The Pentagon announced Friday it was severing ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships, and certificate programs with the Ivy League institution, according to NPR News. This decision, made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, marks the latest development in the Trump administration's ongoing dispute with Harvard over the White House's demands for reforms. Simultaneously, former President Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism for sharing a video on his Truth Social account that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, as reported by Time.
The Pentagon's decision, as stated by Secretary Hegseth, reflects a belief that Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the" military, according to NPR News. The announcement came amid other developments involving Trump. The former president's Board of Peace is set to hold its first meeting on February 19, where they will discuss the next stage of a ceasefire in Gaza and fundraising for the reconstruction of the destroyed territory, according to Time. The board's initial members include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Argentina, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The video shared by Trump, which was deleted from his account on Friday, included an AI-generated clip set to the song "The Lions Sleep Tonight" that featured images of the Obamas' faces imposed on the bodies of apes in a jungle setting, according to Time. The clip was part of a longer video promoting conspiracy theories about voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election. This depiction of the Obamas as apes is in line with a centuries-old racist trope, according to Time.
In other news, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros. merger and President Trump's possible role in the deal. When asked by Variety if it made him nervous when the President says he's watching the deal, Sarandos answered, "Look, I think he has a keen interest in the entertainment business. He knows about the entertainment business, and he really does care about the health of the industry, the American industry generally, but I think particularly the entertainment industry," according to Variety.
Meanwhile, a study published in Nature News revealed that oil- and gas-producing regions in the continental United States are emitting up to five times more methane than companies are reporting to government regulators.
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