The Daily Moth 3-21-2025
It is Friday, March 21, 2025. Here are today’s top stories.
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Trump signs executive order to dismantle Education Department
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to direct his administration to start dismantling the Education Department.
The Education Department cannot be fully abolished because it requires Congressional approval. President Trump said he hopes that Democrats will vote to abolish.
NBC News said the House Education Committee’s top Democrat, Bobby Scott of Virginia, said Trump’s order is reckless and that it would put low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, and rural students at risk.
I saw a post by the House’s top Democrat, Rep. Jeffries, saying they would not let the department “be dismantled by a wannabe king.”
Trump said the Small Business Administration would take over the Dept. of Education’s student loan portfolio with almost $2 trillion in debt while the Dept. of Health and Human Services would lead funding efforts for special needs students.
In related news, the NAD and author Sara Novic recently reported on social media that the Dept. of Education’s recent mass layoffs impacted important offices and programs that serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals such as the HRSA Early Childhood Education programs, K-12 Deaf Education, or the Liaison to Special Institutions, which supports Gallaudet University, the NTID, and the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind. The NAD said they are working with many others to make sure that decades of progress are not rolled back.
Gallaudet University and NTID receives significant federal funding every year and while Trump’s executive order does not mean that funding will be cut, some advocates said the mass layoffs affecting the liaison to these schools is like an attack on the schools and they’re concerned about the future of this funding.
I’ve reached out to Gallaudet and NTID and hope to share an update from them.
[Text]: Update: Gallaudet University President Roberta "Bobbi" Cordano released a video statement on federal funding and DOE layoffs
Here is an excerpt. For the full video and statement, check out Gallaudet's YouTube video.
[Begin video from YouTube/GallaudetU]
Gallaudet President Cordano: Dear Gallaudet community:
I am writing to provide updates and context on the Continuing Resolution (CR) that recently passed Congress, the layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education, and their impact on our finances. While we have clarity on some aspects, there are still uncertainties we must prepare for.
On March 14, Congress passed a CR that funds the government at FY 2024 levels through September 30, 2025. This includes continued funding for Gallaudet and NTID under the Education of the Deaf Act. However, if a full budget is not passed by April 30, a percentage could potentially be cut from the entire Congressional budget. This is referred to as sequestration. If the sequestration is enacted, it could potentially be cut from the current fiscal year’s entire budget. The President of the United States will have the authority to implement or waive this cut, but to date, no decision has been made.
Additionally, the Department of Education has implemented significant layoffs, affecting nearly 50% of its workforce, including our liaison. While the Department of Education is required to assign a new liaison, it is unclear how and when this will happen. The Department of Education has confirmed that our funding is secured, but our experience with CR in the past tells us that there is a multi-week delay in payments. Importantly, student aid programs such as FAFSA, Pell Grants, and federal loans will not be affected. Additionally, President Trump has signed an Executive Order mandating the closure of the Department of Education; this is an action that requires the agreement of Congress and likely will be challenged in court. We must be mindful that he is taking steps already, requiring us to monitor actions and understand their potential impact.
Given these uncertainties, let us continue to be thoughtful and responsible stewards of our financial resources. Gallaudet has multiple revenue sources and while we are making steady progress, we still face challenges. The hold on spending as outlined on March 3 by Chief Financial Officer Brad Hermes remains the same…”
[End video]
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-signs-executive-order-dismantle-education-department-white-house-rcna197251
https://www.facebook.com/NAD1880/videos/1631477040865425
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHOEijUxFpa/
Cordano’s statement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kuhyrH0LiQ
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Lawyer for man deported to El Salvador said “ILY” handshapes mistook as gang signs
ABC News reported that an attorney representing a migrant who was among the about 260 men who were recently deported to a prison in El Salvador said the Department of Homeland Security accused him of being a member of a gang partly because he displayed “gang signs” while he just displayed the handshape of “ILY” or a rock n roll symbol.
The migrant’s name is Jerce Reyes Barrios. He is a professional soccer player from Venezuela who came to the U.S.-Mexico border legally through the CBP One app in September 2024.
The Department of Homeland Security said Barrios had a gang-affiliated tattoo and had a photograph of him displaying gang signs.
The DHS told ABC News that Barrios was in the U.S. illegally and that he had tattoos consistent with membership of the Tren de Aragua gang. The DHS said Barrios has social media postings indicating he is a member of the gang.
The attorney said the tattoo is similar to the logo of the popular Real Madrid soccer team and has nothing to do with a gang. The attorney said Barrios had no criminal record in Venezuela and was a children’s soccer coach. The attorney said Barrios was supposed to appear before a judge in April to plead for asylum. The attorney said Barrios protested against Venezuela’s president Maduro and was arrested by their regime and tortured, so that’s why he wanted asylum in the U.S. He was supposed to appear before a judge but he was quickly deported to this prison. The attorney said Barrios’ family has lost all contact with him.
In related news, the ICE said many of the migrants who were deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act did not have criminal records in the U.S. ICE said it’s because many of them were in the U.S. for a short time and that a lack of a criminal record does not mean they don’t pose a threat. There is a major court battle playing out right now on whether the Trump administration can quickly deport migrants to El Salvador under the AEA law.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/man-deported-el-salvador-alien-enemies-act-soccer-logo-tattoo-attorney/story
https://abcnews.go.com/US/noncitizens-deported-alien-enemies-act-criminal-records-ice/story
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-soccer-player-claims-wrongly-195443740.html
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Giant blaze at London’s Heathrow Airport
There was a giant blaze that broke out overnight at London’s Heathrow Airport, Britain’s largest airport, at an electrical substation. The fire caused a power outage that shut down operations at the airport today and disrupted thousands of people’s travel plans.
The airport said it would resume some flights tonight and hopes to be back to full operation by Saturday.
London police said they are investigating what caused the fire but that there was no immediate indication of foul play.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/21/world/heathrow-airport-power-outage-fire
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Newborn girl in Gaza survives Israeli airstrike
AP News reported that a baby girl who is a month old survived an Israeli airstrike that caused an apartment to collapse. Rescuers heard her crying underneath the rubble and a man was able to pull her out and bring her to an ambulance and she looks like she is okay. Her name is Ella Osama Abu Dagga. Tragically, her parents and her brother were killed in the airstrike, but her grandparents survived.
AP explained that this airstrike hit a village just outside of Khan Younis and killed at least 16 people, mostly women and children. This area was inside a zone that the Israeli military ordered to be evacuated earlier this week. The Israeli military Hamas embeds itself in residential areas and that’s why there are civilian deaths.
It’s really touching to see this baby’s situation.
https://apnews.com/article/gaza-airstrike-baby-girl-rescued-parents-killed-7b0d1daec3dd229c3556182b9ce56e26
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Judge blocks DOGE from Social Security records
CNBC reported that a federal judge, Ellen Lipton Hollander, blocked Elon Musk’s DOGE team from having access to personally identifiable information from the Social Security Administration.
The judge had strong criticism for DOGE and the Trump administration, saying their attempts to find fraud within SSA is “tantamount to hitting a fly with a sledgehammer.” The judge said DOGE should be taking a more tailored and measured approach.
The White House said Judge Hollander is a “radical leftist” and that they would fight back.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/20/judge-bars-musks-doge-team-from-social-security-records.html
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Kirsty Coventry elected first female president of IOC
Kirsty Coventry was elected as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday. She is from Zimbabwe and is a seven-time Olympic swimming medalist. Her term will last for eight years. She is also the first person from Africa to serve as IOC president with the previous nine presidents being men from Europe or the U.S.
Deaflympics posted on Facebook that they extend their warmest congratulations to Coventry. They said her leadership will inspire generations to come and they look forward to collaborating with her to enhance opportunities for Deaf athletes and strengthen support for Deaf sports worldwide.
https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/kirsty-coventry-ioc-president-election
https://www.facebook.com/Deaflympics/posts/pfbid0zVcBuX8jGjzHxL3j4ZT1wDmQb1uTDLiNxKQ8TCju8TTZKBR5V4kJszsnDFaAydWQl
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That is all the top stories for this week. Be sure to check out our other videos on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.