from WNYC studios. I'm Brian Lerer. This is my daily politics podcast. It's Thursday, January 23rd.

Well, with so many Trump initiatives and orders in his first few days, we'll take another

close look at one of them right now. It's the halting of all

federal government diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and the removal from the federal

workforce of all employees who work on such programs. They were all being put on temporary

paid leave as of 5 p.m. yesterday, and the reporting on this is that they'll be reassigned if the

government has the right openings or laid off. One notable part of this is that Trump canceled a

nearly 60-year-old executive order from President Lyndon Johnson that required non-discrimination

and affirmative action by federal

contractors. It was one of Johnson's initiatives after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of

1964. Here is LBJ the following year.

You do not take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bringing up to the

starting line of a race and then say, you are free to compete with all the others, and still

justly believe that you have been completely fair.

But on Monday night, Trump canceled that executive order, saying this as he signed the

reversal.

Here's a big deal, merit.

Our country is going to be based on merit again.

Can you believe it?

So with more on this, and to help invite calls and texts from federal

workers and others is Russell Contreras, Justice and Race Reporter, at Axios, who's been on this story.

Russell, thanks for coming on with us. Welcome to WNYC. Good to be with you, brother.

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