United States: The U.S. Department of Education conducted a probe of foreign funding disclosures from the University of California, Berkeley, following a Friday announcement, as reported by Reuters. 

The investigation seeks to obtain records about foreign university funding following an assessment that showed Berkeley submitted “inaccurate or incomplete” data to federal regulators. This information came from a statement issued by the Department of Education. 

Millions in Foreign Support Unreported 

Media reports in 2023 demonstrated that Berkeley did not properly reveal hundreds of millions in funding from a foreign authority. 

President Trump conducted an executive order to castigate existing university laws, which necessitated complete disclosure of foreign funding sources during his efforts to confront potential foreign university meddling. 

The University of California has not provided a statement regarding this request. 

🚨BREAKING🚨: The Department of Education has opened an investigation into UC Berkeley over its alleged "deep involvements with Chinese entities" pic.twitter.com/3AYqeudY7L

— Jaryn Crouson (@Jaryn_Crouson) April 25, 2025

The department started an identical investigatory process against Harvard University recently. 

Trump-Era Oversight Measures Resurface 

“The Biden-Harris Administration turned a blind eye to colleges and universities’ legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. 

The Trump government conducts a broad enforcement action against leading American educational institutions because of Palestinian activist student demonstrations and additional matters encompassing transgender movements and diversity programs, as reported by Reuters. 

The president has established an ultimatum that blocks federal funding from specific academic institutions. Several rights organizations criticize what they view as a destructive attack against academic freedom together with speech rights. 

United States: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicted America’s nuclear force operating and modernization expenses through 2034 will reach $946 billion, which represents a 25% increase from 2023 estimates, as reported by Reuters. 

The new projection leaves out the 81% cost overrun of the Sentinel program, which represents the advanced intercontinental ballistic missile designed to replace the Trident III missiles used in U.S. ICBM forces, per the report. 

Challenges for the Trump Administration 

According to experts, the significant budget escalation needed to operate and modernize this nuclear force poses challenges for President Donald Trump as he increases defense spending to $1 trillion in fiscal 2026. 

The U.S. government splits its nuclear weapons expenses between the Department of Energy while the Pentagon manages a separate portion. 

Escalating Nuclear Modernization Costs 

“The costs of the existing nuclear modernization program are skyrocketing beyond all expectation, said Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association, an advocacy group. 

🇺🇸💣📈 U.S. Nuclear Modernization Costs Soar to $946B, Up 25% From 2023 Estimate

🔹 Summary:

The CBO now projects U.S. nuclear force operations and modernization will cost $946 billion through 2034, a 25% jump from last year’s estimate, excluding major overruns in the Sentinel… pic.twitter.com/skMQqfLSVI

— PiQ (@PiQSuite) April 24, 2025

The CBO cautioned that Congress will have to make a decision in the upcoming years over “what nuclear forces the United States should field in the future and, therefore, the extent to which the nation will modernize.” 

Trump’s Stance and Global Nuclear Strategy 

Trump has not revealed his nuclear weapons strategy, and he has not selected key personnel to direct this strategy. Both nations fail to establish a dialogue about arms control negotiations despite the imminent expiration of mandatory restrictions on strategic force deployment between U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. 

Trump revealed during his February speech that he disapproved of new U.S. nuclear weapon development while pointing out the excessive costs of nuclear force maintenance. 

Trump showed interest in launching deals to regulate nuclear arms along with Beijing as China expanded its atomic stockpile beyond the U.S. and Russia but smaller in scale, as reported by Reuters. 

🇺🇸 U.S. NUCLEAR BUDGET BLOWS PAST $900B

New CBO projections reveal America will spend $946B from 2025–2034 on nuclear forces, up 25% from last year’s estimate.

The Defense and Energy Departments are driving this surge with modernization plans and expanded capabilities,… pic.twitter.com/35RLF4JuSK

— DOGE Tracker (@Tracking_DOGE) April 25, 2025

What’s Behind the $946 Billion Estimate? 

Current plans established by the Department of Energy and the Pentagon to run U.S. strategic and tactical nuclear forces and purchase new bombers, submarines, and ICBMs will cost $946 billion until 2034, according to the CBO. 

According to the report, the CBO projected expenses to be $756 billion from 2023 through 2032. 

The CBO explained that program costs for the development of the Sentinel ICBM and Pentagon nuclear systems modernization, along with DOE production facility upgrades, determined this cost variation in their report. 

The updated projection reaches a higher amount because analysts now extend their analysis by an additional two years compared to the earlier projection. 

United States: A formidable deluge of precipitation, described as “potentially historic” by the National Weather Service (NWS), is relentlessly sweeping through the American South and Midwest, persisting into the weekend. This formidable meteorological upheaval has already claimed multiple lives and continues to imperil both human existence and economic stability for countless individuals across the afflicted territories.   

Conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the precise fatality count, yet reports from The Associated Press confirm that at least seven individuals have perished in Tennessee, Missouri, and Indiana due to these tumultuous tempests, according to npr.org. 

“This deluge will be an endurance test, not a fleeting ordeal,” the NWS cautioned via a statement on X, forewarning the populace of the protracted nature of these storms. “Any episodes of flash flooding or riverine overflow within these regions hold the grim potential to escalate into catastrophic, life-endangering calamities.”   

Meteorologists have issued dire projections of torrential downpours persisting from Thursday through the early hours of Sunday, with the tempestuous system stretching from Dallas in the southwest to the eastern expanses of West Virginia.   

In tandem with the relentless rainfall, meteorological agencies have raised alarms regarding the imminent threat of tornadoes and abrupt flash floods. As of late Wednesday, Arkansas and Oklahoma had already witnessed the havoc of twisters, while Indiana and Kentucky endured ferocious windstorms on Thursday.   

⚠️This flooding event will be a marathon – not a sprint. Potentially historic rainfall is expected through this weekend from the Ozarks into the Mid-South, Middle Mississippi Valley, and Lower Ohio Valley. Any flash and riverine flooding across these areas will have the potential… pic.twitter.com/xPODCHaeoX

— National Weather Service (@NWS) April 3, 2025

The NWS underscored that southwestern Kentucky, western Tennessee, and northeastern Arkansas stand at the epicenter of the most harrowing peril, as torrents from Wednesday’s unrelenting downpours exacerbate the threat of “life-threatening flash floods,” as per npr.org. 

Regional Reports on the Unfolding Crisis   

 Tennessee   

NPR affiliate WPLN is chronicling the extensive havoc wreaked upon the state, which remains under an official state of emergency due to the storm’s widespread destruction.   

 Kentucky   

Reports from WUKY indicate that local businesses and residents have sustained considerable structural damage and personal injuries. As the tempestuous weather pattern continues its siege, communities brace for additional adversity throughout the weekend.   

 Arkansas   

Little Rock Public Radio has issued urgent warnings that much of the state faces significant meteorological jeopardy, including the potential for hailstones of formidable “baseball-sized” proportions and tornadoes of staggering intensity. The northeastern quadrant of Arkansas remains particularly vulnerable, with meteorologists identifying it as the most imperiled sector of the state, according to npr.org. 

With conditions worsening and the tempest showing no immediate signs of abating, officials urge residents to remain vigilant, seek refuge in secure locations, and adhere strictly to emergency protocols.