5 things to know for April 30: Hegseth, Trump’s 100 days, AmeriCorps, CPB firings, Auto tariffs

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Spring has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. Although the last frost date isn’t until next week, the trees are abundant with white and pink blossoms and sage-colored leaves. The birds have returned from their southern sojourn and are once again singing love songs at 5 a.m. And the daffodils and tulips are blooming, waving their colorful bulbs at all who pass by. If you have the opportunity, go outside and notice the season. It’s a fleeting one. Look for beauty in the earth, in the air, in the water — and be thankful for it. As Lady Bird Johnson was fond of saying, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. House Republicans tucked a provision into a rule that was approved Tuesday that effectively prevents Democrats from launching an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the commercial messaging app Signal. In March, Hegseth and other top officials discussed a US military attack on Houthis in Yemen during a group chat on Signal, a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Hegseth had created a second group chat on his personal phone and allegedly shared details about those same airstrikes with at least 12 people, including his wife, brother and lawyer. Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, was leading the charge for the so-called “resolutions of inquiry” to force a vote calling on President Trump and Hegseth to turn over all communications about military operations against the Houthis in Yemen that were shared on the app. Due to the GOP’s rule change, however, Smith’s resolution won’t get a full chamber vote before September 30. To celebrate the 100th day of his second term, President Trump held a rally in Warren, Michigan, yesterday. He touted his accomplishments, blasted his detractors and declared: “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t even seen anything yet.” Like most of his events, Trump’s speech contained falsehoods about consequential policy matters and trivial personal fixations. To learn more about the facts behind his fallacies, here’s a list of 100 separate false claims Trump has made since his inauguration. Note: This is not a comprehensive list (there were well over 100 in all during this period) nor a count of how many total times he has said something inaccurate (he has uttered many of these 100 claims over and over again). Twenty-four states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration yesterday for cutting AmeriCorps’ workforce and terminating nearly $400 million in grant funding for state and community projects. According to the lawsuit, 85% of AmeriCorps’ staff were placed on administrative leave earlier this month as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting efforts. The multi-state coalition claims such cuts are gutting the agency to the point where it cannot function. “The Administration is free to ask Congress to abolish AmeriCorps, but it cannot simply terminate the agency’s functions by fiat or defund the agency in defiance of administrative procedures, Congressional appropriations, and the Constitutional separation of powers,” the states claimed in the lawsuit. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after three board members were told via email on Monday that they had been terminated “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.” Two of the board members — Thomas E. Rothman and Diane Kaplan — were appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022. The third board member, Laura G. Ross, was originally appointed by Trump in 2018 and reappointed by Biden. The CBP is arguing that under the law that created the corporation in 1967, Trump does not have the authority to fire them. and is seeking a ruling to confirm the termination emails have “no legal effect.” Each year, the CPB disperses $535 million in taxpayer funds to public radio and TV stations nationwide, including stations with PBS and NPR. Congress has reauthorized funding for the corporation for decades.