Good morning, friends! How is it already Thursday? I feel like we were just celebrating Easter, and bam, we are staring at the end of the week! There’s a bunch going on, so let’s dive in!
Trump Signs Seven Education-Focused Executive Orders
Details: President Trump signed seven executive orders aimed at overhauling education, emphasizing workforce training, parental rights, and reducing federal oversight. The orders prioritize skilled trade programs and “anti-woke” curricula, per whitehouse.gov. The specific orders can be found on the White House website but include: Reforming College Accreditation Systems, Enhancing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Promoting Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education, and Reforming School Discipline Policies.
Why It Matters: The orders could redirect $10 billion in education funding, impacting 50 million public school students, but critics warn of undermining equity programs.
Political Implications: Republicans cheer the focus on trades and parental control while Democrats decry defunding public education.
My opinion?
Trump’s Anti-Christian Bias Task Force Holds First Meeting
Details: Attorney General Pam Bondi convened the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias at the DOJ, following his April 23 executive order, per @WhiteHouse. Cabinet leaders discussed ending “weaponized” government actions, per whitehouse.gov.
Why It Matters: The task force signals Trump’s support of evangelical voters, but Pew Research says that it risks alienating secular and minority groups, with 30% of Americans unaffiliated.
Political Implications: Republicans strengthen their religious base, Democrats warn of church-state violations.
Senator Durbin To Retire
Details: Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced on April 23, 2025, that he will not seek re-election in 2026 and will retire at the end of his current term. His decision, driven largely by his age (80, and he would be 88 by the end of another term), has sparked a competitive Democratic primary in Illinois and a leadership scramble in the Senate, where he serves as the No. 2 Democrat and a key figure on the Judiciary Committee.
Political Implications: Illinois is a reliably blue state, so Durbin's seat is likely to remain Democratic. However, his departure has triggered a crowded and competitive primary. Notable candidates include Rep. Lauren Underwood, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. The primary could highlight ideological divides within the party, with progressive and moderate factions vying for influence.
Trump Buys Flags for the White House
Details: President Donald Trump announced plans to install two nearly 100-foot-tall flagpoles on the White House grounds, one on the North Lawn and one on the South Lawn, to display American flags. He stated that he would personally fund the project, emphasizing that the flagpoles were "top of the line" and would address a long-standing need, claiming the White House had lacked proper flagpoles "for 200 years." The announcement was made after Trump was seen surveying the North Lawn with White House groundskeeper Dale Haney. He indicated the flagpoles would be installed within about a week.
My opinion: It’s great! And watching the legacy media try to find a way to spin this as negative is quite entertaining, I will say.
What’s Happening With the Ukraine/Russia War?
Details: Reported by WORLD magazine: “The United States may recognize Russia’s de facto control of occupied areas of Ukraine in its final attempt at a peace deal between the two warring countries. The proposal also reportedly includes official U.S. acknowledgment of Russian control in Crimea and would bar Ukraine from NATO membership. Anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the proposal first broke the news to Axios on Tuesday.”
My opinion: I posted a screenshot of Donald Trump’s statement about this issue below and I’ll just say that I bet Zelensky is wishing he could rewind the clock to before that infamous Oval Office meeting.
A few things to know and keep an eye on
Environmental Milestone in India: The Chel Snakehead fish, thought extinct for over 85 years, was rediscovered in the eastern Himalayan ecosystem near its source river in India.
The Trump administration replaced the content of the previous federal websites covid.gov and covidtests.gov, and redirected to a new landing page titled "Lab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19."
America’s fertility rate remains very low - just an average of 1.6 children per woman - while the Trump administration is trying to find new ways to encourage more children, most recently floating the idea of a $5,000 bonus per child.
That’s it for today - I’m headed now to record another episode of Rivera & Reeves and we will be covering the SCOTUS case out of Maryland concerning parents having the right to opt their children out of being exposed to sexualized books in school, Harvard’s fight with the White House, and Bondi’s new anti-bias task force. Plus, since it is Thursday, we will be answering subscriber questions! It will be a good one, so make sure you keep an eye out for that.
See you bright and early tomorrow morning!
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