Navigating the Budgetary Battleground

The White House recently released its budget proposal for 2026, which calls for over $160 billion in cuts to the Centers for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Education, FBI, and federal housing programs like Section 8. Normally, the budget isn’t more than a simple suggestion to Congress. But Russell Vought, Trump’s close advisor who also oversees the federal budget, may have other plans. What is the administration’s endgame? Will Congress simply play along?

After 15 years of steady decline, the U.S. saw a slight increase in the national birth rate last year. However, some demographers and public officials are still concerned about low fertility rates. It’s a worldwide trend that many nations are working to solve. The problem has become a priority for the Trump administration. Can they offer enough incentives to turn things around?

College students have increasingly relied on ChatGPT and other chatbots to help them with school assignments. Some say they want to do the work themselves, but mastering the technology is an easier way to ensure good grades. Is this a troubling trend for learning?