Here’s a look at what made news on March 20, 2025.

• President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Education Department, marking a significant shift from his Republican predecessor George W. Bush, who expanded the department’s role 23 years ago.
• The order is aimed at empowering states to determine what’s best for their schools, according to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
• This decision has sparked controversy as it advances a campaign promise to dismantle an agency that has long been targeted by conservatives.
• In international affairs, the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% has caused the European Union to delay its retaliatory trade action until mid-April.
• Trump’s decision to suspend security clearances for lawyers and staff at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has been reversed. The firm has agreed to dedicate the equivalent of $40 million in pro bono legal services.
• The administration’s mass deportation of Venezuelan men to El Salvador has drawn intense scrutiny and criticism, with allegations that all of the men were members of a dangerous gang.
• In the agricultural sector, trade wars are causing uncertainty, particularly impacting the markets for soybeans.
• Trump has appointed Keith E. Sonderling as the new acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency that provides grant funding to museums and libraries across the country.
• The Trump administration faced backlash from federal judges, who reprimanded the administration on the same day the executive order to dismantle the federal Department of Education was signed.
• Recession threats from the Trump administration suggest that Americans may need to endure some economic pain.
• Investigations have begun into an incident where multiple Teslas were damaged by incendiary devices in Las Vegas, raising questions about potential domestic terrorism.
• The Trump administration’s response to deportation flights to El Salvador has been criticized by a federal judge, who instructed the administration to explain its actions.
• In New York, a deadline for the state to end its new $9 congestion toll on drivers entering Manhattan has been pushed back by the Trump administration.
• Lastly, a seasoned prosecutor from the U.S. Department of Justice, Sean Murphy, has resigned, leaving a bold message for his coworkers and bosses: “You serve no man.”