USAID; DEI; Trump wants to take over Gaza Strip : NPR

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Today’s top stories

President Trump announced yesterday that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip. While speaking to reporters at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.” Trump suggested it could become the “Riviera of the Middle East.” He didn’t rule out the possibility of deploying U.S. troops for the task.

• 🎧 Trump has described Gaza as an uninhabitable demolition site and says the nearly 2 million Palestinians there should go to other countries, NPR’s Aya Batrawy tells Up First. There isn’t electricity or running water in Gaza; given this reality, some families would leave. However, for people who have lived there for generations, leaving would mean the end of hope for a Palestinian state. Batrawy says key Arab states don’t want Hamas to rule Gaza but don’t see mass displacement as the solution.

The Trump administration has begun sending migrants from the U.S. to a deportation holding facility in Guantánamo BayCuba. The first planeload arrived yesterday. Trump says he wants to create room for 30,000 migrants at Guantánamo.

• 🎧 The U.S. has not released the official number of people who have been sent to Guantánamo so far, but it appears to be small, NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer says. Migrants will be held there temporarily until the U.S. finds other countries to send them to. Pfeiffer says she has received conflicting answers from lawyers about whether sending migrants there is legal. Steve Vladeck, with Georgetown Law School, says it would be cheaper and easier to hold migrants in a big open space in the U.S. But by shipping them to Guantánamo, Trump sends a certain message.

The Trump administration is putting all United States Agency for International Development employees on administrative leave. A new directive sent to all agency staff globally and posted online stated that workers must go on leave by Friday at 11:59 p.m. The note ended with “Thank you for your service.” This move comes more than two weeks after Trump and adviser Elon Musk said they were in the process of shutting USAID down.

• 🎧 The note was short, not signed by any official and said that “essential personnel expected to continue working” would be informed by Thursday, according to NPR’s Fatma Tanis. Around 10,000 people work for USAID. Many live overseas and have been given 30 days to pack up and return home. Tanis says several officials from the agency expressed shock and told her that they were gutted by the news. Many people she talked to also expect mass layoffs to come next.

Deep dive

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, big businesses started making promises to fight racism and increase diversity. Now, corporate America is turning in the other direction of DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion. Trump signed executive orders last month to terminate what he calls “illegal” DEI programs and policies throughout the federal government. Some DEI experts say businesses didn’t think through their pledges or costs from the start. The scrutiny may be a wake-up call and a chance to get it right.

• 💼 When companies began DEI initiatives, they argued they could do more for workers and society while making more profit for investors. This strategy soon proved largely ineffective.
• 💼 Companies that value DEI policies should frame them as a matter of morality rather than just profits, Sekou Bermiss, an associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the UNC at Chapel Hill, says. A diverse team can help create products that appeal to more consumers, and employees may also feel more satisfied in the workplace.
• 💼 Many companies ending DEI programs have publicly said they still want to make everyone feel included. Paradigm CEO Joelle Emerson says companies may rebrand these programs to take a more thoughtful, effective approach.

Life advice

Science shows that fidgeting is good for your health. It increases blood flow to limbs, helps regulate blood sugar, and reduces mortality risk from prolonged sitting. It can also relieve stress and anxiety. Physical therapists and researchers explain why we fidget and provide office-friendly ways to satisfy the need for movement.

• 🖊️ Fidgeting is a sign you need a break from a stagnant posture. Listen to your body and mix things up. Try alternating between sitting, standing and moving.
• 🖊️ Get ahead of fidgeting by taking a movement break. Try going for a five-minute walk every half-hour.
• 🖊️ If you need more help with your sensory needs, you could try keeping some fidget toys at your desk.

3 things to know before you go

1. The FireAid benefit concert, which features artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Dr. Dre, is projected to have raised over $100 million for Los Angeles wildfire relief.
2. The 2025 Academy Awards are slated for March 2. To help prepare, Pop Culture Happy Hour has launched a pop-up newsletter that will go through all 10 best picture nominees. Click here to sign up.
3. An 8-foot-tall snow sculpture of a butt was displayed on the south lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art over the weekend. It’s the latest cold collaboration from former Kansas City Art Institute students. (via KCUR)

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.