Weekly Update 08/25/2025
President and Administration:
Supreme court lets Trump admin cut off health grants it says advance DEI: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed the Trump administration to halt over 1,700 NIH health research grants it claims promote diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) initiatives or “gender ideology extremism,” affecting studies on heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions…
Who’s in charge of Trump’s cultural realignment? Here are key players: The President has launched a broad cultural initiative in his second term, appointing allies to oversee institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, while reviving the “Garden of American Heroes” project. A new executive order directs a review of Smithsonian…
FEMA staff warn Trump officials’ actions risk Katrina-level disaster: Roughly 150 employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have issued a letter to Congress warning that the agency’s current direction and leadership jeopardize its ability to manage disasters effectively….
Healthcare:
National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) to go dark: The National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED), a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) across the United States focused on addressing the mental health…
The fall trip to the pharmacy for a COVID shot may be strewn with obstacles: Americans could face new barriers to getting COVID-19 shots this fall due to shifting federal guidance and state rules on pharmacists’ authority to vaccinate. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)….
California:
Newsom signs California redistricting plan to counter Texas Republicans: California Democrats approved a sweeping mid-decade redistricting plan to counter Republican gerrymandering efforts in Texas, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing two bills and calling a Nov. 4 special election for voter approval. The plan, if passed as Proposition 50, would temporarily replace….
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