Hello, U.S. Republican president Donald Trump wasted no time targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI), both in the public and private sector, during his first few days in the White House. On his first day in office Trump issued a series of executive orders to end DEI programs, which attempt to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups. On his second day, he pressured the private sector to join the initiative and told government employees in offices administering such programs they would be placed on paid leave. He also issued an executive order that revoked executive orders dating as far back as 1965 on environmental actions, equal employment opportunities and encouragement to federal contractors to achieve workforce balancing on race, gender and religion. And on the third day, the Trump administration urged government employees to become informants and report on each other and their departments about any attempts to hide diversity programs. Government employees were warned they would face "adverse consequences" if they failed to promptly report any hidden DEI programs. He also pardoned two police officers in Washington who were convicted in the 2020 murder of a 20-year-old Black man named Karon Hylton-Brown, the White House said. The week is still not over. Also on my radar today: |
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Protests for and against the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious student admissions programs at Harvard University. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo |
What is DEI and why is he targeting it? |
The term refers to a broad array of programs and policies that supporters say promote the fair treatment and full participation of groups that historically have been underrepresented or faced discrimination. A federal law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin, religion and other traits. Companies have been focused on the diversity of their workforce for decades, but contemporary DEI initiatives took off after nationwide protests in 2020 following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers. That triggered a backlash from Republicans and conservative groups, who say that many DEI programs shift discrimination from one set of workers to another. They also say that a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring race-conscious college admissions policies applies in the employment context, an issue that is far from settled. Several companies such as CBS, Morgan Stanley, and newspaper publisher Gannett are facing lawsuits alleging they pushed out white men to further diversity goals, but courts have not issued final rulings in those cases. According to Morgan Stanley's U.S. 2023 ESG report, its ethnicity breakdown of male senior managers consisted of: 773 white, 115 Asian, 35 Black and 33 Hispanic. Women senior leaders' breakdown was: 254 white, 77 Asian, 28 Black and 12 Hispanic. Gannett reported that its employees were 63% white as of January 2024. |
What's the mood internationally? |
Trump's moves on DEI have reverberated through the corridors of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, where gender parity, diverse workforces and better representation of minorities around the world continue to be key goals. Reuters spoke with at least three tech executives whose companies have contracts with the U.S. government. They said they remained committed to diversity programs in the workplace. Although the risk of losing contracts because of Trump's executive orders would force them to look for new ways to describe DEI initiatives, they would not cut them entirely. One European industrial company with a large U.S. footprint said it would continue with its diversity and inclusion programs because they were important to the business as well as society. "We will stick to our values of tolerance and respect; inclusion is important," a board member told Reuters, adding: "Companies need to stay the course of the agenda in terms of values and policies, and that's what we're doing." |
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| The Trump administration has fired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, the first female uniformed leader of an armed forces branch, the Department of Homeland Security said. She became the first female uniformed leader of a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. One of the reasons, the official said while speaking on condition of anonymity, was Fagan's "excessive" focus on DEI policies. Fagan and the Coast Guard could not be immediately reached for comment. "Undermining the U.S. military and border security to spend money on racist/sexist DEI nonsense is no longer acceptable," Elon Musk, the world's richest person-turned-Trump adviser, wrote on his X social media platform. |
A miner walks past a blast drill and dumper trucks in an open pit mine at the Kibali gold mine Haut-Uele province, Democratic Republic of Congo. REUTERS/Hereward Holland |
- DR Congo v Apple case: An investigating magistrate has been appointed in Belgium after Democratic Republic of the Congo in December filed criminal complaints accusing Apple subsidiaries of using 'conflict minerals' in their supply chain. The country is a major source of minerals used in computers and mobile phones, but some artisanal mines are accused of serious human rights violations, according to United Nations experts and human rights groups. A request for comment has been sent to Apple.
- UK slavery legacy: British maritime services firm Lloyd's Register (LR) apologised for its role in enslaving Africans in the 18th and 19th centuries. At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by European ships and sold into slavery from the 15th to the 19th centuries. LR added that some members of its governing committee were directly involved in the enslaving or trafficking of Africans in that era.
- Humanitarian crisis: The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service and medical staff have recovered around 200 bodies since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect, halting a 15-month conflict that has killed more than 47,000 Gazans, according to their health ministry. Mahmoud Basal, the head of the service, estimates the bodies of around 10,000 Palestinians killed in the war are yet to be found and buried. Over 2,400 humanitarian aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire.
- UK anti-trust: Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves forced out Marcus Bokkerink, the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority as she needed someone that aligned with her "strategic direction" to speed up the country's economy by easing regulatory measures on companies. Bokkerink has been replaced by Amazon's former boss in Britain, Doug Gurr. Click here for a Reuters explainer on what this means for the UK economy.
- Citi NY fraud case: U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in New York, U.S., rejected Citigroup's bid to dismiss a lawsuit by Attorney General Letitia James claiming it failed to protect customers from online scammers and refused to reimburse customers who were victimized. The lawsuit seeks restitution for customers who were denied reimbursement over six years, and a $5,000 civil fine per violation.
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Any excuse for me to share Arsenal winning. Here's Martin Odegaard scoring our third goal past GNK Dinamo Zagreb's Ivan Nevistic last night. Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs. |
Here's a palate cleanser after all of that, with a 'green' football special in today's spotlight. As a Brit, I am not going to call it soccer, sorry America. The English Football League (EFL) has updated its innovative "Green Club" scheme aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its 72 member clubs. Participating clubs will now be assessed bi-seasonally and awarded bronze, silver or gold status depending on their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and become more environmentally sustainable. Perhaps this is a gold cup that my beloved Arsenal can win this season. Come on you Gunners! At least get this trophy this season! |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Mark Potter. |
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