Trump Executive Order Targets COVID-19 Vaccines No Longer Required for Most U.S. Students

This month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order prohibiting discretionary federal funds from going to schools, colleges, or universities that require students to get a COVID-19 vaccine. However, no states currently require vaccines, and only a few colleges or universities continue to have such a mandate.

“The order is expected to have little national impact because COVID-19 vaccine mandates have mostly been dropped at schools and colleges across the United States, and many states have passed legislation forbidding such mandates,” the Associated Press reported in a story about the order that Trump signed.

Yet during the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often promised that if elected, he would “not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate.” His Feb. 14 order — titled “Keeping Education Accessible and Ending COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools” — targets COVID-19 vaccines exclusively.

“Some school districts and universities continue to coerce children and young adults into taking the COVID-19 vaccine by conditioning their education on it, and others may re-implement such mandates,” the order said. “Parents and young adults should be empowered with accurate data regarding the remote risks of serious illness associated with COVID-19 for children and young adults, as well as how those risks can be mitigated through various measures, and left free to make their own decisions accordingly.”

Thousands of Pentagon Civilian Workers Will Be Fired Next Week as Trump Purge Begins

The Pentagon announced Friday it will fire 5,400 civilian employees next week -- and potentially tens of thousands more -- as part of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's ongoing effort to slash personnel and spending throughout the federal government.

The massive round of firings is part of an "initial effort" to cut the Defense Department's civilian workforce by 5% to 8% and was to be followed up with a hiring freeze, as thousands of employees at other federal agencies have been terminated in recent weeks or enticed to resign during the early days of the Trump administration.

'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Black History Fact: Paul Freeman (1936-2015)

Paul Douglas Freeman has conducted outstanding classical orchestras in many countries during his long career. One of the few African American conductors in classical music, he is best known for founding the Chicago Sinfonietta. Over the past 25 years, the orchestra has been widely recognized for its ethnic and racial diversity and its attempt to broaden classical music's appeal to “non-traditional” audiences.

Born January 2, 1936, in Richmond, Virginia, to a music-loving family of modest means, Freeman and his 11 siblings enjoyed symphony and opera radio broadcasts. Even though his father ran a small produce store, he and most of his siblings were given instruments early in their childhoods to encourage the study of classical music. Paul began piano at five, then moved on to the clarinet and cello. When his high school band conductor became ill, he directed the performance at age 17, obtaining his first experience with conducting.

McCulloh Named SEC Women’s Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year

ATHENS, Ga. | University of Georgia senior Abby McCulloh was named the 2025 Southeastern Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the conference Friday evening before the fifth night of the SEC Championships at Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

McCulloh, who shared the honor last season with Chloe Stepanek of Texas A&M, is the eighth Georgia woman and 11th Bulldog overall to receive the honor. Since the award was instituted in 2005, Georgia has won more times than any other SEC women's swimming and diving program. She joins Lisa Caprioglio (2009, 2010) as the only repeat winner in program history.

McCulloh, a senior from Lilburn currently carrying a 4.0 GPA in Journalism with a minor in Sport Management, adds Friday's honor to a host of previous accolades. This week, she was named to the SEC Community Service Team and was nominated for the Allstate/NACDA Winter Good Works Team. In January, she received the Keith Jackson Rose Bowl Game Postgraduate Scholarship and participated in a specialized work-study program at the Ohio State-Oregon College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

McCulloh was bestowed the 2024 Joel Eaves Scholar-Athlete Award for the UGA female senior student-athlete with the highest GPA entering the school year and currently serves as the female student-athlete representative to the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors. She was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team and has twice been named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. She has also been named to three CSCAA Scholar All-America First Teams, three SEC Winter Academic Honor Rolls, and the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll in every semester.

In the water, she won the 2024 SEC and NCAA championships in the 1,650-yard freestyle, along with bronze medals in the 500y free (2024) and 1,650y free (2022). She has earned four CSCAA First Team All-America honors and a place on the 2024 All-SEC First Team and 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team. She currently ranks second in program history in the 1,000-y and 1,650-y freestyle and holds Bauerle Pool records in both events. This season, she has already finished fifth in the 500y freestyle at the SEC Championships and is seeded second in tomorrow's mile final. She finished first in the event at the UGA Fall Invitational and turned in the second-fastest 1,000y freestyle time in program history at Texas in December.

Mizzou Softball Splits First Day of Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. | No. 22 ranked University of Missouri softball split its opening day of the 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Thursday at the Big League Dreams Complex.

Missouri earned a 1-0 victory over Rutgers at Fenway Park (BLD Complex) before falling to No. 4 UCLA in a top-25 matchup, 4-1, at Wrigley Field (BLD Complex).

With a 1-1 mark on Thursday, Mizzou is now 7-6 in 2025.

Nelson, Foote Lead the Way on Day Four of SEC Championships

ATHENS | Baylor Nelson earned the Aggies' first medal of the week and Connor Foote took down his second school record of the meet Thursday night at SEC Swimming & Diving Championships inside Gabrielsen Natatorium. The women moved into fifth with 347 points, while the men remain in fifth with 377 points. 

Nelson took home a silver medal in the 400 IM in the first event of the night, clocking in at 3:37.47, just .01 off his school record time to notch an NCAA A-cut in the event. The silver marked the seventh career medal for Nelson at SEC Championships. Three other Aggies added points in the 400 IM final as Munzy Kabbara (3:45.14), Maximiliano Vega Cuevas (3:48.56) and Roberto Bonilla Flores (3:49.49) secured top-24 finishes. 

After setting a new 100 fly program mark  in prelims with a time of 44.43, Foote lowered his record again in the final as he touched the wall at 44.34 to place fourth and pick up his second individual A-cut of the week. Thomas Shomper also posted a career-best time in the 100 fly, going 46.39 to place 21st and move into eighth all-time at A&M.