From CNN, I'm Charlie Draper with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, January 22. Federal health advisories to the public are being put on hold by the new Trump administration. Sources within health agencies say the order to pause external communications was given to staff yesterday, which includes regular scientific reports and updates to websites. CNN Health's Mick Tyrell has more about what this pause means for the public.
Hi, Charlie. We're told that this pause in communications applies to all agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, and it means no media interviews, no social media, no press releases, no newsletters. And of course, these agencies are responsible for communications about new drug approvals, about food recalls, about infectious disease threats, including the bird flu. And the sources that we talked to said they weren't told how long this pause would last, or the reason for pause.
And of course, it comes as we are waiting to see when the confirmation hearings will be scheduled for President Trump's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his confirmation hearings have not yet been scheduled. DEI employees and the federal government have been put on paid administrative leave, effective immediately. That's according to a memo sent out by the US Office of Personnel Management, which has told agencies they must let their staff who handle government diversity programs know by the end of the day today.
Before taking office, President Donald Trump promised to slash these roles. We're going to stop the destructive and divisive diversity, equity and inclusion mandates all across the government and private sector in return our country to the merit system. Critics say the programs try to solve racial discrimination at the disadvantage of other groups, particularly white Americans. But industry experts insist the decades old practice is being politicized and is misunderstood.
Turkey's President has declared a day of mourning today, as the death toll from yesterday's ski resort fire rises to at least 76. Dozens more are injured, and when I went as told CNN Turk, vacations desperately tried to escape. We woke up to screaming, we woke up to shouting, we could only see smoke in the building at first, then when the flames appeared, people all of a sudden started to jump with panic. They tried to climb down using bed sheets to bed sheets ripped as one person was trying to climb down.
Many of the dead are believed to be children, with reports that some are as young as 10 or 11 years old. Eyewitnesses said that the hotel fire detection system failed, and another eyewitness told CNN Turk that there were, quote, no fire extinguishers around. The Turkish government has launched an investigation into the blaze, and the country's interior minister says at least nine people have been detained. The US and UN have strongly urged Thailand not to deport a group of detained Uighurs to China, following reports that this might happen.
Uighurs are a largely Muslim ethnic minority group from Western China. The UN has accused Beijing of serious human rights violations against the Uighurs, while the US and other countries have labeled the Chinese repression of the group as a genocide. A voice note from one of the 48-weeker men detained in Bangkok since 2014 after crossing the border to escape persecution in China, says that they've been on hunger strike for the past 12 days, protesting against deportation. Thai officials have denied plans to deport the men.
Prince Harry's lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's company is over. That's next. Square note that in hospitality, efficiency is everything. That's why the system lets you take payments, track sales, handle inventory, manage staff, send invoices and keep up with finances all in one place, flight to orders with zero mistakes, get the data you need, and keep everything working together.
So you're ready for whatever's next. Learn more about their customizable plans at SquareUp.com. Prince Harry's years-long legal battle against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group took an unexpected turn this morning. Shortly before the trial over allegations of unlawful information gathering was set to get underway, the two sides announced that they had settled.
With Harry's lawyer claiming it as a win. Today the lies are laid bare. Today the cover-ups are exposed, and today proves that no one stands above the law. The time for accountability has arrived.
The newsgroup newspapers, publishers of the British tabloids the Sun, and now shut down news of the world, were sued over claims that were generalists and private investigators working for them, had targeted him and his family between 1996 and 2011, a statement read out on behalf of the publisher apologized to the prince, quote, for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information. That's all for now. Our next episode drops at Newniston.