There's been a lot of attention on loneliness lately.

16% of Americans report feeling lonely all or most of the time.

The former Surgeon General even declared a loneliness epidemic.

On It's Been a Minute, we're launching a new series called All the Lonely People,

diving deep into how loneliness shows up in our lives and how our culture shapes it.

That's on the It's Been a Minute podcast on NPR.

Last month, an American Airlines passenger plane and U.S. Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River

here in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.

A day after the crash, President Trump held a press conference.

We're all searching for answers. The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe

intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical

conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiatives spelled out on the agency's website.

Can you imagine?

There's no evidence that the plane crash was caused by diversity, equity, and inclusion,

or DEI policies in the Federal Aviation Administration.

But Trump's remarks were in line with his administration's aggressive approach to undoing DEI programs across the federal government.

As of Tuesday, Trump has signed seven executive orders or proclamations related to DEI.

They include ending virtually all DEI programs in the federal government,

calling them illegal, and, quote, ending racial indoctrination in K-12 schooling. Despite the executive

orders not actually applying to them, a number of private companies and institutions are

following suit. Target, Google, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, and PBS are just a few now changing or eliminating

their DEI initiatives following Trump's orders. But what does DEI actually mean and what happens

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