The Brew: Epa Zaps Rules, Education Dept. Shrinks, And Street Preacher Dodges Bullet

We’re staying stateside for this Brew to get an education!

EPA Rolls Back Faster Than Walmart

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated a significant rollback of 31 environmental regulations under new Director Lee Zeldin. These rollbacks are set to target Obama- and Biden-era rules surrounding climate change, pollution from power plants, vehicles, and other sectors that have raised the overall cost of living for Americans, with an aim toward lowering costs and stimulating economic growth.

BREAKING: @EPA is initiating 31 historic actions to Power the Great American Comeback in the greatest day of deregulation in American history! Our actions will unleash energy dominance, lower costs for Americans, strengthen the U.S. auto industry, and protect our environment. pic.twitter.com/7B3fh5qBKY

— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) March 12, 2025

These historic actions, Zeldin said, will bring about "energy dominance" and strengthen the U.S. auto industry, while still protecting our environment.

Just a few of the actions announced:

Repealing the emissions standards Joe Biden imposed on all gas cars and trucks, which essentially were the first step toward mandating that everyone nationwide drive electric vehicles. (That didn't work out so well in California, which suffers massive electricity brownouts on the regular.) Getting rid of this regulation is essential for preserving everyone's freedom to choose what they want to drive. (Democrats are all about being "pro-choice," aren't they? So are we!) Ending the so-called "Good Neighbor Plan.” When Obama was in office, he declared carbon dioxide to be Public Enemy #02. So when Biden took office, he set ozone-related emissions standards for power plants so (unnecessarily) low that many vital coal power plants couldn't meet them -- even though ozone levels were already very low throughout the U.S. Repealing this regulation is essential to preserving grid reliability -- and that is particularly good news for those who drive electric vehicles. (See item #1.) Overhauling the Biden-Harris regulations on the "Social Cost of Carbon." Let's be real here: There are things that can and maybe even should cost you something socially: Chewing with your mouth open. Forgetting to say things like "please" and "thank you." Belching in public. Wearing underwear in public -- without your outerwear. (People of Walmart, anyone?)

But calculating one's "social credit" score on things like their carbon footprint or amount of "right think," and then using that social credit score to determine whether they can continue having a bank account shouldn't really be on that list.

That's essentially what the Biden administration did to American companies through these regulations. Time for that whole idea to go on the nuclear waste dump of history.

Reconsider the mandatory "Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program." Let's just call this what it really is for the ease of remembering: The "Carbon Credits Scheme." While this Biden program demanded that large businesses spend a lot of time tracking their own CO2 emissions and self-reporting the results to the government (which would then punish over-users by fining them large sums of real American dollars, and rewarding under-users with imaginary "carbon credits" to offset future overruns), the program quickly devolved into some foreign countries fudging the numbers and U.S. companies tattling on their rivals to get them in trouble. (Kind of like kindergarteners, when you think about it.)

But one of the best overhauls is what we've already seen echoed many times through the federal government in the new Trump administration:

“Terminating Biden's Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency.” By now, this needs no explanation -- so we'll simply applaud and move on.

Now, that's really a breath of fresh air.

Reporter Caught Spreading Misinformation

While reporters spreading misinformation is not exactly news (we all just lived through the whole COVID pandemic and Hunter Biden's Laptop from Hades scandals, just to mention two), having a government official call one out on it in real time in front of God and everyone else actually is news.

That's what newly confirmed Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins did earlier this week, specifically confronting Military.com reporter Patricia Kime over her February 5 article, "Elon Musk Aide Now Working at VA Accessing Computer Systems."

In the piece, Kime quoted Sen. Patty Murphy (D-WA) saying that a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) representative was mining veterans' data -- and let that statement go with neither substantiation nor challenge. She completely left out the fact that when she called the VA, Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz was on the record saying that the individual was a VA liaison focused on operational improvements, and had no access to beneficiaries' data.

The new Trump administration has been pushing back hard against perceived media bias, and Collins is no exception. During a mildly uncomfortable exchange that came in the middle of a one-on-one sit-down interview, Collins pressed Kime to commit herself to more responsible reporting practices. Watch this:

Reporters - Please help our Veterans by NOT spreading unconfirmed rumors, hearsay and innuendo about @DeptVetAffairs. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/rZbMQn5VmY

— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) March 11, 2025

"I want to work with you a lot as we go forward," Collins said, waving a printout of the story. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together. … But I'm not going to have any reporter scaring my employees and scaring veterans, and that's what this is doing. We're going to help you, but I need you to help me, too. OK?"

The (Miss)Education of Capitol Hill

The U.S. Department of Education Department yesterday laid off more than 1,300 employees -- slashing its staff fully in half as part of a broader effort to let the gas out of our bloated federal government. The department is also currently planning to terminate leases on buildings in several cities and close its Washington headquarters and regional offices for one day, citing unspecified “security reasons” according to The Associated Press. DOGE is spearheading a much broader effort to terminate leases on unused or underused federal office space nationwide, including half a dozen buildings in The Stream's home territory around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon is nothing if not a good soldier under President Trump, who gave her a directive to work herself out of her own job: She aims to reduce bureaucratic bloat and send more money to local education authorities, with the department’s “final mission” being to turn all its authority over to the states.

What a concept! Especially considering that federal spending at the Department of Education has only increased while test scores have decreased significantly. In fact, if you look at the chart below, there's almost a perfectly inverse relationship between those two things.

That won't stop the Democrats from screaming "Foul!" After decades of funding failure with no (or very few) questions asked, they are now concerned about the department's ability to continue its key function of distributing money to colleges and schools.

If only we didn't have video evidence of Education Department officials themselves saying they don't really see it as essential:

This is how Bill Kristol (and many others) spoke about the Department of Education before Trump wanted to get rid of it. But since it's his job to oppose everything Trump does, of course he's now claiming that it's vital. pic.twitter.com/KmGb35WCR8

— MAZE (@mazemoore) March 10, 2025

Next time someone tells you they have concerns about abolishing this department, ask them what it actually does, and then show them this clip of Lindsey Burke, the director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, utterly destroying it in clear, concise, simple terms anyone -- with or without a college degree -- can understand.

The Department of Education doesn't operate a single school and it doesn't educate a single child. Its few essential functions can be moved to more appropriate federal agencies that already exist.@lindseymburke pic.twitter.com/zIYvgnVFTv

— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) March 13, 2025

Where Have All the Honest Journalists Gone?

San Francisco just gets -- well, let's just say "more soiled" -- every day. In broad daylight on Wednesday morning, an as-yet-unknown preacher took to the streets to share God's love and the truth that He created only two genders, and the biology with which He's blessed each of us is a sovereign choice that can't be changed by human will.

As he was speaking, a man dressed as a women -- dress, obvious wig, tights and all -- walked up and pointed a gun in his face.

"What, are you gonna do, come attack me now?" he asked.

"I should!" the cross-dressing man exclaimed before stomping away.

The preacher, unfazed, just continued speaking God's truth.

"God bless you. You just pulled a gun on my face. Lord have mercy on you. This means you don't even know who you are. But I still love you. I still bless you."

No fear when you have God on your side.

This street preacher had a gun pointed at his head by a deranged person and did not even flinch! pic.twitter.com/mpYgnfAcfc

— Old School Eddie (@Old_SchoolEddie) March 12, 2025

Would you be able to cite Matthew 5:43-48 in a situation like that? If a transgender person (or any other kind of person) is secure in their identity, assaulting or threatening the people they perceive as enemies just wouldn't be necessary.

It's interesting to us that we can't find out who this preacher is -- because not one local reporter has covered this, probably thinking it would be career suicide to criticize a gender-confused individual. But choosing not to report on an issue of public safety is shameful. Thus continues the trend of news outlets ignoring and tacitly protecting men with "sexual fetishes," rather than focusing on "real men" who protect their families and communities by standing up fearlessly for what's true, right ... and obvious.

We don't know you, Mr. Street Preacher -- but we love and bless you, too.

Texas Pastor Indicted

Yesterday, a grand jury in Oklahoma indicted former Gateway Church Senior Pastor Robert Morris, 63, on five felony counts of "lewd or indecent acts" with a girl who was 12 years old when the contact began. The grand jury spent two days hearing testimonies before coming to the decision.

The indictment will be filed for prosecution in Osage County District Court, where Morris is expected to turn himself in next week. If convicted, he could face up to 100 years in prison.

Along The Stream...

For quite some time, Stream Senior Editor John Zmirak has been raising the alarm about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' involvement in illegal immigration and human trafficking. He's now been joined by several other groups. Jules Gomes brings us those details in "Catholic Laity Urge Vance to Launch Racketeering Investigation into U.S. Bishops."

Life is full of seasons -- some good, and some painful. How do you handle things "When You Have to Start Over in Life?" Author and speaker Joel Malm brings us some valuable insights in a conversation with his dad, Rick, a former missionary.

 

Gayle McQueary is The Stream's social media coordinator. She has a background in production and is a scary judge of student loans.

The post The Brew: EPA Zaps Rules, Education Dept. Shrinks, and Street Preacher Dodges Bullet appeared first on The Stream.