🔵 Education Dept Shakeup

Author

Citizen Frank
March 12, 2025

Good evening. It’s Tuesday, March 11.

 

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said massive layoffs Tuesday were the “first step” toward accomplishing President Trump’s goal of eliminating the agency — and insisted the cuts won’t affect educational programs.

McMahon, during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, was asked if the termination of nearly half of the department’s 4,000-person workforce was part of a broader plan aimed at a “total shutdown” of the federal agency.

“Yes – actually, it is,” the 76-year-old responded.

The House of Representatives passed a bill on March 11 to fund the government through Sept. 30.

The measure, known as a continuing resolution, passed in a near party-line vote of 217-213. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the sole Republican to vote against the bill, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat who voted for it.

It now goes to the Senate, where it must receive the support of at least 60 senators to pass a procedural hurdle and advance to a final vote—meaning that eight Senate Democrats would need to vote for the measure.

The U.S. is resuming security and intelligence aid to Ukraine after talks between the two countries in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, ending a weeklong standoff that threatened to strengthen Russia’s battlefield position.

In a joint statement published soon after the talks ended, the U.S. and Ukraine agreed to an “immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire,” which could be extended but first hinges on Russia’s acceptance.

“The ball is now in their court,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of the Kremlin.

A senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development ordered the agency’s remaining employees to destroy internal documents at the now-former headquarters in Washington on Tuesday, according to an email sent to staff, setting off a legal challenge on Tuesday.

Employees were instructed to destroy items in the agency’s “classified safes and personnel documents” on Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Building, according to an email sent by the agency’s acting executive director, Erica Carr, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner.

“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” the email said. Carr instructed staff to label the burn bags with the words “SECRET” and “USAID/B/IO/,” which is an agency abbreviation for “bureau or independent office.” The email didn’t provide any reason for the document destruction.

EPA Chief Lee Zeldin on Tuesday evening said he just notified the eight recipients of the $20 billion from the Biden EPA’s slush fund that their grants have been terminated.

“It is my commitment to President Trump, Congress, and you, that EPA will be an exceptional steward of your tax dollars. I’ll have it no other way!” Lee Zeldin said.

Lee Zeldin previously clawed back the $20 billion in grants under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and Citibank agreed to freezing the funds earmarked for the eight nonprofits.

The decades-long feud between actress and former daytime talk show host Rosie O’Donnell and President Donald Trump just got a little more complicated.

“It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I’m very grateful,” O’Donnell said in a TikTok video posted Tuesday, in which the league of Their Own star detailed her move to Ireland before Trump’s inauguration.

“I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child. And here we are,” she said, explaining the move took place on January 15th.

Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods underwent surgery Tuesday after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while ramping up training and practice at home, he announced in a statement on X.

Woods, 49, said Dr. Charlton Stucken of the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida, performed a “minimally invasive” Achilles tendon repair.

“The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,” Stucken said in a statement.

After suffering intolerable backlash over the forthcoming live-action “Snow White,” Disney has decided to scale back its usual over-the-top premiere in Los Angeles, reported Variety on Tuesday, March 11.

Instead, the studio has allegedly opted for a quiet, laid-back pre-party and screening at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on March 15.

Unlike usual red carpets, “Snow White” stars Rachel Zegler, 23, and Gal Gadot, 39, will not be answering questions from dozens of different media outlets, as Disney has allegedly handpicked only a select few photographers and a house crew to cover the high-profile event.

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