Environmental activism takes a huge blow this week.
Donald Trump keeps his promise to dismantle the Department of Education and I have a story that supports that.
And Trump secures the release of a hostage from the Taliban.
Good Riddance
A North Dakota jury has ordered Greenpeace to pay $667 million in damages to Energy Transfer, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, for defamation, trespassing, and conspiracy related to protests against the pipeline in 2016-2017. The ruling includes over $400 million in punitive damages and could severely impact Greenpeace’s operations in the U.S.125.
Energy Transfer accused Greenpeace of funding and organizing protests that disrupted construction and spread false information about the pipeline. Greenpeace denies significant involvement and plans to appeal, arguing the case threatens free speech and peaceful protest rights. Environmental groups have labeled the lawsuit a strategic attempt to silence dissent (SLAPP)247.
This decision has sparked concerns among activists about its potential chilling effect on climate advocacy and First Amendment rights369.
Good Riddance
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 20, 2025, directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
This move aligns with a long-standing conservative goal to return education policy to the states.
Trump criticized the department for inefficiency and claimed it contributes little to improving educational outcomes.
However, fully abolishing the department requires Congressional approval, needing 60 votes in the Senate, which makes complete dissolution uncertain123.
The executive order aims to transfer key functions—such as student loans, Pell grants, and civil rights enforcement—to other departments while significantly reducing the agency’s workforce.
Critics, including labor and civil rights groups, warn this could harm public education by increasing class sizes and limiting access to essential services for low-income and disabled students256.
This Would Normally Be Illegal Part 2
A controversy has emerged at Shepard Middle School in Deerfield, Illinois, after Nicole Georgas, a parent, filed a federal complaint alleging her 13-year-old daughter was forced to change clothes in front of a transgender student in the girls’ locker room. Georgas claims school staff pressured her daughter to comply under threat of disciplinary action, leaving her daughter traumatized. She has also argued that the school’s policies violate federal directives and compromise students’ privacy and safety134.
The school district denies the allegations, stating that students are not required to change in front of others and have private options available. They assert their policies align with state laws mandating access to facilities based on gender identity. Advocacy groups have criticized the backlash as harmful to transgender students, while Georgas continues to advocate for separate facilities for biological sexes235.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/suburban-mom-files-federal-complaint-over-schools-transgender-student-policies/3701097/?utm_source=perplexity
https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-activists-hijack-a-school-board-meeting-to-verbally-attack-a-concerned-mother
We Just Keep Winning!
George Glezmann, an American airline mechanic abducted by the Taliban in December 2022 during a tourist visit to Afghanistan, was released on March 20, 2025. The Trump administration negotiated his release through diplomatic efforts led by Adam Boehler, the U.S. hostage envoy, with Qatar mediating the talks. Unlike previous cases, no prisoner exchange was involved; the Taliban released Glezmann as a goodwill gesture. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Qatar for its pivotal role in the negotiations, which mark the third American hostage freed by the Taliban since January 2025. Glezmann is now returning to the U.S. to reunite with his wife, Aleksandra1234.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-secures-release-of-u-s-citizen-held-captive-by-the-taliban
Indian Givers
According to Politico:
The Trump administration will not entertain a French politician’s request to return the Statue of Liberty to France.
“Absolutely not. My advice to that unnamed low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a press briefing Monday, likely referencing an American-French allyship during World War II that snuffed out Nazi Germany. “They should be grateful.”
The statement comes a day after a French member of the European Parliament, Raphaël Glucksmann, said at a party convention that America under the Trump administration no longer embodied the spirit of the monument, which France gifted the U.S. in the 1880s to formalize diplomatic ties and enshrine the concept of American independence from Great Britain and the end of slavery.
“We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,’” Glucksmann said.
The Department of Health and Human Services has purged thousands of scientists and public health leaders since the beginning of the second Trump administration. It has also slashed research grants across the country, and industry experts warn these moves could hollow out research institutes that rely on these funds for maintenance and daily operations.
If the United States doesn’t intend to restore these positions and funds, France, Glucksmann said, would gladly absorb the United States’ research sector.
It’s unclear how France would force the Trump administration’s hand. The country cannot take the statue back at its whim because it is the property of the U.S. government. Such a move could also strain diplomatic tensions that French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to soothe with President Donald Trump by brokering a peace deal to end a yearslong war between Russia and Ukraine.
The main reasons behind French politician Raphaël Glucksmann’s request for the United States to return the Statue of Liberty to France are:
- Perceived Alignment with Tyrants: Glucksmann criticized the U.S. for allegedly aligning itself with authoritarian regimes, which he believes contradicts the values of freedom and democracy that the statue represents.
- Dismissal of Researchers: He also highlighted the dismissal of researchers advocating for scientific freedom, suggesting that this action undermines the principles of liberty and intellectual freedom symbolized by the statue.
- Shift in U.S. Policies: Glucksmann’s comments reflect broader European concerns about changes in U.S. foreign and domestic policies under former President Donald Trump, which are seen as diverging from the original values that led France to gift the statue.
- Criticism of U.S. Position on Ukraine: Glucksmann has expressed strong opposition to Trump’s policies regarding the conflict in Ukraine, further emphasizing his belief that the U.S. no longer upholds the values the statue embodies.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/17/white-house-statue-of-liberty-france-00233883
I’ll Risk Adding to Climate Change
According to the New York Post:
After a hot and sweaty workout, surely the last thing you want to do is put that same activewear set back on for round two.
But, apparently it’s not that bad for you after all.
A French study is ruffling some feathers over here in Australia, after claiming that rewearing your activewear isn’t as bad for you as you might think – and might actually be the right choice for the sake of the longevity of your clothes, and lowering your water bill.
And of course, we have a lot to say.
According to Dr Carolina Quintero Rodriguez, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Enterprise at RMIT University, the French recommendation has some valid points.
“This recommendation stems from legitimate environmental concerns – each laundry cycle consumes significant water and energy,” she said.
“Frequent washing can also degrade fabrics more quickly, contributing to textile waste.”
For some people, washing your workout clothes less often can be a game-changer, especially if you’re used to low-intensity exercise, or are wearing clothes that are made of natural fibers.
“Natural fibers such as cotton multiply fewer odor-causing bacteria than synthetics. So if you wear these fabrics to exercise in, they may last a few wears before needing a wash,” she said.
“Low-intensity activities that generate minimal or low sweat (including gentle yoga or walking), may [also] allow for more rewears than high-intensity workouts, as bacterial proliferation correlates directly with moisture levels in fabrics.”
Who’d Have Thunk It
According to the New York Post:
Two major studies suggest that active cannabis users face a staggering six times higher risk of heart attack compared to those who stay away from the drug, even among young and otherwise healthy adults.
“Asking about cannabis use should be part of clinicians’ workup to understand patients’ overall cardiovascular risk, similar to asking about smoking cigarettes,” said Dr. Ibrahim Kamel, the study’s lead author and clinical instructor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
Kamel and his team utilized data from TriNetX, a global health research network, to conduct the retrospective study.
The participants, all aged 50 and under, had no major heart issues at the outset, with healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels and no history of diabetes, tobacco use or coronary artery disease.
After an average follow-up of more than three years, they found that cannabis users had more than a sixfold increase in heart attack risk and double the chance of heart failure.
But the risks don’t stop there. Marijuana users were found to have a fourfold increased risk of ischemic stroke — a condition where a blood clot disrupts blood flow to the brain — and a threefold increased risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke.