Army and Air Force libraries are ordered to review books for DEI material

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Army and Air Force libraries are ordered to review books for DEI material

2025-04-16 07:59 Last Updated At：08:11

WASHINGTON (AP) — Army and Air Force libraries have been told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to new memos obtained by The Associated Press.

The orders from service leaders come about two weeks after the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to get rid of those that promote DEI.

The latest Army and Air Force orders are part of the Trump administration’s far-reaching efforts to purge so-called DEI content from federal agencies.

The memos suggest that any removal of books will only happen after the initial lists are reviewed more closely. That slower pace may reflect a desire to be more careful about what books are pulled from shelves after the Navy faced criticism over some of those it removed.

Books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, as well as Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” were among the 381 books that were removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Nimitz Library.

The Army memo was sent to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, the Army War College in Pennsylvania and several other service departments. It says they must review their collections and any books promoting DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory “in a manner that subverts meritocracy and unity" must be removed “pending additional guidance.”

The memo — signed by Derrick Anderson, acting assistant Army secretary for manpower — says a list must be provided to the Army's chief librarian by Wednesday. The order also applies to libraries under the authority of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, Army Special Operations Command and the Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School.

The Air Force memo, meanwhile, directs the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, to review all of its titles for anything related to DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory. The school must provide an interim list by April 30 and a final list by May 30.

That memo was signed by Gwendolyn DeFilippi, the acting assistant secretary for manpower, and did not specify other libraries within the Air Force.

The three military academies had not been included in President Donald Trump’s executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade in schools that receive federal funding. That is because the academies are colleges.

But when Pentagon leaders realized that gap, they initially ordered the Naval Academy to review and remove books and soon after gave the same directive to the other services.

In a statement, the Air Force said the academy is “conducting a deliberate review” of the library to comply with department policies.

Army Col. Terry Kelley, West Point spokesman, said the school “will complete the directed review with the utmost professionalism and efficiency.”

Hegseth has aggressively pushed the department to erase DEI programs and online content, but the campaign has been met with questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages.

In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light.

Gunman in racist attack at a Texas Walmart pleads guilty and families confront him in court

2025-04-22 05:47 Last Updated At：05:50

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Maribel Hernandez and her husband, Leonardo Campos, were shopping at a Walmart in a Texas border city in 2019 when a gunman who wanted to stop what he believed was a Hispanic invasion opened fire, killing them and 21 others.

On Monday, Hernandez's daughter, Yvonne Loya Gonzalez, spoke directly to the gunman, Patrick Crusius, after he pleaded guilty to capital murder in the El Paso massacre: “Their absence in my life has left a deep void in my heart."

The statements by family members and victims that began Monday afternoon are expected to continue through Wednesday. Some, including Gonzalez, told Crusius they have forgiven him.

“I have no more room for hate in my heart,” she said.

Crusius, a white 26-year-old community college dropout, did not address the families while accepting the plea deal, which he made after local prosecutors agreed to take the death penalty off the table. He had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms on federal hate crime charges. His accepting of the plea agreement ends six years of efforts to punish him by state and federal authorities.

Crusius, who wore a striped jumpsuit, shackles and a protective vest during the hearing, drove more than 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) from his home near Dallas to carry out the shooting on Aug. 3, 2019.

"You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives and to shatter a community that had done nothing but stand for kindness, unity and love. You slaughtered fathers, mothers, sons and daughters,” State District Judge Sam Medrano said.

“Now as you begin the rest of your life locked away, remember this: your mission failed,” he continued. “You did not divide this city, you strengthened it. You did not silence its voice, you made it louder. You did not instill fear, you inspired unity. El Paso rose, stronger and braver.”

Medrano sentenced Crusius to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

While one of his lawyers, Joe Spencer, told the court, "We offer our deepest condolences,” Crusius did not explicitly apologize Monday for his actions.

Crusius also pleaded guilty Monday to 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which were enhanced with violence and prejudice findings, in relation to the 22 people who were injured but survived the shooting. He was sentenced to 22 additional life sentences on those counts.

“Patrick will leave prison only in a coffin on God’s time,” Spencer said.

Crusius has acknowledged he targeted Hispanics in the attack at the Walmart in the border city that was crowded with weekend shoppers from the U.S. and Mexico.

In a posting to an online message board just before the massacre, Crusius said the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” He said Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy.

On social media, he appeared consumed by the nation’s immigration debate. After the shooting, Crusius told officers he had targeted Mexicans.

Spencer told the court Crusius has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings. “His thinking became increasingly divorced from reality,” he said.

“We share this not as an excuse, but as part of the explanation for the inexplicable,” he said.

Before the attack, Crusius appears to have been consumed by the immigration debate, posting online in support of building a border wall and praising the hard-line border policies of President Donald Trump, who was in his first term at the time.

“He latched onto hateful rhetoric, particularly the dangerous and false narratives surrounding immigration being repeated in political discourse,” Spencer said.

Dozens of relatives of victims made also emotional statements during a similar hearing in federal court in 2023 that lasted for three days.

The people who were killed at Walmart ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to elderly grandparents. They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, a teacher, tradesmen including a former iron worker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.

Stengle contributed from Dallas.