
What we can learn from the most memorable commencement speeches of all time
CNN
The annual blitz of commencement speeches is upon us. Steel yourself for pithy aphorisms, sage advice, and a dose of imposter syndrome from the celebrity speakers.
Graduation speeches, delivered to classes either by a student or an invited guest, are not a uniquely American tradition. But nowhere has the practice lodged itself in popular culture quite like the US. Every year the oratorial arms race escalates, with universities one-upping each other, often announcing bookings many months in advance. If a speaker can touch on the zeitgeist, even better. Arguably the most famous doctor in the world right now, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will deliver speeches at no less than four colleges this month alone. With some speeches delivered to new graduates in person and others virtually, this year, like the one before, will be a little different than usual. Either way, who is invited can be as important as what they say, with the caliber of the speaker often viewed as a reflection on the universities themselves.
The US military’s strikes in Iran over the weekend prompted a swift response from across the federal government to react to any fallout, but current and former officials say the administration’s DOGE-driven cuts to a host of agencies have made it harder to grapple with the conflict and prepare for potential retaliation.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday said in a statement that the agency had obtained “a body of credible evidence [that] indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged” by recent strikes, underscoring a broad intelligence community effort is ongoing to determine the impact of the US strikes on three of the country’s nuclear sites on Saturday.

White House’s DOGE spending cuts request runs into criticism, questions from some Senate Republicans
The head of the White House budget office on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s push to enact sweeping cuts to federal funding, even as some Republican senators voiced concerns and raised questions about the breadth of them.