Two ways Trump aims to reshape government. And, how U.S. children are doing in school

Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today's top stories

President Trump is working to dramatically reshape the federal government, as shown by two actions this week. He has issued a sweeping memo to pause trillions of dollars in financial assistance. Only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan temporarily blocked the funding freeze. The administration also proposed offering millions of federal employees a chance to quit.

President Donald Trump has promised to greatly curtail the federal government and a memo released Monday by the Office of Management and Budget aims to follow through on that promise by halting a large swath of federal grant programs. Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images

• 🎧 Federal workers were offered the option to resign and continue to be paid through September. NPR's Asma Khalid tells Up First that this move aims to shrink the government and align staff with Trump's vision. The first memo caused chaos and confusion; however, the White House clarified that direct services like Medicaid, Social Security and food stamps wouldn't be impacted. Trump's efforts extend beyond domestic spending; these actions come on the heels of his decision to pause nearly all foreign aid as well.
• ➡️ Here's a look at all the executive orders Trump has signed after one week in office – and their impacts on people and key sectors.

Today, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will inform senators what he will do if his bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is confirmed. This is the first of the two hearings for the role, which oversees key health agencies like Medicare, the FDA and the National Institutes of Health. It also has an annual budget of $1.7 trillion, which is about the size of Australia's GDP. The prospect of his confirmation has resulted in opposition from many people in the medical field, citing his extensive history of promoting inaccurate claims.

• 🎧 Kennedy has spent decades as an anti-vaccine activist, believes the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, made millions suing vaccine makers, denies HIV causes AIDS and more, NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports. His supporters portray him as a changemaker who will redirect scientific research and energy to the root of chronic diseases.

The Nation's Report Card results are out today. The report, released every two years, uses data provided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress and gives a glimpse at how the nation's students are doing in math and reading. The latest results, nearly five years after the COVID-19 pandemic first closed schools, have much to say.

• 🎧 NPR's Cory Turner says the country tests a big sample of 4th and 8th graders, and in 2022, a steep learning loss was shown. For 2024, 4th graders did a little better in math. However, those scores aren't back to where they were before the pandemic. In 8th grade, there is a worrying achievement gap between top and low-performers. Turner says the declines in math and reading were made worse by the pandemic, but they actually started before, around a decade ago. Researchers say the report card highlights where kids struggle but doesn't explain why or how to address it.

Deep dive

High winds and dry vegetation set the stage for the explosive wildfires in Los Angeles. Scientists are finding that climate change fueled some of the extreme conditions. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP Via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP Via Getty Images

The long, hot summer in Los Angeles set the stage for the wildfire disaster with dried-out plants and vegetation making it more flammable. Drought conditions dragged on as winter rain was yet to arrive. On top of that, the powerful Santa Ana winds brought gusts above 80 miles per hour. New studies are showing the fingerprints of climate change in these wildfires:

• 🔥 The hot and dry conditions were around 35% more likely due to climate change, according to World Weather Attribution. UCLA found that extreme heat contributed to about a quarter of the region's moisture deficit.
• 🔥 Scientists are still studying how the conditions that create Santa Ana winds could shift as the climate warms. These winds blow when there's an area of high pressure over the Southwestern U.S.
• 🔥 Computer models help forecast the effects of climate change, but California's location makes predictions challenging.

Picture show

A type of jelly fungi, nestled by a log in wintertime in Maryland's Patuxent River State Park. Duncan Coltharp hide caption

toggle caption

Duncan Coltharp

Short Wave co-host and reporter Emily Kwong went on one of the monthly night hikes offered by a group of naturalists in the D.C. metro area. Mycologist Serenella Linares led the group through Patuxent River State Park in Maryland. Before starting the hike, Linares told them of "the nature magic" ahead of them: bioluminescence, the fluorescence of fungi and lichens, insects that fly in the night and more.

• 📷 See photos from the colorful nature walk hike.

3 things to know before you go

Starbucks is trying to stem the loss of customers by simplifying its menu, reintroducing ceramic mugs and making other changes to be more like a local coffee house. Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP

1. By late this year, Starbucks plans to cut around 30% of its food and drinks offerings as part of the chain's plan to change its vibe and derive from the loss of customers across the U.S.
2. More than 100 former spies and intelligence officers oppose a proposed casino that could be built less than 20 miles outside of the nation's capital due to concerns of state secrets being jeopardized.
3. Yoko, the swell shark, hatched at the Shreveport Aquarium earlier this month in a habitat without any males, launching a mystery. The team determined that the two female sharks in the tank had not been in contact with a male in over three years.

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.