Stockholm City Council rejects US Embassy demands to end DEI programming
It's the latest in U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to terminate such programs within the federal government — and beyond — in what he described in his inauguration speech as a move to end efforts to 'socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.'
Countries and cities across Europe have received similar outreach from U.S. embassies, including France, Belgium and the city of Barcelona, all of which lashed out at the U.S. efforts to expand its anti-DEI policies to the continent.
In an email to the city's planning office, dated April 29, the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm asked that Stockholm officials sign a certification that their contractors do not operate any programs promoting DEI that would violate U.S. anti-discrimination law.
The city council said Friday that it will not comply with the embassy's demands or respond officially.
'We were really surprised, of course,' Jan Valeskog, vice mayor for city planning, told The Associated Press. 'We will not sign this document at all, of course not.'
Valeskog said that while the city wants to continue its good relationship with the embassy, it will follow Swedish law and city policies to include DEI practices.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
UCLA loses federal research funding in administration's ongoing fight with top universities
Race & ethnicityFacebookTweetLink Follow UCLA is the latest major institution of higher learning to see promised research funding snatched away by the Trump administration, the university's leader said in an open letter to students and faculty Thursday. 'This is not only a loss to the researchers who rely on critical grants,' wrote Chancellor Julio Frenk. 'It is a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health, and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do.' Grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are included in the suspensions, Frenk said, but did not provide an amount of how much funding is in peril. The Los Angeles Times reported that roughly $200 million in grants awarded to UCLA are being suspended, citing a partial list of suspended grants provided to them by a source. A spokesperson for the National Science Foundation declined to provide specific figures, saying grant awards are being suspended 'because they are not in alignment with current NSF priorities and/or programmatic goals.' 'We will not fund institutions that promote antisemitism,' said a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the National Institutes of Health. 'We will use every tool we have to ensure institutions follow the law.' The Trump administration has repeatedly cited antisemitism – especially in the context of contentious pro-Gaza protests on campuses – as a reason to deny promised funds to universities, including Harvard and Columbia. Harvard is fighting the funding decisions in court, while Columbia agreed to a settlement with the government that restored its grants. The funding cut comes days after the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced it found UCLA in violation of federal law by 'acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.' While the formal notice to UCLA said the federal government 'now seeks to enter into a voluntary resolution agreement,' Attorney General Pam Bondi sounded less conciliatory. 'DOJ will force UCLA to pay a heavy price for putting Jewish Americans at risk and continue our ongoing investigations into other campuses in the UC system,' Bondi said in a statement. It is not just the Trump administration that has tangled with UCLA over charges of antisemitism. A group of Jewish students filed suit against the university last June, saying the school allowed discrimination against Jews to flourish following Israel's military operation in Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks. The lawsuit said UCLA leaders waited days before responding to a group of pro-Palestinian protesters that refused to allow students to enter campus unless they agreed to 'a statement pledging their allegiance to the activists' views.' UCLA settled the lawsuit earlier this week for $6.45 million, with more than $2 million of the total going to designated 'organizations that combat antisemitism and support the UCLA Jewish community.' UCLA also agreed it is prohibited from 'knowingly allowing or facilitating the exclusion of Jewish students, faculty, and/or staff' from university programs and activities.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
US and Europe See Putin Reining In Russia's Unruly Hybrid War
US and European officials say they're seeing a decline in suspected Russian state-backed sabotage acts this year, evidence that President Vladimir Putin's security services may be reining in a hybrid warfare campaign that's been blamed for attacks across Europe. The drop-off in operations, which have involved Russian intelligence agents paying proxies to target civilian infrastructure and individuals, has been attributed to a range of factors, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive issues. A leading explanation is that Moscow may be tightening its grip on attacks entrusted to unreliable local criminals, some of which had got out of control and risked a major miscalculation, the people said.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Gov. Josh Shapiro joins lawsuit suing Trump Administration over gender-affirming care
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is joining with other state leaders to sue the Trump Administration over gender-affirming care after the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed several healthcare clinics and providers. More than 20 doctors and clinics that have been involved in transgender medical care were subpoenaed, and now Governor Shapiro is joining with 16 other Democratic officials suing the Trump Administration over restrictions for gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19. The federal lawsuit filed in Boston alleges that attempts to deny medically necessary healthcare to transgender people through an executive order are unlawful. According to the Department of Justice, however, these investigations include healthcare fraud, false statements, and more, saying those involved in performing these types of procedures on children will be held accountable. The lawsuit claims the Trump Administration is targeting these individuals, as well as alleging the administration has intimidated healthcare providers. It says this order is unlawful because there is no federal statute that bans providing care to minors. UPMC was among those subpoenaed along with others in Pennsylvania. "These actions have made it abundantly clear that our clinicians can no longer provide certain types of gender-affirming care without risk of criminal prosecution," a UPMC spokesperson told KDKA-TV. "This includes specific restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for individuals under 19." While it is unknown what will come from the lawsuit, UPMC has said they will continue to provide necessary healthcare within the bounds of the law.
