What's Happening

Politics

Trump Team Hits "Delete" on Federal Websites, Raising Alarms

Since being sworn in, President Donald Trump’s administration has scrapped several federal websites and shut down policies and programs that had been in place for decades. Those include:

Reproductive Rights Resources: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) appears to have altered search results for the term “abortion,” NPR reported. As of yesterday, the top result was a January 2020 press release, issued during the Trump administration. Additionally, the Biden-era government site reproductiverights.gov — once a resource for fact sheets and state-by-state guidance on accessing reproductive services post-Roe — now shows up as a broken link. (Tip: you can still access the site’s archived content here). A reproductive rights lawyer expressed concern that these quiet changes (with similar ones spotted on social media) could signal future actions by the Trump admin on reproductive health.

Health Agency Communications: On Tuesday, Trump admin officials directed federal health agencies — including the HHS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — to pause their public communications. It’s unclear whether the directive will impact urgent updates, like those related to foodborne disease outbreaks. Some health officials told The Washington Postthe pause might be temporary and intended to help new Trump officials get up to speed. However, others expressed concern, citing how the Trump admin tightly controlled federal agencies during the early stages of the COVID-19 response. Some officials warned that if the pause lasts more than a week or two, it could raise serious red flags.

DEI Updates: In his slew of executive orders this week, Trump issued one that erases decades of federal progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. In part, it revokes a landmark 1965 directive from the civil rights era that gave the Secretary of Labor authority to ensure equal opportunity for people of color and women. The 1965 order had survived five Republican presidents. Now, its repeal has raised concerns among civil rights advocates, who warn it could hinder women’s advancement and weaken enforcement of civil rights protections. Trump also ordered all US government workers specializing in DEI to be put on paid administrative leave, effective immediately.

Related: LGBTQIA+ and HIV Content Disappeared from Federal Sites, Too (Out)

US News

As LA Fires Continue, Reports of Deadly Evacuation Delays Emerge

What's going on: Authorities issued new evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people in Los Angeles County yesterday after a new blaze, dubbed the Hughes Fire, broke out and grew to more than 10,000 acres. It comes as firefighters continue to battle multiple blazes, including in San Diego County. Amid new evacuation orders and warnings, there are questions surrounding one LA County neighborhood. Multiple reports say residents of western Altadena (just north of Pasadena) received evacuation orders long after the Eaton fires started spreading. The delayed evacuation orders resulted in the tragic deaths of 17 people, many of whom were elderly or had disabilities, making it difficult to leave without adequate notice. Some residents said that by the time they got evacuation orders, their homes were on fire and they had already fled.

What it means: The tragedy in western Altadena has sparked questions about what officials could have done to ensure safer evacuations. One expert highlighted significant flaws in current warning systems, both technical and logistical. Officials said alerts were sent out to people’s phones, but power outages and disrupted cell service in western Altadena rendered many devices useless. Some residents said they relied on social media and group chats for updates. In response, one local supervisor said, “There must be a thorough examination of the lifesaving emergency notification actions that took place.”

Related: $20,000-a-Month for an Apartment? How Wildfires Are Worsening LA’s Housing Issues (The Guardian)

Tech

The X Games Ask AI To Be a Halfpipe Judge

What's going on: At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot snagged a gold medal despite missing a pivotal board grab — a detail that slipped past the judges and led to controversy. Now, the X Games in Aspen are hoping to prevent similar misses by testing an experimental AI judge in the Snowboard SuperPipe event this weekend. Powered by Google’s technology, the AI has been trained on countless hours of halfpipe footage and official snowboard “judging framework” data to recognize spins, flips, landings, and even subtle hand-drags that warrant point deductions. One of the (human) judges for the competition also helped calibrate the system. While it won’t decide medals, the AI will provide an unofficial score displayed on broadcasts, allowing fans to compare it with the human judges’ scores.

What it means: By analyzing every millisecond of a run, the AI could spare athletes the heartbreak of a misjudged performance, technical scoring issue (see: Jordan Chiles’s gymnastics timing inquiry saga in Paris), or country bias scandals in the Olympics. Advocates see the tech as support for human judges, since it will offer precise, real-time analysis of tricks. However, there are questions about bias in the algorithm and potential blind spots in its training data. This concern is likely why the X Games are taking a cautious, test-and-see approach before integrating the AI into official scoring. If successful, this trial could pave the way for AI-assisted judging in snowboarding and beyond, from freestyle skiing and surfing. First, we’ll have to see if the bots can stick their landing.

Related: Will AI Backlash Cost These Films Their Shot at Oscar Gold? (The Guardian)