Updated at 11:00 PM CDT on Friday, October 17, 2025
Texas Gov. Abbott Receives Champion for Choice Award for School Choice
Governor Greg Abbott last night accepted the John T. Walton Champion for Choice Award from the American Federation for Children in recognition of the Governor's leadership in delivering the largest day-one school choice program in America.
"This May, I signed into law the largest day-one school choice program in America, empowering parents, not bureaucrats, to decide what is best for their children," said Governor Abbott. "This historic legislation levels the playing field and expands educational opportunities for students across our great state. With this in full effect, Texas will become No. 1 in education and prove to the world the critical value of school choice."
This historic movement was driven by Texas families who want educational freedom for their children.
Thousands of families like these will now have the option to choose the school that best fits their child's needs.
The Governor closed by thanking the American Federation for Children, parents, and educators for their vision, hard work, and dedication to ensuring the next generation has the education and skills needed to succeed.
President Trump Announces New Tarrifs on Heavy-Duty Trucks, Buses
President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Act) to impose tariffs on imports of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and parts, and buses, to bolster American industry and protect national security.
The Proclamation imposes a 25% tariff on imports of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and truck parts.
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks include Class 3 to Class 8 vehicles, like large pick-up trucks, moving trucks, cargo trucks, dump trucks, and tractors for eighteen-wheelers.
For medium- and heavy-duty trucks that do not qualify for preferential tariff treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the tariff will apply to the full value of the vehicle. For medium- and heavy-duty trucks that qualify for preferential tariff treatment under the USMCA, the tariff will only apply to the value of the non-U.S. content in the vehicle.
The tariff on medium- and heavy-duty truck parts will apply to key parts, including engines, transmissions, tires, and chassis.
USMCA-compliant medium- and heavy-duty truck parts will not be subject to tariffs imposed in the Proclamation until the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, establishes a process to apply tariffs to the non-U.S. content of the parts.
The Proclamation imposes a 10% tariff on imports of buses, including school buses, transit buses, and motor coaches.
The Proclamation incentivizes domestic medium- and heavy-duty truck production by offering an offset to a portion of tariffs for medium- and heavy-duty truck parts equal to 3.75% of the aggregate value of all trucks assembled in the United States from 2025 through 2030. This percentage reflects the duty that would be owed when a 25% tariff is applied to 15% of the value of a U.S.-assembled medium- and heavy-duty truck.
This offset can be used to adjust any Section 232 medium- and heavy-duty truck part tariffs owed by a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer.
An equivalent offset program will also be established for medium- and heavy-duty truck engine manufacturers based on the value of medium- and heavy-duty truck engines assembled in the United States.
The president noted that trucks and buses are essential to U.S. national security and said that many countries were subsidizing the bus and truck manufacturing to flood U.S. markets with cheap vehicles.
UN Faces “Race to Bankruptcy” Unless Members Pay Dues
The United Nations faces a “race to bankruptcy” unless Member States pay their dues in full and on time, Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday, presenting a sharply reduced $3.238 billion regular budget for 2026.
The revised proposal marks a significant drop from his original ask for next year of $3.715 billion and is 15.1 percent below the 2025 approved appropriation.
Speaking to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly – which handles UN finances and administration – Mr. Guterres described a deeply precarious outlook, with high arrears, delayed contributions and the “return of credits” threatening to wipe out liquidity and undermine core operations.
The revised budget also reduces staffing from the original 2026 proposal funding 13,809 posts (10,667 regular posts plus 3,142 Special Political Mission posts) to 11,594 posts – an 18.8 percent cut compared with 2025.
These reductions target larger departments and administrative functions, while protecting programs that directly serve Member States – particularly Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, small island developing States, and advocacy for Africa’s development.
The regular budget, funded through mandatory assessed contributions from Member States, covers the core programs and operations of the UN Secretariat.
In addition, the UN has a budget specific to peacekeeping operations on a July 1-June 30 cycle – while the regular budget operates according to the calendar year.
The UN chief warned that the current liquidity crisis has serious implications beyond next year, into 2027.
High arrears at the end of last year, totaling $760 million, coupled with a requirement to return $300 million in credits to Member States at the start of 2026, removes nearly 10 percent of the budget from available cash.
Trina’s Kitchen: Pumpkin Stuffed Pasta Shells for Fall Dinners
Ingredients
6 ounces jumbo pasta shells (about 12 jumbo pasta shells)
1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese, part skim
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
2 tablespoons basil
1/4 teaspoon sage, dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup spaghetti sauce (low sodium)
Directions
Wash hands with soap and water.
Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and place each on a baking sheet to cool.
In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, pumpkin, spices, and all but 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Reserve the 1 tablespoon cheese for topping.
Spread pasta sauce in the bottom of a baking dish that holds all the shells in a single layer. Fill each shell with about 3 tablespoons of pumpkin mixture and place shells close together on top of the sauce.
Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for 15 minutes more.