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Today is Friday, March 6th. We'll tell you about a major shakeup at the agency most responsible for President Trump's immigration crackdown. Who's out, who's in, and what's been the response so far. Also, how President Trump is looking to shape the future of Iran and which country he says could be his next target. Plus, where millions of Americans face tornado threats, what Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Is changing at American medical schools, and which popular hobby could actually be good for brain health. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. One of President Trump's top Cabinet secretaries has been fired. The president announced he's replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The move came just two days after Noem was grilled by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill over how she's handled everything from immigration to disaster response to the agency's budget. But reports say the catalyst for Noem's firing was her testimony that President Trump approved a $220 million ad campaign she was featured in yesterday. The president said he knew nothing about it. Still, Trump praised Noem's service, saying she had made good progress on border issues, and he promised to give her a role in his administration that hasn't existed until now. What he's calling the special envoy for the Shield of Americas. Trump says this will be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere. Noem is set to leave the Homeland Security Department at the end of this month. As for who will replace her President Trump says he'll nominate the US Senator from Oklahoma, Mark Wayne Mullen. He's a former mixed martial arts fighter who famously challenged a union president to a fight during a congressional hearing. Mullen already speaks with the president regularly and has been a steadfast supporter of Trump's policies on immigration and law enforcement. He said the call from Trump caught him off guard, but that he's ready to get started, saying he hopes to learn from Noem's tenure and, quote, build off things that didn't quite go as planned. Mullen would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under federal law, he is allowed to serve as acting Homeland Security secretary while his nomination is pending. Already, Republicans have publicly backed Mullen, with some saying he'll restore competence in the Department of Homeland Security. But Democratic leaders say their biggest criticisms of DHS have have to do with policy, not personnel. And even after the change was announced, Senate Democrats blocked a measure to fully reopen the agency. They're still demanding the Trump administration agree to new accountability measures for federal immigration agents. Republicans have said they're open to some of them, but take issue with other ideas. So for now, negotiations continue. The war in Iran continues to expand. Even though the Iranian regime has sustained massive damage, it's still launching retaliatory attacks, mostly against what it views as American interests. At this point, nearly every country in the Middle east has sustained damage. And in an interview with Time magazine, President Trump acknowledged there could end up being some blowback here in the U.S. when asked if Americans should be worried about retaliatory attacks here at home, Trump said, quote, I guess. And that, quote, when you go to war, some people will die. Reports say the FBI is monitoring Iranian sleeper cells in the U.S. as for what comes next, President Trump said he should have a role in choosing Iran's new leader and that the son of the former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is an unacceptable choice, despite him being the leading candidate right now. Yesterday, Trump also predicted Iran's government would not be the last to fall under his watch. Once US Military operations in Iran are finished, President Trump said, quote, cuba is going to fall, too, though he also said they want to make a deal so badly. He didn't get much more specific than that. But already, the Trump administration has been putting pressure on Cuba by cutting off Venezuelan oil supplies. Speaking of which, Venezuela's government is still cooperating with the Trump administration two months after the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro. And yesterday, the US And Venezuela officially agreed to re establish diplomatic relations. That's a major shift in a relationship that's been historically adversarial. And it's yet another sign Venezuela's acting leadership is moving forward with Trump's vision for the country. To be continued. U.S. military investigators now believe it was likely U.S. forces responsible for a strike on an Iranian girls school. A new Reuters report cites two U.S. officials who say they haven't reached a final conclusion or completed the investigation, but that it seems the US Military was behind it, though they didn't get into other details, like why the US Might have struck the school. As the investigation is still underway. Iran's ambassador to the UN says the strike killed 150 children. And the Trump administration has already faced a lot of backlash over it. In response, top officials have made it clear the US Would never deliberately target a school. If a US Role were to be confirmed, the strike would rank among the worst civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts. In the Middle East. Meanwhile, diplomats and travelers are accusing the Trump administration of putting U.S. citizens in danger by beginning a war against Iran without adequate plans for helping Americans leave the region. Now, thousands of them are stranded due to flight cancellations and airspace closures. But the State Department has now started evacuating citizens from the Middle east by charter flight, and it says it's communicated with thousands more. Today could bring the first major severe weather outbreak of the spring storm season. Millions of people from Texas to Iowa are at risk of potentially strong tornadoes. The area considered to be at the highest risk today includes major metropolitan areas like Kansas City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. But the threat spans even further, and the US could end up seeing 1,000 miles of severe storms. Besides tornadoes, they could cause destructive winds and large hail. At this point, forecasters say anyone in the middle of the country should prepare. That includes making sure you have multiple ways to get warnings, especially at night, and then, of course, take the warning seriously when you get them. Yet another round of severe storms could be on the way for next week, so stay tuned. We have more news for you still coming up, but first, let's take a quick break for our sponsor. I've tried a lot of different face moisturizers and there's so much about one skin that really stands out right away. I noticed the feel of it. It's lightweight but still super hydrating. It goes on easily and leaves my face feeling refreshed. Same goes for the eye cream. In fact, it's the first time I've ever been consistent with wearing eye cream because it's simple, it feels smooth, and it's actually effective. It's also certified safe for sensitive skin and free from over 1500 harsh or irritating ingredients. So I can put on Oneskin's products and feel confident each morning and night. And with skincare, consistency really is key, along with OneSkin's OS1 peptide, which has studies to back it up. Born from over a decade of longevity research, OneSkin's OS1 peptide is proven to target the visible signs of aging, helping you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age. And for a limited time, you can try OneSkin with 15% off using the code Newsworthy at Oneskin co. Newsworthy, that's 15% off OneSkin Co with the Code Newsworthy. And after your purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you. Now back to the news. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is pushing medical schools to teach more about nutrition. Specifically, he wants medical schools to do 3 review how much nutrition training they provide, appoint a faculty member to oversee nutrition education and create a public page outlining how they plan to reach 40 hours of nutrition education for medical students. Reports say Kennedy has threatened funding cuts for those that don't cooperate and has promised public recognition for those that comply. Already, more than 50 medical schools have agreed. Some of those that decline say they're worried about the possibility of ongoing federal interference. Others believe their nutrition curriculums were already sufficient. The health department insists the initiative is voluntary and that it's not meant to mandate a specific curriculum, but it did offer suggestions. Some of those suggestions align with a recent set of recommendations from experts, like understanding nutrition deficiencies and food allergies. Others don't have the same amount of scientific backing, for example, integrating digital technologies like wearables and nutritional supplements. Health officials say some schools committed to implementing all the subject areas. Others have chosen a mix overall. Secretary RFK Jr calls his initiative a, quote, transformative breakthrough in medical education that will reshape the way we train doctors. Federal investigators have suddenly ended a fraud case against a crypto billionaire with ties to President Trump. We're talking about Justin sun, who's the founder of the blockchain Tron. He was charged with market manipulation, among other things, and admitted to wrongdoing. The federal government had accused sun of having his own employees buy and sell the TRX token to artificially boost its value, plus paid celebrities to promote it, while calling the endorsements unbiased and unpaid. And he did not register sales with the sec. Overall, the SEC said he orchestrated hundreds of thousands of fraudulent trades and made $31 million off the scheme. Well, now the SEC has said in a court filing that Son's company will pay a $10 million penalty to resolve the suit. After Trump's reelection, Son spent $75 million on a cryptocurrency developed by World Liberty Financial, which is the crypto firm co founded by the president and other members of the Trump family. Son also attended a private dinner for buyers of the president's meme Coin. So far, no official comment from the SEC or President Trump, but SON wrote about the settlement on social media, saying in part, quote, today's resolution brings closure, but I never stopped building. The future is bright. Pop star Britney Spears is now in trouble with the law. She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs. She was booked into jail but has since been released. Law enforcement officers say a substance was found in the car. Spears also agreed to have her blood drawn at last check the chemical tests were still pending. Speier's representative put out a statement to say the incident was completely inexcusable and that, quote, her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success. Of course, this arrest comes years after a judge freed her from a controversial court directed conservatorship that gave her father control of her finances, career and personal life for 13 years. Spears is scheduled to make a court appearance for the DUI charge in May. The Olympics may be over, but winter sports are still going strong and in one case, breaking records. The Professional Women's Hockey League is now expected to set a new U.S. attendance record. A match between the New York Sirens and Seattle Torrent sold out this week, and since it's happening at Madison Square Garden, that's a pretty big milestone. Another game at Boston's TD Garden next month is also sold out. Of course, Team USA's gold medal win boosted interest in women's hockey, but the league had already been growing even before that and is expected to keep getting bigger, with expansion already in the works. Speaking of sports, it's now time for Americans to cheer on Team USA. In baseball, the World Baseball Classic is happening, and as multiple news outlets have pointed out, it's drawing more interest than ever, partly because there's an unprecedented level of star power. A record 78 MLB All Stars are taking part. Team USA's first game in the international tournament is happening today against Brazil. Also playing today is the defending champion Team Japan against the Chinese Taipei team. Team USA and Team Japan are both considered top contenders again this year with big stars like Aaron Judge, who's leading team USA, and Shohei Ohtani, who's leading team Japan. There are 47 games in the tournament overall leading up to the championship game on March 17 this weekend, most Americans will be losing an hour of sleep. Yep, it's daylight saving time again. Many Americans will be setting their clocks forward or, you know, their smartphones will jump ahead on their own by one hour early Sunday morning. Even though you may get a little less sleep this weekend, the days will start to feel longer since the sun will be setting later in the evening. Only a handful of US States and territories have chosen to not recognize it, including Arizona, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. That's it for the May news today. So now it's time for Feel Good Friday, when we bring you one extra Feel Good or positive news story before the weekend. First, this episode is sponsored by Quince. I've been working on keeping my closet more organized these days, and one way to do that is to be more mindful about what I'm putting in it. So I'm about quality over quantity now. If it's not well made and versatile, it's not worth it. But with my favorite items from Quince, the fabrics feel elevated and thoughtful and the items are always versatile, even while the pricing actually makes sense. In fact, one of my go to's in my closet right now is my Quince cashmere sweater. It's it's great for layering, it feels super soft and it lays just right. And it didn't cost what I thought quality cashmere would. Quince works directly with safe, ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen so you don't have to pay for brand markup or fancy retail stores. Right now go to quince.com newsworthy for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will now available in Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to q u I-n c e.com newsworthy for free free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com newsworthy okay, now back to Feel Good Friday so it turns out birdwatching is more than a hobby. It's an activity that can actually change the structure and function of your brain. At least that's according to a recently published study. Researchers looked at MRIs comparing the brains of expert birdwatchers to beginners, and they made sure they were comparing people who were similar in age and educational background. The people actually all came from outdoor clubs focused on activities like birding, hiking and gardening. It's just that some were better at identifying bird species. Well, what the researchers found was the brains of expert birdwatchers were more dense in areas related to attention and perception, and the experts had better recognition and task performance skills. So in short, the study discovered birding could be a brain boost. So next time you find yourself sitting on a park bench observing nearby wildlife, just know you may be helping your brain at the same time. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll be back tomorrow with our special edition Saturday episode about AI in warfare. Then we'll be back on Monday with the latest news. For now, have a great weekend.
