Jets' Aaron Rodgers Offers Important Update on Retirement Plans

Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to 96 months in federal prison for an attempted attack on the White House on May 22, 2023.

The cause of the wreck was not immediately made public; LSU officials did not provide additional comment since the freshman quarterback is a minor.

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.It’s often hard to discern, definitively, when one societal trend ends and a new one begins. But right now across the United States, one change couldn’t be clearer: Many DEI programs are sputtering or dying, and the anti-DEI movement is ascendant.Some people, especially but not limited to those on the right, have long viewed contemporary efforts to strengthen DEI practices as performative, meddlesome, or ineffective. In the past several weeks, though, with Donald Trump’s return drawing closer, the DEI opposition has been growing louder. What’s more, this newly emboldened anti-DEI bloc has also gained powerful allies.Many Americans might not have even been familiar with the concept of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) until the latter half of 2020, when, following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent nationwide protests against racism and police brutality, many corporations and universities scrambled to bolster their diversity efforts. DEI programs can involve hiring practices, but they also refer to company culture and everyday corporate decisions about how an organization is run. During the final months of the first Trump administration, some people in mainstream circles saw attacking DEI as akin to publicly displaying prejudice. Now, not even five years later, for a large swath of the country, the idea of DEI has become a catchall insult. DEI is part bogeyman, part always-there scapegoat for some combination of bureaucracy, overreach, or mediocrity.Last week, Trump’s current right-hand man, Elon Musk, blamed the historically destructive Southern California wildfires on DEI practices within the Los Angeles Fire Department. “They prioritized DEI over saving lives and homes,” Musk wrote on X, reposting a document related to the LAFD’s “racial equity action plan” for fiscal year 2020–21. The former Fox host Megyn Kelly likewise went after the LAFD, zeroing in on the organization’s female leadership and its first openly LGBTQ fire chief, Kristin Crowley, who is a 22-year veteran of the department: “Who takes comfort [in] ‘I’m going to die, but it’s in the presence of an obese lesbian’? This is ridiculous,” Kelly said on her podcast.The actor James Woods, who for a time thought he had lost his home in the Palisades fire, also brought up DEI while attacking Crowley. In a post on X, he highlighted a paragraph from her official bio on the department’s website regarding her commitment to “creating, supporting, and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity.” Those three words were all Woods needed to pounce: “Refilling the water reservoirs would have been a welcome priority, too, but I guess she had too much on her plate promoting diversity,” he wrote.In his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Mark Zuckerberg awkwardly praised “masculine energy” and lamented that “a lot of the corporate world is pretty culturally neutered.” His company, Meta, just confirmed that it intends to scuttle certain DEI programs. Zuckerberg’s Rogan interview, like his cozying up to Trump, is part of a careful calibration, one in which the issue of DEI is top of mind. Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, reportedly told Zuckerberg late last year that the 47th president is intent on going to war against DEI culture in corporate America. Zuckerberg apparently got the message. In an internal memo obtained by Axios, Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, explicitly said that “the legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing.”Whether or not you agree with Meta’s decisions about how to run the company, Gale is correct that the landscape is shifting. At the start of the year, McDonald’s announced that it was scrapping its “aspirational representational goals.” Shortly after Trump’s electoral victory, Walmart said that it planned to end its racial-equity training programs for staff and was reevaluating DEI goals around suppliers. But it’s not just the tech bros or corporate behemoths. Last month, the University of Michigan announced that it would end the practice of requiring diversity statements as a component of faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. The change came following an extensive New York Times Magazine investigation that argued that the school’s costly investment (roughly a quarter of a billion dollars) in DEI initiatives had all but failed.The battle over DEI will likely get uglier. Hasty policy changes in either direction are unlikely to yield the best results. But one thing that’s obvious is that the onset of post-DEI culture has already taken hold in certain realms. A recent Financial Times story cited an unnamed “top banker” who felt “liberated” and excited at the prospect of no longer having to self-censor. “We can say ‘retard’ and ‘pussy’ without the fear of getting cancelled,” the banker said. “It’s a new dawn.”Related: Does med school have a DEI problem? The real “DEI” candidates Here are four new stories from The Atlantic: Nancy Walecki: “The place where I grew up is gone.” A Gaza deal closed, but no closure Elon Musk imagined a cover-up. America just kinda, sorta banned cigarettes. Today’s News Israel’s cabinet is not expected to vote until at least tomorrow on the cease-fire deal with Hamas, which would include a hostage and prisoner exchange, according to Israeli officials. Senate confirmation hearings were held today for some of Donald Trump’s nominees, including Doug Burgum for secretary of interior and Scott Bessent for secretary of the Treasury. In President Joe Biden’s farewell address last night, he warned against an “oligarchy taking shape in America” and the threat it poses to democracy. Dispatches The Weekly Planet: The endless plastic in American homes makes modern house fires burn hotter, faster, and more toxic than their predecessors, Zoë Schlanger reports. Time-Travel Thursdays: The raw-milk debate is but one flash point in the nation’s ongoing dairy drama, Yasmin Tayag writes. Explore all of our newsletters here.Evening Read Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Sources: Getty; Shutterstock. Is Moderate Drinking Okay?By Derek Thompson Like millions of Americans, I look forward to a glass of wine—sure, occasionally two—while cooking or eating dinner. I strongly believe that an ice-cold pilsner on a hot summer day is, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, suggestive evidence that a divine spirit exists and gets a kick out of seeing us buzzed. But, like most people, I understand that booze isn’t medicine. Read the full article.More From The Atlantic The right way to look for a new job The internet we have, and the one we want The internet is TikTok now. Brace for foreign-policy chaos. A sweeping January 6 pardon is an attack on the judiciary. Culture Break Illustration by Vartika Sharma Read. Pagan Kennedy’s new book, The Secret History of the Rape Kit, doubles as an account of the largely unknown history of the rape kit’s real inventor, Sheila McClear writes.Examine. Many Americans used to think that getting married and having children were essential to living “happily ever after.” But that calculus has shifted, Stephanie H. Murray reports.Play our daily crossword.Stephanie Bai contributed to this newsletter.When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

The Department of Justice this week released a final report on violent crime statistics for the Biden administration as President-elect Trump prepares to take office next week.

Cameron Diaz returned to acting after a 10-year break from Hollywood in Netflix's "Back in Action" alongside former co-star Jamie Foxx.

Rocket debris from a SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy booster was spotted in the sky after a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers warns senators about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s intellect as his confirmation process looms in Washington.

In a rare move, the FTC issued a statement that revealed it referred a complaint against Snap to the DOJ, alleging an AI-powered chatbot is harmful to users.

With the Mets and Pete Alonso still far apart monetarily and a parting looking likely now, the Mets may well stay internal for the starting infield spot.

Mel Gibson tells Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo that he feels "stripped down" from the Los Angeles wildfires as he blames elected officials for "monumental mismanagement."

While the Starship is lost, the mission's first-stage booster successfully returned to the launch tower, where it was caught by the tower's robotic arms.

The network came under fire over not broadcasting two moments on its Sugar Bowl broadcast a day after a terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured over two dozen more.

A sitting Georgia state senator was shoved to the ground and taken into custody Thursday for flouting orders not to enter the House chamber during Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State address.

Two months after she was recalled as Oakland mayor, Sheng Thao has reportedly been criminally indicted by a federal grand jury, a blow to a city whose voters have made it clear they are fed up with crime and government dysfunction.

A new poll showed Kemp leading Ossoff in the key battleground state's 2026 Senate race.

It seems as if Alex Bregman's days with the Houston Astros are over which could mean he ends up signing with an American League powerhouse.

Officials said Hurley wasn’t suspected of being impaired and the cause of the crash was still under investigation.

Our columnist remembers his time with the late filmmaker, who famously loathed dissecting his work — but hung on to a Boy Scout ethos one couldn't help but love.

Taylor Swift says she's donated to 10 organizations amid the wildfires in Southern California.

Montreal's youngster is making things interesting for rookie of the year.

The 'America's Got Talent' season 11 winner celebrated her big day with a series of photos and videos.

NASCAR's stricter 2025 waiver rule, which penalizes drivers missing races for non-medical reasons by forfeiting all playoff points, has sparked debate.

Eight teams remain...

Visitors heading to Disney World this weekend may want to prepare for the possibility of rain.

Move over, Abby Lee Miller.

Age is clearly just a number to Novak Djokovic, who is now just one match away from securing a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title after the Serb beat Italy's Jannik Sinner in straight sets, winning 6-3 6-4 7-6 in Friday's first men's semifinal.

Amid a four-game losing streak, Mick Cronin acknowledges that the Bruins haven't adjusted well to Big Ten play. Cronin wants to see more fight from his players.

“In recent weeks, the FBI took steps to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), effective by December 2024,” the bureau said in a statement provided to The Post. 

TikTok users are searching for a new home. Are there any good ones left?

Want to cure a liberal? Ship them to California.

A New York sheriff's office said detaining a child who was mistaken for a stolen vehicle suspect was "lawful and reasonable."

President-elect Trump announced multiple picks for his new administration on Thursday afternoon.

The Mets made what they perceived as a last-ditch effort to sign Pete Alonso and when that was rejected began their pivot away from their slugging first baseman, The Post has learned.

“Bring them home” has been the slogan of the hostage families in Israel since October 7, 2023.

Thousands are expected to come to D.C. on Saturday to protest president-elect Donald Trump and GOP policy priorities in advance of his inauguration.

ESPN's Burke Magnus addresses the backlash for failing to broadcast the national anthem ahead of the Sugar Bowl, saying it was a "horrible error."

Libudi, and three others, could be forced to forfeit money and several multimillion dollar homes located on Hibiscus Island and in the Caribbean.

No one ever was, or ever will be, like him.

Khalil al-Hayya also said the slaughter "will remain a source of pride for our people."

Toyota’s heavy-duty trucking unit was fined $1.6 billion on Wednesday over fraudulent emissions testing and other violations.

Award-winning cartoonist Darrin Bell was arrested Wednesday in California for possession of child pornography, some of which police say was AI-generated.

The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights. SpaceX had packed it with 10 dummy satellites for practice at releasing them. It was the first flight of this new and upgraded spacecraft.

Quinn Ewers is passing up on some big bucks to enter the NFL draft. 

The Philadelphia Phillies outfield has big question marks in left field and center field. Could they grab this former Yankees outfielder in free agency?

Hamas warned Israel that the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza could kill the remaining captives before the break-through cease-fire and hostage exchange deal even begins.

A WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE announcer have given their opinions on the Corey Graves NXT demotion controversy.

The Monkfish Liver product is being recalled in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York and New Jersey, the FDA said.

A new Fox News survey shows almost twice as many think the Biden administration has made the economy worse rather than better