Shumita Basu

In the wake of Trump's order, places of worship have been preparing for the possibility of arrests by ICE agents by educating their congregants about their rights. In some cases, faith leaders have accompanied migrants for check-ins with immigration officers. And many, Castillo says, are prepared to do more to protect their community.

A number of places of worship have sued the Department of Homeland Security over Trump's order, calling ICE arrests at places of worship a violation of religious liberty. And one pastor told Castillo that he would physically get between his congregants and ICE agents if it came to that.

A number of places of worship have sued the Department of Homeland Security over Trump's order, calling ICE arrests at places of worship a violation of religious liberty. And one pastor told Castillo that he would physically get between his congregants and ICE agents if it came to that.

A number of places of worship have sued the Department of Homeland Security over Trump's order, calling ICE arrests at places of worship a violation of religious liberty. And one pastor told Castillo that he would physically get between his congregants and ICE agents if it came to that.

Aside from making a wish, playing a game of heads or tails, maybe stabilizing a wobbly table, what are pennies really good for these days? In a world where a lot of us don't use cash and definitely don't like to carry around change, does making single cents make any sense? Especially when the cost of producing those small coins is more than double their worth.

Aside from making a wish, playing a game of heads or tails, maybe stabilizing a wobbly table, what are pennies really good for these days? In a world where a lot of us don't use cash and definitely don't like to carry around change, does making single cents make any sense? Especially when the cost of producing those small coins is more than double their worth.

Aside from making a wish, playing a game of heads or tails, maybe stabilizing a wobbly table, what are pennies really good for these days? In a world where a lot of us don't use cash and definitely don't like to carry around change, does making single cents make any sense? Especially when the cost of producing those small coins is more than double their worth.

That's the argument from President Trump, who is calling to get rid of the penny. And he is far from the first. In 2013, then-President Obama expressed an openness to dumping the penny.

That's the argument from President Trump, who is calling to get rid of the penny. And he is far from the first. In 2013, then-President Obama expressed an openness to dumping the penny.

That's the argument from President Trump, who is calling to get rid of the penny. And he is far from the first. In 2013, then-President Obama expressed an openness to dumping the penny.

To all the penny haters, the math speaks for itself. It costs 3.69 cents to make a penny. In 2024, the Mint issued over 3 billion pennies. That means that we lost more than $85 million, making what many people think of as useless coins. And it's not like we've never banished a coin before. Back in 1857, Congress put a stop to the minting of half-cent coins.

To all the penny haters, the math speaks for itself. It costs 3.69 cents to make a penny. In 2024, the Mint issued over 3 billion pennies. That means that we lost more than $85 million, making what many people think of as useless coins. And it's not like we've never banished a coin before. Back in 1857, Congress put a stop to the minting of half-cent coins.

To all the penny haters, the math speaks for itself. It costs 3.69 cents to make a penny. In 2024, the Mint issued over 3 billion pennies. That means that we lost more than $85 million, making what many people think of as useless coins. And it's not like we've never banished a coin before. Back in 1857, Congress put a stop to the minting of half-cent coins.

But America has long been resistant to the idea of saying goodbye to the penny. In 1989, Congress considered a bill to eliminate pennies in cash transactions and round to the nearest nickel — It didn't pass. Congressman Jim Colby, a Republican from Arizona, made this his mission.

But America has long been resistant to the idea of saying goodbye to the penny. In 1989, Congress considered a bill to eliminate pennies in cash transactions and round to the nearest nickel — It didn't pass. Congressman Jim Colby, a Republican from Arizona, made this his mission.

But America has long been resistant to the idea of saying goodbye to the penny. In 1989, Congress considered a bill to eliminate pennies in cash transactions and round to the nearest nickel — It didn't pass. Congressman Jim Colby, a Republican from Arizona, made this his mission.

He tried and tried to kill the penny, but he said that a couple of things stood in his way, like special interest groups that support zinc mining, which, by the way, pennies are mostly made of zinc, not copper. Also, the fact that the Speaker of the House at the time was from Illinois, the home state of the president whose face is on the penny. Here is Colby on NPR in 2020.

He tried and tried to kill the penny, but he said that a couple of things stood in his way, like special interest groups that support zinc mining, which, by the way, pennies are mostly made of zinc, not copper. Also, the fact that the Speaker of the House at the time was from Illinois, the home state of the president whose face is on the penny. Here is Colby on NPR in 2020.

He tried and tried to kill the penny, but he said that a couple of things stood in his way, like special interest groups that support zinc mining, which, by the way, pennies are mostly made of zinc, not copper. Also, the fact that the Speaker of the House at the time was from Illinois, the home state of the president whose face is on the penny. Here is Colby on NPR in 2020.

Since then, the main opposition has come from the advocacy group Americans for Common Sense, their pun, not mine, which argues that the government wouldn't save money if the penny were eliminated and that the U.S. Mint would have to make more nickels, which is likely true.