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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to revise the Pentagon’s policy on transgender troops, likely setting in motion a future ban on their military service.He also ordered troops to be reinstated who had left voluntarily or been booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, outlined new rollbacks in diversity programs, and provided for the deployment of a space-based missile defense shield for the U.S.all on Hegseth’s first day.Trump and Hegseth had described parts of the anticipated orders throughout the day, but the exact language did not drop until late Monday. Transgender order A transgender ban had been widely expected, and Trump’s order largely sets the stage for a future banbut directs Hegseth to come up with how that would be implemented in policy.In his order, Trump claimed that service by troops who identify as a gender other than their biological one “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness, requiring a revised policy to address the matter.Trump had tried to ban transgender troops during his first term, but it was tangled up in the courts for years before being overturned by then-President Joe Biden shortly after he took office.Two groups, Lambda Legal and Human Rights Campaign, which represented transgender troops the first time, vowed to fight again.“We have been here before and seven years ago were able to successfully block the earlier administration’s effort,” Lambda Legal attorney Sasha Buchert said. “Not only is such a move cruel, it compromises the safety and security of our country and is particularly dangerous and wrong. As we promised then, so do we now: we will sue.” Space-based missile defense During his first presidency, Trump established U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force, which just marked its fifth birthday. Space continues to be a priority for the president, who has now directed the Pentagon to begin to develop the capability to shoot down missiles from space.For years, the U.S. has cautioned that China, Russia, and others were weaponizing space. It has at times declassified information about both countries’ efforts to create offensive weapons to disable critical U.S. satellites, including the capability to move satellites from orbit, temporarily blind them, or potentially even destroy them.The Space Force is building a low-orbit ring of redundant satellites that can more quickly track and detect potential missile launches.But establishing a way to shoot missiles down from space is something the U.S. has not pursued since President Ronald Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative”Star Wars” as it was commonly knownin the 1980s. The system was never developed due to cost and technological limitations.In his order called “an Iron Dome for America,” Trump called for a multilayer missile defense system capable of countering an array of threats to the U.S., to include development and deployment of space-based interceptors. COVID-19 vaccination At least 8,200 troops were forced out of the military in 2021 for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. Notices advising them they could return were sent out in 2023, but just 113 have reenlisted.The reinstatement process for any who now want to return requires that they meet military entry standards. Trump and Hegseth have persistently stated that the military must not reduce standards.“We will offer full reinstatement to any service member who was expelled from the armed forces due to the COVID vaccine mandate,” Trump told a Republican crowd at the Trump National Doral Miami, a resort he owns. “And we will restore them to their former rank with full pay.”In addition to troops forced out for refusing the shot, the order extends the same offer to anyone who signs a sworn statement saying they left the service voluntarily to avoid the vaccine.The order isn’t expected to have a major impact on the number of service members returning. But it could take a bite out of the budget if more do now, since it requires back pay.To return, all would have to meet weight, fitness, medical, and other requirements, and they could be refused if they now have a criminal record or other disqualifying factor. Officers would have to get recommissioned, which is a simple appointment process.According to the services, 3,748 Marines were discharged, and 25 have opted to reenlist; 1,903 Army soldiers were discharged, and 73 returned; 1,878 sailors were discharged and two returned; 671 airmen were discharged and 13 returned.The Pentagon made the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory in August 2021 for all service members, including the National Guard and Reserve. Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said getting the vaccine was critical to maintaining a healthy, ready force that could be prepared to defend the nation.The Pentagon formally dropped the mandate in January 2023.Defense officials said then that many troops appeared to use the vaccine mandate as a way to quickly and easily to get out of their service obligations. DEI initiatives Trump also, as expected, issued a sweeping order to abolish all programs, initiatives, and mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Defense Department and the Coast Guard, which is governed by the Department of Homeland Security.The order looks to scrub “any vestiges” of such initiatives that seek to “promote a race-based preferences system that subverts meritocracy, perpetuates unconstitutional discrimination, and promotes divisive concepts or gender ideology.”It prohibits the departments from promoting or following “un-American” theories that suggest that America’s founding documents are racist or sexist; that discuss gender ideology; and that promote “divisive concepts” such as “race or sex stereotyping.”The order says the defense and homeland security secretaries must issue guidance to implement the order in 30 days. It calls for a review to find any instances of actions taken in pursuit of DEI, which will be due to the defense secretary in 90 days.The secretaries must submit a report to the White House in six months outlining their progress.The Pentagon had already been taking steps to comply with Trump’s initial action ending DEI programs across the U.S. government, and it has had far-reaching consequences. Without clearer direction, agencies were taking a broad approach to removing any content that seemed to run afoul of Trump’s ban.That temporarily included videos of the storied Tuskegee Airmen and World War II Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, which were part of DEI training courses for the Air Force’s basic military training. Videos on both the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs were removed as the courses were taken down last week, cauing an uproar.WASPs were vital in ferrying warplanes for the military. The Tuskegee Airmen were the nation’s first Black military pilots, serving in a segregated WWII unit, and their all-Black 332nd Fighter Group had one of the lowest loss records of all the bomber escorts in the war.On Sunday, the Air Force clarified that the DEI courses had been removed to be edited but that the Tuskegee Airmen and WASP content would continue to be taught. Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Department of Defense at https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense. Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press
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The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert regarding Wegmanss frozen fully cooked chicken breast nuggets. The alert, released on Monday, January 27, highlights concerns that the nuggets may be contaminated with extraneous material, specifically bone fragments, according to a notice on the USDA’s recall page. The FSIS says it became aware of the issue after multiple consumers reported finding such fragments in the chicken, although no injuries have been confirmed related to the product. A recall has not been issued since the product is no longer available for purchase. However, consumers may still have the chicken nuggets in their freezers, as the “best by” date is not until this summer. Details about the impacted product Product Name: Wegmans Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Nuggets Packaging: 46-oz. plastic packages labeled Wegmans FAMILY PACK FULLY COOKED Breaded Chicken Breast with Rib Meat Best By Date: August 26, 2025 The affected product, made exclusively for Wegmans Food Markets, was sold in the frozen food section at Wegmans locations across several states: New York Pennsylvania New Jersey Virginia Maryland Delaware Massachusetts North Carolina Washington, D.C. You can find images of the product, including labels, on the USDA website. What if I have this product in my freezer? FSIS advises customers to check their freezers and discard any affected packages. Alternatively, customers may return the product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. If you have consumed the product and experience symptoms such as oral injury or discomfort, seek medical attention immediately.
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One of President Trumps more unexpected Day One executive orders was to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The move was met with laughter and ridiculebut now the worlds preeminent mapping giant, Google Maps, is saying its software will reflect the name change. And thats not going over well with many of Googles users. Here’s what to know: Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico? After some of the laughter died down, people started to wonder if the president of the United States could unilaterally rename an internationally recognized body of water. It turns out he can, although within limits. As Fast Company previously reported, a president can rename geographic constructs in official documents and other government publications. However, a big caveat to this power is that the rest of the world doesnt have to recognize the name changeother countries can keep on referring to the Gulf of Mexico as they always have. The same is true for private American mapping companies. A private company is under no legal obligation to change its name on its maps. However, given how Americas tech oligarchs have cozied up to Trump, its no wonder that one of Americas largest tech giants has now announced it will also rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its maps. Google recognizes the name change Google Maps is the most popular mapping solution in America and in much of the world. And now the company has announced that it will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its maps. In a series of posts on X yesterday, the official @NewsFromGoogle account announced that Google Maps will now display Gulf of America instead of Gulf of Mexico. Weve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” the post read. “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.” It went on to explain that it takes its U.S. names from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Google then explained that when the GNIS has been updated with the Gulf of America name change, as well as the name change of Mount McKinley from its current name, Denali, the GNIS changes will be reflected in Google Maps. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America, the company said in another post. Google faces backlash to the name change While some users seemed happy to embrace Googles relabeling of the Gulf of Mexico, the companys posts on X were also met with harsh backlash. Many threatened to remove Google apps from their devices: I will remove EVERYTHING fking Google thing from phone and pc. Fking senile leader and you cave.— Deborah (@deborahc613) January 28, 2025 Others asked if Googles announcement was a joke. Still, others likened Googles relabeling to the Freedom Fries era in America in the early 2000s. At the time, a number of Republicans embraced the idea of renaming French fries to Freedom fries due to Frances opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Others accused Google of kissing up to Trump. Then, there were those who said they would be switching from Google Maps to Apple Maps. Time to move to Apple Maps for good— Yul (@yul_magdaleno) January 28, 2025 Fast Company has reached out to Google for comment. We’ve also reached out to Apple to ask if it plans to relabel the Gulf of Mexico. What name will the rest of the world see? Finally, some users in other parts of the world were concerned about whether they too would see the relabeled name. Google clarified that this wouldnt necessarily be the case. In a post on X, Google said it would continue to abide by its longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names, the post explained. That applies here too.
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