By Jade Walker

Spring has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. Although the last frost date isn't until next week, the trees are abundant with white and pink blossoms and sage-colored leaves. The birds have returned from their southern sojourn and are once again singing love songs at 5 a.m. And the daffodils and tulips are blooming, waving their colorful petals at all who pass by. If you have the opportunity, go outside and notice the season. It's a fleeting one. Look for beauty in the earth, in the air, in the water — and be thankful for it. As Lady Bird Johnson was fond of saying, "Where flowers bloom, so does hope." 

Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and on With Your Day.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at a press conference with other members of House Republican leadership on Tuesday. Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images

Hegseth

House Republicans tucked a provision into a rule that was approved Tuesday that effectively prevents Democrats from launching an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the commercial messaging app Signal. In March, Hegseth and other top officials discussed a US military attack on Houthis in Yemen in a group chat on Signal, a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Hegseth had created a second group chat on his personal phone and allegedly shared details about those same airstrikes with at least 12 people, including his wife, brother and lawyer. Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, was leading the charge for the so-called “resolutions of inquiry” to force a vote calling on President Donald Trump and Hegseth to turn over all communications about military operations against the Houthis in Yemen that were shared on the app. Due to the GOP’s rule change, however, Smith’s resolution won’t get a full chamber vote before September 30.

Trump’s 100 days

To celebrate the 100th day of his second term, President Trump held a rally in Warren, Michigan, yesterday. He touted his accomplishments, blasted his detractors and declared: “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t even seen anything yet.” Like most of his events, Trump’s speech contained falsehoods about consequential policy matters and trivial personal fixations. To learn more about the facts behind his fallacies, here’s a list of 100 separate false claims Trump has made since his inauguration. Note: This is not a comprehensive list (there were well over 100 in all during this period) nor a count of how many total times he has said something inaccurate (he has uttered many of these 100 claims over and over again).

AmeriCorps

Twenty-four states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration yesterday for cutting AmeriCorps’ workforce and terminating nearly $400 million in grant funding for state and community projects. According to the lawsuit, 85% of AmeriCorps' staff were placed on administrative leave earlier this month as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting efforts. The multi-state coalition claims such cuts are gutting the agency to the point where it cannot function. “The Administration is free to ask Congress to abolish AmeriCorps, but it cannot simply terminate the agency’s functions by fiat or defund the agency in defiance of administrative procedures, Congressional appropriations, and the Constitutional separation of powers,” the states claimed in the lawsuit.

CPB firings

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after three board members were told via email on Monday that they had been terminated “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.” Two of the board members — Thomas E. Rothman and Diane Kaplan — were appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022. The third board member, Laura G. Ross, was originally appointed by Trump in 2018 and reappointed by Biden. The CPB is arguing that under the law that created the corporation in 1967, Trump does not have the authority to fire them and is seeking a ruling to confirm the termination emails have “no legal effect.” Each year, the CPB disperses $535 million in taxpayer funds to public radio and TV stations nationwide, including stations with PBS and NPR. Congress has reauthorized funding for the corporation for decades.

Auto tariffs

President Trump signed an executive order and a proclamation on Tuesday to ease some auto tariffs. While Trump's 25% tariff on imported cars will continue, and a 25% tariff on auto parts will go into effect this weekend, his latest order will allow a maximum reimbursement of 3.75% of the value of domestically produced cars for US automakers that are importing car parts. The auto industry had been lobbying for relief from the levies, saying the import taxes would hurt Americans’ finances and snarl their supply chains. At a rally in Michigan, Trump said the temporary reimbursements should give American automakers “a little bit of a break” while manufacturing is being rebuilt in the US. “We gave them a little time before we slaughter them if they don’t do this,” Trump said. 

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For once, take a close look at the sun
The world’s largest solar telescope has taken a close-up image of our nearest star, and the detail is breathtaking. For those with scientific minds, the image reveals a cluster of continent-sized dark sunspots near the center of the sun’s inner atmosphere. For folks who like to see faces in clouds, the sun’s surface appears to show a giant owl or a flying phoenix.

Experienced climbers only, please
In an effort to reduce overcrowding and improve safety, Nepal wants to require that all climbers have experience before trying to scale Mount Everest. According to a draft of a new law, climbers would only be able to obtain a permit if they’ve already climbed at least one of the Himalayan nation’s 22,965 ft. peaks. 

The race to save the African penguin
Although the African penguin is essential for sustaining coastal ecosystems, the species is now on the brink of extinction. But scientists are working hard to save this unique water bird.

Titanic note sells for nearly $400,000
A letter card penned by one of the ill-fated ship’s most well-known survivors recently sold at auction to a private collector in the US. The letter is believed to be the sole example in existence of first-class passenger Archibald Gracie from onboard the Titanic.

John Stamos slays in musical challenge
In a video for the Drumeo YouTube channel, the actor and musician was challenged to create a new drum section for a song he’d never heard before. The vloggers chose “Last Resort” by Papa Roach and the results were spectacular.

$2.718 trillion

That’s how much was reportedly spent on global military spending in 2024 — the highest figure ever recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The US and China accounted for almost half of the world’s military spending last year. 

“It’s far past time for Congress and the President to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would allow pathways to citizenship and greater opportunities for law abiding, hard-working individuals to earn a living in our state, rather than being forced to live in the shadows.”

— Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott wrote in a social media post about migrant farm workers being detained in the state.

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Podcast: ‘Why Do We Believe Crazy S**t?’
If it seems like conspiracy theories are everywhere right now, you’re not alone. So, what do you do when a loved one has fallen down a rabbit hole? In this newly released, deeply personal podcast, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan confronts some crazy beliefs of his own. And, with help from others, O’Sullivan puts an empathetic lens on a fraught topic and shares practical takeaways for navigating this slippery world. 

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