Trump administration kills funding for PBS children's shows
The 2020-2025 cycle, which expires Sept. 30, was approved by the first Trump administration.
Programs funded by the Ready To Learn Grant have included the iconic shows "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow" and "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Now, popular shows like "Molly of Denali," "Work It Out Wombats!" and "Lyla in the Loop" are being funded by the grant, the CPB said.
In a statement sent to USA TODAY, Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said the cuts were to funding "racial justice educational programming."
"This is not aligned with Administration priorities. The Trump Department of Education will prioritize funding that supports meaningful learning and improving student outcomes, not divisive ideologies and woke propaganda," Biedermann said.
PBS Kids: 'We will continue to fight'
Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PBS KIDS, said in a statement to USA TODAY they would continue to fight to keep providing shows for children in the U.S.
"This decision removes a critical resource public television has used to enable us to create high-quality, educational PBS KIDS content while opening up worlds of possibilities for millions of kids across the country. We will continue to fight in order to maintain our essential service," DeWitt said.
Cuts to PBS, NPR an ongoing fight
The cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting come as the Trump administration continues to try and defund PBS and NPR.
Trump signed an executive order instructing the CPB to "cease direct funding" to NPR and PBS, according to the text released by the White House on May 1. It labeled the news outlets as partisan and biased.
"The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding," the order added.
Both NPR and PBS have previously said that Trump's effort to cut their funding would disrupt essential media services and have a "devastating impact" on Americans who rely on them for credible local and national news, including during emergencies.
Contributing: Reuters
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
6 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Will The Open be held in Scotland again? Talks held with Donald Trump's son to end 12 year exile
The Scottish venues have not been used for the showpiece event in a dozen years but talks have been held to possibly end that exile Open chief Mark Darbon has spoken with Donald Trump 's son over a future for the competition at Turnberry. But the R&A boss has outlined the key issues currently preventing the Ayrshire track and Muirfield from hosting The Championship. The Scottish venues have not been used for the showpiece event in a dozen years. Muirfield last staged in 2013, while Turnberry has not had an Open since 2009. Speaking on the eve of Royal Portrush staging for the second time in six years, R&A chief executive Darbon says there has been dialogue with both venues, but lay-out concerns remain. He said: 'I think we've been extremely clear on our position in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course but we've got some big logistical challenges there. We've got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. 'We'd need to address those logistical challenges should we return. We'll continue to assess the feasibility and work collaboratively not just with the venue but with local and national government to understand what may be possible and that process at Turnberry is no different to any of our other locations.' Trump is heading to Scotland soon and, when asked if the fact he was owner was having an impact on the decisions, he replied: 'It's a somewhat hypothetical question in that unless we address the logistical challenges, it's difficult for us to go back. 'I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation and from Turnberry. We had a really good discussion. 'I think they understand clearly where we're coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have so we've got a good dialogue with them.' Darbon added: 'We have an ongoing dialogue with the UK government given that we're a major event that creates significant value into the UK economy. We've spoken to them specifically about Turnberry and I think they've made it clear that the decision around where we take our championship rests with us. 'I would find it difficult to predict whether there will be any discussion on The Open if the President is making a visit here.' As regards Muirfield, Darbon said: 'We love the course. We're in a discussion with the venue right now. 'There's some things that we need to evolve at Muirfield, the practice ground in particular is a challenge for us with a modern Open and there's some work we need to do with the venue to facilitate some of the infrastructure that we require, some cabling to enable the scale of the production that we have these days. 'We'd love to be back there in the future. We're open minded to solutions and we'd love to be back there in the future.' Meanwhile, Darbon confirmed Saturday tee-times have been tweaked due to Saturday's band parade in Portrush. He said: 'I think we recognise that when we bring The Open Championship to town we are a guest in the community in which we operate. So recognising the events that are taking place on Saturday we've worked really collaboratively with the organisers and across multiple agency groups to ensure primarily that both events can run as seamlessly as possible. 'We're making a slight tweak to tee times. It's not dramatic. It'll be 15 minutes or so earlier. At the same time, this is an outdoor sport. The weather can play a big role. It's very difficult to be precise on finishing times. But we're looking at some marginal adjustments.'
STV News
6 minutes ago
- STV News
John Swinney: It's in Scotland's interest I meet Donald Trump
Scotland's First Minister has said it is in the interests of the country that he meets US President Donald Trump. John Swinney said he had an 'obligation' to 'protect and promote' Scotland. He said there would be an opportunity during his meeting to discuss tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine. Swinney will meet the Republican politician later this month when he is expected to visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire. Trump will also meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Aberdeen, he has said. Speaking during a visit to Rutherglen, the First Minister said Scots would expect him to meet a US president visiting Scotland. He said: 'I've taken a decision that's in Scotland's interest to meet with the president of the United States so that I can use every opportunity to protect and to promote the interests of the people of Scotland. 'There's obviously a range of issues that we can cover around the international situation that's causing such anxiety to people in Scotland, around the situation the Middle East, and the situation in Ukraine, and the domestic issues that are important to us around about the implications of, for example, trade and tariffs on some of our key sectors, including Scotch whisky. 'So I think people in Scotland would expect their First Minister to meet with the president of the United States to put forward Scotland's position.' Earlier this week, Trump said he would go to Aberdeen, which he said was the 'oil capital of Europe'. 'They have so much oil there,' he said. 'They should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil. '[Because] the windmills are really detrimental to the beauty of Scotland and every other place they go up.' Asked about those comments, Swinney said he supported renewables in Scotland, which he said was key to the future of the country. He said: 'There's going to be different views expressed by different political leaders, and I'm a supporter of renewable energy. 'I think it's important that we use the opportunities that we have in Scotland to capture the natural and sustainable energy that surrounds us and it's all around us, and we should take those opportunities, which the Scottish Government has done in a sustainable way. 'We've got to protect the planet. We've got to protect our communities, and that's at the heart of the Government's agenda in Scotland.' The Scottish Greens, who were previously in Government with the SNP, have criticised the First Minister for his plans to meet the president. Co-leader Patrick Harvie said the meeting was 'tragic' and 'out of step with Scotland's values'. But Swinney defended the decision, saying: 'The people of the United States have elected their president, and that's their choice, and he's coming to visit Scotland. 'And I think for me, my obligation of what members of the public would expect of their First Minister is for me to engage with the leader of the United States to protect and to promote the interests of Scotland.' On Wednesday, the Scottish Secretary also defended Swinney's decision to meet Trump, along with Sir Keir's decision, saying it was 'the right thing to do'. Ian Murray praised the Prime Minister for putting in a 'lot of effort' to 'cultivate' a relationship with the president. He said US tariffs and the situation in Ukraine could be on the agenda for the discussions. He said: 'At this stage we have no sight of what the president's programme is, but we do know the First Minister and the Prime Minister will meet him, and it is right for them both to do so.' He said the meetings were 'the right thing to do because those relationships are incredibly important in terms of our own national interest'. He added: 'We should make sure we are working very closely with our allies for the benefit of Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BreakingNews.ie
7 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Russian attacks on four Ukrainian cities leave 15 injured
Russia has pounded four Ukrainian cities overnight, injuring at least 15 people in an attack that mostly targeted energy infrastructure. The latest bombardment in Russia's escalating aerial campaign against civilian areas came ahead of a September 2 deadline set by US President Donald Trump for the Kremlin to reach a peace deal in the three-year war, under the threat of possible severe Washington sanctions if it does not. Advertisement No date has yet been publicly set for a possible third round of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. Two previous rounds delivered no progress apart from prisoner swaps. Russia launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as one ballistic missile, during the night, the Ukrainian air force said. Rescue workers try to put out a fire at an apartment building (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) The strikes targeted north-eastern Kharkiv, which is Ukraine's second-largest city, President Volodymyr Zelensky's home town of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, Vinnytsia in the west and Odesa in the south. 'Russia does not change its strategy,' Mr Zelensky said. 'To effectively counter this terror, we need a systemic strengthening of defence: more air defence, more interceptors, and more resolve so that Russia feels our response.' Advertisement Mr Trump has pledged to deliver more weapons to Ukraine, including vital Patriot air defence systems, and threatened to slap additional sanctions on Russia. It was his toughest stance towards Russian President Vladimir Putin since he returned to the White House nearly six months ago. But some US lawmakers and European government officials expressed misgivings that the 50-day deadline handed Mr Putin the opportunity to capture more Ukrainian territory before any settlement to end the fighting. Other US ultimatums to Mr Putin in recent months have failed to persuade the Russian leader to stop his invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. Advertisement Tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed in the war, many of them along the 620-mile front line, and Russian barrages of cities have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, the United Nations said. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said on Tuesday that 'Putin holds a theory of victory that posits that Russia can achieve its war aims by continuing to make creeping gains on the battlefield indefinitely and outlasting Western support for Ukraine and Ukraine's ability to defend itself'. Mr Trump said the US is providing additional weapons for Ukraine but European countries are paying for them. While Ukraine and European officials were relieved at the US commitment after months of hesitation, some hoped Washington might shoulder some of the cost. 'We welcome President Trump's announcement to send more weapons to Ukraine, although we would like to see the US share the burden,' European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. 'If we pay for these weapons, it's our support.' Advertisement
