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A2 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 28 January 2025
New Trump orders on transgender troops, COVID and more

expected on Hegseth’s first day

By TARA COPP, LOLITA C. gee Airmen and World War
BALDOR and ZEKE MILLER II Women’s Airforce Service
Associated Press Pilots, or WASPs, which were
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- part of DEI training courses
dent Donald Trump was for the Air Force’s basic
expected to sign a flurry of military training. Videos on
executive orders focused both the Tuskegee Airmen
on the military Monday, in- and WASPs were removed
cluding to reinstate troops as the courses were taken
booted for refusing COV- down last week, causing
ID-19 vaccines, assess trans- an uproar.
gender forces and further WASPs were vital in ferrying
outline rollbacks in diversity warplanes for the military.
programs, just as Defense The Tuskegee Airmen were
Secretary Pete Hegseth be- the nation’s first Black mili-
gan his first day on the job. tary pilots, who served in a
The orders could further segregated WWII unit, and
clarify initial directives their all-Black 332nd Fighter
Trump issued shortly after Group had one of the low-
his inauguration last week, est loss records of all the
when he removed protec- bomber escorts in the war.
tions for transgender troops On Sunday, the Air Force
put in place by former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, pats Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. clarified that the DEI cours-
President Joe Biden and Brown Jr., on his shoulder as he answers questions from reporters after arriving at the Pentagon, es had been removed
banned DEI initiatives at Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Washington. to be edited but that the
federal agencies. Associated Press Tuskegee Airmen and
Trump had tried to impose their service in the armed who were pushed out be- be, but Trump’s initial ac- WASP content would con-
a ban on transgender forces based on military cause of COVID mandates, tion ending those programs tinue to be taught.
troops during his first term, readiness, a person famil- Iron Dome for America this across the U.S. government “The revised training which
but it was tangled up in iar with the matter told The is happening quickly.” already has had far-reach- focuses on the docu-
the courts for years before Associated Press. Hegseth Trump promised during the ing consequences. Without mented historic legacy
being overturned by Biden told reporters as he arrived campaign to build an Iron clearer direction, agencies and decorated valor with
shortly after he took office. at the Pentagon that his first Dome, the advanced air have been taking a broad which these units and Air-
The new order on trans- official day would be busy, defense system used by Is- approach at removing any men fought for our Nation
gender troops does not with additional executive rael. It was not immediately content that seemed to run in World War II and beyond
impose an immediate ban, orders expected “on re- clear what the additional afoul of Trump’s ban. will continue on 27 Janu-
but directs the Pentagon to moving DEI inside the Pen- order on DEI diversity, eq- That temporarily included ary,” the Air Force said in a
come up with a policy on tagon, reinstating troops uity and inclusion would videos of the storied Tuske- statement.q

CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, upending

expectations of an extended withdrawal

By MIKE STOBBE diately. that all agency staff who visory boards, coopera- Jeffrey Klausner, a Univer-
AP Medical Writer A U.S. Centers for Disease work with the WHO must tive agreements or other sity of Southern California
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. pub- Control and Prevention of- immediately stop their col- means in person or virtual.” public health expert who
lic health officials have ficial, John Nkengasong, laborations and “await fur- It also says CDC staff are collaborates with WHO on
been told to stop working sent a memo to senior ther guidance.” not allowed to visit WHO of- work against sexually trans-
with the World Health Or- leaders at the agency on Experts said the sudden fices. mitted infections.
ganization, effective imme- Sunday night telling them stoppage was a surprise President Trump last week “People thought there
and would set back work issued an executive order would be a slow withdraw-
on investigating and try- to begin the process of al. This has really caught
ing to stop outbreaks of withdrawing the U.S. from everyone with their pants
Marburg virus and mpox WHO, but that did not take down,” said Klausner, who
in Africa, as well as brew- immediate effect. Leaving said he learned of it from
ing threats from around WHO requires the approval someone at CDC.
the world. It also comes as of Congress and that the “Talking to WHO is a two-
health authorities around U.S. meets its financial ob- way street,” he added,
the world are monitoring ligations for the current fis- noting that WHO and U.S.
bird flu outbreaks among cal year. The U.S. also must health officials benefit
U.S. livestock. provide a one-year notice. from each other’s exper-
The Associated Press His administration also told tise. The collaboration al-
viewed a copy of Nkengas- federal health agencies to lows the U.S. to learn about
ong’s memo, which said stop most communications new tests and treatments
the stop-work policy ap- with the public through at as well as about emerg-
plied to “all CDC staff en- least the end of the month. ing outbreaks information
President Donald Trump signs an executive order withdrawing gaging with WHO through “Stopping communications “which can help us protect
the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the Oval Office of
the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. technical working groups, and meetings with WHO Americans abroad and at
Associated Press coordinating centers, ad- is a big problem,” said Dr. home.”q