by Kayla Rogers
Due to the immense amount of national news, this article will solely be on the news in the capitol. Please keep an eye out for an article on local, Kentucky news on the Cento website in the coming days.
Before I get into politics, I want to address some concerns about bias I’ve heard about this section. I cannot explain how grateful I am to see engagement of this kind even if it appears negative. It can often feel like we are alone in navigating politics and it is a privilege to hear debate, difference, and commentary on things that so intimately impact us. The part that seemed to garner negative attention was this;
“As you may have seen across social media, Musk made a gesture that mimics a nazi salute at a celebratory rally after the inauguration. This has heightened fears of rising anti-semitism and white supremacism in Trump’s administration.”
I stand by this claim, as it is one that has been made by highly reliable, fact-based news sources such as AP News and NPR. However, I understand that I can do more to speak to perspectives that are sometimes left out of political news. My goal in this section is to highlight topics that are important to the campus, and I will do my best to approach these subjects unbiasedly. That being said, I am not without bias. There will likely be times that I fall short in this goal and I hope that you all, the incredible voices of our campus, will hold me accountable. The Cento is serious about integrity and I will always strive to embody this core journalistic value.
There have been A LOT of changes since the new administration got into full swing, so I am certain I may miss a few things. Please know that it is purely from the massive amounts of content and levels of instability that I am trying to cover, not because I am intentionally leaving things out (and if you would ever like to write about something specific, contact The Cento).
- On February 25, the White House announced that the administration will be choosing a pool of journalists that are allowed into meetings. This is a stark change from the traditional way of choosing a press pool wherein a group of independent journalists arrange it. This traditional method is to ensure there is not too many people crowding spaces and that an even spread of news outlets are allowed into important coverage meetings. This change occurred soon after the White House barred AP News from pooled events in retaliation for refusing to use the new term, “Gulf of America.” Eugene Daniels, the president of the
- President Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which he said would “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures” and restructure federal agencies. Though Elon Musk has taken a strong position at the front of this department, the White House says that he is not in charge. After weeks of deflecting the question, the person said to be in charge of the department is Amy Gleason. But most of the political community believe this to be a technicality with Musk predominantly calling the shots. Since DOGE’s creation, thousands of federal employees received a notice that they were being fired for poor performance. This is not the reason for termination, but rather because of a massive restructure of the White House. There have been several lawsuits challenging the legality of this mass-firing (NPR).
- 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and a heighetend levy tax of 20% went into effect on Tuesday, March 4. (Lingo check: A tariff is a tax on goods coming from another country, typically domestic/American businesses pay this tariff if they are importing goods from a country with a tariff. In this case with China, a levy means that products from China will be taxed an extra 20%). Economists say this will mean that companies are paying more for products and consequently have to charge consumers more (AP News).
- White House Correspondents’ Association (the group used to choose the press pool) said, “this move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States” (POLITICO).
- On Feburary 28, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in the Oval Office to discuss the war in Ukraine and US involvement. As I’m sure you’ve seen across social media, the “meeting” quickly became a shouting match full of blame. Trump and Vance battered Zelenskyy, saying that Ukraine doesn’t “have the cards” to win and said directly to the Ukrainian President, “you’re acting ungrateful.” The meeting ended with insurmountable tension and it was clear that the US role in this conflict had shifted under this new administration. Soon after, Trump announced that aid to Ukraine would be halted until peace talks with Russia were pursued. On March 5 (the day this article is being written), Zelenskyy sent a conciliatory letter to Trump assuring that Ukraine is ready to accept American leadership, guidance, and aid (BBC, AP News, NPR).
- The Department of Education issued a letter that would impact all public universities and colleges with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion measures, in addition to private colleges that rely on federal funding. Attached to this includes a reporting tool to report any institutions that are believed to be breaching this change. I wrote another article about these measures, immigration, and more, and how Centre plans to approach these changes. Please refer to that article on the Cento website titled, “How Trump’s Executive Orders Impact Campus: A Panel With Centre Staff.”
Despite the overwhelming changes, know that you have support on campus and in your personal communities. Though it is difficult to cover so many topics and the sheer volume of political news out of the capitol, the Cento will be here to keep you informed and represent the student voice. Kentucky politics has been moving fast this legislative session so, again, please keep an eye out for a local news update by the Cento soon.
Opinions expressed by writers and editors do not represent the views of The Cento. The Cento is a non-partisan, unbiased newspaper that seeks to inform students and promote open discourse from all perspectives. If you have opinions, please feel free to share them with The Cento. Email thecento.centre@gmail.com or DM @thecento.centre on Instagram.