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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he would sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally overhauling or eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "FEMA has turned out to be a disaster ... I think we recommend that FEMA go away," he said during a tour of North Carolina to see damage done by Hurricane Helene last year.

Harvard Medical School canceled a planned Jan. 21 lecture on wartime healthcare and a subsequent panel with patients from Gaza receiving care in Boston in response to objections that students would hear from Gazans impacted by the war and not also Israelis.

Course instructors and students were notified Tuesday morning that the events — scheduled for that evening — would not be held.

Students had organized the moderated discussion with patients and their families as a follow-up to Levy’s lecture, which was not focused specifically on Gaza.

Jones said that Arabic-speaking Medical School students who had served as interpreters for patients from Gaza in Boston asked course staff to arrange the session with Levy and patients’ families.

“Students often find that the presence of a patient who is interviewed and discusses their experiences is often far more engaging, powerful, and moving than hearing a professor carry on about the pathophysiology of disease,” Jones said.

The optional session was part of the course’s original spring semester curriculum and was approved by HMS administrators, according to Jones.

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A federal plan to slow down boats to prevent collisions with endangered North Atlantic right whales recently hit the brakes.

Also see the article about why aluminum salts are in vaccines

Summary

The Trump administration abruptly dismissed members of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) and other advisory committees, citing resource misuse and alignment with national security priorities.

Critics, including former CSRB members, condemned the move as dangerous amidst ongoing cyber threats, such as Chinese-backed hacks on U.S. infrastructure.

The CSRB had previously earned praise for its investigations into major breaches.

Experts fear this decision disrupts critical cybersecurity efforts, while concerns grow over whether replacements will prioritize merit over political affiliation.

Summary

The Pearl Police Department in Mississippi hired Jeremy Rast, a former Richland officer fired in June for telling a Latino man on video to "go back to Mexico" and making other derogatory comments.

Despite apologizing for his remarks, Rast's firing was intended to uphold community trust. Pearl's announcement of his hiring drew backlash, with many reacting angrily online.

The hire follows national debates on immigration, coinciding with new deportation priorities under Donald Trump’s second presidency.

Pearl disabled comments on the controversial Facebook post welcoming Rast.

Summary

Donald Trump’s pledge to rename Denali back to Mount McKinley has sparked widespread backlash, including from Indigenous Alaskans and Alaskan Republican lawmakers.

The Koyukon Athabascans, who have called the mountain Denali for centuries, consider the name sacred.

The Obama administration officially restored the Denali name in 2015 to honor Alaska Native heritage.

Polls show most Alaskans oppose the renaming, despite the state’s Republican majority.

Alaskan senators Murkowski and Sullivan criticized Trump’s move, while some, including McKinley descendants, support honoring the controversial 25th president despite his views on Native populations.

Fauci is the latest in a string of former Trump aides-turned-critics to see their federal protection canceled despite ongoing threats to their lives.

Speaking to reporters in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said he wouldn’t feel any responsibility if harm befell the former government officials. A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, said that Fauci’s federal security detail was ended on Thursday and that he has since hired private security.

When asked about Fauci and former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump said, “They all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security, too.”