National News

Bill Gates defends USAID’s work after meeting with Trump and White House chief of staff

By Megan Lebowitz  Billionaire Bill Gates, a philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, said he met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday to advocate for continuing foreign aid disbursements from the U.S. Agency for International Development. “I went by the White House because there’s a lot in this transition, what we keep, in terms of foreign aid, what we keep — it’s all kind of up in the air,” he told NBC’s “TODAY” show anchor Savannah Guthrie in an interview. “And I’m doing my best to make sure we keep the things that I think are very value-based.”

Trump is reversing the Justice Department’s civil rights policies

By Chloe Atkins and Daniel Barnes Donald Trump kicked off his second presidential term with dozens of executive orders, many of which focus on hot-button culture war issues, from transgender and abortion rights to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The job of enforcing the administration’s position on those issues will largely fall to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. During past handovers between Democratic and Republican administrations, the Civil Rights Division has undergone major policy shifts. During the George W. Bush administration, for example, the division focused resources on fighting religious discrimination. After Barack Obama took office, the division prioritized preventing racial and ethnic discrimination.

HBCU conference canceled due to anti-DEI executive order

Rutgers University canceled its HBCU conference, said to spotlight HBCU leaders and students, in compliance with President Trump’s anti-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion executive orders scheduled for Jan. 30. The virtual conference, organized by Rutgers Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving, a way for students of diverse backgrounds to explore universities, fellowships, workplace development and scholarships catered to diversity and equity initiatives. However, after President Trump announced his “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” executive order, the event was promptly canceled. Announced on Jan. 20, the order’s purpose is to coordinate the termination of, “All discriminatory

Even with federal grants freeze paused, New Jersey Democrats, nonprofits are worried about funding

By Christine Sloan Even though President Trump’s executive order to freeze federal grants has been paused by two judges, some New Jersey nonprofits are concerned about money allocated for the coming year. Speaking for Democrats in the state, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker issued a warning to Mr. Trump on Monday. “If you come after my state, you will have a fight,” Booker said. “The problem is the chaos, the uncertainty, the fear” Booker and other Democrats say despite the temporary halt on Mr. Trump’s funding freeze, nonprofits, like those providing services for domestic violence survivors, are worried. “The problem is the

UNCF Announces UNITE 2025 Summit, Offers Complimentary Registration to All HBCUs and PBIs

By Walter Hudson UNCF will host its annual UNITE Summit July 20-24, 2025, in Atlanta, marking a historic first by offering five complimentary registrations to every historically Black college and university (HBCU) and Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) nationwide. The five-day event at the Signia by Hilton Hotel will feature over 100 sessions focusing on institutional excellence, student success, research, economic mobility, and systems change. Building on 2024’s record-breaking attendance, the summit will include an opening gala, pre-summit workshops on institutional transformation, and sessions covering endowment growth, AI, and industry collaboration. “These institutions are vital engines of opportunity, resilience and innovation,”

Federal health workers terrified after ‘DEI’ website publishes list of ‘targets’

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Erika Edwards Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos, names and public information of a number of workers across health agencies, describing them at one point as “targets.” It’s unclear when the website, which lists mostly Black employees who work in agencies primarily within the Department of Health and Human Services, first appeared. “Offenses” for the workers listed on the website include working on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, donating to Democrats and using pronouns in their bios. The website, a government worker said, is being circulated among multiple private

CIA offers buyouts to employees as Trump aims to transform federal government

The CIA confirmed Wednesday that it offered buyouts to employees who volunteer to resign, the latest group of federal workers to receive such a proposal as President Trump pushes to transform the federal government. A CIA spokesperson declined to say how many people received the offers or whether they face any deadline to decide. However, the buyout offered to CIA employees differs from the “fork in the road” offer extended to other federal employees and includes Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, known as VERA, and resignation options. And it will not be available to all CIA staff, CBS News has learned.

More than 1,000 EPA employees are told they could be dismissed immediately

By Evan Bush The Trump administration has notified more than 1,000 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency that they could be dismissed immediately. Workers who’ve been at the agency less than one year received an email last week notifying them that they had been identified as employees that were likely on a “probationary/ trial period,” according to an email reviewed by NBC News. “As a probationary/ trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you,” the email says. “The process for probationary removal is that you receive a notice of termination, and your employment is ended immediately.”

Trump’s Trade Move Could Increase Costs for Many Online Goods

By Ana Swanson President Trump’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China included a little-noticed but significant change to how online purchases will be taxed when they enter the United States. One provision of Mr. Trump’s executive order will increase costs for more than 80 percent of U.S. e-commerce imports. The decision could shift the landscape for online sales from Chinese vendors like Shein and Temu that have swiftly expanded their market share by sending cheap goods into the United States. The president’s order erased a workaround that many companies have taken advantage of in recent years,

Keisha Lance Bottoms Considers Entering Race To Become Georgia’s Next Governor

Written By A.R. Shaw Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is considering a possible bid to become Georgia’s next Governor. Bottoms, a graduate of Douglas High School, FAMU, and Georgia State University, became a national figure in 2017 after she won the mayoral race in Atlanta. When recently asked if she would consider a return to politics, Bottoms told WSB-TV, “Well, there will be a governor’s race on the ballot.” Gov. Brian Kemp will step down in 2026 and a front-runner has yet to emerge in what could be a wide-open race. Stacey Abrams could also enter the race after

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