FDA vaccine meeting canceled and NASA’s galaxy-mapping mission: Morning Rundown

States are unsure of how to prepare for the possible elimination of the Department of Education. An important FDA meeting about next season’s flu vaccines is canceled. And NASA is starting a mission to map 450 million galaxies.

Here’s what to know today.

States brace for Trump’s plans to dismantle the Education Department

President Donald Trump reiterated his ambitions to abolish the Department of Education in a Cabinet meeting yesterday, saying that “we want to move education back to the states where it belongs.” And while the White House has already said it’s preparing an executive order to eliminate the agency, details of how that would work remain unclear, leaving state lawmakers and education officials from both parties confused about the logistics that come with ending or curtailing the department. 

Some state lawmakers are quietly attempting to develop modest contingency plans, but most say they have no choice but to wait for the details to emerge and then scramble to make sure their states can absorb whatever additional responsibilities come their way. 

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Politics reporter Adam Edelman and enterprise reporter Tyler Kingkade asked state officials about they’re preparing for potential Education Department changes:

→ “Absolutely not,” said North Carolina Democratic state Rep. Julie von Haefen. “And in North Carolina, we’re at a really precarious point in our state funding — the loss of federal funding would really be devastating.”

→ “We’re not prepared for it, we’re not preparing for it,” said Iowa state Democratic Rep. J.D. Scholten. 

→ “It’s hard to plan, and that’s why we’re really waiting on the details,” said Susie Hedalen, a Republican and the top education official in Montana. though she said she is open to changes to the Education Department. 

If the White House makes drastic changes, one big question is what happens to funding for thousands of Title I schools, which receive federal dollars to help low-income families, and for programs that ensure disabled students have access to free and appropriate public education. The agency’s Office for Civil Rights enforces laws that aim to prevent discrimination in schools is also in peril, but that’s not all.

Read the full story here.

More Trump administration and politics news:

• The Supreme Court temporarily paused a lower court order that required the Trump administration to release about $2 billion in foreign aid funding by midnight Thursday. Earlier yesterday, the Trump administration said in a court filing that it will take “weeks” to free up the money.
• DOGE’s list of canceled contracts include many eye-popping “receipts” — except many aren’t actually receipts, no money has been saved and the agreements are meant to boost efficiency.
• The Trump administration directed federal agencies to prepare for mass layoffs and that department and agency heads must submit the first phase of reorganization plans by March 13.
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired more than 100 intelligence officers for using a government chat platform for discussions that included topics like polyamory and gender transition surgery. 
• House and Senate Republicans have approved competing budget measures to pass portions of Trump’s agenda, and top lawmakers have insisted they won’t accept the other chamber’s version. So now what? 
• Immigration and legal researchers said the Trump administration is strong-arming less powerful nations like Panama and Costa Rica into helping with its mass deportation efforts.
• Trump’s recent reversal on Ukraine, in which he seems to have sided with Russia, creates an opportunity for China.

FDA meeting over upcoming flu vaccines is canceled

An important meeting of the Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee to select the strains to be included in next season’s flu shot has been canceled, a panel member said. The meeting, originally set for March, comes as the U.S. endures a particularly severe flu season that has seen at least 86 deaths in children and 19,000 deaths in adults this season, according to CDC data.

The FDA typically meets every spring to get recommendations on which strains should be included in the upcoming flu vaccine, which gives vaccine manufacturers enough time to produce the shots to be ready for fall. 

The canceled meeting is likely to add to concerns among scientists that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could undermine the vaccine regulatory process in the U.S., possibly leading to a resurgence of preventable diseases. 

More health news:

• A child who was not vaccinated against measles has died, Texas health officials said, marking the first death from the disease in the country in a decade.
• The U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu. 

NASA’s mission to map the sky

What happened after the creation of the universe billions of years ago? How did we get here? What is the origin of water? 

NASA scientists hope to answer these questions in a mission to map more than 450 million galaxies. The new NASA space observatory is scheduled to launch into orbit as early as tonight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. 

The so-called SPHEREx mission will map the entire sky four times over two years and in 102 infrared colors, more than any mission before it, NASA said. The resulting 3D map could unlock answers about galaxy formation and enable the observatory to investigate the origin of water and other organic materials in the Milky Way galaxy, the principal investigator of the mission said. It will also tackle an enduring mystery: What happened after the Big Bang?

Read All About It 

• Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, was found dead in his home alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, and the couple’s dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said.
• Israel received the bodies of four hostages from Hamas in what’s expected to be the final exchange in the first phase of their ceasefire.
• Michelle Trachtenberg, the former child actor best known for her work on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl,” was found dead at her New York City home. She was 39.
• A Nebraska father whose 2-year-old daughter is listed in state records as “Unakite Thirteen Hotel,” said he obtained a Social Security number for her, a relief in a yearslong effort to get her proper identification. 
• A $19 strawberry has caused a stir online — and of course it’s sold at a luxury grocery store in Los Angeles. 
• Texas state regulators are investigating a medical school’s failure to notify surviving family members before leasing out the bodies of their loved ones after an NBC News investigation into the school.

Staff Pick: Bringing ‘The Brutalist’ to life was a family effort

On Sunday, “The Brutalist” will contend for Oscars in the top categories, including best picture. The film has been picking up trophies left and right this awards season. But something viewers might not know is that the film is a family affair. The movie, starring Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones, was co-written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, who aren’t just creative partners. They also have a 10-year-old daughter together. I sat down with them for their first joint broadcast interview. They shared details about their writing process, the challenge of financing the movie and why bringing the project to the screen is such a major milestone.   — Chloe Melas, entertainment correspondent

NBCU Academy: This ‘Wicked’ Broadway actor is making history

In March, actor Jenna Bainbridge will be the first wheelchair user in “Wicked’s” 21-year history on Broadway to play the role of Nessarose. The announcement comes months after fellow actor Marisa Bode, who also uses a wheelchair in real life, portrayed Nessarose in the blockbuster film. “We need to hear disabled stories,” Bainbridge said. “We need to see them on our stages.”

See how Bainbridge helps to make theater spaces and roles more accessible across the country.

NBCU Academy is a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech.

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Confused about all the different types of sneakers and which ones might be the right fit? NBC Select editors gathered the best women’s walking shoes for every foot type. Plus, our staff tested Graza’s new high-heat cooking oil, which is good for frying, grilling, wok cooking, broiling and more. 

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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