The Trump administration is considering cutting ties with Scouting America, the organization once known as the Boy Scouts, according to a new report by NPR. Amy E. Farrell, the author of "Intrepid Girls: The Complicated History of the Girl Scouts of the USA," joins CBS News to explain the potential change.

Washington

A memo drafted by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposes that the Pentagon end its relationship with Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, because the organization now allows girls to join. Scouting America expressed surprise and disappointment at the proposal, which criticizes the group for becoming a 'genderless organization' and claims it undermines traditional boy-friendly spaces.

Amy Farrell, author and expert on the history of the Girl Scouts, clarified that Scouting America and Girl Scouts of the USA are separate organizations. She emphasized that Scouting provides valuable skills and leadership opportunities for all children, regardless of gender, and argued that the Pentagon's proposed move sends a troubling message about inclusivity and gender roles.

Pentagon may cut ties with Scouting America over inclusion of girls

NPR says a memo drafted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposes severing ties between the Pentagon and Scouting America. That is the century-old organization that's behind the Boy Scouts. The group told CBS it was, quote, surprised and disappointed by the news. The plan reportedly criticizes the Scouts as a, quote, genderless organization that attacked what it calls boy-friendly spaces. Joining us to discuss is Amy Farrell. She is the author of Intrepid Girls, The Complicated History of the Girl Scouts of the USA. So you were a Girl Scout, which is a different group. But I want to get your reaction that you've seen and heard from people just within the Scouting community in general to this report. Good morning. It's great to be here. And so I think there are a couple of things that came out with this report. The first is, as you pointed out, these are separate organizations. The Boy Scouts of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America became Scouting America in 2019. And ironically, they did this in order to get more membership. They were really losing membership. Membership was tumbling. And they encouraged girls to start joining. And in 2019, they dropped the name Boys, and it became Scouting America. Girl Scouts of the USA stayed a girls organization. I think one thing that's important to note, though, is that for everyone in Scouting, this is really giving a message that the mere presence of girls is somehow a threat to national security. That's what Secretary Hexeth said, that the idea that there would be girls in the community, that there would be girls who would be learning alongside boys, that that somehow means it's not a meritocracy. So he's really trying to bring us back to a time over 100 years ago when girls and women did not have the kind of rights that they had today. And the idea was that they didn't have those rights because they were naturally inferior. So I think that it's really a troubling and really bullying message that he's giving. And in your book, you share the value of the lessons kids learn as Scouts, all Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Weeblos. Do you think that kids would lose out on that experience? I guess the question for people who are watching this is, OK, so the US military, the Pentagon, the defense secretary says he doesn't want that connection between the military and the Boy Scouts. But does that matter as much in 2025? Because the lessons that are instilled as a Scout have very little to do with the military. Well, I think the Boy Scouts have always actually been somewhat aligned with the military much more than the Girl Scouts have in terms of the kinds of trainings and encouragement that it gives to boys and now to children in general. But I think for many kids, and this was true for myself, the very fact of being able to get outside, the fact of being able to learn how to be competent, pathways to really encouraging competence in many things and learning how to use your body and have skills, I think it's no surprise that many people that we see in leadership have been either Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Because it teaches a kind of courage, I would say, and a kind of a sense that one will learn how to be competent and how to do things. Yeah, and I wasn't suggesting that the skills when it comes to leadership, when it comes to outdoor skills are not skills that were implemented in the Boy Scouts early on, taking lessons and cues from the military. I think I was just sort of wondering if just the military writ large has an influence outside of the things that you point out, leadership, the ability to sort of work outdoors and that part I get, but at this point in 2025, the military is not all that relevant to that because you can get those lessons anywhere. Right, I mean, I wasn't actually suggesting that it was sort of being, well, you know, I think the reality is that kids can learn things in all different kinds of venues, right? But the idea that there's actually space for kids to be part of organizations that are for kids that aren't just sports, do you know, that are actually very broad ranging, I think there's something that scouting still definitely has to offer to children. Yeah, I wanted to be a Boy Scout, Amy, when I was a child. My immigrant parents didn't understand it and so I never got the opportunity and I regret it to this very day. It really was a bummer for me. Thank you so much for joining us, Amy. Really interesting discussion, appreciate it. Absolutely, great talking to you. All right.

Google subsidiary YouTube has criticized an Australian law banning social media accounts for under-16s, arguing the legislation set to start Dec 10 makes young users of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube less safe.

Canberra

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Moscow

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California

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Pokrovsk

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Nuwara Eliya

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New Orleans

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Breakdown