Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, resigned on Thursday, June 30, 2026, following revelations of a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, members of Germany's far-right AfD Party are set to attend the Munich Security Conference after a ban, and the White House border czar announced the end of the Minnesota immigration crackdown. In other news, Costco continues to defy political pressure and maintain its DEI commitments, and the US Deputy Health Secretary discussed plans to increase human healthspan.
Ruemmler's resignation came after emails between her and Epstein surfaced, revealing a relationship where she described him as an "older brother" and downplayed his sex crimes, according to Fortune. Despite previously trying to distance herself from the correspondence, Ruemmler stepped down from her position as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs. While she has since called Epstein a "monster," her past relationship with him differed, Fortune reported.
The Munich Security Conference will see the attendance of members from Germany's far-right AfD Party on Friday, February 13, 2026, after a ban, according to NPR. The party's participation marks a shift in the conference's attendance policy.
In a separate development, the White House border czar, Tom Homan, announced that the Trump administration would end the Minnesota immigration crackdown, NPR reported. This announcement comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding is set to expire.
Costco has emerged as a high-profile example of a company defying political pressure regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, according to Fortune. While competitors like Target and Walmart have scaled back their DEI initiatives, Costco has largely maintained its commitments, even after the Trump administration turned such programs into a political target. Costco's board and new chief executive, Ron Vachris, have publicly reaffirmed the warehouse chain's DEI commitments over the past year.
Jim O'Neill, the US Deputy Health Secretary, discussed plans to increase human healthspan through longevity-focused research supported by ARPA-H, a federal agency dedicated to biomedical breakthroughs, according to MIT Technology Review. O'Neill also defended reducing the number of broadly recommended childhood vaccines, a move that has faced criticism. As the US Deputy Health Secretary, O'Neill oversees a department with a budget of over a trillion dollars.
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