Thursday Briefing: Trump’s D.E.I. crackdown

Plus, News Group Newspapers' apology to Prince Harry

View in browser|nytimes.com January 23, 2025 By Jonathan Wolfe and Emmett Lindner Good morning. We're covering Donald Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion as well as News Group Newspapers' apology to Prince Harry. Plus: A look at the Oscars race. President Trump during a news conference on Tuesday. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times U.S. federal workers are told to inform on colleagues amid D.E.I. crackdown The Trump administration threatened federal employees yesterday with "adverse consequences" if they fail to report on colleagues who defy orders to purge diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from their agencies. Tens of thousands of workers were put on notice that officials would not tolerate any efforts to "disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language," and were given 10 days to report their observations to a special email account without risking disciplinary action. Follow our live coverage on the new Trump administration. Trump also took steps to make good on his campaign promise to enact mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. In a memo issued yesterday, the Justice Department told U.S. attorneys to investigate and prosecute state and city officials if they refused to enforce the administration's new immigration policies. The move comes as the Homeland Security Department prepares to make raids in cities with high numbers of undocumented immigrants. The Trump team, concerned that career department employees will not execute orders they deem immoral or unlawful, has considered taking disciplinary actions against prosecutors who refuse to comply. More on Trump In an early break within the new administration, Elon Musk criticized Trump's announcement of a major A.I. initiative. The president threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin did not reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Trump said he would impose tariffs by Feb. 1 on products from Canada, Mexico and China. Republicans are hunting for ways to pay for Trump's agenda, but debt could thwart his plans. Here's how. Leaders of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers want Trump to seek revenge on their behalf for being prosecuted for storming the Capitol. Trump pardoned the creator of the Silk Road online drug marketplace. Are you suddenly following Trump on Facebook and Instagram? Here's what might have happened. Jeenah Moon for The New York Times Prince Harry got an apology from a Murdoch company Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers formally apologized to Prince Harry as part of a multimillion dollar settlement over a phone-hacking scandal. The 11th-hour deal avoided what would have been weeks of damaging testimony in a trial that was just about to begin. News Group Newspapers admitted that one of its tabloids, the now-defunct News of the World, hacked Harry's cellphone. News Group also offered a "full and unequivocal apology" on behalf of The Sun, another publication, for intruding into the prince's life. While neither side disclosed the amount of the settlement, it was worth at least 10 million pounds ($12.3 million), according to two people with knowledge of the negotiation. Mark Landler, our London bureau chief, told us that the deal was "unusual in that it acknowledges wrongdoing by Murdoch's tabloid, The Sun, which the company had never done before." He added that the settlement allowed the company to avoid a trial, which could have led to a far "greater degree of accountability." A camp for migrants in Tunis. Laura Boushnak for The New York Times How North Africa keeps migrants from Europe As anti-migrant sentiment rises across Europe, citizens of sub-Saharan Africa trying to reach the continent are being pushed back by North African governments in proportions unseen in years. Last month, for example, Libya deported more than 600 men from Niger. The E.U. has signed bilateral agreements with Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania that include financial support to curb migrant flows. The strategy appears to be working: Illegal border crossings dropped sharply in 2024, according to recent data. But rights groups say that the methods being used to keep sub-Saharan migrants from traveling to Europe include well-documented human rights violations, such as abandoning migrants in the Sahara without food or water or keeping them in North African prisons. MORE TOP NEWS Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times Ukraine: Ukrainian troops say that the North Korean soldiers aiding Russia essentially operate as a separate force with different tactics. Middle East: Israel's military said that it was pressing on with what it called a new counterterrorism operation in the West Bank. Australia: A series of antisemitic attacks have rattled the Jewish community in Australia. The police said they were investigating whether "overseas actors" were responsible. U.K.: The defense secretary said that a Russian spy ship had returned to the British coast for the second time in a few months. South Korea: The former president of the company that operates the airport where a jet crashed last month was found dead in his home, the police said. California: A new brush fire rapidly exploded north of Los Angeles, bringing fresh terror more than two weeks after wildfires first tore through the region. Business: Two families in South Korea are battling for control of the world's largest producer of zinc. Spain: A court ruled that single parents can request the same total amount of paid parental leave that couples are entitled to. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Borussia Dortmund has parted ways with its head coach, Nuri Sahin, after a Champions League defeat to Bologna. Running: A reporter tried to keep pace during an interview with the Olympic gold medal-winning triathlete Alex Yee. Skiing: Alex Hall, the U.S. slopestyle star, focuses on jumps that best express who he is. If the judges don't approve, so be it. MORNING READ Miriam Martincic The year is shaping up to be a record breaker for travelers. Our Travel team looked into the newest trends, including alpine sojourns in New Zealand, the allure of the "digital detox" and solo travel as a group activity. Lives lived: José Jiménez, a Puerto Rican who in the late 1960s transformed a Chicago gang called the Young Lords into a militant voice for expanded social services, fair housing and education, died at 76. CONVERSATION STARTERS Keep it moving: Corals come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but are mostly immobile. These corals are made for walking. Who wants to live forever? People are paying thousands for longevity treatments like plasma exchange and peptide therapy. Experts question the benefits. Seeing through you: Are dental X-rays safe? We asked experts whether regular exposure to low levels of radiation could be harmful to health. ARTS AND IDEAS Clockwise, from top left: Adrien Brody, Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet and Zoe Saldaña. Lol Crawley/A24; Universal Pictures; Searchlight Pictures; Netflix The Oscars are wide open The Academy Award nominations will be announced today and, unlike previous years where the winners' names seemed already engraved on statuettes, this season remains fluid. Kyle Buchanan, The Times's awards season columnist, wants to be surprised. But he also has a few front-runners in mind. Here are his predictions for the top six Oscar categories, after taking into account industry chatter and the nods from earlier awards ceremonies. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Cook: You don't need fancy mushrooms to make this rich, roasted mushroom soup. Read: In "Everything Must Go," the British journalist Dorian Lynskey explores our obsession with doomsday scenarios. Listen: The singer Neko Case reads a Modern Love essay about an estranged mother and daughter. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Jonathan and Emmett Reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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