DEI Programs; Donald Trump; Los Angeles wildfiresExBulletin

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President Trump will highlight his first week in office with a trip to Asheville, NC, today and then to Los Angeles. Both communities have been ravaged by disasters and are struggling with recovery efforts. Asheville was devastated by Hurricane Helene in September, in the middle of the presidential campaign. At that time, Trump posted online that the Biden administration was not doing enough to help.

President Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images .

. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The Los Angeles wildfires, which started more than two weeks ago, are expected to be one of the most expensive natural disasters to hit the United States in a long time. Currently, FEMA has enough money, but there will be plenty of federal help needed when the city recovers, NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports. Trump sees this as an opportunity to strengthen Congress for some of his legislative priorities. He asks California to change its water policies if it wants to receive money.

The Trump administration has clamped down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government. The president calls the programs, which were part of the decades-old civil rights movement, “dangerous, degrading or immoral.” It also targets efforts to investigate extremism in military ranks.

DEI programs have been seen as effective in bringing more women and minorities into the ranks at all levels, NPR's Tom Bowman said. Trump and his Defense Secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, have dismissed the programs as woke and divisive. As Trump aims to end investigations into military extremism, Pentagon officials have now insisted they don't have a problem and that the numbers are low. However, the Pentagon can't really know levels of extremism because it doesn't collect data, according to Bowman. He adds that it is important to note that approximately one in five people arrested for the January 6 activities had a military background. A 71-year-old woman who received one of 1,500 Trump pardons issued this week to Jan. 6 defendants has turned down the offer. Here's why. While many U.S. companies are pulling back from DEI initiatives, Costco shareholders have rejected an anti-DEI proposal.

The United States is trying to unravel a global hacking campaign that targeted prominent climate activists in the United States several years ago. The Justice Department is trying to extradite an Israeli private investigator named Amit Forlit from the United Kingdom for allegedly orchestrating the operation on behalf of an unnamed public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C.

The Forlit firm reportedly worked to represent one of the world's largest oil and gas companies based in Texas, NPR's Michael Copley said. Forlit's lawyer claimed in a court filing that the operation he was accused of leading “was allegedly commissioned by DCI Group, a lobbying firm representing ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest fossil fuel companies.” . The Justice Department has not accused Exxon or DCI of any wrongdoing. Both informed NPR that they were not involved in the hack. From our hosts

An aerial view of homes that burned in the Eaton Fire on January 19, 2025 in Altadena, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images .

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This essay is written by a host from Martinez, on top and in morning edition.

The Los Angeles wildfires are still burning with strong winds expected this week, which could slow the already incredible work firefighters have done to try to contain them. Some people in evacuation zones have been allowed to return home while many have nothing to return to.

This got me thinking about rebuilding. When will it start? How will it be done? Who will offer help?

I don't know the answers to these three questions, but I do know that none of this can happen without cooperation. From neighbor helping neighbor to city, county, state and federal government working together on next steps.

The only thing I hope is that assigning blame on what should have been done differently or better will not hinder possible recovery.

This week, one of Trump's first trips of his second term will be to Los Angeles to survey the damage. He will come to a state that sued him more than a hundred times during his first term and whose governor, Gavin Newsom, called a special legislative session last November to prepare for potential new prosecutions.

People who have lost everything are probably not thinking about red and blue politics right now. Hopefully when it comes to determining these next steps, Trump and Newsom won't be either.

Weekend choice

Keke Palmer and Sza in Tri-Star photos one of these days (photo by Anne Marie Fox) Anne Marie Fox / Anne Marie Fox .

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Find out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

Movies: One of them Days is a comedy about two best friends, played by Keke Palmer and SZA, who endure a wild series of misadventures as they try to make rent during a hectic day.

TV: The second season of Severance is now streaming on Apple TV+, and it's even weirder and more skillfully put together than the first.

Books: There's still time to catch up on some 2024 perspective-changing titles before you launch into this year's new reads. Check out these 12 books exploring the world of art, life after death, life as a nun and more.

Music: Tina Turner's lost song “Hot For You Baby” was reintroduced to the world yesterday morning. Check it out here.

Quiz: Well, I didn't do badly, but I could have done better. Please take the time to redeem me with your score.

3 things to know before you leave

Boone Hogg (left) and Logan Jugler, who run the @OfficialStickReviews account, show off their sticks. Jackson Hoget Hide Legend

. Jackson Hoget Have you ever found a cool stick and wanted to show it off? If so, “Stick Nation,” a global movement that thrives on wholesome descriptions of sticks and the people who categorize them, is probably right up your alley. The Internet community so far has millions of people. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has retired injured from his Australian semi-final. He was aiming for an all-time standalone record of 25 major titles. News figures show U.S. college enrollment increased 4.5% between undergraduate and graduate programs for the first time last fall to surpass pre-pandemic levels.

This newsletter was edited by Bysuzanne Nuyen.

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