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The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said in a memo that all federal DEI employees will be placed on leave as of Wednesday evening.  The official move comes after President Trump signed executive orders upon his inauguration on Monday aiming to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government. Mr. Trump said in his inauguration speech: “We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the move in a post on X, citing a report from CBS News that read: “All federal employees in DEI roles have to be placed on paid leave by 5pm Wednesday as those offices and programs are being ordered shut down, according to@USOPM. Levitt shared the report along with the caption: “To every reporter asking about this: I can gladly confirm!”

The memo from OPM directs the heads of all U.S. agencies to place all federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion roles on leave by 5 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday. Agencies must also “take down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) of DEIA offices,” cancel upcoming DEI trainings and terminate contracts with DEI-related contractors by the same time Wednesday. The agencies must also submit “a written plan for executing a reduction-in-force action regarding the employees who work in a DEIA office,” by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 31.

President Trump has said he will direct the Office of Management and Budget to end all related mandates, policies and programs across agencies, including all initiatives that aim to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within departments. Trump’s aim is to restore what the administration considers to be a merit-based hiring system, according to officials, who also stated that the orders cut funding for so-called DEI initiatives across all agencies in order to “end DEI inside the federal government.”

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Authorities in Turkey have detained 11 people they said are involved in the fire that killed 79 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in the Bolu mountains. The fire occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort, a 12-storey hotel which had 238 registered guests. The blaze started on the restaurant floor around 3:30 a.m. Several funerals were held on Wednesday for the victims of Tuesday’s blaze, after the fire forced panicked hotel guests to jump from windows in the middle of the night.

The Interior Minister of Turkey initially said on Tuesday that 76 people had been killed in the fire; however, the Bolu prosecutor’s office updated the death toll to 79 on Wednesday evening following forensic DNA tests. According to local media reports, at least 20 of the fire victims were children.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on social media Wednesday that as part of the investigation into the fire, a deputy mayor of the northwestern Bolu province, the head of the municipality’s fire department, the owner and the manager of the hotel were among those detained.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said at one funeral for eight victims in Bolu in western Turkey: “Our hearts and souls are hurting and we are currently trying to fulfill this duty. I pray for patience for the entire family and our nation.” The bodies of 45 victims were handed over to their families, while forensic DNA tests were being conducted to identify the others, the government said.

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Multiple wildfires broke out in San Diego County (south of Los Angeles) early Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders, school closures and power shutoffs, while officials in Los Angeles remain on high alert amid strong winds and extreme dry conditions. Red flag warnings were issued down the coast of Southern California on Tuesday as weather officials warned of strong wind gusts that could rapidly spread fires.

The National Weather Service recorded strong winds with gusts up to 60-70 mph in the Los Angeles area Tuesday morning as the region remained under a “particularly dangerous situation” warning with an increased fire risk. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue to burn today.

Firefighters were working to contain several brush fires that broke out in northern San Diego County, with Cal Fire stating that the Pala Fire and Pala Fire 2 (north of the city of Pala Mesa) had destroyed some 47 acres and were zero percent contained. Two other blazes, dubbed the Lilac Fire1 and Lilac Fire 2 by Cal Fire, in the Bonsall area, had grown to 130 acres. The Lilac fires has displaced 86 residents and damaged two structures, and was 10% contained as of press time.

On a positive note, the North County Fire Protection District later said in a post on X that the “forward rate of speed” of one had been stopped ad evacuation orders were lifted, per the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, which said: “Firefighters are making good progress on the fire. The fire activity has decreased significantly.”

However Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, warned in a social media post: “Two of the three fires that started overnight are now under control. However, the Lilac Fire is still actively burning at 80 acres. Please stay alert, follow official updates, and be prepared to leave if necessary. Our first responders are working tirelessly to protect lives and property.”

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Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio were released from prison on Tuesday, this coming after President Trump granted pardons to more than 1,500 defendants who faced charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In addition to the clemency grants, Trump directed the Justice Department to ask for the dismissal of about 450 cases that are still being litigated.

Rhodes and Tarrio’s attorneys confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday they had been released hours after Trump pardoned, commuted the sentences of, and/or ordered the dismissal of cases against all those charged with federal crimes in the Capitol riot. Tarrio, of Miami, had led the Proud Boys from 2018 to 2021, and also worked as the Florida state director of Latinos for Trump.  He was 16 months into a 22-year prison sentence on seditious conspiracy and other charges. Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, was almost 20 months into an 18-year sentence for the same offense.

Unlike many of the Jan. 6 defendants, neither Tarrior nor Rhodes actually set foot in the Capitol Building during the ransacking of the legislative seat, however, they were charged with helping to plot out the attack. Rhodes and others had stockpiled tactical gear and firearms, and he also stepped into restricted Capitol grounds while directing his Oath Keepers militia members as the chaos unfolded. Tarrio was not in Washington, DC on the day of the riot, but prosecutors highlighted text messages he he exchanged with members of the mob.

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