Hey y’all,I apologize for the delay! Busy week of news… Below is a rundown of the important stories that occurred both in America and overseas… Columbia University’s $400M Loss Earlier this week, the Trump Administration announced the cancelling of $400 million worth of grants and contracts to the Ivy League university. The school has faced immense scrutiny over the past year for the continued Pro-Palestinian protests that occur on campus. The White House saying the protests make Jewish students feel unsafe. Remember… In August of this past year, Minouche Shafik (former Columbia University President) resigned after being publicly criticized for her handling (or lack thereof) protesters on campus. Columbia’s interim President Katrina Armstrong said in an email sent to all students that the university was taking the actions from the Trump administration seriously. New York Times Russia & Ukraine… Ceasefire? On Tuesday, March 11th, representatives from the United States and Ukraine met in Saudi Arabia for a meeting on the negotiation of peace and the potential for a ceasefire… The released statement outlined a 30 day ceasefire. In turn, the United states lifted the ban on providing Ukraine with military aid (which had been put in place by the Trump team after the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office on February 28th, 2025). Now, the terms of the ceasefire is in Russia’s hands. It has been reported that President Putin has met with Steve Witkoff (U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East) and that Russia’s president has not agreed to the terms of the deal. President Trump is optimistic, saying this morning on Truth Social, “We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end.” U.S. Department of Education Cuts The Department of Education, now headed by former WWE CEO & President Linda McMahon is set to face major cuts in the coming weeks. When POTUS entered his current term, the department housed 4,133 employees (data here). Since then, roughly 600 workers have left either by way of resigning or retiring. This week, more than 1,300 employees were told they’re being let go. 2,183 employees will remain, what will this mean for the U.S. Department of Education? In a nutshell, President Andrew Johnson signed into legislation the creation of the first Department of Education in 1867. Over the years, it’s name and location has changed. At one point it resided within the U.S. Department of the Interior and the former U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare (now Health and Human Services). As outlined on the department’s website, below are a few of it’s designated functions: When Congress created the Department in 1979, it declared these purposes: LINK “ to strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual; to supplement and complement the efforts of States, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the States, the private sector, public and private educational institutions, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education; to encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs; “
President Trump has said one of the primary reasons for the layoffs is his wish for state and local school districts to oversee the education system in America. We will have to see… one thing that has been statistically shown is the decline in literacy among children in America. Last year, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), “the nation’s report card,” showed that not even half (43%) of fourth graders in the U.S. scored at or above a proficient level in reading. And for marginalized students, the numbers are much worse: just 17% of Black students, 21% of Latino students, 11% of student with disabilities, and 10% of multilingual learners can read proficiently by fourth grade. LINK The numbers are astonishing… Will these cuts make a change? Do we still need a Department of Education? A survey conducted by the Hill says 60% of Americans DO NOT agree with Trump’s decision to abolish the Department of Education. Members of the impacted staff will be placed on administrative leave Friday, March 21st. GOOD NEWS! Jackie and Shadow, the beloved bald eagles from Big Bear Lake in California finally welcomed three eaglets!!! You can watch the livestream HERE… Wage peace. Xx, Marly
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