Military members worry new grooming policy will lead to discrimination

By Steve Walsh

Published November 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM EST

New military standards for grooming and appearance have some worried about religious and racial discrimination, particularly the guidance that men must be clean shaven.

Steve Walsh

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

NPR News

House lawmakers force a vote on bill to restore federal workers' bargaining rights

Andrea Hsu

House lawmakers have collected enough signatures to force a vote on a bill that would nullify President Trump's executive order terminating collective bargaining rights for most federal workers.
As more Catholic churches close, Philadelphia is trying something new

Buffy Gorrilla

The Catholic Church is facing aging congregations, fewer priests and financial strain. In many places, this has meant closing parishes. But in Philadelphia, they're trying something different.
Grassroots resistance swells in the wake of the immigration crackdown in Chicago

Odette Yousef

Chicago is no longer the main focus of the federal immigration crackdown. For one neighborhood group, the intense enforcement activity was a test of resistance tactics they developed eight years ago.
Making sense of Trump's trade deal announcements — and how they impact the economy

Danielle Kurtzleben

President Trump has been announcing new trade deals with foreign countries. But these frameworks are NOT binding — leaving businesses with lots of uncertainty.
The AI industry is booming. Is this massive bubble about to burst?

Maria Aspan

Is the trillion-dollar AI investment boom completely irrational? Google head Sundar Pichai thinks so, telling the BBC that there are "elements of irrationality" — yet Wall Street continues to invest.