Desi Weekly News Digest 

NATIONAL

House Budget Resolution Passed: The Republican majority House of Representatives voted along party lines to pass a budget that seeks cuts in major areas to pay for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. Departments where cuts are to be made include  Energy, Education, Government Oversight, Agriculture, Transportation, Financial Services, and Natural Resources. Departments whose spending would go up are Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Armed Services. The resolution now goes to the Senate, which will put up its own bill. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been encountering angry constituents who fear that key social programs like Social Security and Medicaid might be on the line. CBS NEWS

Ukraine Deal In Jeopardy?: Talks between the US and Ukraine over a possible minerals deal in return for military support broke down after a heated discussion between President Zelensky, President Trump, and Vice President Vance where it was suggested that Ukraine cede territory to Russia in return for peace. CNN

No More Cyber Offensive Against Russia: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions. RECORD MEDIA

Sikh Temple in Sacramento Wins Injunction Against President Trump: Judge rules for Sikh Temple in West Sacramento, blocking Trump administration immigration policy. “Central to the concept of a Gurdwara is that all people must be welcomed in the space without fear,” the filing said. KCRA

CORRUPTION ALERT

Ethics Rules Being Rolled Back: President Trump is rolling back prohibitions on executive branch employees accepting major gifts from lobbyists, and ditching bans on lobbyists seeking executive branch jobs or vice versa, for at least two years. Trump issued a Day 1 executive order that rescinded one on ethics that former President Joe Biden signed when he took office in January 2021. The new president also has been benefitting personally in the runup to his inauguration by launching a new cryptocurrency token that is soaring in value while his wife, first lady Melania Trump, has inked a deal to make a documentary with Amazon. AP NEWS

Chinese Cryptocurrency Investor Gets Reprieve from SEC: SEC halts prosecution of Chinese investor who purchased $30 million in crypto tokens from World Liberty Financial (WLF), a new venture backed by President Donald Trump and his family. POPULAR INFO

FAA Breaking Contract with Verizon to go with Musk’s Starlink: Starlink poised to take over $2.4 billion contract to overhaul air traffic control communications. The contract had already been awarded to Verizon, but now a SpaceX-led team within the FAA is reportedly recommending it go to Starlink. THE VERGE

SCIENCE

Cuts to NOAA and NWS: As federal job eliminations struck the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service on Thursday, scientists and environmental advocates denounced the cuts, saying they could cause real harm to Americans. YAHOO NEWS

Ebola Fears: Musk’s claim that the “accidental” shutting down of Ebola prevention efforts was fixed is being disputed by scientists in the field. "I disagree fully, completely, wholly, that they recognized the mistake and put it back," says Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency physician and professor at Brown University School of Public Health, who has worked on Ebola for more than a decade. NPR

Making Sense of Federal Cuts to Science: Dr. Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), discusses the impact of the recent cuts to science research and education with Science Friday. SCIENCE FRIDAY

HEALTH

Measles Outbreak Worries Doctors: US doctors are pushing back against the claim by HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr that the current outbreak of measles is normal.  “This is not usual,” said Dr. Philip Huang, director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department. “Fortunately, it’s not usual, and it’s been because of the effectiveness of the vaccine.” Kennedy has famously pushed back against the efficacy of vaccines. CNN

Efforts to Develop New COVID and Avian Flu Vaccines Halted: In line with the anti-vax sentiments of the new Health and Human Secretary, efforts to develop vaccines for emerging pandemic threats have been put on hold. JABBERWOCKING

USDA Accidentally Fires Officials Amid Bird Flu Crisis: The U.S. Department of Agriculture mistakenly terminated officials responsible for managing the bird flu outbreak, leading to efforts to rehire these critical staff members.NBC NEWS

Switch to Beef Tallow in Steak and Shake Fries: The fast food chain is officially switching from vegetable oil to beef tallow for cooking fries in all of their restaurants nationwide in response to RFK Jr’s dislike of vegetable oils. DAILY MAIL

INTERNATIONAL

Indian Stock Markets Take a Beating: Trade tensions due to President Trump’s aggressive tariff actions appear to be driving investors away from riskier emerging markets like India. LIVEMINT

Foreign Aid Freeze Affects Anti-Fentanyl Trafficking Measures: President Trump's sweeping foreign aid freeze has stalled a United Nations program in Mexico aimed at stopping imported fentanyl chemicals from reaching the country's drug cartels. REUTERS

“They Take Advantage of Us”: President Trump takes a jab at USAID funds going to India for election efforts. "They take advantage of us pretty good. One of the highest tariffed nations in the world. We try and sell something. They have a 200 per cent tariff. And then we're giving them a lot of money to help them with their election.” NDTV

CULTURE and ENTERTAINMENT

Mindy Kaling Gets a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame: She is the first South Asian Woman to get that recognition. INDIA CURRENTS

The Indegenous Project Aims to Preserve Ancient Knowledge and Wisdom: Bhavna Choudhury, founder of The Indegenous, a nonprofit organization is leading the charge to revive and preserve ancestral knowledge that holds the key to sustainable solutions for our planet’s future. INDIA CURRENTS

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