Southwest Airlines Announces First-Ever Layoffs, Slashing 15% of Workforce

A recent investigation by WIRED has revealed that the Animal Agriculture Alliance (AAA), a key trade group for the U.S. agricultural sector, has conducted extensive surveillance on animal rights activists, working with the FBI to portray them as a “bioterrorism” threat. According to records obtained by the nonprofit Property of the People, the AAA has been providing intelligence to federal agents about organizations like Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) since at least 2018. This collaboration reportedly involves infiltrating activist meetings and gathering evidence to label their actions as extremist and dangerous. Zoe Rosenberg, an animal rights investigator with DxE, highlighted the troubling relationship between law enforcement and private industry, emphasizing that investigators focused on animal cruelty should have priority in discussions with authorities. The FBI's involvement has included issuing intelligence memos about activists, but several law enforcement agencies, such as the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, have disputed claims that activists pose significant biosecurity risks. The AAA has denied having a formal relationship with the FBI, stating that their communications are purely for maintaining a secure food system. Critics assert that this partnership risks civil liberties and public health by prioritizing industry interests over transparency and accountability in animal welfare.

A newly detected COVID variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has reached the United States, accounting for approximately 10% of global SARS-CoV-2 sequences, according to recent surveillance data. The variant, first identified in China in January 2025, significantly increased from 2.5% just a month prior. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported identifying only 20 cases of NB.1.8.1 in the U.S. so far, which is below the threshold for official reporting on the agency's dashboard. Despite concerns regarding the variant's transmissibility due to new mutations on its spike protein, infectious disease specialists, including Dr. Zachary Hoy, emphasize that symptoms remain similar to those of previous COVID variants, which include a dry cough, nasal congestion, and fatigue. Experts believe vaccines may still provide protection against severe illness caused by NB.1.8.1, as it is derived from the Omicron lineage targeted by current vaccinations. The World Health Organization has stated there is no evidence of increased severity or higher hospitalization rates associated with the variant.

Aasis Subedi, a Bhutanese Nepali refugee, has found himself back in a Nepalese refugee camp after being deported from the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Subedi and over two dozen others were sent back to Bhutan, a country they have never known, only to be expelled to India and then returned to the refugee camps in Nepal, where he is now stateless, according to Global Press Journal. This situation stems from decades of ethnic cleansing by the Bhutanese government, which stripped tens of thousands of Bhutanese Nepalis of their citizenship in the 1980s. The Trump administration's policies have compounded the difficulties faced by the community, causing fear among immigrants about their future in the U.S. Robin Gurung of Asian Refugees United noted that returning to Bhutan poses significant risks to the safety of community members. Many deported individuals, like Subedi, had served their time for prior convictions but are now left without legal protection in a familiar yet foreign environment. In Reynoldsburg, Ohio, where many Bhutanese Nepalis have resettled, community leaders like Bhuwan Pyakurel express concern for local families worried about potential deportations and legal status. As immigrants play a vital role in revitalizing local economies, uncertainty looms over their future in the U.S.