Daily Briefing: 'We're just getting started'

USA Today

30-04-2025

Daily Briefing: 'We're just getting started'
👋🏾 Good morning! I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Passersby nabbed $300,000 after a security truck accidentally spilled cash in Illinois.
Quick look at Wednesday's news:
President Donald Trump said his agenda is going according to plan.
Employees at the FDA and NIH have been banned from using chosen names.
Harvard University has found evidence of Islamophobia and antisemitism on its campus.
Trump claims success at Michigan rally
President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have turned the federal government upside-down, denting his poll numbers. On April 29 during a rally in Michigan, Trump claimed it's all going according to plan.
"We're just getting started," he said. His second administration has opened with a furious blitz of conservative policy focused around deportations, deep cuts to federal agencies and tariffs. Polls show most Americans think he has gone too far on all of those issues.
Key stock market indexes are down significantly, and economic forecasters say the likelihood of a recession has increased amid looming trade wars sparked by tariffs.
significantly, and economic forecasters say the likelihood of a recession has increased amid looming trade wars sparked by tariffs. Elon Musk's DOGE has fired tens of thousands of federal workers and dismantled whole agencies in a quest to reduce spending and improve efficiency.
tens of thousands of federal workers and dismantled whole agencies in a quest to reduce spending and improve efficiency. Trump promised mass deportations during the campaign and is following through. But his tactics have sparked outrage.
Federal health agencies banned chosen names under new gender policy
Employees of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health are being told to use their legal names in official systems, a move the agencies say is in response to President Trump's executive order that reversed protections for transgender people. The policies affect transgender employees who use a name that aligns with their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. These policies can also affect married women who choose to go by their maiden name at work, and people who go by middle names, initials or shorten their first names. Read more
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Supreme Court to weigh nation's first religious charter school
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider whether the Catholic Church in Oklahoma can run the nation's first religious charter school. The court's decision is expected to turn on whether charter schools – which are publicly funded but have private operators – are public schools under the law. If they are, religious charter schools could violate the Constitution's prohibition on the government backing a religion. If they're not, prohibiting the church from participating in the state's charter school program could be discrimination under the Constitution's promise that Americans can practice religion freely. Read more
T.D. Jakes' retirement marks end of era for presidential counselor
After roughly three decades as one of most prominent faces of American faith, Bishop T.D. Jakes is leaving his leadership position months after a health scare and amid larger legal battles. The 67-year-old megachurch pastor announced Sunday he was retiring as senior pastor of Potter's House, a non-denominational Pentecostal megachurch in Dallas, Texas. Jakes has advised many high-profile individuals and has had close relationships with presidents. When Bill Clinton admitted to having "sinned" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Jakes was among the clergy the then-president called upon when seeking the nation's forgiveness. Read more
Today's talkers
Harvard finds evidence of antisemitism, Islamophobia on campus
As the federal government's scrutiny of Harvard University intensifies, internal reviews released April 29 by the Ivy League school found evidence of Islamophobia and antisemitism on its campus. One report revealed that nearly half of Muslim students and staff have felt unsafe on campus since the Israel-Hamas war broke out. The other described instances of Jewish students hiding their identities or taking leaves of absence to avoid harassment. Both reviews offered comprehensive, sometimes contradictory, recommendations, which Harvard's president, Alan Garber, who is Jewish, said he was committed to taking seriously. "Harvard cannot – and will not – abide bigotry," Garber said. Read more
Photo of the day: Blue Ivy did not come to play during Beyoncé's concert
Beyoncé wasn't the only superstar to own the stage on opening night of her "Cowboy Carter" tour; her 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter blew fans away with her fierce performances and stellar moves throughout the show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28. The next day, fans were still talking on social media about Blue Ivy's jaw-dropping performances.