Monday, March 16
Judge temporarily blocks cuts to vaccine recommendations
A federal judge temporarily blocked U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from decreasing the number of vaccines recommended to children. The judge said Kennedy was violating federal procedure with his changes to the vaccine advisory committee, The Associated Press reported.
In January, Kennedy announced he would end the federal recommendation of flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV and some meningitis vaccines for all children. The decision temporarily stops the measure from going into effect.
Additionally, the judge's ruling also stopped the Kennedy-appointed vaccine committee from meeting this week in Atlanta. According to the AP, federal health officials have indicated they plan to appeal this decision.
Tuesday, March 17
Attorney General Pam Bondi subpoenaed by Congress
Congress issued a subpoena for Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions about the Epstein files. Bondi was ordered to appear before the committee on oversight and government reform April 14 as a part of the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and his involvement in sex trafficking.
Earlier this month, the oversight committee held a vote to subpoena Bondi, in which Democrats were supported by five Republicans, according to the AP.
Republican chairman Rep. James Comer said in a letter to Bondi that the Oversight Committee has questions about how the Justice Department has handled the Epstein investigation and whether they are fully complying with the federal order to release the files.
The Justice Department said a subpoena was “completely unnecessary” and felt Bondi has continuously complied with Congress regarding the Epstein files.
Wednesday, March 18
Democrats storm out of Justice Department briefing
Multiple Democrats furiously left a closed-door briefing about the Epstein files on Wednesday, held by the Justice Department. Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Capitol Hill to try to ease tensions over the Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
The Democrats were reportedly frustrated with what was said during the briefing by saying they would force Bondi to answer questions under oath next month about the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation.
Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost said in a statement, “We want her under oath because we do not trust her,” the AP reported.
Bondi is scheduled to appear in front of Congress next month to answer more questions about the Epstein files. Democratic lawmakers protested her briefing Wednesday and stormed out an hour into the meeting.
Thursday, March 19
Education Department transfers student loans to Treasury
The Trump administration announced Thursday the Department of Education is transferring part of its responsibility over student loans to the Department of the Treasury. According to the AP, the transfer of duties is part of the president’s plans to officially dismantle the federal education agency.
The Department of the Treasury will now manage student loans with defaulted borrowers, or those who are behind on payments. In estimate, these loans add up to about $180 billion or 11% of all student loans. The Department of Education has overseen the student loan process since it was created 40 years ago, and it’s one of the most important parts of the agency’s function.
President Donald Trump plans to have the Department of the Treasury take over responsibility for all student loans, but there is no timeline for when this will happen. The administrator reassured those with student loans they do not need to do anything different, and repayment and loan services will be handled in the same way.
Friday, March 20
Dangerous heatwave hits the Southwest
On Friday, the Southwestern U.S. states reached the highest March temperatures ever recorded. Two Arizona communities and two places in Southern California reached temperatures of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the AP.
Climate scientists warn this heatwave and other weather extremes are the result of rapid climate change due to human interference. According to the AP, temperatures this high in March wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for human activity affecting the atmosphere. The Southwest heatwave is 30 degrees Fahrenheit above the usual average for March.
Since 2020, the U.S. has broken 77% more hot weather records than it did in the 1970s, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Extreme heat waves like the one in the Southwest or other weather anomalies, such as downpours and hurricanes, can be incredibly dangerous, and their unpredictability can put many people in danger.
Saturday, March 21
Trump threatens to put ICE agents in airports
Trump said Saturday if Democrats did not agree on the bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, he would order immigration officers to work security at airports.
Trump claimed he would put Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in airports starting Monday after the Senate failed to agree on the DHS bill, according to the AP.
Trump’s statement comes after the partial government shutdown has led to Transportation Security Administration employees not being paid and contributed to long lines in airports across the country. Trump also made a promise that the ICE presence in airports would lead to more immigrant arrests there as well.
According to the AP, the Democrats' holdout over DHS funding is a result of their disagreement over the Trump administration’s tactics of immigration enforcement. The Democrats are hoping for better identification for federal law enforcement officers, a new code of conduct, and increased use of judicial warrants as a result of their holdout.
