Trump's D.E.I. Crackdown & Russia Peace Push
Plus: Two dead in Nashville school shooting
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Good morning,
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📌 LATEST FROM NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING: SHOOTER AND FEMALE STUDENT DEAD
A 17-year-old male student shot and killed another female student at Antioch High School in Nashville on Wednesday, before shooting himself. A third student is in stable condition with a "grazing wound" from the gunfire, and a fourth was injured from falling as a result of the event.
It is the first school shooting in 2025 that resulted in deaths.
MORE DETAILS
The shooting took place shortly after 11 a.m. in the school cafeteria, officials say. Police received a call two minutes after the shooter opened fire.
About 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12 attend Antioch High School.
Authorities are investigating the gunman's online "materials" as they search for a motive.
📌 TRUMP MOVES TO END DEI POLICIES, REVERSE BIDEN’S LEGACY ON RACE & GENDER
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, all federal officials overseeing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts were placed on paid administrative leave, signaling a major shift in federal workplace policy.
Department and agency heads were given instructions on Tuesday evening to place DEI staff on leave and prepare for workforce reductions by the end of January.
Agencies were also ordered to remove DEI-related language and advertisements on websites or social media, cancel future DEI trainings, and shut down their DEI offices entirely.
The memo also directed leaders to question employees about any remaining DEI efforts that may be “in disguise” through coded language.
TRUMP VS. BIDEN
During his first hours in office, Trump overturned 78 Biden-era executive actions – a number of which focused on DEI and gender.
During his presidency, Biden made a concerted effort to expand DEI protections to include broader groups such as pregnant individuals, military spouses, rural communities, and caregivers.
He mandated all agencies to develop a diversity plan, with yearly progress reports and tracking measures.
According to the Biden administration’s first DEI progress report in 2022, the federal workforce is about 60% white and 55% male. At the senior executive level, it’s about 75% white and more than 60% male.
Tuesday’s memo from the White House’s Office of Personnel Management claimed that DEI policies “undermine our national unity” by discrediting traditional American values like hard work and individual achievement.
It also directs the attorney general to submit "recommendations for enforcing Federal civil-rights laws and taking other appropriate measures to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI” within 120 days.
Companies like Meta, McDonald's, and Walmart had already ended their DEI programs ahead of Trump’s presidency, especially in the fallout of a Supreme Court decision that overturned affirmative action.
TRUMP ON GENDER
At his inauguration, President Trump made clear that the federal government will now only recognize two sexes that are “not changeable.” He followed through on this promise by signing sweeping executive orders that redefine the U.S. government’s approach to gender.
One of the executive orders prevents federal agencies from reviewing rules to prevent discrimination based on gender identity, while another ensures federal funds will not be used to promote gender inclusivity.
Trump also signed an order declaring there will only be male/female gender options on federal documents, like passports and visas. In 2022, the U.S. began allowing a third gender option (“X”) on passports, while nonbinary and “other” options had been used on some federal documents.
Advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have condemned these actions. Legal challenges are anticipated.
The ACLU noted that the most immediate impacts will likely be felt by the more than 2,000 transgender people currently held in federal custody, as the administration says inmates need to be held in prisons dedicated to their sex assigned at birth (i.e. trans women in men’s prisons).
Bottom line: Trump was not shy about his stance on gender policies during his campaign. While these shifts were not unexpected, their viability remains in question in the face of legal challenges.
📌 TRUMP PUSHES RUSSIA TO END WAR IN UKRAINE OR FACE ECONOMIC TOLL
During his campaign, President Trump claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. While that deadline has now passed, he went public on Wednesday with a pressure campaign on Russia.
Writing on his Truth Social, Trump proposed imposing "high levels" of sanctions and tariffs on Russia and “other participating countries” if a deal was not quickly reached to end the nearly three-year conflict with Ukraine.
Reality check: Russia’s trade relationship with the U.S. is relatively small, limiting the leverage of additional tariffs or sanctions.
According to NPR, in the first 11 months of last year, the U.S. imported less than $3 billion worth of goods from Russia, a steep 90% decline from 2021 levels, pre-invasion. Russian imports now account for just 0.1% of total U.S. imports.
PUSH TO PUTIN
Trump specifically called out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name. Two days before, Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had told him he wanted a deal. “I don’t know if Putin does. He might not. I don’t know,” Trump added.
Analysts suggest it will be difficult to end the war in the near term, because Putin believes he is winning and has little incentive to stop the fighting.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Justice Department orders prosecutors to probe local efforts to obstruct immigration enforcement (AP)
📌 Trump admin orders federal health agencies to halt communications (AXIOS)
📌 Trump vows to release all JFK, RFK and MLK classified files immediately (REUTERS)
📌 Flights canceled for refugees who were slated to travel to US (CNN)
📌 House passes Laken Riley Act, sending the first bill to Trump to sign into law (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Yemen’s Houthi rebels release crew of commercial vessel seized in Red Sea in November 2023 (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
📌 EU needs to end its military dependency on the US and arm itself ‘to survive,’ top EU officials warns (AP)
📌 About 1,000 North Koreans killed fighting Ukraine in Kursk, officials say (BBC)
📌 Colombians flee to Venezuela as clashes between rebel groups escalate in coca-rich border region (ABC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Elon Musk bashes the $500 billion AI project Trump announced, claiming its backers don’t ‘have the money’ (CNN)
📌 Here's why some of your social media accounts appear to have automatically followed President Trump (ABC)
📌 CNN to lay off hundreds of employees as post-inauguration transformation begins, sources say (YAHOO)
📌 FDA approves Johnson & Johnson’s nasal spray for depression as stand-alone treatment (CNBC)
📌 Netflix raises prices for all US plans. Here's what to know. (ABC)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Blake Lively demands gag order after Justin Baldoni releases unedited 'It Ends With Us' footage (FOX)
📌 A$AP Rocky’s lawyers look to find favorable jury as trial begins on charges he fired on ex-friend (AP)
📌 ‘Duck Dynasty’ revived at A&E (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
📌 Meet the inductees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2025 (CBS)