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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu Feb 27 2025

Jane Onyanga-Omara | Audience Editor

The Supreme Court paused a judge's order requiring the Trump administration to pay its foreign aid contractors. Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead in their home. DEI rollbacks are having a direct impact on the careers of Black Americans.

👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Honorees of USA TODAY's 2025 Women of the Year will be announced Thursday, recognizing women across the country inspiring the next generation.

SCOTUS pauses judge's order requiring USAID pay foreign aid contractors

Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday granted the Trump administration's emergency request to pause a judge's order requiring the government to pay foreign assistance dollars to organizations that contract with or receive grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.

Arriving hours before the lower court's midnight deadline, Robert's order was the first time the Supreme Court has intervened as judges have temporarily blocked the White House from taking huge steps to reshape the government and consolidate power.

•	The Trump administration told the Supreme Court Wednesday night it is committed to paying "legitimate claims" but complying with a federal judge's order midnight deadline was "not logistically or technically feasible."
•	Roberts agreed to put the order on hold and told the grant recipients waiting for their funding to tell the court by Friday why the order should go forward.

Actor Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa, found dead, local media reports

Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead in their home in New Mexico, the Santa Fe New Mexican website said on Thursday. The website quoted Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza as saying the couple had died along with their dog, and that there was no immediate indication of foul play. Hackman was an intense character actor who won Academy Awards for the violent 1971 drug saga "The French Connection" and the 1992 western "Unforgiven." The former Marine appeared in more than 80 films, as well as on television and the stage. Read more

Gene Hackman, winner, Actor (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) and Jane Fonda, winner, Actress (KLUTE), backstage at the 1971 (44th) Academy Awards ceremony.

Courtesy of the Academy

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What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Texas child dies in first US measles death since 2015

Texas authorities on Wednesday announced the first measles death in the state's outbreak of the highly contagious disease. The victim, an unvaccinated school-age child, is the first measles fatality in the U.S. since 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a Cabinet meeting Wednesday at the White House, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said two deaths had been reported in the outbreak. Later on Wednesday, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the CDC, which is part of HHS, was aware of one death, adding "our thoughts are with the family." Read more

How Trump's DEI attacks are reversing gains for Black workers

One month after George Floyd's murder in 2020, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched an initiative to address America's racial divides. The message: "Equality of opportunity" is everybody's business. But shortly before President Donald Trump took office in January, the campaign vanished. As the Trump administration moves to dismantle corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the private sector, the Chamber of Commerce and companies across America are accelerating efforts to jettison DEI programs. The rollbacks are having a direct impact on the careers of Black Americans and on the diversity of executive suites, a new USA TODAY analysis shows.

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NFL makes switch to technology for first down measurement system

Goodbye, chain gang. Hello, technology. The NFL will make a 21st century approach to its first down measurement system for the 2025 season, getting rid of the chain gang and instead going with a technology tracking system. Starting in the upcoming season, the NFL will use Hawk-Eye virtual measurement to determine the line to gain and it will be the primary method for measurements. The chain gang, which has been used for practically the entire lifetime of football, will still be on the sidelines, but will be used as a secondary method to determine the distance. Read more

Photo of the day: USAID humanitarian efforts in limbo

USAID delivers billions of dollars in humanitarian aid and foreign assistance to dozens of countries. President Donald Trump ordered a pause on foreign aid on his first day in office, throwing humanitarian relief efforts into chaos. The administration is cutting more than 90% of USAIDs foreign aid contracts and over $58 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, a State Department spokesperson said. See the USAID humanitarian efforts that are now in limbo.