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Education expulsion, Musk China briefing and another Cybertruck recall

 
Today's NATIONAL story

Trump signs order to end Education Department

What happened
President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order to shut down the Education Department "to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law." He said he was "going to eliminate" the department, a longstanding goal of many conservatives but one that would require an act of Congress.

Who said what
Killing the department would return education "back to the states where it belongs," Trump said at the signing ceremony. But his order "laid out more aspirations than directives," The Washington Post said. He did not say "which functions or funding would move from federal to state control" nor "acknowledge that states and local school boards already pay for about 90% of K-12 education" and "make the vast majority of decisions about how public schools run."

Trump's order also directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to ensure "effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs and benefits on which Americans rely." Along with administering student loans and Pell Grants, the department gives states billions of dollars to support high-poverty K-12 schools and students with disabilities. "Each of these programs have large constituencies, and various education groups have mobilized in opposition to closing the department," The Wall Street Journal said.

Trump has already laid off about half the Education Department's workforce. Most Americans "do not support closing the department," Reuters said, with recent polls registering opposition at "roughly 2-to-1."

What next?
Trump and McMahon have proposed shifting Education Department functions to other departments, but "even those moves would require congressional action," the Post said. It's "unclear" whether Trump would "ignore" the relevant statutes and "try to move offices anyway." Opponents have already vowed to sue.

 
 
Today's NATIONAL SeCURITY story

Reports: Musk to get briefed on China war plans

What happened
Elon Musk was scheduled to have a briefing at the Defense Department today on the Pentagon's top secret war plans for China, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

Who said what
Giving Musk access to "some of the nation's most closely guarded military secrets would be a dramatic expansion" of his "already extensive" footprint in President Donald Trump's administration, the Times said. It would also give Musk, "as the head of Tesla, which relies on China for car production, and SpaceX, a U.S. defense contractor, access to sensitive military secrets unavailable to business competitors," the Journal said.

The "impetus" for providing Musk "such a sensitive briefing" was "unclear," the Times said, though he might need to know "aspects of the war plan" so his DOGE operatives did not cut programs integral to a fight with China. Musk "is receiving the briefing because he asked for one," the Journal said, citing a person familiar with the arrangements.

What next?
The Pentagon confirmed Musk's visit, but Trump said on social media last night that "China will not even be mentioned or discussed." Musk threatened "prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information" to the Times.

 
 
Today's BUSINESS Story

Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels

What happened
Tesla said yesterday it was recalling almost every Cybertruck in the U.S. over a stainless steel panel that could fall off and "create a road hazard for following motorists."

Who said what
This was the eighth and "one of the largest recalls for Cybertrucks in the model's short and at times flawed history on the road," The New York Times said. Federal regulators said Tesla became aware of the brittle-adhesive problem early this year, and videos of "people ripping the panels off of Cybertrucks with their hands have gone viral in recent days," The Associated Press said.

The recall is the "latest setback" for Tesla since owner Elon Musk started slashing government agencies and workers on behalf of President Donald Trump, the AP said. "Shares have plummeted 42%" this year "as sales crater around the globe." Motorists have also "traded in a record number of Teslas" amid a "wave" of "Tesla takedown" protests, Reuters said. Attorney General Pam Bondi said yesterday the federal government will prosecute vandalism of Tesla properties as "domestic terrorism."

What next?
Tesla said owners of the 46,096 affected Cybertrucks "may continue to drive" them until the panels are replaced free of charge.

 
 

It's not all bad

An underwater camera lets people around the world help migrating fish make their way through the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The "fish doorbell" system allows viewers watching a livestream to report when a fish arrives at the Weerdsluis, a manually operated lock. As soon as there's a backup of fish, a worker is alerted and opens the lock gates. The fish then continue their trek to shallower spawning grounds.

 
 
Under the radar

The quality of your sleep could impact how likely you are to believe in conspiracy theories, according to new research published in the Journal of Health Psychology. Specifically, "poor sleep has been shown to increase the risk of depression, anxiety and paranoia — factors that also contribute to conspiracy beliefs," Daniel Jolley, the study's research lead and a University of Nottingham assistant professor of social psychology, said in a news release.

Researchers conducted two studies. The first had 540 participants complete a sleep quality assessment before reading one of two articles about the 2019 Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris. "While some volunteers received a verified rundown of the devastating accident, others reviewed a story that falsely stated the blaze involved a cover-up conspiracy," said Popular Science. Researchers found that "those who previously cited worse sleep quality entertained the Notre Dame Cathedral conspiracy more often than their well-rested counterparts."

The second phase analyzed another 575 people to find an explanation for the link between poor sleep quality and conspiracy beliefs. The results indicated that depression was the main mechanism for believing in conspiracy theories. "Anger and paranoia also played a role, but their effects were less consistent," the researchers said.

While the study links poor sleep and an affinity for conspiracy theories, this does not indicate causation. "Chronic stress or anxiety could contribute to both poor sleep and a heightened susceptibility to conspiratorial thinking," Jolley and Iwan Dinnick, a research fellow at the University of Nottingham and one of the study authors, said at The Conversation.

 
 
On this day

March 19, 1963

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco closed. The prison, opened in 1934, was built on an island in San Francisco Bay. It became notorious for its high-profile prisoners like Al Capone as well as the inability of any prisoner to escape. Now managed by the National Park Service, Alcatraz remains a popular tourist attraction.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

"Fossil-fuel industry exacts its revenge on green activists" as President Donald Trump pursues "pro-fossil fuel and anticlimate actions," The Wall Street Journal says on Friday's front page. "Trump drawing his biggest battle line" in trying to eliminate the Education Department, USA Today says. "Impact of order 'closing' Education Dept. unclear," the Austin American-Statesman said. "Dismantling" the department "to hurt California — but red states more," the San Francisco Chronicle says. "GOP assault aims to hobble the Democrats" by targeting "donation platforms and lawyers," The New York Times says. Attorney General Pam Bondi's "DOJ ushers in a MAGA makeover," The Washington Post says.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Alive (and kicking)

A Bulgarian soccer team apologized after holding a moment of silence for an ex-player who's alive and well. Former Arda Kardzhali striker Petko Ganchev, 76, came home and found his wife "in tears" after seeing the prematch tribute, he said to Bulgarian broadcaster BTV, adding that once he learned why she was crying, "I poured myself a little brandy." The club blamed the mix-up on "incorrect information" and wished Ganchev "many more years of good health."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Photographer Name / Getty Images; Qilai Shen / Bloomberg via Getty Images; Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images