The Evening: Trump orders an end to the Education Department

Also, Hamas targeted Tel Aviv with rockets.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 20, 2025 by Desiree Ibekwe and Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. The end of the Education Department A judge's angry order Plus, March Madness President Trump at the White House, today. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Trump ordered the shutdown of the Education Dept. President Trump today signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Education Department. The president, flanked by children at school desks, said that his administration would "take all lawful steps to shut down the department," adding: "It's doing us no good." The administration has cited poor test scores as a justification. Whether the department's elimination will come to pass is unclear. Congress created the agency, and only Congress has the power to dismantle it. The order further weakens the agency after Trump slashed its work force by almost half, gutted its civil rights division and laid off research employees. Though, the department will retain a few critical functions, including student loan and grant distribution, special education funding and civil rights enforcement, the administration said. Education leaders and advocacy groups have condemned the move. "This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education," said Derrick Johnson, president of the N.A.A.C.P. Trump has framed the agency's demise as a way to hand over education decisions to the states, but the Education Department doesn't control local learning standards or reading lists. And the bulk of K-12 funding comes from state and local taxes. In his speech today, Trump suggested he might push Congress for a vote on the issue, where Republicans could be faced with a predicament: please Trump or their constituents. Recent polls show that nearly two-thirds of voters oppose the department's closure. In other education news, academics said that Trump's ultimatum to Columbia was unparalleled, and could upend colleges nationwide. Judge James Boasberg issued an angrily written order to the Trump administration for an explanation about the deportation flights.  Eric Lee/The New York Times Judge sharply criticized Trump administration lawyers A federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration to explain its actions last weekend, when U.S. officials expelled scores of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, despite his restraining order blocking the deportations. He gave officials until Tuesday to describe in detail how they had not violated his order, edging closer to holding the administration in contempt. The judge, James Boasberg, angrily called out the administration's repeated efforts to stonewall his attempts to get information about the timing of the flights. "The government again evaded its obligations," he wrote, adding that the Justice Department's most recent filing about the flights was "woefully insufficient." In other politics news: Trump administration lawyers said that federal agents would no longer need a warrant to enter a home to search for suspected Venezuelan gang members. A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked members of Elon Musk's DOGE team from accessing Social Security information. Meet Steve Davis, the longtime Musk loyalist who oversees the billionaire's initiative to downsize the work force. The White House scrambled to minimize the fallout after exposing personal information, including Social Security numbers, in the release of Kennedy files. Conservatives went from championing free speech on campus to fighting it. Our colleague Jeremy Peters explained how. Trump won over many Arab Americans in November. Now, many feel as if they have nowhere to turn. Bernie Sanders has an idea for the left: More progressive candidates should run as independents. Palestinians fled northern Gaza today after the Israeli military issued warnings to evacuate homes. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Hamas targeted Tel Aviv with rockets Hamas fired its first barrage of rockets in months into Israeli territory today, as Israeli troops expanded their ground raids in Gaza. After a two-month cease-fire, it now looks as if the fighting is escalating back to full-scale war. Our Jerusalem bureau chief, Patrick Kingsley, told us that the cease-fire was always likely to fall apart unless one side softened its stance. "Neither did," Patrick said. "So Israel has returned to war in order to break Hamas's resolve by force. And that leaves things roughly where they were before the cease-fire began in January: in a deadlock." In related news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was expected to fire the chief of the country's domestic intelligence agency. Joseph Coates owes his life to an A.I. model that searches for medicines to treat rare diseases.  Hannah Yoon for The New York Times Finding lifesaving cures in plain sight with A.I. The practice of drug repurposing — finding alternative uses for existing medicines — is nothing new. But now A.I. models are speeding up the process: Drugs are quickly being repurposed for conditions like rare and aggressive cancers, and complex neurological conditions. And often, they're working. More top news Afghanistan: The Taliban released George Glezmann, an American airline mechanic who was detained while visiting Kabul in 2022 as a tourist. Ukraine: As cease-fire negotiations continued, Kyiv struck an air base deep inside Russia overnight. Trade: E.U. officials said that they would delay retaliatory tariffs on American whiskey and other goods until mid-April, allowing more time for a deal. Canada: Doug Ford, Ontario's premier, has earned the nickname "Captain Canada" for defending his country against Trump. Syria: The ousted Assad dictatorship kept lists of millions of wanted people. Being on one has become a badge of honor. Media: Top Washington Post alumni urged Jeff Bezos to replace the C.E.O. Energy: A constellation of satellites orbiting 250 miles above Earth's surface shows how solar and wind power have taken off. Survey: Americans are unhappier than ever, according to a new report. Solo dining may be a sign. Tesla: The company is recalling nearly all of its Cybertrucks after it found that an exterior trim panel was falling off. TIME TO UNWIND Houston defeated SIU Edwardsville this afternoon by 38 points. Kirby Lee/Imagn Images, via Reuters It's time for a little madness This year's N.C.A.A. men's basketball tournament — affectionately called March Madness — started today. For sports fans, it's the beginning of five of the most exciting days of the year, during which the men's and women's tournaments both showcase 48 elimination games to narrow their fields of 64 teams to just 16 contenders each. There was already one exciting upset, when No. 12-seed McNeese took down No. 5-seed Clemson. And there are several more can't-miss games on the schedule. For more: Here's what to expect from the women's tournament, which begins tomorrow. Rachel Zegler in "Snow White."  Disney Snow White and the seven kajillion controversies Disney, who had been printing money by "reimagining" animated classics, believed that a live-action remake of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" would be a hit. Instead, the new movie arrives in theaters this week as one of the most troubled projects in the company's 102-year history. Our colleague Brooks Barnes explained how almost everything seemed to go wrong — including the dwarfs, the wig and one of its stars' social media posts. Here's our review. Meridith Kohut for The New York Times Dinner table topics Country culture: "Mutton bustin'," where children lie on top of an agitated sheep and try to hang on, is one of the beloved traditions at the Houston Rodeo. National identity: These two hand-embellished countryside homes helped define Scandinavian style. Health setback: Beef tallow has made a comeback, much to the frustration of nutrition experts. The new Frick: Take a room-by-room guided tour through the splendor of New York's Gilded Age house museum. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT David Malosh for The New York Times Cook: Consider this salad a celebration of the beginning of spring. Watch: "Misericordia," a bent kind of murder mystery, presents life at its basest and gamiest. Celebrate: Nowruz, the Persian New Year, began today. Here's what to know. Style: Poufy pants have found a wide appeal. Rest: A simple brain technique could help you fall asleep. Lather: It's getting warmer. Here's how much sunscreen you need and how to put it on. Hunt: Which Manhattan apartment would you buy with a $900,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Sam Bush for The New York Times Jury duty, but make it fun In 1887, The Times described jury duty as "a disagreeable burden to be avoided so far as possible." For many people, that still rings true. But in several theaters and office buildings around the world people are paying $50 or more to take part. The cases aren't real. Several immersive theater productions are repackaging the civic responsibility as entertainment — complete with drinks and cellphones. The experiences offer fans of true crime a taste of what it's like to decide someone's guilt or innocence. Have a judicious evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. Matthew will return on Monday. — Desiree Philip Pacheco was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018