Featured
DEI: General Opinions
Trump’s plan to dismantle DEI on day one is a “colorblind” path to Jim Crow 2.0. By Shari Dunn / Salon
Donald Trump’s vow to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in workplaces and educational institutions on day one of his administration is not about fairness—it’s about erasing decades of progress and reinstating systemic racial barriers under the guise of equality. This is not a neutral policy proposal but the blueprint for a modern-day colorblind Jim Crow 2.0.
Calling DEI “Didn’t Earn It,” as critics derisively refer to it, is not just insulting but echoes the rhetoric and practices of the Jim Crow era, which were designed to delegitimize the achievements and contributions of Black Americans by framing them as unqualified or undeserving. Read more
Related: Donald Trump’s war on DEI is not about “merit.” By Amanda Marcotte / Salon
Related: Trump’s DEI push doesn’t level the playing field. It digs trenches. By Philip Bump / Wash Post
Related: The origins of Trump’s war on diversity. By Oliver Willis / Daily Kos
Federal Government
The FDA pulls key DEI initiative for cancer studies from its website. By Sydney Lupkin / NPR
Trump’s anti-DEI order yanks air force videos of Tuskegee Airmen and female pilots. By The Guardian
Corporations
Trump’s D.E.I. Order Creates ‘Fear and Confusion’ Among Corporate Leaders. By Emma Goldberg / NYT
Resistance
These companies are standing by their DEI policies amid backlash. By Kiara Alfonseca / ABC News
California and Massachusetts bar associations defy Trump’s DEI order. By AP
Political / Social
Breaking Down What Trump’s Executive Orders Mean for Black Americans. By Brandon Tensley / Capital One
The orders encompass everything from migration to TikTok to climate change and could have major implications for our communities.
As the country prepares for the ripple effects of the new administration’s policies, here’s an overview of some of Trump’s more high-profile orders — which encompass everything from migration to TikTok to climate change — and their potential impact on Black communities. Read more
America’s love affair with confident stupidity has reached awful new heights. By David DeWitt / Ohio Capital Journal
We mock intelligence and glorify egomania and materialism. We worship spectacle and are voyeurs for anger, confrontation, and violence.
America’s love affair with confident stupidity continues to reach awful new heights. The bill will come due. The piper will need paid. The damage will be extensive. Read more
Who Is Russell Vought? Probably the Most Important Person in Trump 2.0. By Damon Linker / NYT
Among President Trump’s opening barrage of executive orders were directives to undo many of President Joe Biden’s actions and to make a sharp break from the way that administration handled immigration.
But it is the bucket of orders related to the federal work force and administrative agencies — and his choice to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget — that could have the greatest long-term impact on the shape of American democracy. Read more
How Eric Adams’ downfall led him straight into Trump’s arms. By Alex Samuels / Daily Kos
In a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, New York City Mayor Eric Adams alleged that the Democratic Party “left” him.
“People often say, you know, ‘Well you don’t sound like a Democrat, and you seemed to have left the party.’ No. The party left me, and it left working class people,” said Adams, who is running for reelection as a Democrat against the backdrop of five federal criminal charges. Read more
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is considering a run for governor of Georgia. By Panama Jackson / The Grio
Bottoms plans to return to Georgia politics after serving in various capacities in the Biden administration.
The next election for governor of Georgia takes place in November 2026, so Bottoms would have plenty of time to campaign around the state that nearly elected Stacey Abrams to the governorship in 2018. Abrams also ran in 2022, losing to incumbent Brian Kemp. Kemp would be term-limited in 2026 so the governor’s race will feature a new set of candidates; Bottoms’ future is looking very bright in that regard. Read more
World News
In his first three days, Trump disrupted America. Then he turned to the world. By Stephen Collinson / CNN
On the fourth day, President Donald Trump set out to impose his will on the globe.
Rapt European elites watched Trump beam virtually into the Swiss alpine village of Davos Thursday, in a metaphor for a world that is taking in his testosterone-fueled return to power with fearful fascination. He issued his most explicit threat yet to tariff European exports, issued an all-but-unreachable target for countries’ NATO defense spending, again tried to goad Russian President Vladimir Putin into talks to end the Ukraine war and pressed home his carrot-and-stick approach to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Read more
Related: Is the U.S. a patsy? The premise of ‘America First’ is bizarre. By Fareed Zakaria / Wash Post
Related: Elon Musk’s Nazi salute controversy reveals a collapse in American morality. By Zack Beauchamp / Vox
Trump suggests his plan for Gaza Strip is to ‘clean out the whole thing.’ By and
President Donald Trump indicated Saturday that he had spoken with the king of Jordan about potentially building housing and moving more than 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, a remarkable proposal from a sitting US president.
He continued: “I don’t know, something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change.” Read more
Related: Hamas Takes Charge in Gaza After 15 Months of War. Adam Rasgon and
Haitians in Springfield try to keep fears in check as Trump takes office. By Michelle Boorstein / Wash Post
Would Trump not only decline to renew the Haitian TPS program when it expires in February 2026, but maybe ax it right now?
“This happened very, very quickly,” said Raymond, a small man suddenly shouldering a big burden, with his immediate family plus three brothers all looking to him for guidance. “I believe him that he will deport criminals first, but if he revokes TPS, what will I do? That’s all we have.” Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
On Empathy, Bishop Budde, and Christian Nationalism. By Maaaary Pezzulo / Patheos
The Bible is not nearly so clear as people would like to believe about many topics, but it’s crystal clear that we owe mercy to immigrants. And whether you’re Side A or Side B or any other letter of the alphabet, I can’t imagine being a Christian and NOT agreeing that we ought to show mercy to LGBTQ people, whom the bishop said “fear for their lives.”
The difference between the thing I call American Christianity, and authentic Christianity, is that American Christianity thinks empathy is a sin. Read more
Related: The Bishop Who Pleaded With Trump: ‘Was Anyone Going to Say Anything?’ Elizabeth Dias / NYT
Related: A Christ-Lite Sermon. By Caitlin Flanagan / The Atlantic
Bernice King: Black pastor at Trump inauguration ‘misused’ father’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. By Cheyanne M. Daniels / The Hill
Bernice King, daughter of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., accused the Black pastor at President Trump’s inauguration of misusing the slain civil rights leader’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“However, its power and popularity (with focus on its conclusion) have been misused to weaken its clear messaging about ending racism, stopping police brutality, ensuring voting rights, and eradicating economic injustice.” Read more
First Thing: Trump Pentagon nominee endorses extremist Christian doctrine. By Clea Skopeliti / The Guardian
Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, endorsed an extremist Christian doctrine that envisions civil government being subordinate to Old Testament law in a series of podcasts released last year.
The doctrine of “sphere sovereignty”, a position rooted in the extremist beliefs of Christian reconstructionism (CR), calls for capital punishment for homosexuality and strictly patriarchal families and churches. Read more
Antisemitism Is a Bipartisan Problem.
As the new administration begins and I leave this position, I have come to see, more clearly, that this oft-debated left/right question — that is, which side is worse — often serves as a political smoke screen. Dr. Lipstadt was the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism abroad during the Biden administration.
The problem is that many on both the left and the right fail to call out antisemitism when it appears on their side of the political spectrum: Too many on the left are silent when it rears its head on university campuses. Too many on the right fail to condemn the overt antisemitism expressed by white nationalists. When I encounter this, it is clear to me that the intent is not to fight antisemitism but to use antisemitism as a cudgel against political opponents Read more
Historical / Cultural
Trump Takes a Red Pen to History. By Frank Bruni / NYT
What happens when a demagogue with grandiose ambitions, few if any scruples and little regard for honesty has, at his disposal, an utterly corrupted information environment like ours? When he enjoys a playing field so ideally suited for lies?
A day of violence becomes “a day of love.” Rioters who injured scores of police officers and spilled blood on the Capitol steps become “hostages” jailed for their valor. Read more
The Dubious History of America’s Most Famous Monarchist. By Jamelle Bouie / NYT
The path to national renewal, Yarvin argues, is to unravel American democracy in favor of rule by a benevolent C.E.O.-monarch drawn from a cadre of venture capitalists and corporate oligarchs.
We do not have kings in the American Republic, but we do have capitalists. And in particular, we have a set of capitalists who appear to be as skeptical of liberal democracy as any monarch. They want to hear that they are the indispensable men. They want to hear that their parochial business concerns are as vital and important as the national interest. Read more
The Oscar Nominations Are a Sign Hollywood Still Wants to Counter Conservative Cultural Vibes. By Jessica Grose / NYT
The nominations further confirmed my suspicions that Hollywood’s first impulse is still to be oppositional to the conservative, Donald Trump-infected mainstream. Most notably, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong were nominated for their performances in “The Apprentice,” a Trump biopic.
But it wasn’t just that nomination that felt like a rebuke. Karla Sofía Gascón is the first openly trans person to be nominated, for “Emilia Pérez,” the same week Trump signed an executive order stating, “Women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.” Read more
The Story of Teddy Pendergrass: One of the Great R&B Singers. By Angela Johnson / The Root
The R&B singer known for smooth moves and sexy lyrics suffered a tragic accident that changed his life forever
Teddy Pendergrass dominated R&B music in the 1970s and 80s. He got his start as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and quickly established himself as a sexy solo artist known to drive the ladies crazy with his smooth baritone voice. This is the story of Teddy Pendergrass. Read more
A lost Tina Turner song is ‘unearthed from the vaults.’ By Annabelle Timsit / Wash Post
“Hot for You Baby” was intended to be included on the 1984 album “Private Dancer.” Now, it will be released in a 40th-anniversary edition.
I’m Black But Look White. Here Are The Horrible Things White People Feel Safe Telling Me. By Miriam Zinter / HuffPost
Both of my parents are Black but have white ancestors. Those recessive white genes were passed on to me, and I was born very light-skinned, with blue eyes and light, wavy hair. This was not a surprise. In both of my parents’ families there are “white” babies who pop up each generation. I have aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of my family who are also white-presenting.
White people think I am white, and therefore feel safe saying all kinds of horrible things they might not say publicly. I’ve had people tell me it “disgusts” them to see interracial couples. They’ve told me they don’t understand why Black neighborhoods look so “ghetto,” and that Black people are “animals” or “thugs.” Read more
Sports
Australian Open: Keys upsets 2-time champion Sabalenka in women’s final for 1st Grand Slam title. By Howard Fendrich / Wash Post
Madison Keys of the United States has upset two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final
“From a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn’t have lived up to what people thought I should have been. That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around,” said Keys, who reached her first major semifinal a decade ago in Australia. Read more
Kobe Bryant docuseries on CNN examines NBA icon five years after death. By Jeff Zillgitt / USA Today
“Kobe: The Making of a Legend” is a clear-eyed look at the basketball player, his fractured relationship with his parents, his sexual assault arrest and his reclamation as a “girl dad.”
The series debuts with the first episode Saturday (9 p.m. ET, CNN), one day before the five-year anniversary of his death in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California. Eight other people, including Bryant’s daughter Gianna, died in the accident. Read more
Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal’s Legal Trouble Takes Massive Turn As Fresh Details Emerge. By Tanveen kaur Lamba / Essentially Sports
The seasonal chills have crept in, but Jordan Chiles’ medal controversy is still bringing the heat. The drama that started in August last year is back in the spotlight as the American gymnast has gone head-to-head with Romanian rival Ana Barbosu—this time in the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. And let’s say, Chiles isn’t holding back.
Since September, Chiles and Team USA had been disappointed with the CAS ruling that revoked her third place and Olympic bronze medal claiming that her appeal came after the time window shut. On NBC’s Today show in November, she called out the decision, “Everything was in the time that it needed to be, and for them to come back and say that it was four seconds late, when we’ve had proof, we’ve had everything that really can show that everything was right.” Read more
Lewis Hamilton’s first week at Ferrari: Louboutin boots, a dream fulfilled and a proud mom. By Luke Smith / The Athletic
“This is the one!” Lewis Hamilton could not hide his excitement as he walked among the road cars in the ‘heritage section’ of Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy.
It was this kind of wonder that Hamilton, a seven-time world champion who has seen and won it all in Formula One, sought when he decided to move to Ferrari. For all the success he enjoyed with Mercedes, nothing could match the history and the magic of F1’s most iconic team. The moment he had dreamed about since childhood, becoming a Ferrari driver, had finally arrived. Read more
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