YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP | | | |
Get ready for Friday with the news: |
Enter the era of a scaled-back Education Department |
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday afternoon aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, laying the groundwork for the most contentious and far-reaching battlefront in his fight to push the bounds on presidential authority. |
What happens now? The immediate impact is unclear. But dissolving the department, created by Congress in 1979, requires action from Congress. |
| • | What will happens to student support? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday federal Title I and funding for students with disabilities ‒ as well as Pell Grants and student loans ‒ will still be administered by the department under the order. | | • | But who will do that work? Some federal aid workers Trump laid off from the department have been quietly rehired. | | • | Trump says he's giving education back to states. But local school districts and states already control curriculums with the federal government providing limited oversight. | |
Stuck at the airport with the rest of the world |
Heathrow Airport in London, one of the world's busiest airports, is closed Friday after a large fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a power outage. A Heathrow Airport spokesperson told USA TODAY that fire crews responded to the incident but there is no clarity on when power may be reliably restored. The airport, which sees about 1,300 combined take-offs and landings a day, expects significant disruption over the coming days. Travelers should avoid Heathrow and contact their airlines. |
| • | More travel news: Here's what countries will be affected by a travel ban by President Trump coming Friday. | | The scene following a major fire at an electrical substation at Heathrow on March 21, 2025 in London, England. Leon Neal, Getty Images |
People are taking great measures to get eggs |
Federal data shows that eggs are being seized at U.S. borders more than the synthetic opioid fentanyl, a trend occurring amid an ongoing bird flu outbreak causing poultry shortages across the nation. According to data collected by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there have been 5,572 egg product seizures so far this fiscal year. Contrast that with 413 drug seizure events involving fentanyl in the same time frame. The illegal importing of eggs comes as prices climb and consumers' concerns persist. | The US Customs and Border Protection's San Diego Field Office has seen a 158% increase in egg interceptions since fiscal year 2024. US Customs and Border Protection's San Diego Field Office |
Here's how activist groups are responding to Trump |
"They were so concerned. The majority of them were seniors. They were concerned about Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and quite a few were veterans, and they were petrified that their livelihoods were going to be affected. People are scared. People are really, really nervous." |
Clemson is served March Madness' first big upset |
The 2025 men's NCAA Tournament was as mad as advertised Thursday night. No. 12 seed McNeese dominated Clemson through the first half before surviving a late comeback scare in the second half, securing the program's first-ever March Madness win with a 69-67 victory. Arkansas also handed Kansas a 79-72 loss, marking the Jayhawks' first upset in the first round since 2006. USA TODAY Sports chronicled Thursday's action. Here's a rundown of Friday's men's and women's match-ups. | McNeese guard Brandon Murray (23) celebrates with guard DJ Richards Jr. (2) after a 3-pointer against Clemson Tigers on March 20, 2025. Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images |
Photo of the day: Peak bloom approaches DC |
A pink, frothy forest of Yoshino Cherry trees in Washington, D.C., is a beautiful sight each spring. The National Park Service announced that the peak bloom season for the Capital's Tidal Basin cherry blossoms is expected to fall from March 28 to March 31 this year. Here's how long you have to catch the best blossoms. | Erick Guevara (R), an arborist with the National Park Service, and Steven White (L), tree crew supervisor with the National Park Service, trim cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2025. SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images |
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com. | | | | Amid layoffs and a plan by Trump to close the U.S. Department of Education, a new dawn for students is coming. Will it be bright or bleak? | | | | A top safety official said that state officials overseeing the bridge failed to conduct an assessment of its risk of collapse. | | | | Bhutan is a tiny, remote Himalayan kingdom nestled between China and India. It has no traffic lights. Here's why it may be added to a White House travel ban. | | | | James was executed by lethal injection for the brutal 1993 murders of 58-year-old Elizabeth "Betty" Dick and her 8-year-old granddaughter, Toni Neuner, who was raped. | | | | One Social Security Administration commissioner says that up to 85,000 more Americans will need to visit Social Security offices each week. | | | | ESPN's ratings are up 3% over last year, the first season of the post-Caitlin Clark Era for NCAA women's basketball. "Women's sports are a thing now." | | | | USA TODAY's daily news podcast, The Excerpt, brings you a curated mix of the most important headlines seven mornings a week. | | | | Our app gives you award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, eNewspaper and more. | | | | | | | Brighten your day with one of our games. | | | | | |
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