Axios

President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at shutting down the Education Department, per a White House video of the signing.

Why it matters: The unprecedented order that USA Today first reported on could have widespread ramifications for state and local governments and students and families across the country.

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Elon Musk and DOGE employees from accessing Americans' personal information in Social Security Administration systems.

Why it matters: More than 65 million Americans receive Social Security, and the administration's databases are full of personal details about recipients.

The first roundtable of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Crypto Task Force will start Friday, one which will begin a process to define rules that are fit to purpose for a world of decentralized enterprises.

Why it matters: It's a sea change in approach. Under the agency's prior leadership, it fought a court case over whether or not it should write rules.

Three people have been charged on suspicion of violently destroying Tesla properties, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday.

The big picture: President Trump's attorney general a day earlier characterized the recent string of vandalism at Tesla dealerships as acts of "domestic terrorism," and threatened "severe consequences" for those involved.

The United Kingdom has issued new travel advice for citizens traveling to the U.S. amid President Trump's immigration crackdown.

Why it matters: The revised guidance coincides with several high-profile cases in which federal immigration authorities detained tourists and permanent residents in the U.S.

U.S. citizen George Glezmann was released by the Taliban Thursday after being held for more than two years in Afghanistan, the State Department said.

Why it matters: Glezmann's release results from diplomatic efforts by President Trump's hostage envoy Adam Boehler and his predecessor, Biden administration hostage envoy Roger Carstens, with the help of Qatari mediators.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon will play a pivotal role in the Trump administration's efforts to fundamentally reshape the U.S. education system.

Why it matters: President Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, a move with monumental ramifications for students and families across the country.

Fears have grown among National Weather Service advocates that the Trump administration is seeking to privatize or significantly downsize it — moves they say would undo a careful division of labor among government, academia and the private sector.

Why it matters: A balance has been struck over decades within the "weather enterprise" in which NOAA collects raw weather data from the Earth's deep oceans to space, disseminates forecasts through NWS and issues life-saving watches and warnings.

In less than two weeks Social Security is set to enact major changes that threaten to upend services for many Americans, in order to fight fraud that amounts to a fraction of 1% of the agency's spending.

Why it matters: Social Security Administration veterans and powerful lobbying groups warn the changes, made at breakneck speed, may even foment more swindling.

To fully appreciate President Trump's mesmerizing control over Republicans, consider their scant public dissent over ideas many of them privately disdain:

1. Support for Vladimir Putin.
2. Support for on-again, off-again tariffs, and a worsening economy.
3. Support Elon Musk's haphazard budget-cutting.
4. Making Canada the 51st state.
5. Pardoning most Jan. 6 defendants.

Elon Musk has spent millions on the race for a single seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. Now the billionaire's political group is offering the GOP candidate free advice: Get Trumpier.

Why it matters: The Wisconsin contest — a nationalized proxy fight between the political parties and billionaire benefactors — is a referendum on President Trump.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a Financial Times interview that the AI semiconductor giant will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on chips and other electronics manufactured in the U.S. over the next four years.

Why it matters: Nvidia — which surged last year to become one of the world's top most valuable companies amid the AI frenzy — is tilting its supply chain back from Asia in the face of tariff threats, the FT reports.

Pharmaceutical companies and other health interests are increasingly using terminology associated with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s public health movement as they seek to work with the new administration.

Why it matters: It's common for businesses and organizations to shift their communications strategy when a new administration takes office. But Kennedy's high-profile push to upend the public health care system and take on corporate influences in medicine makes the communications pivot more urgent for health organizations.

Federal immigration authorities detained a Georgetown University graduate student from India who was teaching at the D.C. institution on a student visa, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday evening.

Why it matters: The detention of Badar Khan Suri comes after President Trump said the arrest by immigration authorities of the green card-holding Columbia University alumnus and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was the first of "many to come."

The FBI is investigating attacks targeting Tesla vehicles and dealerships of the EV company and related swatting incidents, bureau deputy director Dan Bongino said Wednesday night.

Why it matters: There's been a spate of such incidents that President Trump and other administration officials have denounced as acts of "domestic terrorism" amid #TeslaTakedown protests at the role of Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the DOGE-driven cuts to the federal workforce and agencies.

Families across the U.S. face an increasingly unaffordable housing market.

• As of 2024, an estimated deficit of 3.7 million homes is driving up costs in almost every state, including Illinois.
• More than half of all renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Over 12 million pay more than 50% of their income toward these expenses.

Why it's important: The rising cost to rent or own a home undercuts neighborhood stability, local economic vitality and overall economic growth.

Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) makes up 70% of the nation's affordable rental market.

🔑 Why it's important: NOAH refers to typically older, privately-owned buildings that remain affordable without government subsidies. Preserving and rehabilitating these existing units is crucial as housing costs rise nationwide.

• Chicago, in particular, has seen home prices grow 40% faster than average incomes over the past 30 years. Additionally, the city is short an estimated 142,000 homes.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to appeal.

The big picture: "The Military Ban is soaked in animus and dripping with pretext," wrote U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in a scathing ruling that found the restrictions that were due to take effect this month were a violation of transgender people's constitutional rights.

There has been a massive purge of articles about soldiers of color on government websites following President Trump's executive order ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The big picture: The Trump administration has targeted DEI initiatives in both its rhetoric and through its actions dismantling federal DEI programs — halting efforts to bolster diversity and inclusion across several agencies.

Tesla was excluded from the Vancouver International Auto Show that began in Canada on Wednesday due to safety concerns, organizers said.

The big picture: President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have denounced as "domestic terrorism" a spate of attacks that the FBI is investigating on Tesla vehicles and dealerships, spurred by #TeslaTakedown protests targeting CEO Elon Musk's involvement in DOGE-driven cuts to the federal workforce and agencies.