Trump Dissolves Education Department, Congo Seeks U.S. Aid – 3/20/2025

United States

  • Boston Mayor Michelle Wu pledges to shield undocumented immigrants with criminal records, saying, “We stand with immigrants, you belong here. Boston doesn’t back down—if you come for one of us, you will get all of us.”
  • New York’s highest court strikes down a New York City law that permitted non-citizens to vote in local elections.
  • A striking 67% of Americans report living paycheck to paycheck, per PYMNTS.
  • New York Court of Appeals declares that only U.S. citizens can vote in American elections.
  • A YouGov poll reveals mixed views on the economy: 25% rate it good or excellent, 38% fair, and 35% poor.
  • Trump urges Congress to enact laws supporting cryptocurrency stablecoins.
  • Accenture’s stock drops 7% after the DOGE, led by Elon Musk, terminates a U.S. contract with the firm, per NYP.
  • Klarna secures a partnership with DoorDash to offer buy now, pay later services, per NBC.
  • Texas Senate approves a measure mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
  • Trump’s approval rating hits 49%, far surpassing Democrats at 30%, according to a Beacon/Shaw poll from March 14-17.
  • The White House signals that Trump plans to impose severe penalties on Tesla amid ongoing disputes.
  • Trump will sign an executive order at 4 PM ET today to dissolve the Department of Education, tasking Secretary Linda McMahon with ending federal overreach and returning education control to states, per USA Today.
  • NOAA layoffs could slow hurricane protection funding, threaten storm-vulnerable communities, and harm the seafood sector, per More Perfect Union.
  • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pushes for congressional term limits to reform Washington.
  • Up to 80 Teslas vandalized at an Ontario dealership, while two suspects were arrested for damaging a Tesla showroom in Montreal on Wednesday, as Elon Musk condemns the “deranged” attacks.
  • Fresh JFK files bolster Trump’s “deep state” claims, with Glenn Greenwald noting, “Liberals spent years screeching that anyone talking about ‘the Deep State’ was spewing fringe conspiracy theories,” per Daily Mail.
  • Nike cofounder Phil Knight has given over $1 billion to the University of Oregon, including a $100 million boost to athletics in 2007, per Forbes.
  • Oklahoma executed Wendell Grissom Thursday for a 20-year-old murder, marking the state’s first lethal injection of 2025 and the ninth U.S. execution this year, per CBS.
  • February sales of existing homes climbed 4.2%, defying analysts’ predictions of a 3% decline, per NBC, National Association of Realtors.
  • Pollen levels are forecast to exceed historical norms across 39 states in 2025, signaling an earlier allergy season, per The Hill.
  • Rep. Bobby Scott warns that Trump’s move to eliminate the Department of Education could jeopardize students nationwide, per The Hill.
  • A Delta Air Lines plane’s crash landing in Toronto on Feb. 17 injured 21, with a preliminary report citing a rapid descent, per NBC.

International

  • Congo’s President reportedly requests Trump’s help to stabilize the region, offering access to $20 trillion in mineral wealth in return.
  • The European Commission warns that the EU must urgently brace for a potential major conflict with Russia.
  • France issues an urgent call for its nationals to exit Iran immediately.
  • Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Engels Air Base, igniting a nuclear bomber site and causing injuries, with Ukraine confirming, “Our forces successfully targeted Engels Airfield,” per Reuters, NY Post, DigitalGlobe.
  • Slovenia advances toward tying some government borrowing costs to climate targets, a first for an EU nation, per Bloomberg Economics.
  • Western allies, excluding the U.S., discuss deploying 10,000–30,000 troops to Ukraine to secure a potential peace agreement with Russia, per WSJ.
  • Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe becomes the first woman and African elected as International Olympic Committee president, per NYT.
  • World Bank’s leader pushes to overturn its ban on nuclear power funding, calling it a sustainable choice for developing nations, per Bloomberg Economics.