Rosa Parks' legacy, supporting AIDS relief, the Endangered Species Act and finding safe haven.

On December 1, communities across the globe celebrated World AIDS Day to honor those lost and those fighting against an epidemic that has killed more than 44 million. But this year, the U.S. government decided not to mark the occasion, and the Trump administration has reportedly barred agencies from commemorating or participating. 

In addition, the administration has suspended some funding for its flagship AIDS relief program, a decision already hurting patients and halting critical projects globally. PEPFAR, formally called the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is estimated to have helped over 26 million people over the past two decades and prevented millions of HIV infections, particularly in Africa.

Here’s how you can take action to support access and care for those most vulnerable:

1. Follow the work of PEPFAR Watch, which is tracking administrative changes to access and care

2. Donate to organizations like Point of Pride and Immigration Equality that are providing care and resources for marginalized HIV positive communities.

Learn More:

• 10 groundbreaking advances that grew out of HIV research. A new Nature Medicine paper highlights how 40 years of HIV research reshaped far more than the fight against one virus. Duke >

• The criminalization of HIV is a form of state punishment. When wellness and resources are held hostage to punish marginalized communities, it only proliferates criminalization and vulnerability. Scalawag >

• Trump administration will no longer commemorate World AIDS Day. The State Department warned employees not to use government funds for the occasion and to “refrain from publicly promoting World AIDS Day through any communication channels.” NYTimes >

• A new trial put immune system-boosting therapies to the test to fight HIV, raising hopes for keeping the virus at bay. In the small study, seven out of ten participants maintained low levels of HIV for several months after receiving the experimental treatment and stopping their usual daily medications. Smithsonian >

• Aid cuts have shaken HIV/Aids care to its core – and will mean millions more infections ahead. Reports highlight devastating impact of slashed funding, especially in parts of Africa, that could lead to 3.3m new HIV infections by 2030. The Guardian >

National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump's birthday. The Trump administration, which has railed against what it describes as "woke" policies, removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from next year's list of fare-exempt days for visitors at dozens of national parks. NPR >

CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM

“Why Are Freed People Still in My Prison?” In Texas, when someone makes parole, they will only be released once they have an approved home. Many of us have nowhere to go, and no one to help us find somewhere. Inquest >

17 police bullets killed this North Carolina mom. A judge dismissed her family’s case. Within 30 minutes, Jada Elizabeth Johnson was shot and killed by a Fayetteville officer. Capital B News >

IMMIGRATION

Her baby was in the NICU. She was in ICE detention. Nayra Guzmán was arrested 15 days after the difficult birth of her daughter. Before Trump took office, postpartum immigrants were rarely detained by ICE. Prism >

U.S. citizens with Somali roots are carrying their passports amid the Minnesota ICE crackdown. ICE’s operation against Minnesota’s Somali community is seen not as an immigration raid but as a racist intimidation campaign. The Intercept >

Why New Orleans became Trump’s newest immigration target. Recent legal changes, a Trump-friendly governor and a large immigration detention infrastructure could make the New Orleans crackdown easier for the administration. Marshall Project >

GLOBAL NEWS

Israel is quietly expanding its occupation of Gaza under cover of “ceasefire.” For us here in Gaza, this ‘ceasefire’ is a fiction. The bombing has continued as Israel moves its Yellow Line.” Truthout >

Thousands of Gazans disabled by genocide still can’t access treatment. Shrapnel from a tank shell lodged near a nerve in my hand in 2024. It remains there, a reminder of what I have endured. Truthout >

Sudan's bloody civil war is worsening a major humanitarian crisis. Aid delivery remains extremely difficult in violence-ridden areas, where clashes continue between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. NBC News >

POLITICS

Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sanders join striking Starbucks workers’ picket. The leaders joined striking Starbucks workers on the picket line to demand a fair contract with its unionized workforce after years of delay tactics. Truthout >

University of Alabama suspends magazines focused on Black and women students. Student organizations have put out statements of support and have planned demonstrations following the suspension of Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice Magazines. 19th News >

HEALTHCARE

Sick in a Hospital Town. This multi-part series in ProPublica tells the story of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital — the dominant political and economic institution of Albany, Georgia–and the fallacies of American healthcare. ProPublica >

The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case involving faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey. The organization is hoping to block the state from investigating whether they misled women into believing the centers offered abortions. The case highlights an effort to crack down on so-called crisis pregnancy centers. PBS >

ENVIRONMENT

How the shutdown broke America’s food chain — and what happens next. Cash-strapped farmers, gaps in the public safety net, and food inspection backlogs could reshape who eats what in the years to come. Grist >

Plastics and the cost of convenience on Black communities. Louisiana’s Black communities are fighting to survive in a battle where every breath, every drop of water, and every patch of land is at stake. Capital B News >

The Endangered Species Act is under attack, again. Experts have determined that wolves are a crucial part of the ecosystem and need not only to be protected, but reintroduced across the country. The latest cuts by the Trump administration may threaten that. Atmos >

As California limits water use, people in prison face punishment for showering. Incarcerated Californians are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis — and the state’s water restrictions. Truthout >