February 25

Energy Secretary Wright holds millions in oil stocks while directing $80B in energy policy

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is disclosed to hold personal investments worth millions of dollars in fossil fuel companies while overseeing an approximately $80 billion federal energy portfolio and setting national energy policy. Ethics watchdogs flag the holdings as a potential conflict of interest under federal ethics rules. Wright's department oversees permitting, subsidies, and investment decisions that directly affect the value of his personal holdings.

USDA orders states to verify immigration status of SNAP applicants

The USDA under Secretary Brooke Rollins issues a directive requiring states to verify immigration status of SNAP applicants beyond existing federal requirements, a move critics say violates the Food Security Act and creates barriers for mixed-status families. Legal advocates argue the directive is unauthorized rulemaking that circumvents congressional authority, while the administration frames it as fraud prevention. Approximately 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits.

House passes FY2025 budget resolution with reconciliation instructions for One Big Beautiful Bill

The House passed H. Con. Res. 14 on February 25, 2025, a concurrent budget resolution setting fiscal year 2025 spending targets and issuing reconciliation instructions to 11 House committees. The resolution directed those committees to produce legislation reducing the deficit by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years while raising the debt ceiling by up to $4 trillion. Speaker Mike Johnson secured passage 217-215 with all Democrats and one Republican voting against it, launching the formal legislative process for what Trump called the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

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Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court fulfilling campaign promise

President Biden nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, fulfilling his February 2020 debate pledge to nominate a Black woman to the first vacancy. Jackson, then 51, serves on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and is a former federal public defender, the first public defender nominated to the Supreme Court. Her nomination hearing in March 2022 becomes a cultural flashpoint when Republican senators question her about critical race theory and sentencing records. Sen. Ted Cruz brandishes a picture book at the hearing. Marsha Blackburn asks her to define the word "woman," which Jackson says she cannot as "I'm not a biologist." The contentious hearings showcase the partisan divide over identity, education, and the law.

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Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court as first Black woman nominee

President Biden nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, fulfilling his 2020 campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Jackson, a Harvard Law graduate and former Breyer clerk, has served as a federal judge at the district and appellate levels and on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Biden cites her "unusual breadth of experience," including her work as a public defender. Confirmation hearings begin March 21. Republican senators ask about sex offenders, critical race theory, and whether she can define "woman."

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Senate parliamentarian rules a $15 minimum wage cannot pass through reconciliation

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour could not be included in the American Rescue Plan reconciliation bill because its budgetary impact was merely incidental to its underlying policy purpose. The ruling blocked Democrats from using their simple majority to enact the wage increase, despite President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Schumer supporting the provision. Some progressives called for overruling or replacing the parliamentarian, but Democratic leadership declined.

Senate confirms Jennifer Granholm as Energy Secretary

The Senate confirms Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy by a vote of 64-35. Granholm, the former Governor of Michigan, takes charge of the department as it implements clean energy initiatives and addresses energy security challenges. Her confirmation comes as the administration prioritizes climate change and clean energy transition.

Thiel brings Vance to his first Trump meeting at Mar-a-Lago

Peter Thiel brought JD Vance to Mar-a-Lago in February 2021 to meet Donald Trump for the first time, according to New York Times reporting. Vance had previously called Trump cultural heroin and an American Hitler in a 2016 private message. The meeting was the first step in Thiel's plan to launch Vance for the open Ohio Senate seat that Rob Portman would vacate in 2023.

Baruch Goldstein massacre in Hebron

Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler, killed 29 Palestinian worshippers at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The massacre led to increased Israeli security restrictions in Hebron and contributed to the breakdown of Oslo peace process.

Baruch Goldstein massacres Palestinian worshippers in Hebron

Baruch Goldstein massacres Palestinian worshippers in Hebron. This event belongs in the Israel-Palestine long-horizon chronology because it marks a discrete action, decision, attack, legal ruling, diplomatic move, or accountability moment around settler violence and accountability. The record should be sourced as a singular event and kept separate from broader background explainers.

Supreme Court rules in De Canas v. Bica that states can regulate some immigration without preempting federal law

The Supreme Court issued its unanimous ruling in De Canas v. Bica, upholding a California law that barred employers from knowingly hiring undocumented workers if doing so harmed lawful residents. Justice William Brennan wrote that a state statute touching aliens does not automatically become a regulation of immigration subject to federal preemption. The Court established a three-part test: preemption applies only if a state law (1) directly regulates immigration, (2) conflicts with clear congressional intent, or (3) stands as an obstacle to federal objectives. The ruling gave states limited but real authority to enact laws affecting immigrants that did not conflict with the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

Congress authorizes absentee ballots for Union soldiers, creating federal mail voting

Congress passed legislation in 1864 authorizing Union soldiers to cast absentee ballots in federal elections while serving away from home — the first time federal law permitted voting by mail. At least 19 states also passed their own soldier-voting laws that year. Roughly 150,000 soldiers voted absentee in the 1864 presidential election, with results later credited with helping re-elect Abraham Lincoln.