DEI Crackdown, TPS Rollback, and the AI You Call a Friend

A dangerous weather system marches east as we unpack a whirlwind of legal, cultural, and emotional shifts: the DOJ launches a crackdown on DEI programs in universities, the Supreme Court clears the way for deporting 350,000 Venezuelans with TPS, and Sesame Street finds a new home on Netflix. In our Ripple Effects segment, we explore the rise of AI companionship—what it offers, what it replaces, and what it says about our modern loneliness. Plus, a Morning Whisper about noticing the spaces between thoughts in a world full of noise.