President Donald Trump wastes no time, canceling diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices at the federal level and pushing to get his illegal immigration policies underway. And from Texas to the Florida panhandle, snow piles up as winter roars in places that haven’t seen anything like this in decades. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
Trump orders government DEI employees to be put on paid leave
Since moving back into the Oval Office on Monday, Jan. 20, Trump has not slowed his momentum. Following an executive order he signed after his inauguration, the president issued a directive that would eliminate all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion employees.
According to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government must place employees currently in DEI roles on paid leave by 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Federal agencies must submit a written plan for worker dismissal by Jan. 31.
In the memo, the president also ordered the closure of all DEI-related offices and programs. It also enforces the removal of all websites and social media accounts for such offices.
Ending DEI programs was just one of the dozens of executive orders the president signed immediately after taking office Monday. From rolling back Biden administration initiatives to ending birthright citizenship as part of his plan to stop undocumented immigrants from entering the country, Trump continues to enforce changes.
In response, attorney generals from 22 states sued to block Trump’s birthright citizenship order. In a statement, the White House said it is ready to face the states in court.
Trump admin revokes Biden policy barring ICE arrests near schools, churches
Trump revoked a Biden-era policy that prohibits immigration agents from arresting people at or near schools, places of worship and other settings deemed to be “sensitive locations.”
The Trump administration “will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the Department of Homeland Security said.
The administration also accused Biden of abusing the humanitarian parole program to “indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country.”
The president plans to rescind other Biden administration memos that put an end to mass immigration sweeps at worksites and limited ICE arrests to serious criminals, national security threats and recent border arrivals.
Trump announces $500B ‘Stargate’ AI infrastructure project
The president announced new efforts to grow artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.S. The administration said it would partner with the nation’s top tech firms for the new venture.
Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son joined Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to announce “Stargate.”
Trump called it the “largest AI infrastructure project in history.”
“Beginning immediately, Stargate will be building the physical and virtual infrastructure to power the next generation of advancements in AI, and this will include the construction of colossal data centers, very, very massive structures,” he said.
The president said the companies will invest $100 billion in the project to start and plan to invest up to $500 billion into Stargate in the coming years. He also noted that the project will create 100,000 American jobs.
Historic snowstorm hits southern states
A winter storm slammed several southern states Wednesday, with Louisiana recording more than 10 inches of snow. The storm brought traffic to a halt in states like Alabama, Florida and South Carolina.
The National Weather Service issued the first-ever blizzard warning along the Gulf Coast on Tuesday for parts of Louisiana and Texas. In Florida, beachgoers in Panama City Beach wore winter coats instead of swimsuits as snow blanketed the sand.
At least nine people died in connection to the dangerous temperatures or the icy conditions from the storm. States closed schools and government offices across the south.
It’s not just the roads and beaches affected. Houston shut down its two major airports Tuesday after the area received between five and six inches of snow. Flight operations will resume Wednesday afternoon.
Netflix raises subscription prices, surpasses 300 million subscribers
Netflix announced Tuesday it will raise prices for American customers, including the first price hike for its ad-supported plan. That specific plan will now cost $7.99 per month, up one dollar.
The price for Netflix’s standard plan without ads will increase for the first time in three years to $17.99 per month, a $2.50 increase.
In a statement, Netflix said the company will occasionally ask its members to “pay a little more” so it can “re-invest to further improve” the streaming service.
The subscription increase came as Netflix announced its biggest quarterly increase in paid subscribers, gaining almost 19 million and ending 2024 with more than 300 million subscribers around the world.
Ichiro, CC Sabathia headline 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame
On Tuesday, the 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees were announced, and some will make history this July.
The class consists of pitching greats CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, as well as outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Suzuki will become the first Japanese-born player elected to the hall.
Straight Arrow News sports reporter Chris Francis has more on the 2025 Hall of Fame Class here.