Two people with knowledge of the plans informed NBC News that the White House is drafting an executive order to abolish the Department of Education. A federal agency cannot be abolished by President Donald Trump on his own without Congress's consent. The proposed directive comes after Trump pledged throughout the campaign to dismantle the federal Education Department. "One other thing I'll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states," the then-candidate stated in a video shared to social media in September 2023. Trump stated previously in the film that although American society spends more than $1 trillion year on public education systems, we are actually a...

Due to rising egg costs brought on by the avian flu, Waffle House stated that it will be imposing a $0.50 fee on all menu items that contain eggs at its more than 2,000 locations. On Monday, the surcharge became operative. The comfort food chain claimed in a statement that the highly contagious illness that has impacted the poultry population and resulted in an egg shortage was the cause of the extra. The Agriculture Department's most recent analysis of the egg markets shows that since December, more than 13 million hens have been lost or killed due to the avian flu pandemic. Along with the usual consumer demand for eggs over the winter holiday season, market analysts and economists have pointed to the avian flu as the main cause of the price increase. "Consumers and restaurants are being ...

A Senate subcommittee decided Tuesday to send Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to the entire chamber for consideration as secretary of health and human services, clearing a significant obstacle. Kennedy was able to calm Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La,'s worries, and the Senate Finance Committee pushed through his nomination in a party-line vote of 14–13. The panel's lone swing vote was Cassidy, a physician. After interrogating Kennedy at two confirmation hearings, he indicated last week that he had major doubts about his suitability to head the enormous agency and that he was having difficulty making up his mind. Cassidy chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in addition to the Finance Committee. Before Tuesday's vote, Cassidy said in a statement posted on X that he had "ve...

Waffle House declared that, as a result of the avian flu driving up egg prices, it will be imposing a $0.50 premium on all eggs sold at its stores. On Monday, the surcharge was implemented across its more than 2,000 outlets. The comfort food chain claimed in a statement that the highly contagious illness that has impacted the poultry population and resulted in an egg shortage was the cause of the extra. The Agriculture Department's most recent Egg Markets Overview reports that since December, more than 13 million hens have been lost or killed as a result of the avian flu outbreak. Along with the usual consumer demand for eggs over the winter holiday season, market analysts and economists have pointed to the avian flu as the main cause of the price increase. "Consumers and restaurants are b...

At last, Fox Corp. is entering the direct-to-consumer streaming market. The firm, which is well-known for its sports and news TV programming, announced on Tuesday that it plans to introduce a subscription streaming service by the end of the year. During the company's quarterly earnings call, CEO Lachlan Murdoch stated that the streaming service is not intended to displace Fox's position in the traditional package. Beyond the high-level announcement, Murdoch provided very little information on the streaming service. According to him, the company is now working on the app's design and will provide more details in the upcoming months. According to Murdoch, Fox's sports and news content would likely be available on its planned streaming service. With the exception of its free, ad-supported ser...

According to Swedish police on Tuesday, five persons were shot at an adult education facility in the central Swedish city of Rebro. The school was named by Swedish media as Campus Risbergska, which serves adults, including immigrants and those with impairments, and is situated roughly 125 miles west of Stockholm. It is currently unknown how the five injured are doing. They were taken to the nearby Rebro University Hospital. According to authorities, the alleged shooter was among those being treated. The police also stated that they had started to evacuate people and did not think any more attacks were planned. After shots were fired at approximately 12:33 p.m. local time (6:33 a.m. ET), police indicated in a press release that a significant operation is still ongoing and that the charges a...

Everyone is invited to the commemoration of the late leader Kim Jong Il's birthday. Foreign visitors can now travel to North Korea for the first time in over five years, though only to the city of Rason, which is among the least visited locations in the closed communist regime. Beijing-based tour company Koryo Tours said this week that it had restored reservations for visits to the city following North Korea's 2020 border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The journey, which costs roughly $720, includes four nights in Rason, a city in the northeast of the country close to the Russian and Chinese borders. Additionally, guests will spend two nights in Yanji, China. The first visit is scheduled to take place from February 12 to February 18, when North Korea's greatest holiday—the birthday ...

A Senate subcommittee decided Tuesday to send Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to the entire chamber for consideration as secretary of health and human services, clearing a significant obstacle. After Kennedy was able to calm Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., about his previous anti-vaccine views, the Senate Finance Committee pushed through his confirmation in a party-line vote. After interrogating Kennedy during two confirmation hearings last week, Cassidy, a physician, indicated he had severe doubts about his suitability to head the large agency and that he was having difficulty making up his mind. Cassidy chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in addition to the Finance Committee. Cassidy told X in a statement before Tuesday's vote that he had "very intense conversations"...

As part of a broader drive to reduce government bureaucracy, the Trump administration has threatened to close the U.S. Agency for International Development as an independent agency and possibly transfer it under the State Department, igniting a political maelstrom. At a fraction of the total federal budget, USAID sends billions of dollars in humanitarian help abroad, which advocates say is a vital lifeline to over 100 countries. However, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who leads his government efficiency program, termed USAID a criminal organization, and President Donald Trump denounced it over the weekend as being managed by a group of extremist lunatics. The future of the agency is unknown. More than a dozen individuals have told NBC News that officials in the Trump administration have talk...

Fears that America would lose its position on the international scene as competing nations scramble to fill the hole have been heightened by the Trump administration's efforts to undermine the American organization that aids in combating poverty and malnutrition abroad. In a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, George Ingram, a former senior USAID official, expressed rising concerns in Washington that temporarily suspending aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development creates an opening for China and Russia. In Africa, South America, and Asia, where it provides aid to nongovernmental groups, aid agencies, and charities, addressing everything from health care to clean water, he was among a number of experts who warned that the choice would result in a decline in American inf...