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The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, as the United States Attorney General on Thursday, just hours after his other option, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from the list of candidates. PUBLICIDAD Bondi is a long-time ally of Trump and was one of his attorneys during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused —but not convicted— of abusing his power by attempting to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine in exchange for that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. PUBLICIDAD Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump in his criminal trial in New York for hush money, which ended in May with a guilty plea on 34 felony charges. She has served as the chair of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank established by former members of the Trump administration. “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been used against me and other Republicans. That ends now,” declared Trump in a social media post. “Pam will refocus the department on its original purpose of fighting crime and making America safe again.” Donald Trump Jr., the son of Trump, told Fox Business on Sunday that the transition team had alternatives in mind for their controversial nominees in case they failed to be confirmed. The swift selection of Bondi occurred about six hours after Gaetz withdrew. That announcement capped a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to leverage his decisive electoral victory to force Republican senators to accept controversial selections such as that of Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being selected last week to lead it. The decision could increase scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including the Pentagon candidate, Pete Hegseth, who faces accusations of sexual assault that he denies. "Although the impulse was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unjustly becoming a distraction for the crucial work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz, a Republican from Florida who met with senators a day earlier in an attempt to gain their support, said in a statement. "There is no time to waste in an unnecessarily prolonged dispute in Washington, so I will withdraw my name from the list of those considered to serve as Attorney General. The Trump Department of Justice must be established and ready from day one," he added. Hours later, Gaetz posted on social media that he hopes to "continue the fight to save our country," and added, "Maybe from a different position." In a social media post, Trump said: "Aprecio mucho los recientes empeños de Matt Gaetz con el fin de buscar la aprobación para ser secretario de Justicia. Lo estaba haciendo muy bien pero, al mismo tiempo, no quería ser una distracción para el gobierno, por el cual tiene mucho respeto. ¡Matt tiene un futuro maravilloso, y espero ver todas las grandes cosas que hará!". Last week, Trump appointed personal attorneys Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and D. John Sauer to high positions in the department. On Wednesday, it was announced that Matt Whitaker, another potential contender for Attorney General, will be the United States ambassador to NATO. Bondi has also been loyal to Trump for a long time. She has openly criticized the criminal cases against Trump, as well as Jack Smith, the special prosecutor who indicted Trump in two federal cases. In a radio appearance, Bondi criticized Smith and other prosecutors who have charged Trump, calling them "horrible" people who, she said, were trying to make a name for themselves by “attacking Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.” If the Republican-led Senate confirms her, Bondi would instantly become one of the most closely watched members of Trump's cabinet, given the Republican's desire to retaliate against those he considers his adversaries, and the concern among Democrats that she will seek to bend the Department of Justice to his will. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only granted broad immunity to former presidents but also reaffirmed the exclusive authority of a sitting president over the investigative functions of the Department of Justice. Bondi would inherit a Department of Justice that is expected to change drastically regarding civil rights, enforcing companies to comply with the law, and the trials of hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot in the United States, whom Trump has promised to pardon. It is unlikely that Bondi will be confirmed in time to coincide with Smith, who presented two federal indictments against Trump expected to conclude before the incoming president takes office. Special prosecutors are expected to draft reports on their work that historically are made available to the public, but it remains unclear when such a document could be released. In 2013, while serving as Florida's attorney general, Bondi publicly apologized for requesting a delay in the execution of a man convicted of murder because it coincided with a campaign fundraising event. Bondi said she was wrong and regretted having asked then-Governor Rick Scott to postpone the execution of Marshall Lee Gore for three weeks. Before running for state attorney general in 2010, Bondi worked for the state attorney's office in Hillsborough County. Lo siento, pero no has proporcionado ningún artículo para traducir. Por favor, proporciona el texto que deseas que traduzca al inglés, y estaré encantado de ayudarte. The journalists from The Associated Press Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick, and Adriana Gómez Licón contributed to this report. Sure! Please provide the text you need to be translated. This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.Members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday expressed support for a bill seeking to establish the Federal College of Education, Afon, Kwara State. The bill, sponsored by the member representing Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency, Hon. Mukhtar Tolani Shagaya, scaled through the Second Reading on the floor of the House. The proposed legislation was first read in the Green Chamber on July 25, 2023. READ ALSO: Immigration reforms will ease entry, exit – Tinubu In his lead debate, Shagaya observed a glaring inequity in the nation’s educational system. He lamented that Kwara State, despite its strategic location and rich cultural and educational heritage, remains without a Federal College of Education. This, according to the lawmaker, is in stark contrast to the progress made in several other states, adding that the disparity leaves Kwara underserved in the area of teacher training and professional development. “Out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara is among the minority that lacks a federal institution dedicated to training teachers. This is a critical gap that we must address to ensure equitable access to quality education for all Nigerians,” he argued. READ ALSO: Newly named Syria PM calls for ‘stability and calm’ He said if established, the institution would provide equitable access to teacher training and education. He also argued that locating the institution in Afon would bring quality teacher training closer to the underserved populations of Kwara and its neighbouring states. “By addressing educational inequalities and strengthening teacher quality, this institution aligns with the ERGP’s goals of inclusive growth and human capital development. “Mr. Speaker, the people of Afon are eager and ready to host this institution. READ ALSO: Nigerian celebrities who died in 2024 “In my engagements with the community, they have demonstrated their commitment to support the establishment of the College of Education. This gesture emphasizes their understanding of the transformative impact such an institution will have on their lives and their future. “Mr. Speaker, Honorable Colleagues, the establishment of the Federal College of Education, Afon, Kwara State, is not just a matter of equity but also a critical investment in our nation’s future. This Bill seeks to address the shortage of qualified teachers, reduce educational inequality, and enhance the overall quality of education in Nigeria,” he added.
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Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, March 22, 2014. AP-Yonhap Malaysia's government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a U.S. company to renew the hunt for flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday. Loke said Cabinet ministers gave the nod at their meeting last week for Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to continue the seabed search operation at a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean next year. “The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible,” he said in a statement. The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed. An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues, although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing. Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered, Loke said. He said his ministry will finalize negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025. The firm has indicated that January-April is the best period for the search, he said. “This decision reflects the government’s commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers,” he added. Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett earlier this year reportedly said the the company had improved its technology since 2018. He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyze data and narrow the search area to the most likely site. (AP) This photo taken on March 7, 2015 shows Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creating a sand sculpture of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Puri beach in eastern Odisha state. AFP-YonhapBUENOS AIRES (AP) — Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario. The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday. Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires. Thiago's mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend. Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamín Suárez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez, Messi's teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami. Messi and Suárez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami's U13 team against Unión at the same sports complex. The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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: Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Tuesday branded his successor Donald Trump's economic plans a "disaster" in a speech hailing his own legacy in office. Biden said Trump's threats to impose huge tariffs on imports were a "major mistake" and urged the Republican to abandon proposed tax cuts. The lame-duck president's speech comes after Trump won a second term largely on the back of US voters' anger at the high cost of living under the Democrats. "I pray to God the president-elect throws away Project 2025. I think it'd be an economic disaster for us and the region," Biden said in his speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, referring to a conservative blueprint for a second Trump administration. Coughing frequently because of a cold, Biden said US consumers would pay the price for the tariffs that Trump has vowed to slap on US neighbors Mexico and Canada and on Asia-Pacific rival China. Together they are the three biggest US trading partners. "I believe this approach is a major mistake," Biden added. - Shadow president - ==================== The White House had touted Biden's speech as a "major address on his economic legacy" as the 82-year-old looks to the history books with less than six weeks left in office. Biden dropped out of the 2024 race against Trump in July due to concerns about his age and passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Trump comfortably defeated at the November polls. Trump's inauguration is not until January 20 but he has already become something of a shadow president, making pronouncements on the economy and foreign policy and being feted by world leaders. Biden has meanwhile kept a relatively low profile since the November 5 election, but he came out swinging in defense of his own record in front of an audience of economists. He contrasted his "middle-out, bottom-up economic playbook" with what he called Trump's failed promise of "trickle-down economics" in which tax cuts for the wealthy are supposed to boost incomes across the board. Biden also touted achievements including the US economy's recovery from the Covid pandemic and his huge investments in green technology and industry. "President-elect Trump is receiving the strongest economy in modern history, which is the envy of the world," said Biden. But the departing president said he regretted not signing his own name to Covid stimulus checks sent out to Americans, like Trump had done. "I also learned something with Donald Trump. He signed checks for people for 7,400 bucks," he said. "And I didn't -- stupid!" Biden ended his speech with a broader plea for US leadership in a troubled world, even as Trump has repeatedly signaled his intention to take a more isolationist stance. "If we do not lead the world, what nation leads the world? Who pulls Europe together? Who tries to pull the Middle East together?"he said.