Overview

• Trump’s January 7 executive order renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restored Denali’s name to Mount McKinley for federal use.
• Internal emails show the USGS public affairs office told employees to offer no response to any journalist questions about the change.
• USGS director Michael Tischler even reached out to the State Department to clarify whether the entire gulf would be renamed or partially split between the old and new names.
• The Society of Professional Journalists criticized the refusal to engage with reporters, calling the tactic unacceptable stonewalling.
• A House-passed bill to codify the renaming now faces likely defeat in the Senate, and international mapmakers continue to use the original place names.