President Donald Trump issues an executive order to shut down the Department of Education, attributing it to America’s struggling academic performance. Also, one of the world’s busiest airports shuts down, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded due to a local fire. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, March 21, 2025.
Trump begins process of dismantling Department of Education
President Donald Trump took a major step toward dismantling the Department of Education. Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, March 20, to shut down the agency, which was a key campaign promise.
Trump said he wants to return the authority of education to the states and local communities.
The order initiates the process of shuttering the department and directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to make preparations to transfer the department’s essential services to other government departments.
However, Trump cannot close the federal agency independently because congressional approval is required.
The order directs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the states, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
Straight Arrow news reporter Kalé Carey laid out the terms of Trump’s new executive order here.
Since 1979, the Education Department has spent $3 trillion, with $268 billion allocated in 2024 alone.
So where exactly does that money go?
Straight Arrow News business correspondent Simone del Rosario broke it down here.
Judge: DOJ’s deportation flights filing is ‘woefully insufficient’
A federal judge said the Justice Department’s response to his demand for more information regarding deportation flights conducted under a wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act was, in his words, “woefully insufficient.”
In a three-page ruling, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said the government “again evaded its obligations” to provide the information he had been demanding for days regarding the timing of the last Saturday flights.
Trump had invoked the rarely used law to deport suspected illegal immigrants that the administration claims are members of the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua.” The president has designated the gang as a foreign terrorist organization.
In an emergency hearing last Saturday, Boasberg directed all deportation flights carried out under the Alien Enemy Act to return to the U.S. immediately. However, two flights still landed in Honduras and El Salvador within hours of the judge’s order.
The Trump administration responded Thursday, March 20, saying cabinet secretaries are still weighing whether to invoke what is known as state secrets privilege regarding the flights. This would enable the head of an executive department to decline to produce evidence in a court case on the basis that the evidence is classified information that could jeopardize national security if disclosed.
The judge is now giving the government until Tuesday, March 25, to prove the failure to return the undocumented migrants to the U.S. did not violate his temporary restraining orders.
The government must also determine by that time whether to invoke the state secrets privilege.
Judge temporarily blocks DOGE’s access to certain Social Security data
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing millions of Americans’ personal data held by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as part of the Trump administration’s effort to combat fraud and abuse.
The judge’s decision followed a lawsuit filed in February by a coalition of unions contesting DOGE’s access to SSA records.
The order issued Thursday, March 20, by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander of Maryland bars DOGE from accessing personally identifiable information. The judge called it a “fishing expedition.”
The 137-page ruling also instructs Elon Musk and DOGE to delete all non-anonymized personal data from their possession and prohibits them from accessing SSA computers or code.
Hollander’s order granted DOGE members access to anonymized information from the agency.
Heathrow Airport in London shut down for day due to nearby fire
A fire at an electrical substation in London forced Heathrow Airport to close for the day on Friday, March 21. The fire canceled hundreds of flights and caused significant power outages at the airport, as well as thousands of homes and businesses nearby.
The fire prompted hundreds of flight cancelations expected to last into the weekend.
The London Fire Brigade brought the fire under control but said the impact on travel has already been extensive.
Over one hundred flights were airborne when the power outage happened. Some had to turn back, while others diverted.
The airport released a statement in response to the fire:
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow. We expect significant disruption over the coming days, and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”
Heathrow is among the busiest airports in the world for international travel, currently averaging over 200,000 passengers each day.
X sues Indian government in censorship fight
The social media platform X sued the Indian government, claiming that the country’s IT ministry unlawfully expanded its censorship authority.
In the lawsuit, Elon Musk’s platform claimed that the expansion facilitates easier removal of online content and allows “countless” government officials to carry out such orders.
The move signifies an escalation in the ongoing legal dispute between X and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government regarding how New Delhi orders content to be removed.
X argued that the ministry is requesting other departments to utilize a government website launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2024 to issue content-blocking orders and require a social media company to join the website as well.
DoorDash and Klarna partner for a ‘buy now, pay later’ option
“Buy now, pay later” for lunch?
DoorDash announced its partnership with Klarna to introduce a new payment option for Americans.
The online delivery platform said that in the coming months, it will offer customers the ability to finance purchases with Klarna.
DoorDash said Klarna’s delayed payment system could be utilized for various purchases, including groceries, fast food, electronics and anything else shoppers might wish to buy.
Klarna allows users to pay in full at checkout, split payments into four equal interest-free installments or defer payments to dates that align with payday schedules.