NEWSLETTER: Trump’s war on Sesame Street

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In 1994, Sesame Street used a character named Ronald Grump—a sleazy developer with a garish orange wig, played by Joe Pesci—to teach kids about the dangers of greed. His plan? Bulldoze Sesame Street to make way for a skyscraper.

“If there’s one thing I despise, it’s cheap sentiment!” Grump snarls in one scene. “Hugs, kiddie television, cute furry animals!”

Now, three decades later, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are stripping funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)—a move that could imperil PBS and deprive future generations of Sesame Street, a show that has been an undisputed force for good in the world.

A 2015 study by economists Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine found that kids exposed to Sesame Street were more likely to read and do math at grade level. These outcomes mirror the benefits of attending preschool, an educational opportunity that is not available to about one-third of American children.

“This show initially aired in 1969; its fundamental goal was to reduce the educational deficits experienced by disadvantaged youth,” Levine and Kearney wrote. “It cost pennies on the dollar relative to other early childhood interventions.”

PBS stations receive 15–18% of their budgets from federal CPB funds, roughly $375 million a year. The rest comes from viewers like you.

Sesame Street has cultural benefits as well. A separate study from VoxDev found that kids who watched the show were more aware of racial inequality and more accepting of different cultures. As adults, they were more likely to vote for minority and female political candidates.

Republican antagonism toward public broadcasting is not new. Mitt Romney floated defunding the CPB during his 2012 presidential campaign. Trump repeatedly tried to strip its funding in his first term but was blocked by Congress.

Trump now argues that public broadcasting outlets are biased against him and therefore shouldn’t receive federal funding. But NPR and PBS consistently rank among the most trusted news sources in the country—raising the question of whether Trump is fighting media bias or simply rejecting reality.

In 1992, Ronald Grump gave up his plan to bulldoze Sesame Street after Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch taught him the value of community and cooperation. It’s one of the rare moments Sesame Street may have missed the mark—some cold hearts will never melt.

ICYMI

On the heels of deadly flooding in central Texas, Sheldon Whitehouse (my senator) delivered a dire warning to his colleagues: regulate fossil fuels now, or expect more climate catastrophes in the future.

“It is entirely possible that history will show that the three most consequential disasters for America in our lifetimes were the capture of the Supreme Court by right-wing billionaires, the influx into our elections of floods of corrupting special-interest dark money, and the success of the fossil fuel climate-denial operation at blockading solutions to the fossil fuel emissions crisis,” Whitehouse said.

This was the 300th time Whitehouse has issued such a warning. The first came in 2012, when he took his own party’s leader, President Barack Obama, to task for not doing enough to address the climate crisis. Whitehouse has restated his case every few months since.

Read more: Whitehouse urges his colleagues to get serious about climate change for the 300th time

WATCH AN AD

Dr. Jasmeet Bains, a physician and California state assemblymember, launched her campaign this week for Congress in the state’s 22nd District. It’s expected to be one of the most competitive House races next year.

Bains’ launch video is the first I’ve seen to put the One Big Beautiful Bill Act front and center. She excoriates current Rep. David Valadao for supporting the law—particularly its cuts to Medicaid, which provides health insurance to about 67% of CA-22 residents.

It’s likely a preview of the tactic several Democratic House campaigns will use across the country in 2026. Check it out!

2028 WATCH… Andy Beshear tells ‘Meet the Press’ he’s considering run… AOC raked in a massive fundraising haul… RFK Jr. is pumping up his super PAC…

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