Trump asks Supreme Court for OK to cut teacher-training money as part of anti-DEI push

MARK SHERMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Wed, March 26, 2025 

President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training.

A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. An appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them to resume.

The government asked the high court to step in, arguing that the order is one of several issued by federal judges around the country wrongly forcing it to keep paying out millions in grant money.

The Supreme Court called for a response to the appeal by Friday.

It comes after U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary restraining order sought by eight Democratic-led states that argued the cuts were likely driven by efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The Republican president signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, and his administration has started overhauling much of its work, including cutting dozens of contracts it dismissed as “woke” and wasteful.

“So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-court fiscal micromanagement," acting Solicitor General Sarah M. Harris wrote.

The Justice Department has filed four other emergency appeals of court rulings that blocked administration actions amid a wave of lawsuits that have slowed, at least for now, aspects of Trump's agenda.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on an appeal asking to narrow court orders that have imposed a nationwide hold on Trump’s desire to restrict birthright citizenship. An appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers is also pending.

The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency. A later ruling from a lower court, though, did force Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger from his job.

The two education programs at issue — the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development — provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued. They said data has shown the programs had led to increased teacher retention rates and ensured that educators remain in the profession beyond five years.

The administration halted the programs without notice in February. The administration argues the states could at least temporarily draw on their own funds to continue funding the programs.

Joun, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, found that the cancellations probably violated a federal law that requires a clear explanation for such cost-cutting moves.

The appellate panel that rejected the administration’s request for a stay also was made up of judges nominated by Democratic presidents.

California is leading the lawsuit and is joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.

The order the administration wants from the high court would allow the cuts to go forward while the legal fight over them plays out.
___

This story been corrected to reflect that there are four other emergency appeals filed by the Trump administration at the Supreme Court, not three.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to freeze dozens of teacher training grants

John Fritze, CNN
Wed, March 26, 2025 

Demonstrators gather outside of the offices of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC, on March 13 to protest against mass layoffs and budget cuts at the agency. - Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty

President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to allow it to freeze millions of dollars in grants to states for addressing teacher shortages over allegations that the money was being used on programs that take part in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The case is the latest from the Trump administration’s second-term agenda to reach the Supreme Court’s emergency docket – and the latest to question the power of federal district court judges to temporarily block the administration’s policies.

“This case exemplifies a flood of recent suits that raise the question: ‘Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever)’ millions in taxpayer dollars?” Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris, the administration’s top appellate attorney, told the Supreme Court.

“This court should put a swift end to federal district courts’ unconstitutional reign as self-appointed managers of executive branch funding and grant-disbursement decisions,” she wrote.

The justices are already considering whether to limit a court order blocking President Donald Trump from enforcing his birthright citizenship order and a case involving probationary federal employees.

In early February, the Trump administration attempted to terminate 104 of 109 grants that had been awarded under two programs that train teachers in traditionally underserved schools. Eight blue states sued and a federal judge in Boston issued an order temporarily blocking the administration from freezing the funding. A federal appeals court declined to overturn that order.

The administration, in its request for an emergency intervention, claimed that it was ending the funding to the states’ programs as part of Trump’s crackdown on DEI initiatives. Officials sent a brief form notice to the grant awardees and did not provide specific evidence that their programs were engaged in any DEI practices.

The case is the latest where judges have reversed Trump moves to withhold federal funding already promised to various grant programs. It is also one of several lawsuits touching on the president’s anti-DEI gambits. The federal district court has set a hearing in the case for Friday.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who handles emergency appeals rising from the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals, ordered the states that sued to response by Friday.

CNN’s Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.

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Trump asks Supreme Court to slash teacher training funds in war on DEI

Mark Sherman

INDEPENDENT
Thu, March 27, 2025 

The Trump administration has escalated its legal battle over education funding cuts, taking its case to the Supreme Court.

The administration is seeking to overturn a lower court's block on cuts to teacher training programs, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.

A Boston federal judge initially halted the cuts, citing their detrimental impact on training programs designed to address the national teacher shortage.

The administration's subsequent appeal to the Boston federal appeals court was also rejected.

The legal challenge was initiated by eight Democratic-led states, who argue that the cuts are politically motivated and aim to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The states point to President Donald Trump's executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education and the administration's subsequent overhaul of department initiatives.

Trump holds up a pen after signing an executive order to abolish the Department of Education (AFP via Getty Images)

Dozens of contracts have been terminated, labeled by the administration as "woke" and wasteful.

The Justice Department has filed three other emergency appeals of court rulings that blocked administration actions.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on an appeal asking to narrow court orders that have imposed a nationwide hold on Trump’s desire to restrict birthright citizenship. An appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers is also pending.

The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency. A later ruling from a lower court, though, did force Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger from his job.

The two education programs at issue – the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development – provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued.

Hampton Dellinger has been forced from his job (via REUTERS)

They said data has shown the programs had led to increased teacher retention rates and ensured that educators remain in the profession beyond five years.

The administration halted the programs without notice in February.

Joun, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, found that the cancellations probably violated a federal law that requires a clear explanation for such cost-cutting moves.

The appellate panel that rejected the administration’s request for a stay also was made up of judges nominated by Democratic presidents.

California is leading the lawsuit and is joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.

The order the administration wants from the high court would allow the cuts to go forward while the legal fight over them plays out.


Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let it cut teacher training grants

Maureen Groppe and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY

Wed, March 26, 2025 

WASHINGTON − The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to let it cancel teacher preparation grants that the Education Department says promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

In an emergency request, the administration said it shouldn't have to fund millions of dollars for the programs while eight Democratic-led states are challenging the decision to end them.

Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris described the case as one of "a flood of recent suits" in which a single District Court judge wielded "unchecked power" to block administration policies that could save taxpayers millions of dollars. She called the case an ideal example to prevent "micromanagement" from District Court judges.

"So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-courtfiscal micromanagement," Harris wrote in her filing. "Only this Court can right the ship −and the time to do so is now."

The appeal for intervention was the fifth the administration has made to the court as judges around the country have hit the brakes on the blizzard of actions Trump has taken to reshape the government and consolidate power.

The federal judge in Boston who is hearing the dispute over education grants ordered the Education Department to temporarily restore the funding to those states earlier this month.

The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration's request to block that order.

Appeals Judge William Kayatta said the department's cancellations letters to grant recipients lacked a "reasoned explanation" for ended funding Congress authorized to recruit and train teachers for traditionally under-served schools.

Empty classroom with no students

Kayatta, writing for the three judges − all of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents − said cutting the funding will result in staff layoffs and program disruptions.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading a group of eight Democratic states attorneys general challenging the termination, said California stands to lose at least $148 million for programs that help train teachers to go into hard-to-fill positions, like math and science, and into high-poverty or high need schools.

The Education Department said it canceled grants used to train teachers and education agencies on "divisive ideologies," which it said included DEI, "critical race theory" and "anti-racism."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump asks Supreme Court to let it cut teacher training grants

ANTI PROGRESSIVE WITCH HUNT

Trump administration expands university DEI probes to California

'MERIT' MEANS WHITE STR8 MALE

Agence France-Presse
March 27, 2025 

UCLA is among the University of California campuses targeted by the Trump administration for an investigation into admissions practices. (AFP)

President Donald Trump's administration said Thursday it will investigate admissions practices at some of California's top universities, broadening a campaign against elite educational institutions.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had ordered probes into how students are admitted to the private Stanford University, as well as to three of the most prestigious campuses of the University of California system -- Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine.

"President Trump and I are dedicated to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity across the country," Bondi said in a statement.

"Every student in America deserves to be judged solely based on their hard work, intellect, and character, not the color of their skin."

A spokesperson for the University of California said the institutions have not considered race in admissions since it was outlawed in the state by a 1996 ballot measure, but clarified school applications gather race and ethnicity data "for statistical purposes only."

"This information is not shared with application reviewers and is not used for admissions," the spokesperson added.

A Stanford spokesperson said in a statement that the private university "immediately took steps to ensure compliance in our admissions processes" after the US Supreme Court eliminated race-based affirmative action in 2023.

Conservatives have long griped that America's foremost universities make it easier for ethnic minority students to attend.

They say the insistence on the notion of "diversity, equity and inclusion," or DEI, is damaging and unfair to otherwise well-qualified candidates.

Bondi's announcement comes with elite institutions across the country on the back foot.

This month Trump's administration revoked $400 million of funding from New York's Columbia University, claiming school officials had not sufficiently protected Jewish students during last year's campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza.

On Friday Columbia announced a package of concessions around defining anti-Semitism, policing protests and oversight for specific academic departments in a bid to head off the funding squeeze.

A number of students at various colleges around the country have also been targeted for deportation, in what the government's critics say is part of a broader campaign to silence dissent at America's fractious universities and bring the left-leaning sector to heel.

Trump order targets 'improper ideology' at famed US museums

Agence France-Presse
March 27, 2025 

Trump's effort to reshape the US government has increasingly extended to cultural issues, where he is seeking to stamp his conservative mark. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove "improper ideology" from the famed Smithsonian Museums -- and the National Zoo -- expanding his conservative clampdown on cultural institutions.

Trump, who has sought to root out what he called "woke" culture since returning to power in January, accused the Smithsonian of trying to rewrite American history on issues of race and gender.

His order puts hardline Vice President JD Vance in charge of efforts to carry out the order at the Smithsonian's museums, educations and research centers.

Trump said this should include a drive to "remove improper ideology from such properties."

The Smithsonian operates 21 internationally renowned museums and galleries, mainly in and around Washington, dedicated to art, science, space and American history.

They include the National Zoo in the US capital, which recently welcomed two giant pandas from China, debuting them to the public just days after Trump's inauguration for a second term.

The presidential order -- titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" -- targeted a number of examples of what it also called "corrosive ideology."

It said the National Museum of African American History and Culture, one of the newest Smithsonian additions, had described hard work and the nuclear family as "aspects of 'White Culture.'"

Trump also targeted what he said was a plan by the as-yet-unopened American Women's history museum for "celebrating the exploits of male athletes participating in women's sports."

There was no immediate reaction from the Smithsonian.

- 'Safe and beautiful' -


The Smithsonian Institute was founded in the mid-19th century with a donation from a deceased and childless British chemist, James Smithson, who asked in his will for his wealth to be used to create an educational institution in the then-young United States -- a country he had never set foot in.

Trump's wide-ranging 21st century effort to reshape the US government has increasingly extended to cultural issues, where he is seeking to stamp his conservative mark.

The 78-year-old Republican recently took over the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center in Washington, a famed arts venue, after complaining that it was too liberal.


The president has also eyed reforms in governance of the US capital city, which he has repeatedly complained of having high crime and unsightly nuisances such as graffiti.

In a separate order on Thursday titled "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful," Trump directed the creation of an inter-agency task force to increase immigration enforcement and other law enforcement priorities.

It also calls for the development of a "coordinated beautification plan" for the city.

"We will take over our horribly run Washington, DC, and clean up, renovate, and rebuild our capital so that it is no longer a nightmare of murder and crime," Trump said on the campaign trail last year -- a message reposted Thursday on X by the White House.

Washington's approximately 700,000 residents are overwhelmingly Democrats, with the party's candidate Kamala Harris winning over 90 percent of the vote last November.

The city has a unique status in the country as it is not a part of any state. It has no voting representation in Congress -- despite having a population larger than two states.


Though the city now runs its own affairs, Congress -- currently controlled by Republicans -- retains the ability to take back control, something Trump has repeatedly threatened to do.

With that backdrop, city authorities have sought to develop a conciliatory relationship with the president, quickly fulfilling his requests, such as removing some homeless encampments and a "Black Lives Matter" mural.

Trump’s 'improper ideology' purge blasted as 'fascist thuggery'

Donald Trump gestures to the crowd as sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. look on near the exit, during a campaign rally at J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

David Badash

NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

March 28, 2025

President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution, mandating the removal of what he calls “improper ideology,” is being described as “chilling,” amid warnings of fascism. The order also criticizes the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Women’s History Museum, and the American Art Museum.

Issued Wednesday evening, the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” order denounces what Trump describes as “a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”



“Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” the order reads.

It appears to be an attempt to push back on efforts to examine and dismantle racism, white supremacy, and misogyny.

“The order,” Reuters reported, “is vague about what the president views as anti-American ideology. But it suggests Trump is seeking to purge elements of what conservatives view as a revisionist history of the United States that places systemic racism at the heart of its narrative.”

It also comes “as the Trump administration presses forward in its war on diversity, equity and inclusion, a widely used label applied to efforts to improve workplace culture and create more opportunities for disadvantaged groups,” NBC News added.

Created by an act of Congress, the Smithsonian is a Washington, D.C. based entity encompassing over 40 museums and libraries, another 14 education and research centers, and a zoo. A quasi-governmental entity, it also has a private endowment. But about two-thirds of its budget comes from the federal government.

The executive order “marks the Republican president’s latest salvo against cultural pillars of society, such as universities and art, that he considers out of step with conservative sensibilities,” the Associated Press reported. “Trump recently had himself installed as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the aim of overhauling programming, including the annual Kennedy Center Honors awards show. The administration also recently forced Columbia University to make a series of policy changes by threatening the Ivy League school with the loss of several hundred million dollars in federal funding.”

Critics are leveling charges of fascism.

“Trump to seize control of Smithsonian,” lamented Dr. Iain MacLaren, an astrophysicist at the University of Glasgow. “Fascism seeks to rewrite history and force its narrative. The trigger? Efforts to tell stories of women and black people.”

“This is horrifying,” wrote U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL). “But it’s also a sign of Trump’s deep and abiding fragility. He’s still the kid from the outer boroughs. Strong people go to museums to learn. Weak people run out at the first sign of something that challenges them.”

“Enslaved people built the Smithsonian,” noted Dr. Allison Wiltz, a Black womanist scholar, writer, and editor. “And yet, Trump doesn’t see Black history as worthy, so he’s ordering our contributions removed. You can tell a lot about someone by how they choose to use their power. All he does is cause harm.”

Veteran journalist Lauren Wolfe declared, “This is unabashed fascism.”

“First Trump removes any reference of diversity from the present — now he’s trying to remove it from our history,” observed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). “Let me be PERFECTLY clear— you cannot erase our past and you cannot stop us from fulfilling our future.”

National security, defense, and intelligence investigative reporter Jeff Stein commented, “Trump goes full-on Soviet with intent to scrub Smithsonian museums etc of ‘improper ideology’.”

Trump order targets 'improper ideology' at famed US museums

AFP
Thu, March 27, 2025 

Trump's effort to reshape the US government has increasingly extended to cultural issues, where he is seeking to stamp his conservative mark (Annabelle GORDON)Annabelle GORDON/AFP/AFPMore

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove "improper ideology" from the famed Smithsonian Museums -- and the National Zoo -- expanding his conservative clampdown on cultural institutions.

Trump, who has sought to root out what he called "woke" culture since returning to power in January, accused the Smithsonian of trying to rewrite American history on issues of race and gender.

His order puts hardline Vice President JD Vance in charge of efforts to carry out the order at the Smithsonian's museums, educations and research centers.

Trump said this should include a drive to "remove improper ideology from such properties."

The Smithsonian operates 21 internationally renowned museums and galleries, mainly in and around Washington, dedicated to art, science, space and American history.

They include the National Zoo in the US capital, which recently welcomed two giant pandas from China, debuting them to the public just days after Trump's inauguration for a second term.

The presidential order -- titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" -- targeted a number of examples of what it also called "corrosive ideology."

It said the National Museum of African American History and Culture, one of the newest Smithsonian additions, had described hard work and the nuclear family as "aspects of 'White Culture.'"

Trump also targeted what he said was a plan by the as-yet-unopened American Women's history museum for "celebrating the exploits of male athletes participating in women's sports."

There was no immediate reaction from the Smithsonian.

- 'Safe and beautiful' -

The Smithsonian Institute was founded in the mid-19th century with a donation from a deceased and childless British chemist, James Smithson, who asked in his will for his wealth to be used to create an educational institution in the then-young United States -- a country he had never set foot in.

Trump's wide-ranging 21st century effort to reshape the US government has increasingly extended to cultural issues, where he is seeking to stamp his conservative mark.

The 78-year-old Republican recently took over the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center in Washington, a famed arts venue, after complaining that it was too liberal.

The president has also eyed reforms in governance of the US capital city, which he has repeatedly complained of having high crime and unsightly nuisances such as graffiti.

In a separate order on Thursday titled "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful," Trump directed the creation of an inter-agency task force to increase immigration enforcement and other law enforcement priorities.


It also calls for the development of a "coordinated beautification plan" for the city.

"We will take over our horribly run Washington, DC, and clean up, renovate, and rebuild our capital so that it is no longer a nightmare of murder and crime," Trump said on the campaign trail last year -- a message reposted Thursday on X by the White House.

Washington's approximately 700,000 residents are overwhelmingly Democrats, with the party's candidate Kamala Harris winning over 90 percent of the vote last November.

The city has a unique status in the country as it is not a part of any state. It has no voting representation in Congress -- despite having a population larger than two states.


Though the city now runs its own affairs, Congress -- currently controlled by Republicans -- retains the ability to take back control, something Trump has repeatedly threatened to do.

With that backdrop, city authorities have sought to develop a conciliatory relationship with the president, quickly fulfilling his requests, such as removing some homeless encampments and a "Black Lives Matter" mural.

dk/des/jgc

Maddow Blog | Trump order targets ‘improper’ ideology at the Smithsonian Institution

Steve Benen
Fri, March 28, 2025 

The Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C.


As this week got underway, the public learned about an executive order from Donald Trump that targeted a series of government agencies to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Included on the list was the Institute of Museum and Library Services — an independent agency described by The New York Times as “the federal government’s main source of support for the nation’s libraries, museums and archives.”

As the week neared its end, one specific museum — by some measures, the nation’s most famous — was apparently on the president’s mind. NBC News reported:


President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday taking aim at the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers. Trump directed Vice President JD Vance to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American” ideology from programs at the Smithsonian Institution, which receives federal funding.


The same order, among other things, accused the Biden administration of using the Smithsonian to advance what the Republican president described as a “corrosive” ideology.

How does the White House define words such as “improper”, “divisive,” “anti-American” or “corrosive” in an ideological context? The order didn’t say. Presumably, Trump knows it when he sees it.

He went on to characterize the Smithsonian as an institution that was “once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement” — before it fell victim to a nefarious ideology that Trump considers “divisive.”

As part of the same directive, Vance — a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents — will be responsible for identifying and appointing Smithsonian board members who will commit to “advancing the celebration of America’s extraordinary heritage and progress.”

It was around this time two years ago when The Washington Post reported that the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery accepted a $650,000 contribution from the Republican’s Save America PAC to fund the official portraits of Donald and Melania Trump.

If the institution hoped that the arrangement might generate some goodwill, those hopes have apparently been dashed.

As part of the new executive order, the president also directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to restore federal parks and monuments that perpetuate a version of history that the White House considers “false.”

Who’ll decide which historical claims are deemed accurate? The order didn’t say that, either, though it’s difficult to be optimistic.

It comes on the heels of Trump’s recent takeover of the Kennedy Center, part of which included his desire to see the arts institution put on productions in line with cultural vision.

Perhaps the president can expedite matters by creating some kind committee to examine content he considers un-American?

The title on the White House’s order said the directive is intended to restore “sanity to American history.” Given the circumstances, “sanity” is not the first word that comes to mind.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

Trump orders elimination of 'anti-American ideology' from Smithsonian institutions

James Oliphant, Steve Holland
Thu, March 27, 2025 

FILE PHOTO: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum reopens to the public in Washington

(Reuters) -President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered that "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology" be removed from the Smithsonian Institution, the vast museum and research complex that is a premier exhibition space for U.S. history and culture.

The Republican president, in an executive order, directed that Vice President JD Vance undertake the action.

The order also directs the Interior Department to restore federal parks, monuments and memorials that have been “removed or changed in the last years to perpetuate a false revision of history.”

The order, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” is vague about what the president views as anti-American ideology. But it suggests Trump is seeking to purge elements of what conservatives view as a revisionist history of the United States that places systemic racism at the heart of its narrative.

The order singles out the National Museum of African American History and Culture as problematic, claiming that it informs visitors that “hard work,” “individualism” and “the nuclear family” are aspects of “White culture.”

The order also asserts the American Women’s History Museum plans to celebrate male athletes participating in women’s sports.

The White House did not elaborate on the order, and neither the Smithsonian nor the African-American History museum responded to requests for comment.

The Smithsonian spans 21 museums, most of them in the nation's capital lining the mall from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument, and including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of American History and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The Smithsonian, whose website says it is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, also encompasses 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo.

The order is in line with the Trump administration’s efforts to do away with diversity and inclusion programs in government, universities and corporations.

Vance is a member of the Smithsonian's Board of Regents.

According to Trump's order, the Democratic Biden administration “pushed a divisive ideology that reconstrued America’s promotion of liberty as fundamentally flawed, inflecting revered institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks with false narratives.”

Trump earlier this year made himself chairman of the Kennedy Center in Washington, indicating that he wants to leave his mark on U.S. arts and culture as part of his presidency.

Trump has been a strident critic of renaming or removing Confederate statues and monuments. Earlier this year, he restored two U.S. Army bases to their former names of Fort Benning and Fort Bragg despite a federal law that prohibits honoring generals who fought for the South during the Civil War. The administration says the names honor different individuals, all former soldiers.

In 2017, Trump defended white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, who protested the city’s decision to remove a statue of the confederate commander Robert E. Lee. At the time, he said there were “very fine people of both sides” of the fight, sparking widespread outrage.

(Reporting by James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Leslie Adler and Ross Colvin)

Trump issues executive order targeting ‘woke’ and ‘anti-American’ culture in US museums

David Mouriquand
Fri, March 28, 2025 

EURONEWS

Trump issues executive order targeting ‘woke’ and ‘anti-American’ culture in US museums

President Donald Trump has revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution - the world’s largest museum, education and research complex - with an executive order targeting funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology."

The order, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History", targets any ideology that he considers "anti-American", in what is his latest attack on culture he deems too liberal, “woke”, and out of step with conservative sensibilities.

Trump claimed there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort over the past decade to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth," adding that it casts the “founding principles” of the United States in a “negative light.”

The order he signed behind closed doors puts Vice President JD Vance, who serves on the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, in charge of overseeing efforts to “remove improper ideology” from all areas of the institution, including its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.

The Smithsonian museums offer free entry to up to 30 million visitors each year.

People wait in line to enter the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Cultural on the National Mall in Washington - AP Photo

Under Trump’s order, Vance will also work with the White House budget office to make sure future funding for the Smithsonian Institution isn’t spent on programs that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.”

 

University of Michigan closes its DEI office, ending multi-million dollar investment into diversity

Ali Bianco
Thu, March 27, 2025



The University of Michigan — one of the leading academic bastions of diversity, equity and inclusion in the country — is shuttering the doors of its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and shutting down its model DEI program.

In an email on Thursday, the university’s leaders pointed to the court-order enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive orders on “restoring merit-based opportunity” and ending DEI programs across the country, as well as the “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Education that threatened to eliminate federal funding for universities that did not eliminate their DEI efforts.

As a result, the university’s DEI office — which launched in 2016, the start of the first Trump administration — and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion will close. The university’s DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, the reimagined version of their original umbrella strategy for DEI across their schools and colleges, will be discontinued.

“These decisions have not been made lightly. We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting,” the announcement said.

Multiple universities and school systems across the country have caved under scrutiny from the Trump administration, removing DEI content from their websites and shutting down DEI programs. But the University of Michigan has long been considered a model for DEI initiatives across the country.

The end of its DEI office signals a big win for the Trump administration as it moves to end the focus on DEI in the American education system.

It’s a stark contrast from the launch of the DEI 1.0 program a decade ago when the university began “to enact far-reaching foundational change at every level, in every unit” and poured nearly $250 million into the program, according to an investigation from the New York Times.


The program made Michigan a national example, and in the face of backlash on “critical race theory” and widespread protests over the war in Gaza, the university strengthened those efforts. They hired more people in DEI offices and expanded the program.

Their DEI initiatives have not been without controversy, especially in their struggle to enroll Black students and to address complaints over campus protests following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. But university leaders noted Thursday that first-generation students have increased by 46 percent, and Pell Grant recipients increased by more than 30 percent.

Even as other universities started ending the use of diversity consideration across all hiring and admissions in the last year, Michigan had yet to enact widespread changes. Now diversity statements will not be allowed — for hiring, which they announced in December, but also for admissions, promotion, awards or any other assessments. They’re also updating their websites to ensure compliance with federal law.

Going forward, the university will be increasing investments in financial aid, expanding scholarship programs for students and expanding mental health support. Certain student multicultural spaces will remain open, according to the university.

“We are deeply grateful for the meaningful contributions of leaders, faculty and staff who have advanced our ongoing efforts to create an ever-more inclusive and respectful community,” the announcement said.

University of Michigan shuts DEI office, citing Trump orders and funding warning
Kanishka Singh
Thu, March 27, 2025 at 8:56 PM MDT
2 min read
10


The University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor


By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The University of Michigan - long seen as a bastion of diversity, equity and inclusion programs - said on Thursday it was closing its DEI office, citing executive orders from President Donald Trump and a warning from the federal Education Department.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Since taking office on January 20, Trump has passed executive orders aimed at dismantling DEI in the government and private sector. The U.S. Education Department, in mid-February, warned of cuts in federal funding for universities if they continued with DEI programs.




The university said on Thursday it did not make its decision lightly and acknowledged its changes will be challenging for many people who support the programs. Its DEI office was launched almost a decade ago.

KEY QUOTES

"The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion will close. Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity," the office of the university's president said.

"The DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, the umbrella strategy for schools, colleges and units, will be discontinued."


CONTEXT

Rights advocates say DEI programs help uplift marginalized communities by addressing historic inequities. Trump and his allies call the programs anti-merit and discriminatory against white people and men.

DEI programs have been part of workplace diversity efforts to ensure fairer representation for groups seen as historically marginalized, such as African Americans, LGBTQ+ community members, women, disabled people and other ethnic minorities in the United States.

DEI efforts picked up pace, including in the private sector, in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

By last year, the university had spent more than $250 million on DEI efforts, the New York Times reported.

DHS Official Placed on Leave After Adding Reporter to Sensitive Email Chain

Julia Ornedo
Thu, March 27, 2025 


Eric Thayer/Getty Images

It turns out there are consequences for mistakenly leaking information about sensitive government operations to journalists.

A longtime Department of Homeland Security employee was placed on administrative leave after accidentally sending unclassified details of an immigration operation to a journalist in late January, according to current and former DHS officials who spoke to NBC News. The staffer was also reportedly told last week that the agency plans to revoke her security clearance.

The DHS employee, who declined to speak to NBC, told colleagues that she mistakenly added a reporter from a conservative media outlet to an email thread detailing information about a forthcoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Denver.

DHS officials said the information in the email was not classified but considered law enforcement sensitive because it included details about when the operation was going to take place and possible locations of targets.

When the employee realized her mistake, she called the reporter, who agreed not to disclose the information, officials said. The ICE operation was carried out without a hitch.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Tom Homan are seen outside the White House in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2025. / REUTERS

But it was too late. Another person on the email thread flagged the error to DHS leadership just as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was making employees take lie detector tests to weed out leakers. Border czar Tom Homan earlier blamed media leaks for fewer-than-expected arrests in an operation targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

The DHS employee was placed on leave pending an investigation and asked to take a polygraph test, officials said. She was reportedly notified that the agency intended to revoke her security clearance, which could lock her out of future homeland security jobs. She has 30 days to appeal.

It’s a far cry from the Trump administration’s response to a massive intelligence leak involving top national security officials who were discussing a military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen without knowing that The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg got inadvertently added to the group chat.

None of the officials in the group chat—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Vice President JD Vance—have faced repercussions over the leak. President Donald Trump has assigned Waltz to probe his own mistake of adding Goldberg to the group chat.

Former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser told NBC that the DHS employee was known for being “mission-focused” and “apolitical.” He called it a “staggering hypocrisy” that national security officials did not face the same consequences.

“Targeting a career official who dedicated her service to protecting public safety and enforcing the law while excusing political appointees who leaked sensitive war plans shows this administration punishes integrity and protects recklessness,” he said. “This isn’t just a double standard—it’s reckless and dangerous.”

Mary McCord, a national security analyst who used to work in the Justice Department, told NBC that the DHS and group chat incidents should be handled the same way.


“Both of these are examples of carelessness in the handling of highly sensitive information, the disclosure of which could put U.S. government employees or military members in danger,” she said.

The Daily Beast has reached out to DHS and the White House for comment.


A DHS staffer faces serious punishment for accidentally adding a reporter to a group email

Julia Ainsley
Thu, March 27, 2025 


Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C.


A federal worker accidentally includes a journalist on a detailed message in advance of a government operation.

While that sounds like the case of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief being added to a group Signal chat by Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz, in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed military attack plans in Yemen, it’s not.

It’s what happened to a longtime Department of Homeland Security employee who told colleagues she inadvertently sent unclassified details of an upcoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation to a journalist in late January, according to former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser, one former DHS official and one current DHS official. (The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they do not want to endanger their current or future career opportunities.)

But unlike Waltz and Hegseth, who both remain in their jobs, the career DHS employee was put on administrative leave and told late last week that the agency intends to revoke her security clearance, the officials said.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has largely rallied around Waltz and Hegseth, with Trump on Wednesday calling it “all a witch hunt.”

The episode involving the career DHS employee has not been previously reported. Experts say it raises questions about unequal punishment for inadvertent leakers in the Trump administration.

Mary McCord, a former top official in the Justice Department’s national security division, which investigates the mishandling or leaking of classified information, said the two cases should be treated the same way.

"Both of these are examples of carelessness in the handling of highly sensitive information, the disclosure of which could put U.S. government employees or military members in danger," added McCord, who is now a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center. "We should expect the Signal chat breach to be taken at least as seriously" as the DHS employee's breach.

The DHS employee who was put on leave did not speak to NBC News. The officials who did speak didn't want to identify her out of fear she would face retaliation from members of the public who are pro-immigration enforcement.

The DHS employee told colleagues she accidentally added a reporter from a conservative Washington-based print publication to an email that included information about upcoming ICE operations in the Denver area. The officials said the information was not classified but considered law enforcement sensitive because it included the time of day for the operation and possible home locations where targets could be identified.

Realizing her mistake immediately, the employee called the reporter who agreed not to disclose the information, the officials said.

The ICE operation took place without incident, the officials said.

But another person on the email group flagged the blunder to higher-ups at DHS at a time when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan were blaming leaks to the media for lower-than-expected arrest numbers during ICE roundups, the officials said.

Days later, the employee was placed on leave pending an investigation, the officials said. She was asked to take a polygraph test and surrender her personal cellphone, which she declined. She was then notified that the agency intends to revoke her security clearance, the officials said, which could keep her from working in the homeland security space again.

The employee has 30 days to appeal the revocation, one official said.

The employee has served in various agencies across DHS since President George W. Bush’s administration, including during the entirety of Trump’s first term, the officials said.

A DHS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment.

In the Signal incident, Hegseth shared details of upcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, according to text messages shared by The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was included in the chat.

Even though Hegseth provided the precise timing of planned fighter jet and drone launches and when bombs would hit their intended targets, the Trump administration has said no classified material was shared in the chat.

Houser, the former ICE chief of staff, said the employee had a reputation for being "mission-focused" and "apolitical."

"Targeting a career official who dedicated her service to protecting public safety and enforcing the law — while excusing political appointees who leaked sensitive war plans — shows this administration punishes integrity and protects recklessness. That doesn’t just betray her, it weakens every public servant who risks their career to do the right thing," Houser said.

"It's staggering hypocrisy," he added. Houser noted that the career official was put on leave for sharing information that was not classified, "while political appointees leak classified war plans and face zero consequences. This isn’t just a double standard — it’s reckless and dangerous."

One former DHS official told NBC News that the Trump administration should review its handling of the case of the DHS career employee who accidentally emailed ICE plans in light of the news of the Signal chat involving Waltz, Hegseth and Goldberg.

"Career civilians and military suffer severe penalties for inadvertent mistakes significantly less serious," the former DHS official said. "The inconsistency is appalling."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

German outlet reportedly finds Trump officials’ private contact info online

Ashleigh Fields
Wed, March 26, 2025 

THE HILL

German outlet reportedly finds Trump officials’ private contact info online


The German news outlet Der Spiegel reportedly found private contact information online for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and national security adviser Mike Waltz, who were involved in the Signal group chat security breach.

The Der Spiegel report said each individual’s email address and phone number were readily available on the dark web.

Hegseth’s mobile number and active email address were sent to Der Spiegel by a commercial provider of personal information for marketing purposes.

A search of the leaked user data revealed that the email address and, in some cases, even the password associated with it, could be found in more than 20 publicly accessible leaks and traced back to a WhatsApp account for the Defense secretary that was recently deleted, according to the outlet.

Waltz’s contact information was obtained by the same unnamed provider and was linked to his Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Signal accounts, in addition to several passwords for the adviser’s email address in leaked databases, Der Spiegel wrote.

Gabbard’s email address was found on Reddit and WikiLeaks with connections to her WhatsApp and Signal profiles. Ten other leaks revealed the same ping-backs.

The Hill reached out to Hegseth, Waltz and Gabbard for comment.

The discovery comes as legislators call on Hegseth and Waltz to resign over mistakenly adding The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat in which plans for U.S. airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen were laid out.

President Trump described the breach as a “glitch” earlier in the week, after admitting Waltz learned a lesson about best practices for virtual communication. However, Trump also suggested the media was embellishing concerns about defense conversations on Signal’s platform, after some reporters accused the administration of brushing over the security breach.

“I don’t know about downplaying. The press up-plays it. I think it’s all a witch hunt,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “The attacks were unbelievably successful, and that’s ultimately what you should be talking about, I think.”

Waltz and Hegseth maintain that classified information was not shared and are unsure how the journalist was added to the messaging chain.

“I didn’t see this loser in the group. It looked like someone else,” Waltz told Fox News.


“Now, whether he did it deliberately or it happened in some other technical mean, is something we’re trying to figure out,” he added.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 

Opinion

Top Trump Security Advisers’ Private Info Now Available Online

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
Wed, March 26, 2025 




If Mike Waltz knows anything about national security, he sure isn’t acting like it.

As it turns out, adding a journalist to a Signal channel in which top Trump administration officials discussed imminent airstrikes in Yemen isn’t the only security breach that’s occurred under Donald Trump’s national security adviser.

The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported Wednesday that several senior administration officials had their personal data—including account passwords, cell phone numbers, and email addresses—listed online.

Some of the compromised Cabinet members include Waltz, as well as National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The foreign publication was able to track down their information via commercial search engines as well as databases composed of hacked customer data.

“Most of these numbers and email addresses are apparently still in use,” reported Der Spiegel.

Through those details, reporters were further able to uncover Dropbox accounts and personal profiles on running apps that track users’ health data. Reporters were also able to locate WhatsApp and, ultimately, Signal accounts for some members of the administration.

“Hostile intelligence services could use this publicly available data to hack the communications of those affected by installing spyware on their devices,” the weekly news journal reported. “It is thus conceivable that foreign agents were privy to the Signal chat group in which Gabbard, Waltz, and Hegseth discussed a military strike.”

Former intelligence officials are warning that America’s adversaries “undoubtedly” already have the chat records. That’s thanks to the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who was physically in Russia when he was added to the chat on the retail app. In an interview with MeidasTouch Tuesday, former national security adviser Susan Rice said that Witkoff’s use of Signal while in Russia would have basically hand-delivered news of the attack to the Kremlin hours before it took place.

“Russians have whatever Witkoff was doing or saying on his personal cell phone,” Rice told the network.

But Witkoff wasn’t the only group chat member traveling abroad at the time. During a House Intelligence Committee hearing Wednesday, Gabbard admitted that she had been in the Indo-Pacific at the time that the strike was being coordinated over Signal, though despite her sudden recollection, she could not remember which country specifically she had been in before Yemen was hit.

She was reportedly in transit from Thailand to India on March 15, the day of the strike. Days later, Gabbard delivered a keynote address at the Raisina Dialogue, according to a readout from her office.




Trump’s Top Aides Suffer Another Series of Embarrassing Data Blunders

Yasmeen Hamadeh
Wed, March 26, 2025 

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


When it rains, it pours—at least that’s the case for Mike Waltz and the country’s top national security officials this week.

After President Donald Trump’s national security adviser accidentally added a prominent journalist to a private Signal chat with more than a dozen top government officials, it emerged that he had made another digital blunder: leaving his Venmo friends list set to public.

And that’s not all. German news magazine Der Spiegel also reported Wednesday that it had found email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and even passwords belonging to a number of top Trump officials online. The information on Waltz, Defense Secretary Pege Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was reportedly available via commercial data-search services and showed up in several recent dumps of hacked data that ended up online.

Der Spiegel added that “most” of the numbers and emails it found appeared to still be in use, with some tied to accounts on social media sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, or messaging service WhatsApp.

The incidents this week have shone a massive spotlight on the administration’s seemingly shoddy data security practices, just a few months into Trump’s tenure.

Wired was the first to report Wednesday that Waltz still had a public Venmo profile—and that it was filled with prominent journalists.

The outlet claimed that the account, which used the name “Michael Waltz” and had a profile picture with Waltz in it, included a public 328-person friend list. Members on the list apparently ranged from media figures and journalists to colleagues within the Trump administration, like U.S. National Security Council staffer Walker Barrett.

Susie Wiles listens as Donald Trump speaks after being declared the winner during an election night watch party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida in the early hours of Wednesday, Nov. 06, 2024. / Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesMore

One notable member of the list was White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who seemingly also had her own public 182-person friend list filled with names like U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Wired reports that none of Waltz’s or Wiles’ financial transactions were public on Venmo, but that it seemed that they had simply not selected to make their friend list private.

Though the White House apparently declined to comment on the Venmo accounts to Wired, the outlet claimed that Waltz’s and Wiles’ profiles went private shortly after they reached out.

In a statement to the Daily Beast, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “Passwords and accounts associated with these reported leaks are as much as a decade old, and passwords have long been changed.”

On Monday, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published a viral report detailing the brief period he was inadvertently added to the Signal group chat, which existed to discuss then-upcoming military operations in Yemen.

The stunning incident and its aftermath has led many pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle to question the Trump administration’s handling of potentially classified materials and digital security.

Federal judge to consider releasing immigration activist who took refuge in churches

COLLEEN SLEVIN
Thu, March 27, 2025 
AP

File - Jeanette Vizguerra, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in a church to avoid immigration authorities for the past three months, smiles after leaving the church early Friday, May 12, 2017, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

File - Jeanette Vizguerra, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in a church to avoid immigration authorities for the past three months, speaks after leaving the church early Friday, May 12, 2017, in downtown Denver.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

DENVER (AP) — A federal judge in Denver is set to hear arguments Friday over whether an immigration and labor activist who took refuge in Colorado churches to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration should be freed from detention.

Jeanette Vizguerra was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 17 and is being held at its immigration detention facility in suburban Denver.

ICE says Vizguerra entered the U.S. from Mexico illegally in 1997 and is being held pending deportation. In a statement shortly after her arrest, ICE said the mother of four has a final deportation order and “has received legal due process in U.S. immigration court.”

But her lawyers say the order is not valid. They have filed a legal challenge asking U.S. District Judge Nina Wang to order federal authorities to release her.

Wang issued an order halting Vizguerra's deportation while the legal challenge plays out.

ICE began trying to deport Vizguerra in 2009 during the Obama administration after she was pulled over in suburban Denver and found to have a fraudulent Social Security card with her own name and birth date but someone else’s number, according to a 2019 lawsuit she brought against ICE. Vizguerra did not know the number belonged to someone else at the time, the lawsuit said.

While a judge issued an order of removal against her, she also was given the option to leave the country voluntarily, which she ultimately did to try to see her mother before she died in 2012, her lawyers said in the current petition before Wang.

Since Vizguerra left on her own before later re-entering the U.S., there is no removal order for ICE to reinstate, the petition says.

It is not clear how soon Wang could rule. But she has noted the case raises “complex issues” about immigration law and she could not find a similar case.

Trump officials pause some green card applications in immigration crackdown

Adam Gabbatt
Wed, March 26, 2025 


The Department of Homeland Security cited Trump’s January order when announcing the pause.Photograph: Epoxydude/Getty Images/fStop


The Trump administration has paused the processing of certain green card applications as the US government continues to implement a hardline immigration agenda.

CBS News reported that approved refugees are part of the processing freeze, as the White House enacts an effort to more aggressively vet immigrants to the US.

The move is likely to leave some immigrants granted refuge in the US in limbo, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claiming the pause is necessary to carry out two executive actions on immigration signed by Donald Trump.


“USCIS [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] is placing a temporary pause on finalizing certain Adjustment of Status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting to identify potential fraud, public safety, or national security concerns, in alignment” with Trump’s orders, DHS told CBS News.

Adjustment of status is the process by which individuals can apply to become a lawful permanent resident, or green-card holder, in the US.

The DHS cited a presidential action issued by Trump in January, which ordered the federal government to ensure people seeking admission to the US “are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.

It comes as a federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday blocked immigration officials from detaining Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student and legal permanent resident the Trump administration is trying to deport for taking part in Gaza solidarity protests.


Chung, 21, has lived in the US since she was seven years old. She filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing the government was “attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike”.

Chung’s case has echoes of the ongoing detention of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist and green-card holder who took part in protests at Columbia, and experts told the Guardian that there was evidence that people of color are being targeted for deportation.

At least five students and academics of color who participated in protests in support of Palestine at US universities have been targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as a part of the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on Palestinian support.

I was laid off after Musk took over Twitter. Here's my advice for federal workers cut by DOGE.

Amir Shevat
Fri, March 28, 2025 
Amir Shevat was laid off from his role as head of product at Twitter in 2022.Amir Shevat

Amir Shevat was laid off from his job at Twitter after Elon Musk took over the company in late 2022.


He said Musk's mass layoffs were impossible to prepare for and left employees feeling demoralized.


Shevat said workers shouldn't rely on assumptions of job stability when dealing with Musk.

In 2019, I co-founded a company that was acquired by Twitter in 2021. As part of the deal, I became the head of product of the Twitter Developer Platform.

When Elon Musk took over Twitter in late 2022, I was among the thousands of employees who were unceremoniously laid off. I was a senior leader with more than 200 who relied on me, and more than 90% of us got laid off overnight.


It was a chaotic, disorienting experience that sent shockwaves through the tech industry. Now, as Musk's influence extends to the federal sector through DOGE-related budget cuts, government employees find themselves facing similar uncertainty.

Having lived through this before, I want to share what I learned and how those affected can navigate their own layoffs.
Nothing is predictable with Musk in charge

One of the biggest lessons from the Twitter layoffs was that nothing is truly predictable when Musk is in charge.

From abrupt policy shifts to sudden mass terminations, the lack of clear communication after Musk took over made it impossible to prepare. I personally struggled to manage the uncertainty and zero communication, especially being responsible for a large team who were worried about their livelihoods. I communicated what I knew to my team and tried to reassure them.

From my experience, it's important to stay informed, be proactive, and don't rely on assumptions about job stability.
Start networking and assess your skills

The best thing I did after being laid off was immediately tap into my network. Tech workers are accustomed to layoffs, and the ecosystem is built on resilience and community support. A day after the layoffs, I created an online spreadsheet of companies looking to hire and connected a lot of laid-off Twitter people to new companies, helping them to get interviews and find jobs.

Federal employees may not have the same ingrained network effect, but now is the time to start connecting. Building a professional support system, whether through LinkedIn, industry groups, or alumni associations, can make the transition to finding a new job easier.

After Twitter, I had to reconsider where I wanted to go next. Was I going to stay in Big Tech? Join a startup? Start my own venture? Layoffs, while painful, provide an opportunity to reset and explore new paths. For me, that path led me to become a startup investor.


Federal workers should consider whether their skills translate to the private sector, freelance work, or new government roles. Upskilling through courses or certifications can also be a smart move.
Offboarding can be chaotic, so prepare now

Many Twitter employees, myself included, had assumed that even in the worst-case scenario, we'd receive some level of structured transition support. That assumption was naive.

Severance was inconsistent, and access to internal systems — including crucial financial and tax documents — was cut off almost immediately. For example, before I was laid off, I managed to keep a record of all my performance reviews, which some employers can request for new employees. After I got laid off, I lost access to the performance system without any warning. Many of us at Twitter filed for arbitration following the harsh firing process.

My advice? Start preparing now. Build an emergency fund, document all your work history, and ensure you have personal copies of any critical records with the permission of your employer. Do not assume an orderly offboarding process.
Take care of your mental well-being

The psychological toll of being laid off is real. At Twitter, we went from being part of a vibrant, mission-driven company to feeling discarded overnight. The abrupt shift was demoralizing, and many struggled with a sense of lost identity.

For me, this meant many sleepless nights, thinking about my team and what I could have done to support them. I tried to help my people find new jobs, as I still felt responsible for them. It took at least six months for me to slowly find peace.

Federal employees affected by DOGE cuts may experience something similar, especially if they have dedicated years to public service. It's important to separate personal worth from employment status. Seeking support from peers, career coaches, or even therapy can help process the transition.
Don't burn bridges, but start considering your options

Musk's approach at Twitter made it clear that loyalty is not reciprocated in a corporate setting. Musk's actions made it feel like he didn't care about how much an employee cared about the company, how hard they worked, or even what their contribution or personal situation was. Entire businesses within Twitter, like mine, were gutted.

If layoffs seem likely, start exploring alternatives now rather than reacting later. However, it's also important not to burn bridges — maintaining professional relationships can lead to future opportunities.

When Musk took over Twitter in late October, we could've stopped working, but we kept building until we were laid off a few weeks later because we loved the Twitter developer platform.

Building this trust with my developer community throughout my career led me to my next step: investing in developers and entrepreneurs around the world.
Focus on the future

Being laid off from Twitter was a jarring experience, but it forced me to rethink my career and ultimately led me to new, fulfilling opportunities. While the DOGE cuts present a challenging time for federal workers, there is a path forward.

People at Twitter who got laid off found new jobs with great companies, and so will you. Whether it's in government or the private sector, good people are always needed. By staying proactive, adaptable, and connected, I think those impacted can navigate this transition and emerge stronger on the other side. I know I did, and you can do it too.

Business Insider