The NewsWorthy - End of Education Dept.?, Musk’s Political Donations & Spring Equinox – Thursday, March 20, 2025

The news to know for Thursday, March 20, 2025!

We’re talking about President Trump’s plan to shut down the Education Department and what’s known so far about the executive order expected today.

Also, more severe weather today—including blizzards, dust storms, and wildfire risk.

Plus, the latest decision on interest rates, how a Hollywood director is accused of swindling Netflix, and the March Madness bracket challenges that offer winners money… or even a trip to Mars.

Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes! 

 

Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups! 

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The Best One Yet - 🥤 “Diet Bros” – Diet Coke’s political rebrand. Tennis’ collusion case. BYD’s 5-minute EV.

Diet Coke always targeted women… but now it’s the drink of Hustle Bros & the White House.

The top tennis players sued the grand slam tournaments… but pro sports is a monopoly.

BYD just announced the Holy Grail of Electric Cars… Zero to fully-charged in 5-minutes.

Plus, the Oregon Ducks basketball team just set a record… a 26,700-mile road trip.


$BYD $KO 


Want more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… MTV 📺


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“The Best Idea Yet”: The untold origin stories of the products you’re obsessed with — From the McDonald’s Happy Meal to Birkenstock’s sandal to Nintendo’s Susper Mario Brothers to Sriracha. New 45-minute episodes drop weekly.



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The Indicator from Planet Money - What’s this about a crypto reserve?

In 2009, Bitcoin launched as the first cryptocurrency. Just under two decades, President Trump has signed an executive order to create the "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset Stockpile." On today's show, we look at what the U.S. government plans for this new strategy, plus who benefits from a crypto reserve.

Related episodes:
Is an American sovereign wealth fund such a bad idea? (Apple / Spotify)
Is 'government crypto' a good idea? (Apple / Spotify)

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Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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NPR's Book of the Day - A new biography tells the story of a South Asian Hollywood star who passed as white

In 1936, Merle Oberon became the first Asian woman–and person of color–to receive an Oscar nomination for best actress. She was nominated for her role in The Dark Angel and later starred in films like Wuthering Heights. But Oberon kept her mixed-race, South Asian heritage a secret, passing as white for her entire career. Mayukh Sen tells this story in Love, Queenie, the first biography of Oberon. In today's episode, Sen speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about prejudice the actress faced during her upbringing in India, the role men played in her career, and the elaborate stories she told to keep her identity a secret.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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Tech Won't Save Us - Canada’s Tech Leaders Want Their Own DOGE w/ Jen St. Denis

Paris Marx is joined by Jen St. Denis to discuss how Silicon Valley thinking is creeping into Canadian politics as Donald Trump continues to threaten the country with tariffs and annexation.

Jen St. Denis is a reporter with The Tyee.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham.

Also mentioned in this episode:

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Trump’s Animal-Spirit Economy

The economy that Donald Trump inherited from Joe Biden had low unemployment, slowing inflation, and a growing GDP. So what is he trying to achieve by imposing heavy tariffs on our allies and trading partners? 


Guest: Stephanie Ruhle, NBC business analyst and the host of MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle.


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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Ethan Oberman, and Rob Gunther.

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It Could Happen Here - Behind the Tesla Attacks

Protests and vandalism against Tesla spread around the world as Tesla’s stock value continues to plummet. Garrison breaks down what’s happening, and the response from Trump and Elon Musk.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-will-buy-new-tesla-show-support-musk-2025-03-11/

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-musk/trump-musk-tesla-white-house-showroom-buys-car-rcna195905 

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114141854575248527 
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/01/business/tesla-takedown-musk-doge/index.html
https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/teslatakedown
https://abcnews.go.com/US/tesla-vehicles-destroyed-vandalized-musk-began-role-white/story?id=119677836
https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/14/tesla-boycotts-turn-violent-reports-of-vandalism-and-worse-timeline/
https://www.jalopnik.com/1804358/thieves-steel-44-wheels-tesla-storage-lot/
https://southtahoenow.com/03/13/2025/tesla-superchargers-vandalized-again-in-meyers#:~:text=Damaged%20Tesla%20supercharger%20in%20Meyers,6600

https://www.counton2.com/news/local-news/man-accused-of-burning-tesla-chargers-in-north-charleston-granted-bond/

https://www.salemreporter.com/2025/03/05/salem-man-accused-of-shooting-window-throwing-molotov-cocktail-at-tesla-dealership/
https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/crime/2025/03/05/tesla-dealership-shooting-molotov-cocktails-salem-oregon/81666562007/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/lyons-resident-charged-connection-series-incidents-loveland-tesla-dealership
https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2025/03/14/vandalism-at-loveland-colorado-tesla-dealership-leads-to-another-arrest/82415599007/
https://komonews.com/news/local/four-tesla-cybertrucks-destroyed-in-fire-in-seattles-sodo-neighborhood-elon-musk-doge-federal-jobs-cut-protests-seattle-fire-department-investigation
https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/several-vehicle-set-on-fire-at-tesla-in-las-vegas-police-say-3322726/

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-dozen-teslas-torched-outside-french-dealership-authorities
https://apnews.com/article/germany-tesla-factory-berlin-arson-9d66c3efa104d03244bd2c4d920c35a0
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/03/08/elon-musk-tesla-protest-violence-vandalism/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2025/03/18/tesla-stock-slides-another-6-as-more-firms-warn-of-musk-led-companys-sales-woes/
https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-stock-decline-jp-morgan-analyst-guidance-2025-3 
https://insideevs.com/news/746064/byd-beats-tesla-ev-production/ 

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/27/nx-s1-5311609/tesla-sales-europe
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-s1-5325321/elon-musk-tesla-politics-republican-buyers-sales
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/17/nx-s1-5328626/elon-musk-protests-tesla-takedown
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1899106551270375660

https://x.com/MrPitbull07/status/1899107163232190950

https://x.com/DefiyantlyFree/status/1899129877972013112

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1898369343399899218

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - China Hacked The US Treasury — And This Is Only The Beginning

With global impact and domestic dissent, the U.S. Treasury remains one of the world's most impactful institutions. What happens when this institution is compromised? In tonight's episode, the guys explore the harsh reality of successful conspiracies against the United States.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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State of the World from NPR - Israel Launches a New Offensive in Gaza

The two month ceasefire in Gaza has come to an end with Israel conducting airstrikes, killing five Hamas officials along with over 400 others, including many children. The Israeli military has also restarted ground operations in Gaza, sending troops back to areas they had withdrawn from. They say they want Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire deal and release more hostages. But many Israelis are opposed to this return to war. We hear what this resumption of fighting sounds like in Gaza from our producer there. Warning, this episode contains graphic descriptions of war.

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