1. Trump issued executive orders to end DEI programs inside and outside the government, and several corporations like Amazon, Target, and Walmart have reversed their DEI policies. However, despite the current hostility toward DEI, some companies like Costco retained their DEI policies, elevating the stakes for corporations grappling with navigating the principles of equity and inclusion.
2. The Trump administration is expected to make significant cuts to programs and staff in the U.S. Education Department, even calling on Congress to close the department entirely. While executive action can outline cuts to the Education Department, it cannot be closed through executive action alone.
3. Trump has promised to overhaul the federal student loan system and rein in relief options for struggling borrowers. For example, SAVE and other repayment plans could disappear, as the Trump administration isn’t likely to defend plans in court. The likely scenario is that the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) and Pay-as-you-Earn (PAYE) plans will remain open to borrowers.
4. More and more states have considered removing fluoride from their drinking water, with Florida leading the way. On Feb. 4, The Lee Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to discontinue adding fluoride to Lee County Utilities drinking water. Currently, 40 of the 67 counties in Florida do not add fluoride to drinking water.
5. The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that a new strain of bird flu was found in dairy cows in Nevada for the first time through genome sequencing of milk. In response, the Nevada Department of Agriculture is conducting an on-farm investigation and working to prevent the spread.
6. On Feb. 27, Egypt will host an emergency Arab League summit in Cairo in response to Trump’s call to expel Palestinians from Gaza and for the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry communicated with Arab countries to mass regional efforts to hinder the proposal of displacing the Palestinian people.
7. New research shows that a potential new therapy for childhood brain cancer is effective at targeting a specific subset of tumor cells responsible for therapy resistance in mice and could be transformative for cancer treatment.
8. Recent air traffic disasters, such as the Washington D.C. plane crash, have many fliers nervous. In response, the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause and looking for ways to prevent similar incidents.
