The Daily Moth 3-11-2025 LIVE
(Rough transcript)
Hello it is Tuesday, March 11, 2025. I’m out of the studio this week on a spring break trip, but I’m doing LIVE videos this week.
Before I cover today’s top stories, I want to say I acknowledge that some people thought my humorous “Subway” video with President Trump as a tough customer was inappropriate. Most of you laughed, but some didn’t. Why did I do that video? It was simply an observation of how Trump would often make gestures like that. I often went to Subways as a kid and as a college student and the first thing you have to do is tell them if its a 6-inch sub or a footlong, and you gesture exactly like what Trump did. So I made a skit of it. I intend to continue to make humorous videos because “The Daily Moth” does three things — Top Stories, Deaf News, and Deaf Humor. The humor part was a big part of what I did when I first started this platform in 2015, but it kind of disappeared the past few years but I’m bringing it back more often. I intentionally make it very obvious when I’m doing an humor video. Now, some people commented that Trump’s changing his mind from a 6-inch sub to a footlong was a good analogy of his flip-flopping on trade policies and I thought that was a great observation, I didn’t really think of it at the time. I was just focused on how Trump would just rapidly move his hands like that. But I will say it can be a political cartoon of sorts. If Kamala Harris became president and she kept on doing the “subway” gestures, would I have done a similar video? I’m not sure, I guess we will never know, because she doesn’t do these gestures. She’s more known for her hearty laugh. So that’s all that I have to say about the subway video.
Now, today’s top stories!
DEPT. OF EDUCATION CUTS ABOUT 2,100 EMPLOYEES
The Department of Education is laying off about 2,100 employees, which accounts for 50% of its workforce. Linda McMahon, the new Sec. of Education, said she’s trying to be more efficient and direct resources to students, parents, and teachers. McMahon said the agency would continue to deliver federal funding mandated by law, which to my understanding includes funding for Gallaudet University and the NTID. Other federal funding under the department is Pell Grants and funding for students with disabilities. But the offices that oversee the funding are affected by the layoffs. Dept. of Ed’s offices are to be closed in D.C. and across the nation on Wednesday and reopen Thursday. A federal workers union representing many Dept. of Ed workers said the cuts are an attack on the department and its services.
TRUMP INCREASES TARIFFS AFTER ONTARIO’S ELECTRICITY SURCHARGE
President Trump’s tariffs. It’s changed and changed again. Trump said this morning that he wants to double the tariffs on Canadian imports of steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% and impose a 25% tariff on Canadian electricity in a response to the province of Ontario’s earlier announcement that it would impose a 25% fee on electricity exports to Minnesota, New York, and Ontario. But that changed when Ontario said it would reverse that 25% fee and Trump is now back to 25%.
News reports said U.S. stocks have been falling in recent days due to uncertainty about the future and fears of a recession if consumers hold back on spending. The change of 50% back to 25% tariffs helped stocks to ease some of the losses before the close of business today.
SOUTHWEST ENDING FREE BAGGAGE POLICY
The next news is that Southwest Airlines is ending its offering of two free checked bags to all passengers. Starting on May 28, if you’re not a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmember, you’ll have to pay or your first or second checked bags. If you have the credit card, you will get credit for one checked bag. If you have premium status with Southwest, you get more baggage privileges. Southwest said the change is to boost profitability and cater to Southwest’s most loyal customers. Southwest tickets will also now be available to purchase on Expedia. Not long ago, Southwest made a major change in its seating policy — it used to allow people to just come in and choose any available seat, but it does assigned seating now. What changes will Southwest do next? Maybe they’ll change their name to Westsouth.
FEAR OF FLYING DRIVES PRICES DOWN
Delta Air Lines’ CEO said the two recent plane crashes have caused customers to become worried about flying and pull back on air travel plans. The first crash was the tragic helicopter-American Airlines collision in D.C. and the second was when a Delta plane flipped upside down after landing in Toronto. The Delta CEO said he noticed an immediate drop in plane bookings. The CEO said these concerns, coupled with a general slowdown in consumer confidence, is what caused a decline in airline ticket reservations.
FORMER PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT DUTERTE ARRESTED
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on an International Criminal Court warrant after he returned to the country after a trip to Hong Kong. One of his daughters said he was forcibly taken into a plane headed for The Hague in the Netherlands, where the court is.
CNN said the ICC arrest warrant has to do with Duterte’s brutal, years-long crackdown against drug dealers that left over 6,000 of his citizens dead. The killings are called “extrajudicial killings,” which is when someone is executed without due process in a court of law.
News reports said many supporters of Duterte became angry and protested the arrest. Duterte has children that are holding top political positions in the country and they’ve spoken out against the arrest.
20-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE STUDENT GOES MISSING WHILE ON VACATION IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
A 20-year-old college student at the University of Pittsburgh has gone missing while on vacation in the Dominican Republic and there is a signficiant search effort to find her. Her name is Sudiksha Konanki. She was last seen on surveillance camera drinking at a Punta Cana hotel lobby in a group with five other women and two men around 3 a.m. The group then went to the beach at the hotel around 4:15 a.m. About an hour and a half later, surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach and Konanki was not among them. That means one of the two men also didn’t return. That man left the beach around at 9:55 a.m.
A police source told CNN that they have interviewed that man, who is in his 20s, but he is not considered to be a suspect at this time. The police source said that man told police that they went into the ocean but he felt sick and got out of the water and fell asleep on a lounge chair. The man said Konanki may have been swept away but also said she could have left when he got out of the water.
Konanki’s group said they searched for her and then reported her missing that afternoon.
Konanki’s family said she was a very bright student who planned to become a doctor. She and her family moved to the U.S. from India in 2006 and are permanent residents (green card holders) in Virginia.
UKRAINE AGREES TO CEASEFIRE
Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire with Russia during negotiations with the Trump administration in Saudi Arabia. News reports said Russia has to agree to the ceasefire too for it to go into effect. President Trump said he now has to go to Russia and hopes to get Putin to agree to the ceasefire. The proposed agreement calls for a stop on fighting along current battle lines and general fighting for 30 days.
The Trump administration said it would resume its military aid and intelligence to Ukraine that was paused last week after the White House blowup between Trump and Zelenskyy. Ukraine also is willing to do the minerals agreement that will give the US financial proceeds from investments into extracting rare metals.
Just before the ceasefire agreement from Ukraine, the Ukrainian military launched a large drone attack targeting the Moscow region. So it’s still a very much an active war but that can end soon if things work out.
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow on YouTube LIVE. I’m not sure of the exact time, but it’ll be sometime in the afternoon/evening. Stay with the light.