Hello, Today's newsletter follows the latest developments in the United States White House as President Donald Trump takes action against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability programmes. Trump's administration appeared to abandon its proposed freeze on hundreds of billions of dollars in aid on Wednesday in the face of legal setbacks and widespread opposition, though officials said they still planned to cut funds for activities opposed by Trump. The administration had said the freeze was intended to provide time to review and halt funds to programs that Trump has sought to quash since returning to office, such as efforts to promote diversity and green energy and much foreign aid. Medical payments that had been disrupted by Trump's freeze had resumed on Wednesday, according to an association of state agencies. But the payment system for housing authorities was still not functioning, said Democratic Senator Patty Murray. Also on my radar today: |
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Demonstrators attend a protest held on the day of the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, U.S. REUTERS/Leah Millis |
Targeting specific groups |
At the White House, Trump said he would order 30,000 beds prepared at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba military prison to handle migrants being deported as part of his immigration crackdown. The White House said Trump would target pro-Palestinian student protesters for deportation as well by revoking their student visas, in a sign that people who are in the country legally could be targeted for their political views. Trump has been a vocal supporter of Israel during its war with Hamas. "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you," Trump said in a fact sheet on the order. Rights groups and legal scholars said the new measure would violate constitutional free speech rights and would be likely to draw legal challenges. |
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| Ousting the equality commissioners |
This week, Trump fired at least two Democratic members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal laws banning workplace discrimination, in an unprecedented move likely to spur legal challenges. EEOC Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows said Trump removed them from their posts late on Monday. Trump also fired the agency's general counsel, Karla Gilbride. Samuels said in a statement that she, Burrows and Gilbride were fired over their views on sex discrimination and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which Trump has said are discriminatory. The EEOC is an independent agency whose commissioners serve staggered five-year terms, meaning control of the commission typically does not change hands for a year or two after a new president takes office. No president has ever fired a commissioner. Trump has similarly gutted the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces workers' rights to organize and join unions, by firing its general counsel and a Democratic member and leaving the agency unable to issue rulings in hundreds of pending cases. The Trump administration also ordered federal agencies to scrub mentions of "gender ideology" in contracts, job descriptions and social media accounts in line with an executive order forcing the government to recognize only two sexes. |
Executive orders on what to teach |
Trump also signed executive orders to end federal funding for curricula that he called the "indoctrination" of students in "anti-American" ideologies on race and gender. Trump and his allies throughout the campaign have accused public schools of teaching white children to be ashamed of themselves and their ancestors due to the country's history of slavery and discrimination against people of color. The order, without evidence, claims that teachers have been "demanding acquiescence" to concepts of "white privilege" or "unconscious bias" and thereby promoting racism and undermining national unity. Although that order does not invoke the term "critical race theory" by name, it employs the language often used by CRT opponents to criticize teaching about institutional racism. CRT is an academic framework most often taught in law schools but not in primary and secondary schools, it rests on the premise that racial bias – intentional or not – is baked into U.S. laws and institutions. |
Miners work in a coltan mine in Birambo, Masisi territory, North Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo |
- DR Congo: Analysts are predicting a further surge in illicit trade in minerals including coltan and gold through neighbouring Rwanda after the Rwanda-backed insurgency entered Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, this week, marking a major turning point in a conflict with government forces. The rebels, which Rwanda denies supporting, have long been funded at least in part by the illicit mineral trade.
- Gaza: Displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza City this week found a city in ruins after 15 months of fighting, with many seeking shelter amongst the rubble and searching for relatives lost in the chaotic return march.
- Target DEI: U.S. retailer Target decided to end its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, prompting calls for a boycott of its stores from labor advocacy groups. Some backers of a Target boycott call for buying directly from Black-owned brands' websites instead. Black-owned companies and entrepreneurs urged against the boycott saying they would lose revenue and consumer exposure. Click here for the full Reuters article.
- Workers' rights: U.S. union membership levels declined to record lows last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in an annual release. Some 9.9% of American workers were represented by unions, down from 10% in 2023, the government report said. The report also said that the union membership rate for government workers was five times higher than for private sector workers.
- Trans rights: U.S. President Donald Trump was about to sign his executive order placing restrictions on transgender members of the U.S. armed forces, but transgender service members in the military were ready for action. Within 15 hours of that executive order, Nicolas Talbott, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army reserve joined five other transgender service members in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by GLAD Law, a LGBTQ rights advocacy group, and the National Center For Lesbian Rights (NCLR). Click here for the full Reuters story.
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Kimberly Moore, a senior attorney in Washington, D.C. and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, shares her thoughts on international conflicts threatening human life, animals and the natural world: "As of June 2024, an astonishing 92 countries were involved in more than 55 conflicts, affecting roughly a quarter of humanity. "The diversion of funds to build weapons of mass destruction threatens not only all of humanity, it guarantees that billions of people worldwide will remain in poverty, while countless lives are lost, families are torn apart, and entire communities are displaced. "In addition to the loss of lives, the destruction of vital ecosystems and natural habitats results in the indirect deaths of billions of animals, accelerating biological annihilation at a time when the loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest global challenges we face. "The destruction of habitats leaves animals disoriented, vulnerable, and without access to food and shelter. "Landmines are directly responsible for injuring and killing animals, particularly large mammals, as they wander unknowingly into areas with unexploded landmines. Landmines have even pushed some species closer to extinction, including elephants in Africa and leopards in Afghanistan. "Despite the devastating consequences that military conflicts have, little attention is given to their impact on animals and the natural world, even though the destruction inflicted on nature will endure for generations to come. The world is facing unprecedented global challenges, and wars and conflicts waste and destroy resources that humanity desperately needs. "The challenges faced by humanity are great and they are only made worse by the increasing number of wars and conflicts that achieve little, that break down international diplomacy, and that create a vicious cycle of conflicts where no winner can emerge." |
Satellite photos show four outlying "arms" that will house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that will hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers will fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at U.S.-based independent research organisation CNA Corp. Click here to learn more about what that means for China's energy production. |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Jane Merriman. |
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