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Quick note: I'm in Denver this weekend for SeriesFest. On Saturday I'll be joining the legendary Maury Povich for a live recording of his On Par podcast. Are you in Denver and want tickets? Find them here.
Today on The Jessica Yellin Show I spoke with Van Jones - author, activist, and CNN analyst - about the challenges facing our democracy.
Van shared his perspective on the current administration and what he sees as a concerning rightward shift in Silicon Valley's politics. He offered a candid assessment of shortcomings on both sides - critiquing establishment Democrats for "defending a broken status quo" while progressive activists have been "offending half the country." In our conversation, Van provided historical context that reminds us America has navigated difficult periods before, emphasizing that meaningful change requires time and persistence.
For any of you feeling overwhelmed by the headlines, Van offers practical approaches to stay engaged without burning out.
In one thought-provoking segment he explored the overlooked intersection of technology and politics, and we modeled friendly disagreement on the press's role in an increasingly digital world.
I based several questions on queries from this community - please share your thoughts in the comments so we can keep the conversation going! Watch the full conversation to hear Van's insights on building what comes next and what keeps him motivated despite the challenges ahead. Also, at the end of the show I share the stories of two women Doing Something: They’re helping support military families with loved ones on the autism spectrum. Watch the full show by casting your eyes to the video at the top of this newsletter.
And here are your headlines this Friday.
Here Are Your Headlines:
Hold on to Your Wallets: Trump unveiled his 2026 budget proposal today. It would cut $163 billion from federal spending by eliminating programs related to the climate, education, health, housing, and poverty. In contrast he wants to increase defense spending by 13%.
Reminder: A budget is a reflection of the White House’s priorities. The president suggests a budget but it’s up to Congress to decide what gets funded. When you review a budget proposal, you can see where an administration wants to put your tax dollars and what they’re willing to sacrifice. It’s essentially a statement of their values, and shows us who and what matters most to them.
Who Would Lose: Trump’s cuts hit education, science, health, and social support the most.
Health: He wants to reduce HHS’ budget by about 25%, including a roughly 30% cut at CDC and almost 40% cut at the NIH. He’d also slash funding to the National Science Foundation and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Education: He’d cut about $12 billion, mostly funding for high-poverty schools and help for disadvantaged kids; this would fully eliminate Head Start on campus, teacher quality partnerships, and more, which you can read about here.
Federal safety net programs would be eliminated or decimated; this includes LIHEAP (subsidizes heat and air for low income households), and a raft of rental and housing assistance programs.
He’d cut the IRS’s budget by one-fifth.
About $20 billion in clean energy funding and climate change programs would be cut.
Winners: Again, the budget would increase military spending by 13%, bringing the defense budget to $1.01 trillion. Other winners include RFK’s war on vaccines; the budget would redirect $500 million in funding from modern vaccines to a program expanding use of old-fashioned vaccines. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees deportations, would get $43.8 billion more, and there would be $60 million extra for charter schools. (Note, Trump allies are asking the Supreme Court to expand the use of taxpayer funds for religious education.) There’s also additional funding for transportation and some for Veterans Affairs. Axios has a good breakdown here.
What now: Usually Congress takes some but not all of the White House’s proposals. With this Congress, who knows? A handful of Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have already made it clear they’re unhappy with many of the President’s cuts.
Unfree Press: You’ve probably heard me say that we are in an information war. The president has tried to discredit individual members of the press and intimidate news organizations into compliance through lawsuits, undermine the source of facts, and information by defunding science – now he’s ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a congressionally chartered non-profit, to stop funding NPR and PBS. He accused the broadcasters of liberal bias and called on Congress to claw back over $1 billion.
Consequences: CPB is funded two years in advance and its president today said that Trump lacked the authority to unilaterally defund it. NPR only receives 1% of its budget from the federal government, but approximately 8-10% of its funding comes through member stations that are funded by the CPB. NPR is a national treasure – one of the best news organizations we have. Today they said the cuts would have a “devastating impact on American communities … that rely on public radio.” The CPB sued the Trump administration earlier this week for what it says was an illegal attempt to fire multiple board members without justification.
Still on Air: Also yesterday, a federal appeals court ruled the administration could withhold money from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. The US funds all three to bring reporting to regions with limited press freedoms. The court did order the administration to rehire journalists and resume operations at Voice of America.
Trump v. Education: Today Trump announced he is “going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status.” If that comes to pass it could cost the university almost half a billion dollars annually. But Trump’s word (or rather, Truth Social post) is not legally binding. Federal law bans presidents from directing the IRS to target anyone. “The unlawful use of this instrument,” Harvard stated, “would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”
Context: Harvard is suing the Trump administration, claiming it’s withholding funding to undermine academic freedom and the First Amendment.
Work to be Done: A Harvard task force just released two lengthy reports detailing the spread of Antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus.
Reality Check: A federal judge ruled yesterday the president could not use the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to remove Venezuelans from the Southern District of Texas. This is consequential because the judge was appointed by Trump and it’s the first time a federal judge has instituted a permanent ban on the use of the AEA. Trump argues he can remove Venezuelan immigrants under the AEA because the US is being invaded by Venezuela via a gang. The judge determined this was bogus, and warned allowing it would dangerously increase executive power at the expense of the judiciary. “This decision correctly recognized that the president cannot simply declare there’s an invasion and invoke a wartime authority during peacetime,” the ACLU’s lead lawyer in the case said.
Revolving Door: It’s musical chairs, White House edition! Trump removed Mike Waltz from his position as national security advisor. Waltz is the guy who accidentally added a journalist to a Signal group chat where confidential military plans were shared. He has been targeted by MAGA activists who see him as not adequately loyal. Accountability? Not so fast. Trump said Waltz “has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interest first” and nominated him as ambassador to the United Nations. Note Secretary Hegseth, who actually shared the military plans in Waltz’s Signal chat, is still in his job.
Multi-multi-tasker: Trump announced Marco Rubio will now serve as acting national security advisor. For those keeping track, that means Rubio is now secretary of state, acting administrator for USAID, acting archivist of the US, and acting national security advisor. One man doing four jobs — now that’s efficiency!
Think of the Kids: The Trump administration cancelled a billion-dollar bipartisan program supporting mental health programs for students. It was passed by Congress in 2022 after the mass shooting at Uvalde and aimed to reduce gun violence in schools. The administration said it wasn’t in the “best interest of the federal government,” arguing the program contained DEI. “What’s the point of being in Congress and writing laws if the president can just ignore them?” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) asked. He said the move was illegal.
Tip of the Iceberg: A spreadsheet accidentally leaked by the administration this week revealed officials are considering cancelling over 150 research projects studying how to improve child care. Several groups are suing the administration to protect Head Start, a major nationwide program supporting young children; it’s faced thousands of layoffs, had to temporarily shut multiple centers, and is one of the victims of Trump’s proposed budget. Read more about the administration’s “war on children” here.
All this might seem overwhelming. But consider what Van Jones says in our interview above:
People keep saying, ‘What are we supposed to do?’ I'm going to tell you: I don't know and nobody knows.… What do you want to do? Is there an issue that you care about? Don't forget, some of these things begin to snowball based on individual passion more than some top-down playbook handed to people. Do you care about children with disabilities? Figure out what's going on with them. Start organizing around that. Raise hell about it. It doesn't always have to come down to, ‘I'm going to march’ and ‘I'm going to call my congressperson.’ Maybe you create some online viral trend. Maybe you do a concert. Maybe you organize your neighbors to donate money. The key is to create activity that is pointing in the direction that we want to go in.… That requires people. It requires ideas. It requires resources. It requires camaraderie.
What do you think you might want to help with? You can share your ideas and comments down below.
News That Doesn’t Suck:
We want to leave you with something that’ll make you smile. So… check out one of the largest single dog walk of dachshunds in history. The 500 dachshunds in Budapest didn’t break the world record set last year by Germany, but we think it’s worth repeating the challenge as often as possible.
Let Us Know:
If you have a story of someone Doing Something, like that I shared in the interview above, to share, please email us at community@newsnotnoise.com with the subject line: Doing Something.
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