The U.S. Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to continue its freeze on foreign aid spending. And Santa Fe police discover an award-winning actor, his wife and dog dead in their New Mexico home. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.

SCOTUS allows US to continue freeze on foreign aid payments

After the Trump administration failed to comply with a judge’s order to stop withholding foreign aid, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts stepped in before last night’s deadline. He said the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department do not need to immediately pay contractors more than one-and-a-half billion dollars for work that has already been completed.

The federal judge reversed the Trump administration’s order that halted funding for global projects, ruling that payments should be restored.

After the initial ruling went unaddressed, the judge allowed the government until Wednesday to rectify the situation.

Under Trump’s orders, millions of dollars to the U.S. Agency for International Development were temporarily halted. The agency typically provides 40 billion dollars in assistance each year for humanitarian efforts.

Several contractors and organizations sued the Trump administration over its directive to halt funding, which many rely on for initiatives like food security and disaster recovery.

Straight Arrow News reporter Kalé Carey explained the impact the order might have here.

Elon Musk attends Trump’s first cabinet meeting

President Donald Trump’s cabinet met for the first time on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Elon Musk attended the gathering, along with Trump’s cabinet members.

For a little more than an hour, Trump touted his administration’s work so far and answered questions on everything from Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal government to negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Despite not being a member of the cabinet, Musk took the floor first to outline the work of the Department of Government Efficiency.

“We are actually tech support. It’s it’s it’s ironic but it’s true. The the overall goal here with the doge team is to help address the enormous deficit we simply cannot sustain as a country $2 trillion deficits,” Musk said. “The interest rates, just the interest on the national debt now exceeds the defense department’s spending.”

He continued, “We spend a lot on the defense department, but we’re spending like over $1 trillion on interest. If this continues, the country will go, become de facto bankrupt. It’s not an optional thing, it is an essential thing. That’s the reason I’m here, and taking a lot of flak and getting a lot of death threats, by the way. I mean, like stack them up, you know.”

Musk’s presence among Trump’s cabinet picks arose amid some confusion due to an ultimatum requiring federal workers to list their five weekly accomplishments—or potentially face termination.

The move resulted in varying responses among cabinet members, as several agency heads advised their employees to delay their replies.

When a reporter asked Musk if any cabinet members were unhappy, the president answered for him.

“Elon, let the cabinet speak just for a second. Are there any who are unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw them outta here. Is anybody unhappy?” Trump said.

Trump added that federal employees who did not respond to Musk’s email are on what he refers to as a firing “bubble.”

One of his top advisers told reporters that it’s simple: Trump wants federal workers to return to the office and demonstrate that they are working, since they are being paid.

At the cabinet meeting, the president also addressed the United States’ continued support for Ukraine, saying he wouldn’t give many security guarantees.

However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who is set to visit Washington on Friday, Feb. 28, has said security guarantees would be a key part of any agreement to end the war with Russia.

At the same time, Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely have to make some concessions of his own to bring an end to the war, but he did not specify what those might be.

Trump also told the cabinet that he is still planning to push tariffs on foreign countries to improve the economy—and specifically singled out the European Union—stating it has left the U.S. with billions in debt and was formed to “screw the United States.”

Texas child dies from measles; HHS head says outbreak is ‘not unusual’

The U.S. has marked its first measles death in a decade.

A school-aged child in Lubbock, Texas, died after being hospitalized with the virus. The child was not vaccinated against the disease.

The death is part of a larger outbreak that now has 124 confirmed cases, most of which are in unvaccinated children.

Texas health officials report that eighteen people have been hospitalized. As Straight Arrow News has previously reported, there has been an outbreak in a West Texas Mennonite community, near the New Mexico state line, where many individuals lack access to medical care.  

During yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seemed to downplay the outbreak’s severity.

“We’re watching it. We put out a post on it yesterday and we’re going to continue to follow it,” Kennedy said. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year. In this country last year, there were 16. So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”

Kennedy has a long history of downplaying the threat of measles and has raised doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines.

The CDC states that measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, thanks to its vaccination program.

However, vaccination rates for the MMR vaccine have seen a slight decline in recent years.

New Pentagon policy removes transgender service members from military

The U.S. has implemented new rules regarding transgender troops. In a Pentagon memo submitted to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the military must identify transgender service members by March 26.

Once the military identifies transgender service members, the policy said it must separate or remove them unless they obtain a waiver by late June.

The policy follows President Donald Trump’s executive order, which seeks to block transgender troops from serving. His order defined only two sexes—male and female—and stated that gender dysphoria is incompatible with military service. 

In addition, the military has halted recruitment of transgender troops. 

To obtain a waiver, the Pentagon’s memo stated that a military member must demonstrate they have never attempted to transition to any gender other than their own.

Transgender troops have filed a federal lawsuit to block Trump’s executive order. However, the U.S. district judge overseeing the case postponed her decision until the Pentagon policy was released.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Pentagon’s top public affairs official issued a memo directing military services to spend hours reviewing website postings, photos, news articles and videos to eliminate any mentions that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Hamas ready for more ceasefire talks with Israel after prisoner release

Hamas announced that it is prepared for the next round of discussions with Israel regarding the extension of the ceasefire in Gaza, which will expire this weekend.

It comes after more than 600 Palestinians were released from Israeli jails overnight in exchange for the militant group’s return of the bodies of four Israeli hostages.

It marked the final exchange of the first phase of the ceasefire.

Negotiations for a second phase—where Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire—have not yet started.

In a statement, Hamas claimed that the “only way” for Israel to ensure the release of the remaining hostages is by engaging in negotiations and honoring the agreement.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that an Israeli official said Israel will not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip, which it had agreed to do as part of the first phase of the ceasefire.

The official said Israeli forces need to remain in the Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, to prevent weapons smuggling.

Israel was expected to start withdrawing from there on Saturday—the last day of the first phase—and finish the withdrawal within eight days.

Refusing could jeopardize the chances of extending the ceasefire, but that remains to be seen.

Legendary actor Gene Hackman, wife and dog found dead in Santa Fe home

Santa Fe authorities discovered legendary actor Gene Hackman, his wife and dog dead at their New Mexico home Wednesday, Feb. 26, during a welfare check.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said they do not suspect foul play in the deaths of 95-year-old actor and his 63-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist. Authorities have not stated what might have led to their deaths.  

Hackman, known for his iconic roles in  “The French Connection,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” The Royal Tenenbaums” and “Hoosiers,” was one of the most accomplished actors of all time.

He won two Oscars, three Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Never-before-seen Picasso works on display in Rome

In Rome, never-before-seen works by prolific artist Pablo Picasso are now on display to the public.

Known as a master of cubism, a new exhibition in Rome is not only focusing on the renowned 20th-century painter’s style but also highlighting his heritage.

“Picasso the Foreigner” highlights how the Spanish immigrant’s art was influenced by his status as an outsider in France, where he spent most of his adult life.

The five never-before-seen works are displayed alongside nearly a hundred more of Picasso’s pieces, as well as documents, photographs, letters, and videos.