressional action, since Congress established the department back in 1979. In response, Republicans announced their intention to propose a bill for this purpose, whereas Democrats swiftly moved to reject the proposal.
Trump's order says the education secretary will, "to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities."
It provides no specifics about how this work will be executed or which areas it will focus on. However, the White House mentioned that the agency will keep some essential roles intact.
Trump said his administration will close the department beyond its "core necessities," preserving its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell grants and money for children with disabilities.
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