Latest news with #DiversityEquityandInclusion
Straits Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Pentagon orders search for 'divisive' materials in military libraries
The "divisive" materials include those that touched on subjects such as diversity, anti-racism and transgender people. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on May 9 ordered the identification and sequestration of materials in the libraries of US military academies and war colleges that contain information on subjects including diversity, anti-racism and transgender people. The move is the latest step by the Defence Department to target pro-diversity content and programmes – an effort that led to the removal of troves of documents and images from its website and swept up articles on African American pioneers such as the Tuskegee Airmen. 'Educational materials... promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the department's core mission,' said a memo to senior Pentagon leaders, military commanders and other officials. The memo directs officials to 'promptly identify any department... library materials potentially incompatible with this core mission,' sequester it for review and 'determine an appropriate ultimate disposition for those materials.' It said a committee of 'knowledgeable leaders, educators, and library professionals' had compiled a list of search terms to identify materials for review. The list, which appeared in an attachment to the memo, includes: Affirmative action, allyship, anti-racism – United States, Critical Race Theory, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, gender nonconformity, gender transition, and transgender people – United States, among others. 'The subsequent deliberate review by experts in the fields of education and the department's mission will determine the ultimate disposition of the material, based on the totality of the circumstances and findings of relevant facts,' the memo said. In a separate memo on May 9, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth gave the secretaries of US military departments 30 days to certify that the country's military academies will not consider race, ethnicity or sex for purposes of admissions. The academies must 'offer admission based exclusively on merit,' Mr Hegseth wrote in the memo. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
PM Will Not Step In Over Peters' Comments In RNZ Interview
The Prime Minister says he will not intervene over comments by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters about RNZ's funding. Speaking in London, Christopher Luxon said he was aware of but had not listened to the fiery Morning Report interview in which the acting prime minister accused the public broadcaster of being biased and seemingly threatened to cut its funding. Peters objected to questioning over his party's proposal to define the term "woman" as "an adult human biological female" and "man" as an "adult human biological male" across all laws. Towards the end of the interview, he accused the broadcaster of running the line of his opponents: "You're paid for by the taxpayer and sooner or later we're going to cut that water off too, because you're an abuse on the taxpayer". Labour leader Chris Hipkins . But Luxon said he had no intention of doing so. "Probably words that I wouldn't use, but frankly, I think Winston Peters, after 40 years in public service, and his mode of communication is well understood. "I just don't think it would be any surprise ... he has a rather Winston way of communicating with media where he's going to push back on journalists, as is his right to do so. "With respect to the funding of RNZ, that is a decision taken by Cabinet as part of a Budget process each and every year and it's the same process here." Luxon did not directly answer questions about whether the remarks were appropriate for an acting prime minister to make, or whether it was proper for Peters to threaten funding cuts even if the decision did not lie with him. 'Useless and unnecessary' Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the Deputy Prime Minister has lost sight of the real issues such as the health system and climate change in favour of an imported culture war over NZ First's plans for a private member's bill on defining a man and a woman. "I would say it's about as useless and unnecessary as New Zealand First's frequently reproposed bill to make English an official language but this one paints a target on the back of minority groups and therefore it is unfortunately dangerous." Defining a man and a woman was not "a real problem" for the country, she told Morning Report on Thursday. It was "deeply misogynistic" to reduce women to their reproductive capacity or their private parts, she said. However, she pointed to the Counting Ourselves report, which was released in February, and covered the views of 2500 trans and non-binary people. "We can see very clearly right now immediate and pressing issues with regard to the exclusion, the harm and the hatred they're subjected to, whereby 77 percent of them have experienced high or very high psychological distress in the last year." Swarbrick said the UK Supreme Court decision which defined a woman and a man was actually mainly about Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies which were not supported by Peters. "This is an utterly cynical playbook whereby we are seeing New Zealand First rinsing the biscuit tin with the latest outrage." She pointed to other similar bills NZ First had supported such as "the woke banks bill," DEI and use of bathrooms. If the government cared about women it would be providing better funding in areas such as women's health care and early childhood education, fixing the pay gap, and paying for programmes to stop violence against women, she said. It was also "astounding" Peters had used science as part of his argument for defining a man and a woman, yet he did not rely on science when it came to climate change. 'A form of censorship' - Labour On Wednesday, Hipkins said it was unacceptable for a minister to threaten an independent media organisation's funding because he objected to how he was being interviewed. "Ministers don't have to participate meekly in an interview. If they don't like the direction it's going on, they're absolutely entitled to push back on an interviewer. "But where I think Winston Peters absolutely crosses a very bright line is where he says, because I don't like the way you were interviewing me, we're going to cut your funding." He said Luxon needed to enforce the expected standards of his ministers and "at the very least" make it clear to Peters that it should never happen again. "Threatening to cut funding is a form of censorship. It is totally and utterly wrong." The on-air clash Peters' on-air criticism came towards the end of an interview after broadcaster Corin Dann raised criticisms lodged by Labour and the Greens. Peters accused Dann of advancing the views of NZ First's opponents and said the question line was "so typical" of RNZ. "You're not hearing both sides of the story, you keep on putting the argument of the woke left... you're a disgrace to the mainstream media." Dann told Peters it was his job to put up an argument. "I'm sorry but you're not going to accuse me of putting up their arguments and believing in them. I'm the devil's advocate here and I put up the argument for you to answer," Dann said. An RNZ spokesperson said the organisation had a rigourous editorial policy that demanded its work was always underpinned by fairness, accuracy, independence, respect and decency. "This was a robust political interview where our interviewer conducted himself in a professional manner," the spokesperson said in a statement. "RNZ was recently recognised as New Zealand's most trusted news brand. A result that is consistent with our own research that shows trust in RNZ has increased over the last year and a result that demonstrates our strategic focus on improving trust."
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Locals say age no excuse to not protest
JOPLIN, Mo. — Saturday, while millions gathered across the nation, local citizens gathered in protest of the Trump administration, specifically Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. RELATED: Joplin residents join nationwide 'Hands Off' protest RELATED: Angry protesters from New York to Alaska assail Trump and Musk in 'Hands Off!' rallies The nationwide movement had representation in Joplin when more than 50 demonstrators showed up to voice concerns about changes in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) standards, health care, federal job cuts, access to citizen data, and the economy at large. A significant fraction of protestors Saturday were retirees — some in their 70s and 80s. Those same retirees say it's now or never, not only for the sake of future generations, but for their own as well. 'Age is no excuse! I am 83 years old and have been marching and protesting since 1964 while I was in college, and I will continue to do so as long as I am able. I believe that dissent is not only a right, but also a responsibility of US citizens. The causes for which I have marched have mainly been for civil rights, that's why my sign says, 'Hands Off DEI,' said Carolyn McGowan, retired teacher. 'Some of the women I was marching with Saturday, I have been marching with a long time. I moved to this area in 1968 and some of the women I marched with then are marching with me now. We shall march again,' said McGowan. Some had reasons for being there that were more personal. Gerrie-Ellen Johnston, a semi-retired educator who has been attending protests with McGowan since the sixties, says she attended the rally and plans to attend future ones because she believes the safety of her family is at stake. 'In spite of the wind that destroyed my umbrella, I was glad to be there. I did it for my beautiful trans granddaughter who I fear may be unsafe. I did it for my adoptive children who may not be receiving the services that they need. I did it for my friend who has a family and may be deported to who knows where. I did it for my students whose education is in jeopardy, and I did it for me and my social security. I did it for my country,' said Johnston. 'As a retired school librarian, I'm worried about the Title 1 reading teachers and classes that will be cut in our schools because of eliminating the Department of Education. Also, being on a fixed income, I'm worried about these tariffs that are going to cause the prices to raise, including food, medicine, vehicles, repair parts, gasoline. Since January, the price of gasoline has already risen $0.60 cents a gallon.' said Leslie Brown, local retiree. Not every retiree in the area agreed with the protest, some saying they don't believe it was necessary. 'Yes, I saw them protesting. Not many people. I might have laughed; I might not have. They have their first amendment right, but my belief is they were standing there protesting things that are going to make their lives a lot better,' said a retired farmer who wished not to be named for this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Post-DEI, who will be the next Americans to walk on the moon?
President Trump's campaign to excise Diversity Equity and Inclusion from the federal government has had some controversial effects on NASA messaging. According to Ars Technica, language referring to the 'first woman and the first person of color' to walk on the moon has been removed from the Artemis program website. The idea that the first moonwalker since Apollo 17 would not necessarily be a white male began during the first Trump administration, when then NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine referred to the next moonwalkers as 'the first woman and the next man' to accomplish this feat. The Biden administration quietly changed the phrase to 'the first woman and the first person of color' to the mission statement. The statement in advance that the next American moonwalkers would include others besides white men was rooted in the perceived necessity to impose diversity among NASA's space explorers. America's space agency is a political organization. The old adage is that rockets fly as much on funding as they do on rocket fuel. Funding is generated by political support. The announcement that one of the next moonwalkers would be a woman paid dividends during an August 2019 conference that took place at NASA Ames. Then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addressed Bridenstine when she said, 'As far as having a woman step foot on the moon, our hopes are riding on you.' Pelosi is as left wing a politician as exists in the U.S. She would ordinarily not be expected to support any program proposed by Trump, a man she loathes and despises on a personal level. But that a woman was slated to be one of the next moonwalkers won her over. The Biden administration's addition of 'a person of color' to the anticipated next moonwalkers was, no doubt, motivated by DEI ideology. But the decision would also address a problem that bedeviled the Apollo program, the last time Americans landed on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission was one of the most significant technological and inspirational feats in history. Mostly forgotten, though, the launch of the first human expedition to the moon was the setting of a protest march led by a civil rights leader named Rev. Ralph Abernathy, asserting that the Apollo program was being conducted at the expense of the African American community. Around the same time, the Black poet Gil Scott-Heron composed an anti-Apollo protest spoken word song entitled 'Whitey on the Moon.' 'A rat done bit my sister Nell(with Whitey on the moon)Her face and arms began to swell.(and Whitey's on the moon)' The inclusion of a 'person of color' among the next moonwalkers is intended to shut down such complaints. Representation can work wonders for garnering political support for the return to the moon. So, why is the Trump administration scrubbing DEI from the federal government, which has resulted in removing 'the first woman and first person of color' from the Artemis mission statement? According to the White House, 'The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government.' Therefore, the Trump administration will implement the 'termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the federal government.' The new policy does not mean that the next moonwalkers are now going to be all white males. NASA has balanced both diversity and merit in its astronaut corps since the late 1970s, when it chose an astronaut class that included women such as Sally Ride and Judith Resnick and African Americans such as Guion Buford and Ron McNair. More recently, NASA chose a group of 18 astronauts called the Artemis Group slated for future moon missions. The group includes Christina Koch and Victor Glover, an African American, who have been chosen for the Artemis II circumlunar mission to take place in 2026. All of the Artemis Group are well trained, many with spaceflight experience. Just by the law of averages, the next moonwalkers of Artemis III will be a diverse crew. And, according to a NASA spokesperson stated, enigmatically, 'it is important to note that the change in language does not indicate a change in crew assignments.' Thus, the crew of Artemis III will probably not only reflect the diversity of America but also be as qualified to walk on the moon as were Armstrong and Aldrin, all those decades ago. Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled 'Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?' as well as 'The Moon, Mars and Beyond,' and, most recently, 'Why is America Going Back to the Moon?' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Post-DEI, who will be the next Americans to walk on the moon?
President Trump's campaign to excise Diversity Equity and Inclusion from the federal government has had some controversial effects on NASA messaging. According to Ars Technica, language referring to the 'first woman and the first person of color' to walk on the moon has been removed from the Artemis program website. The idea that the first moonwalker since Apollo 17 would not necessarily be a white male began during the first Trump administration, when then NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine referred to the next moonwalkers as 'the first woman and the next man' to accomplish this feat. The Biden administration quietly changed the phrase to 'the first woman and the first person of color' to the mission statement. The statement in advance that the next American moonwalkers would include others besides white men was rooted in the perceived necessity to impose diversity among NASA's space explorers. America's space agency is a political organization. The old adage is that rockets fly as much on funding as they do on rocket fuel. Funding is generated by political support. The announcement that one of the next moonwalkers would be a woman paid dividends during an August 2019 conference that took place at NASA Ames. Then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addressed Bridenstine when she said, 'As far as having a woman step foot on the moon, our hopes are riding on you.' Pelosi is as left wing a politician as exists in the U.S. She would ordinarily not be expected to support any program proposed by Trump, a man she loathes and despises on a personal level. But that a woman was slated to be one of the next moonwalkers won her over. The Biden administration's addition of 'a person of color' to the anticipated next moonwalkers was, no doubt, motivated by DEI ideology. But the decision would also address a problem that bedeviled the Apollo program, the last time Americans landed on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission was one of the most significant technological and inspirational feats in history. Mostly forgotten, though, the launch of the first human expedition to the moon was the setting of a protest march led by a civil rights leader named Rev. Ralph Abernathy, asserting that the Apollo program was being conducted at the expense of the African American community. Around the same time, the Black poet Gil Scott-Heron composed an anti-Apollo protest spoken word song entitled 'Whitey on the Moon.' 'A rat done bit my sister Nell (with Whitey on the moon) Her face and arms began to swell. (and Whitey's on the moon)' The inclusion of a 'person of color' among the next moonwalkers is intended to shut down such complaints. Representation can work wonders for garnering political support for the return to the moon. So, why is the Trump administration scrubbing DEI from the federal government, which has resulted in removing 'the first woman and first person of color' from the Artemis mission statement? According to the White House, 'The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government.' Therefore, the Trump administration will implement the 'termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the federal government.' The new policy does not mean that the next moonwalkers are now going to be all white males. NASA has balanced both diversity and merit in its astronaut corps since the late 1970s, when it chose an astronaut class that included women such as Sally Ride and Judith Resnick and African Americans such as Guion Buford and Ron McNair. More recently, NASA chose a group of 18 astronauts called the Artemis Group slated for future moon missions. The group includes Christina Koch and Victor Glover, an African American, who have been chosen for the Artemis II circumlunar mission to take place in 2026. All of the Artemis Group are well trained, many with spaceflight experience. Just by the law of averages, the next moonwalkers of Artemis III will be a diverse crew. And, according to a NASA spokesperson stated, enigmatically, 'it is important to note that the change in language does not indicate a change in crew assignments.' Thus, the crew of Artemis III will probably not only reflect the diversity of America but also be as qualified to walk on the moon as were Armstrong and Aldrin, all those decades ago. Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled ' Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? ' as well as ' The Moon, Mars and Beyond,' and, most recently, ' Why is America Going Back to the Moon? ' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.
