Trump Targets Health and Science; Costco Stands Up for Diversity and Inclusion–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Jan. 23, 2025

Indy Digest: Jan. 23, 2025

Of all the things President Trump has done in his first few days back in office, I am most baffled—but not surprised—by his attacks on health.

His actions have shown a hostility toward science, openness, collaboration and, well, common sense. Consider:

• He withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization, which the U.S. helped establish in 1948. He claimed the organization mishandled the COVID-19 crisis, among other complaints, but his primary rationale: We’re paying an unfair share. As NPR reports: “(Trump) noted that the U.S. pays WHO $500 million annually compared to China’s $39 million contribution.” (However, those figures are inaccurate and exaggerated.) That NPR piece also discussed the message that the United States’ withdrawal is sending: “‘It would signal an attack by the largest and most economically powerful country in the world on international health cooperation,’ says David McCoy, a public health researcher at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That cooperation, he argues, is essential for managing pandemics and other cross-border health threats.”

• He’s stopped the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from functioning, essentially, at least temporarily. The New York Times says: “The Trump administration, moving quickly to clamp down on health and science agencies, has canceled a string of scientific meetings and instructed federal health officials to refrain from all public communications, including upcoming reports focused on the nation’s escalating bird flu crisis. Experts who serve on outside advisory panels on a range of topics, from antibiotic resistance to deafness, received emails on Wednesday telling them their meetings had been canceled. The cancellations followed a directive issued on Tuesday by the acting director of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, who prohibited the release of any public communication until it had been reviewed by a presidential appointee or designee, according to federal officials and an internal memo reviewed by The New York Times.” Why is he “clamping down” on science?

• Trump shut down an office intended to help the country prepare for the next pandemic. The Los Angeles Times reports: “He has … shuttered the Biden-era White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness, which was directed by Congress to streamline and coordinate the nation’s response to burgeoning pandemics, such as avian flu. Since the office’s formation in 2023, it has initiated multiagency coordinated efforts to ‘test’ the nation’s preparedness for novel disease outbreaks, and has provided advice and coordination regarding vaccine development and availability among various health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. A visit to the office’s website Wednesday morning showed a ‘404 Page Not Found’ error message.”

I could go on—I haven’t even mentioned the anti-science stances of some of Trump’s appointees, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—but the message is clear: Under the leadership of Donald J. Trump, power, politics and ideology matter.

The well-being of Americans does not. 

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Abortion doesn’t really exist, at least as far as the Trump administration is concerned. NPR reports: “On the second day of the second Trump administration, a search for the term ‘abortion’ on the website for the federal Department of Health and Human Services brings up 166 results. The top hit is from January 24, 2020, during President Trump’s first term, and is about how California violated the rights of two religious organizations that wanted to offer health plans that excluded coverage for abortion. Trying to sort the results to see the most recent items first returns no links at all and the message reads ‘search unreachable.’ A site the Biden administration launched after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ReproductiveRights.gov, is now a broken link.”

• The state is doing what it can to rush aid to residents who have been harmed by the Los Angeles wildfires. Our partners at Calmatters report: “As recovery efforts in the Palisades and Eaton fires begin, California’s Legislature passed a set of bills Thursday to expedite $2.5 billion in ‘bridge funding’ intended to help state and local agencies respond to relief efforts. The bills passed unanimously in both the Assembly and the Senate as part of an extended special session called by Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to the Los Angeles area wildfires. Newsom signed the bills at a press conference in Pasadena Thursday afternoon, releasing the funds immediately. … The bills are part of ‘a much larger conversation that we’re going to need to have about recovery and rebuilding in these devastated communities, and also about how we protect communities across the state of California,’ said Jesse Gabriel, chair of the Assembly’s budget committee and one of a few lawmakers who live in neighborhoods that were … evacuated. ‘This is the first of many steps that we will take on a long journey as we progress through this conversation.’”

• Related: An economist, writing for The Conversation, is concerned the insurance mess caused, in part, by the California wildfires could destabilize the nation’s whole economy: “The scale and intensity of the Southern California fires—linked in part to climate change, including record-high global temperatures in 2023 and again in 2024—has brought a big problem into focus: In a world impacted by increasing climate risk, traditional insurance models no longer apply. … This state of affairs isn’t just dangerous for homeowners and communities—it could create widespread financial instability. And it’s not just me making this point. For the past several years, central bankers at home and abroad have raised similar concerns. … Anyone who remembers the Great Recession of 2007-2009 knows that seemingly localized problems can snowball.”

• If you’re a Netflix subscriber. you’ll soon be paying more.. CNBC says: “The streaming giant announced … that its standard plan without commercials will increase from $15.49 a month to $17.99. Its cheaper, ad-supported plan, which was more recently introduced to attract more subscribers, will increase from $6.99 per month to $7.99. In addition, the monthly cost of Netflix’s premium plan will increase from $22.99 to $24.99. The company, which reported fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday, said it will also raise prices in Canada, Portugal and Argentina. Consumers have been faced with numerous price hikes in recent years across major streaming services including Netflix and its competitors, including Disney’s apps and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max. Streamers have increasingly turned to higher prices and ad-supported plans as they look to reach profitability.”

• Today’s recall news involves … Fords! NBC News reports: “Ford recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles because of concerns over battery failure issues, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The recall affects certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport SUVs and 2022-2023 Maverick pickup trucks. Approximately 272,817 vehicles are part of the recall. The NHTSA said the 12-volt battery may experience ‘degradation and suddenly fail.’ ‘Battery failure can result in a loss of electrical accessories, including the hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash,’ the recall notice stated.”

• And finally … a round of applause, please, for Costco, because at a time when companies are ditching DEI efforts as fast as they can, the retailer has affirmed its commitment to respect and inclusion. The Associated Press reports: “Costco shareholders rejected a proposal urging the wholesale club operator to evaluate any risks posed by its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. According to preliminary results shared by Costco executives at its annual meeting Thursday, more than 98% of shares voted against the proposal. The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank based in Washington, had submitted the proposal, arguing that Costco’s DEI initiatives hold ‘litigation, reputational and financial risks to the company, and therefore financial risks to shareholders.’ … But Costco’s board of directors voted unanimously to ask shareholders to reject the motion. The board said it believes ‘our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary. The report requested by this proposal would not provide meaningful additional information.’”

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