Headline Updates

EDU Dept Shutdown, Iran Nuke Deal, Ceding NATO Command, Greenpeace Lawsuit, Texas Furry Ban

• Ranting Politics • Season 1 • Episode 135

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 • Trump plans to sign an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to close the department, though complete elimination would require Congressional action
• The Education Department oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans and distributes billions to schools nationwide through crucial support programs
• Trump delivered an ultimatum to Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei, warning of "other ways to resolve the dispute" if diplomatic solutions aren't reached quickly
• The administration is considering relinquishing America's 75-year role as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe as part of cost-cutting initiatives
• A North Dakota jury ordered Greenpeace to pay hundreds of millions in damages related to Dakota Access Pipeline protests, potentially threatening environmental activism
• Texas lawmakers introduced the "FURRIES Act" to ban students from barking, hissing, meowing or wearing tails and fur in public schools 

 President Trump is charging ahead with his most controversial campaign promises, signing an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education despite significant constitutional hurdles. This bold move signals his determination to return educational authority to the states, even as critics warn about the fate of $1.6 trillion in student loans and crucial funding for vulnerable student populations.

Meanwhile, Trump has delivered a startling ultimatum to Iran's Supreme Leader—negotiate a new nuclear deal within two months or face unspecified consequences. This diplomatic gambit arrives through unusual backdoor channels via UAE leadership, creating a tense countdown in an already volatile region. Adding to the international drama, the administration is considering surrendering America's 75-year position as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, a move former Admiral James Stavridis calls "a political mistake of epic proportion" that could fundamentally alter America's relationship with European allies.
And in perhaps the most bizarre development, Texas lawmakers have introduced legislation specifically targeting students who identify as "furries," prohibiting barking, hissing, and tail-wearing in public schools. The so-called FURRIES Act (Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Role-playing in Education) highlights how culture war issues continue to dominate state legislatures even as consequential policy changes reshape national institutions. Follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, and join our growing community dedicated to cutting through partisan noise with unfiltered political analysis. 

Sources:  https://nypost.com/2025/03/19/us-news/trump-to-order-plan-to-shut-down-education-department-advancing-major-campaign-promise/ https://nypost.com/2025/03/19/us-news/trumps-letter-to-iran-demanded-new-nuclear-deal-very-soon-wh/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-admin-considers-giving-nato-command-exclusively-american-eisenho-rcna196503 https://nypost.com/2025/03/19/us-news/jury-finds-greenpeace-must-pay-hundreds-of-millions-in-case-over-dakota-access-protest-activities/ https://nypost.com/2025/

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Speaker 1:

Hello America, joc here with your Ranting Politics headline updates, where we are diving into today's most explosive political stories that you need to know about Coming up. We're diving into President Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, a campaign promise that's now getting some traction. We'll also break down Trump's letter to Iran's Supreme Leader demanding a new nuclear deal, with what appears to be a do-it-or-else ultimatum. Then a major potential shift in NATO's power structure, as the Trump administration considers giving up America's 75-year role as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Plus, greenpeace is taking a massive financial hit after a North Dakota jury ordered them to pay hundreds of millions in damages related to pipeline protests. And don't go anywhere. We'll wrap up with our fan-favorite shaking your head segment, where Texas lawmakers are literally trying to outlaw barking and meowing in schools with their new anti-furry legislation. Stick around for all this and more in your daily dose of unfiltered news and common sense commentary. This is Ranting Politics Headline Updates.

Speaker 1:

President Trump is wasting no time advancing one of his most significant campaign promises the shuttering of the Department of Education. According to a White House official, trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the department's closure and return education authority to the states. The New York Post reports that Trump has consistently derided the education department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. His administration has already begun dismantling the agency through significant layoffs and program cuts, slashing its workforce by half and implementing deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences. Here's the catch, though Completely eliminating the department likely requires an act of Congress, which created it back in 1979. This presents a significant hurdle, especially considering that when the House considered an amendment to close the agency in 2023, 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it. So what's at stake here?

Speaker 1:

The Education Department currently oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans and distributes billions of dollars annually to schools nationwide. While federal funding makes up only about 14% of public school budgets, it provides crucial support for vulnerable students through programs like the McKinney-Vento Program for Homeless Students and Title I for Low-Income Schools. Colleges and universities stand to feel an even greater impact, as they rely more heavily on federal money through research grants and financial aid programs that help students pay tuition. Without this federal oversight, questions remain about who would manage these massive funding streams and how consistently education standards would be applied across different states. During Trump's first term, his Education Secretary, betsy DeVos, attempted similar cuts, proposing to bundle all K-12 funding into block grants, giving states more flexibility. That plan was rejected then, with pushback coming from both parties. The move aligns with growing conservative sentiment that education decisions should be made at the state and local levels, particularly as parents' groups have increasingly demanded more authority over curriculum and school policies. Whether this executive order will succeed where previous attempts have failed remains to be seen, but it's clear the administration is determined to make good on this particular campaign promise.

Speaker 1:

President Trump has officially put Iran on notice with a direct message to their supreme leader. The White House has confirmed that Trump sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanding a new nuclear deal very soon, and the clock is ticking with a specific two-month deadline to reach an agreement. National Security Council Advisor Brian Hughes said that the president made his position crystal clear Resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program diplomatically and quickly, or there would be other ways to resolve the dispute. That's diplomatic speak, for we have options you won't like. The letter was delivered through an interesting channel, handed to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who then passed it along to Iran. This backdoor diplomacy suggests Trump is leveraging regional allies to apply additional pressure on Tehran. Khamenei's initial response wasn't exactly enthusiastic. He dismissed the letter as a deception designed to portray Iran as uncooperative. However, iran's UN mission later softened their tone, saying they might consider talks about potential militarization concerns, while maintaining they won't dismantle what they call their peaceful nuclear program.

Speaker 1:

This diplomatic push comes as Trump attempts to broker peace in both the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's conflict with Ukraine. It also represents a potential shift from his first-term strategy. When he withdrew from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and implemented a maximum pressure sanctions campaign, the stakes couldn't be higher. Us intelligence has long assessed that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, despite their public denials. Making matters more complicated, us officials have alleged in court documents that Iran plotted to assassinate Trump during the 2024 campaign as revenge for his 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Speaker 1:

Trump has publicly warned Iran that he's instructed his team to obliterate the regime if they attempt to harm him. Just this week, he issued another ominous warning regarding Iran's support of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, declaring on Truth Social that every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of Iran and that Iran will be held responsible and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire. The two-month deadline creates a tense countdown in an already volatile region. Whether this represents a genuine diplomatic opening or simply positions Trump to justify more aggressive actions later remains to be seen. Stay with us as we take a quick break to hear from our lead sponsor, whose support helps make this show possible.

Speaker 2:

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Speaker 1:

For nearly 75 years, the United States has maintained a position of immense influence within NATO. Visit us now, president Dwight D Eisenhower. But now, in a move that could fundamentally alter the power balance within the alliance, the Trump administration is considering relinquishing this role. According to NBC News, which reviewed Pentagon briefings and spoke with defense officials familiar with the planning, this potential change is part of a broader restructuring of US military combatant commands and headquarters aimed at cutting costs. The current César Army General, chris Cavoli, has been overseeing support to Ukraine in its war against Russia, and his three-year tour is set to end this summer. Retired Admiral James Stavridis, who served as César from 2009 to 2013, called the potential move a political mistake of epic proportion. He warned we would lose an enormous amount of influence within NATO, and this would be seen correctly as probably the first step toward leaving the alliance altogether. The proposed restructuring, which could save approximately $270 million in its first year about 0.03% of the Defense Department's $850 billion annual budget aligns with the administration's broader cost-cutting initiatives and President Trump's consistent criticism of NATO members for not meeting defense spending thresholds. Five of the military's 11 combatant commands could be consolidated under the plan. This includes potentially combining US European command with US Africa command, as well as merging US Southern command with US Northern command. Retired Army General Ben Hodges expressed concern that these moves appear motivated by cost-cutting rather than comprehensive military strategy. He warned that such restructuring could reduce American influence in Europe and limit US access to key naval and air bases in countries like Italy, germany, poland and Spain. The timing of this potential shift is particularly significant, given ongoing tensions with Russia and continued NATO support for Ukraine. If the US does give up the César position, other NATO nations would likely have to choose among themselves which country would put forward the commander, creating a potentially contentious selection process and a dramatic symbolic shift in the alliance that has defined European security since World War II. Congress could still intervene using its power of the purse should members oppose aspects of this initiative. Whether this restructuring represents a strategic realignment or simply budgetary pragmatism, it signals the administration's determination to reshape America's global military footprint and NATO commitments.

Speaker 1:

A North Dakota jury has delivered a devastating financial blow to Greenpeace, finding the environmental organization liable for defamation and other claims related to protests against the Dakota access pipeline. The nine-person jury awarded Dallas-based energy transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for environmental activism in America. The lawsuit, which has been years in the making, accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, greenpeace USA and their funding arm, greenpeace Fund Inc. Of multiple offenses, including defamation, trespass, nuisance and civil conspiracy, related to the 2016 and 2017 protests. During opening statements, plaintiff's attorney Trey Cox alleged that Greenpeace orchestrated a coordinated scheme to halt the pipeline's construction. Cox claimed the organization paid outside protesters to come to the area, sent blockade supplies, organized protester trainings and made false statements about the project in an attempt to stop it.

Speaker 1:

The pipeline has been particularly controversial because of its Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation. For years, the tribe has opposed the line as a potential risk to their water supply. Despite these concerns, the multi-state pipeline has been transporting oil since mid-2017. Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities have consistently maintained there is no evidence to support these claims. They argue that Greenpeace employees had minimal involvement in the protests and that the organizations had nothing to do with energy transfers, construction delays or refinancing issues. Greenpeace representatives have framed this lawsuit as a critical test of First Amendment, free speech and protest rights, warning that the verdict could threaten the organization's very existence. A spokesperson for energy transfer previously countered that the lawsuit was about Greenpeace not following the law, not about free speech. The staggering financial penalty raises serious questions about the future of environmental protest in America and whether organizations can be held financially liable for actions taken by protesters associated with their causes. This verdict could set a precedent that reshapes how environmental advocacy organizations operate in the United States for years to come.

Speaker 1:

Give us a follow at RantingRP or check us out at RantingPoliticscom and subscribe to our newsletter, or stop over to our all-new YouTube channel. We're always buzzing about the next big headline and love to see your takes on the fiasco that is politics. And while you've got that phone handy, come on, I know it's in your reach. Do us a solid and tap that like and follow button on your podcast feed. Your support doesn't just boost our reach, it keeps real independent thought in the game against those giant media machines. We're also on all your favorite podcast platforms, from Apple Podcasts to Spotify and now Alexa. Hit that subscribe button for regular updates chock full of unfiltered analysis and all the news that's fit to rant about. And now it's time for our fan favorite shaking your head segment, where we explore the more bewildering corners of American politics.

Speaker 1:

Today we're looking at Texas, where lawmakers are taking aim at what they perceive as a growing menace in public schools students who identify as furries. The Texas House of Representatives has introduced what they've cleverly named the Furries Act. That's, the forbidden unlawful representation of role-playing in education act, which would ban non-human behavior in schools. This includes barking, hissing, meowing, wearing leashes, fur or tails in public educational institutions across the Lone Star State. The bill, backed by Governor Greg Abbott, goes into surprising detail about what constitutes forbidden behavior. It specifically prohibits students from using litter boxes or licking as means of self-care on school grounds, despite the fact that schools across the country have repeatedly debunked claims of litter box installations since this urban myth first surfaced during a bizarre school board meeting in Michigan back in 2022. Republican State Representative Stan Gerdes, the patron of the bill, didn't mince words about his intentions, posting on social media no distractions, no theatrics, just education. The ban makes exceptions only for school mascots and specific dress-up occasions like Halloween and certain themed spirit weekdays. Governor Abbott has even referenced the bill during a meeting with pastors in Austin as justification for his long-fought battle for private school choice vouchers. Abbott argued that parents should have the right to move their children to schools of their choice if they're being distracted by furries instead of learning reading, writing, math and science. Gerdes anticipates what he calls the full furry vengeance to descend upon the state capital when hearings for the bill eventually take place. No hearing dates have been set yet, but one thing's for certain this unusual legislative priority has certainly gotten people talking, whether they're barking mad about it or purring with approval. This bill represents yet another front in the culture wars being waged in America's public schools, with Texas lawmakers apparently determined to ensure students behave only in species-appropriate ways during school hours.

Speaker 1:

And that wraps up today's episode of Ranning Politics Headline Updates. What a day in the news cycle, folks. We've covered President Trump's bold move to shut down the Department of Education through executive order, his diplomatic ultimatum to Iran demanding a new nuclear deal with a strict two-month deadline, and the administration's consideration of a historic NATO command restructuring that could fundamentally alter our 75-year relationship with European allies. We also examined the landmark jury decision ordering Greenpeace to pay hundreds of millions in damages over Dakota Access Pipeline protests, a case with significant implications for First Amendment rights and environmental activism in America. And of course, we couldn't ignore Texas lawmakers' peculiar crusade against students expressing their furry identities in public schools.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for spending part of your day with us. As always, we aim to cut through the noise and deliver the stories that matter most, without the partisan spin. We don't align with any political party. We align with you, the American citizen, for more unfiltered takes on today's biggest headlines, follow us on X at Ranting RP. You can also find us on YouTube, spotify, iheartradio, apple Podcasts and at RantingPoliticscom, where we are posting our in-depth, topic-relevant, deep things. This is JOC signing off and thank you, our loyal listeners, for choosing Ranting Politics Headline Updates. We'll be back soon with the updates you need to navigate these interesting times. Until then, stay tuned, stay informed and, as always, stay free.

Speaker 3:

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