Hello and welcome back to the newsletter! Today we’ll be talking about the massive layoffs at the national parks service and the Oval Office meeting with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

NPS rangers have been getting fired. What does this mean for our parks?

If you don’t know already, hundreds employees from the National Parks Service have been getting fired by the Trump Administration. This has led to multiple protests around our National Parks. This is really important because now thousands of people are out of their jobs, not just in that Parks Service but in multiple branches and departments in the United States.

A National Park Service spokesperson told USA TODAY, “The National Park Service is working closely with the Office of Personnel Management to ensure we are prioritizing fiscal responsibility for the American people. As always, NPS will continue to provide critical services and deliver excellent customer service.” There may still be some services, but the majority of our parks will go to waste.

Also, this will further endanger hundreds of species if Elon and Trump’s plans to mine and drill oil succeed. President Trump's executive order about “energy exploration” plans to reduce barriers for energy development and offer more public land for leasing.

In other news: What happened at the Oval Office meeting?

President Zelenskyy of Ukraine described a meeting with Trump regarding the war as “regrettable” and that it “did not go the way it was supposed to,”

“None of us wants an endless war,” said Zelenskyy. “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”

On Monday, Donald Trump ordered a halt on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine, which could have a massive effect on their fighting abilities in the war.

What you can do

If you want to support these causes, you can put up a Ukraine flag in your window, make signs about stopping the war and protecting our parks, and calling your state representatives and leaving a message about how they should change their mind.

Also if you want, send in your posters and artwork to kids4justicepowerpod@gmail.com or tag us on Bluesky @kids4justice.substack.com

(Note: There will be a new episode of the Power Pod soon, featuring Jennifer Rodgers-Brown, a climate and farmworker’s activist)

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