Welcome back to the Week in Review! This one will cover February 17 – February 23.

Government and Politics:

• Activists from organizations such as the 50501 Movement took to the streets across the country on Monday to protest the early actions of President Donald Trump and his allies.
• A federal judge ordered Cathy Harris, a member of an independent board dismissed by President Trump, to be temporarily reinstated while her firing is reviewed.
• Some power grid and nuclear security workers have been reinstated or are being given the option to be reinstated after being fired as President Trump tries to achieve his campaign goal of decreasing the size of the US government. This comes as hundreds of cyber security workers are also being fired.
  • The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston was forced to close due to the fact their library staff was let go as part of this larger push.
• President Trump signed an executive order to compile policy recommendations that would expand access to in vitro fertilization and make it more affordable.
• The Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce in a 51-45 vote.
• President Trump restricted the Associated Press’s access to his events and news conferences until they agreed to stop using “the Gulf of Mexico.” Later this week, they sued him.
• The Trump administration cut off access to legal services for migrant children who cross the border without their parents. They later canceled that order.
• President Trump signed an executive order that directs all executive departments and independent agencies to submit their draft regulations to the White House for review.
  • This comes as he also signed an executive order aimed at reducing regulations across all agencies.
• Fired federal workers on Wednesday marched from Woodrow Wilson Plaza to SpaceX headquarters in Washington, DC in a “save our services” demonstration planned in part by the Federal Unionists Network.
• A federal court has ruled that President Trump cannot end birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
• The CIA dismissed intelligence officers for working on diversity issues. Many of these intelligence officers are now challenging their dismissals.
• Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Caleb Vitello was dismissed after ICE arrests slowed down in the US.
• President Trump also fired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Air Force General CQ Brown Jr. on Friday.
• The Trump administration suspended an Agriculture Department scholarship program at many historically Black colleges (HBCUs).
• A federal judge allowed the Trump administration to continue dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
• A New York and a Virginia federal judge blocked the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to sensitive Treasury Department data.
• New York City sued the federal government after it took $80 million out of the city’s bank accounts that were supposed to help pay for migrant services.
• A judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out certain anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion directives.
• Hamas released six Israeli hostages from Gaza on Saturday, the last ones set to be freed in the first phase of the cease-fire deal agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas.

Arts and Entertainment:

• Actress Lynne Marie Stewart passed away this Friday after an unexpected illness.

Sports News:

• American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin won her 100th skiing World Cup race this Sunday, tying with Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark for the all-time World Cup record for men and women.

Local News:

• The University of Cincinnati confirmed that some bathroom signs on campus were changed to read “biological men” and “biological women.”
• On Thursday, police responded to a shooting in Hamilton County. One person, a 13-year-old boy named Izrael Bishop, was shot. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Good News:

• Jackie and Shadow, two bald eagles in California, are expecting triplets!

This Week in History:

• Monday, February 17 was the day Kosovo declared its independence in 2008.
• Tuesday, February 18 marks the day Clyde Tombaugh discovered the then-planet Pluto in 1930. Today, Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet.
• Wednesday, February 19 was the day Thomas Edison patented the phonograph in 1878.
• Thursday, February 20 was the day 15-year-old Tara Lipinski won the gold medal in women’s figure skating in 1998 at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, becoming the youngest gold medalist in her sport.
• Friday, February 21 was the day the US authorized the minting of $3 gold pieces.
• Saturday, February 22 was the day George Washington, the first president of the US, was born in 1732 according to the Gregorian calendar.
• Sunday, February 23 was the day the first Gutenberg Bible was published in 1455.