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NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The 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 risk associated with some of 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 , 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 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 . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after 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 November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated 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. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that 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 no longer has 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 , Harley-Davidson, and . 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.Authorities in Pakistan launch operation to clear Khan supporters from capital
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There is optimism among Southern California defense contractors that the incoming presidential administration’s plans and policies will inject adrenaline into the local economy and generate hundreds of new jobs, especially with talk of strengthening the U.S. military. President-elect Donald Trump has publicly vowed to strengthen the country’s military by making it more efficient and through that find better ways to develop more defense products utilizing technology innovation. He has also said he will build up a larger naval fleet to compete with China. Just after winning the presidential election, Trump named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, founder of a pharmaceutical company, as co-leaders of a government efficiency initiative focused on cutting bureaucracy and waste in government. Many smaller tech firms, some of which have relationships with Musk’s Space X and Tesla, are hopeful the initiative could give them an edge over bigger defense companies with huge budgets. “The new administration is very passionate about countering China and they recognize the ability for the U.S. to outcompete China that manufacturing is probably the most important thing to counter that threat,” said Chris Power, CEO and founder of Hadrian Automation, a company based in Torrance that runs automated factories building defense products. “We haven’t been talking about reindustrializing the country in the last 10 years. Now, the vice president, a lot of the policymakers are hellbent on figuring out how to reindustrialize the U.S., both by investing in the country and also by creating an even playing field with China.” Power, an Australian who lives in Hermosa Beach and started his company just three years ago, was among hundreds who attended the 11th annual Regean National Defense Forum held over the weekend at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The event is an opportunity for representatives of defense and technology companies to rub shoulders and exchange ideas with lawmakers, senior Department of Defense leadership, and foreign defense leaders in an environment away from the hubbub of the nation’s capital. Southern California is packed with hundreds of defense-oriented companies and continues to be a leader in military defense innovation. Commercial technology is also significant in the country’s national security approach. Because of that, the forum is also an opportunity for non-traditional companies to get a share of the spotlight and for startups like Hadrian Automation to get a chance to talk with people otherwise not in their sphere. This year’s forum, themed “Peace Through Strength in a Time of Transition,” included a day of back-to-back panel discussions. Key themes included what the new presidential administration would mean for defense, overcoming production and manufacturing constraints to build the future force, space capabilities and the space economy, modernizing defense capabilities, the next national defense strategy, and public opinion on national security after the election. During a discussion on force structure, resources and the next national defense strategy, panelists emphasized funding military needs going forward. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, who serves on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, pressed the importance of passing the appropriation bills that fund military spending. “We need to get these bills done and give certainty to the military that they have the resources available in the Trump administration,” he said. “I know it’s difficult in an era where we have significant national debt, but nonetheless, our national security is at risk, and we need to move forward.” The uncertainty of the government’s appropriations process makes it difficult for the defense industry, “from a development perspective and a production perspective,” said Lawrence Culp Jr., chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. “Without that clarity, it’s very hard to keep someone at task with all these stops and starts and the policy uncertainty of late – it’s very hard.” The smaller companies further down the supply chain bear a lot of the weight of uncertainty, he added. “When you talk about the small and medium-sized businesses that are part of that supply chain, the small companies we rely on for input, one, two, three tiers away, they’re at the end of the whip and they can’t really handle that, either operationally or financially.” Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said at the forum that is where Trump needs to use his ability to generate enthusiasm among the public and make Americans aware of the nation’s dangers if it doesn’t have a strong military. “The American people really don’t understand how much of a threat we’re facing,” he said. “We have got to educate the American people on that. We haven’t had a president in the last years who has gone to the American people and gotten their support. It’s the only way you get leadership in Congress to pay attention and get the action you need.” The forum produces a survey each year on public perception of military defense, the last conducted just after the November election by a bipartisan research group. Of the 2,500 surveyed, 79% of respondents said they want the U.S. to spend more on national defense. At the same time, 61% said the military should be large enough to win two wars simultaneously; 49% said China poses the most significant threat, while 25% said Russia poses more of a threat. And, that’s where lawmakers such as Calvert think Southern California companies can have opportunities to become more successful. “Southern California is the intellectual capital of the world when it comes to national security innovation and manufacturing,” he said. “President Trump is committed to a strong military that is focused on the threats we face today and tomorrow. There’s no doubt in my mind that Southern California will continue to make a significant contribution to those important goals in the years ahead. There’s widespread agreement that we need to invest in our national security to remain the preeminent superpower in the world.” With a new administration coming in talking about cutting waste in government agencies while strengthening the country with a more targeted and effective military, local companies working with defense contractors and manufacturers are looking to the future with a hopeful eye. Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL who co-founded Shield AI and attended the defense forum this year for the second time, said more government interest in smaller companies that produce military technology will help Shield AI create more jobs. The San Diego-based company, which employs 900 people, aims to protect service members and civilians with AI systems. It develops artificial intelligence-powered pilot systems, drones and technology for military operations. “I’m bullish on the defense tech ecosystem,” he said, adding that he’s excited about Trump’s inclusion in his administration of Musk, Ramaswamy and Stephen Feinberg, a private equity investor with interests in the defense industry, who Tseng calls problem-solvers. Related links “What I’m optimistic about is that you have these operators who have run companies, been in the trenches, solved problems, and know what it means to walk the walk, not just talk the talk,” Tseng said. “The administration is bullish on doing things more efficiently, more effectively; that’s what technology is about. I think you’re going to see it will be very helpful for a lot of defense tech companies.” And, it’s exactly the idea of manufacturing parts quickly and efficiently that Power, of Hadrian Automation in Torrance, believes will help reinspire U.S. manufacturing, which he believes is the basis of a strong national defense. With his company, he hopes to inspire many young, smart people to want to get back into manufacturing – but in a more modern way that uses software to improve the manufacturing process and make it more efficient and effective. “U.S. power is based on the dollar,” he said. “The dollar is based on military might, which is really based on industrial power. We shot ourselves in the foot as a country by outsourcing our industrial power to China. That took away all the manufacturing skillsets, manufacturing technology, and a lot of jobs. For the last 25 years, we’ve treated China like a partner, but they have been subsidizing aggressively their manufacturing base specifically to gut our industrial power as a country.” At the same time the general public’s interest in manufacturing has dipped, he argued, with more people in the 1980s and ’90s choosing a four-year degree as the way to a successful future and a middle class that commands relatively high wages. “If you want manufacturing in America, the only way to do it is to build software factories that give the American workforce a productivity advantage so we can scale and use a new workforce instead of a legacy,” he said. “And if we want to be cost-competitive globally and efficient, we either have to pay everyone a very small amount or give the American workforce the 10x advantage with American software engineering and robotics.” Power sees Trump’s focus on empowering industrialization as having a huge impact on jobs. He plans to open two new facilities in the next year. “The faster we scale, the more jobs we provide,” he said. “And they’re better and more exciting jobs.” Related ArticlesBingEx (NASDAQ:FLX) Shares Up 3.4% – Should You Buy?
Minutes after the University of North Carolina announced it had hired Bill Belichick as its next head football coach, the Tar Heels’ Instagram account posted a photo of the legendary NFL coach — at no more than 3 years old — sitting in the UNC bleachers. “Welcome home, Coach,” the post reads , dredging up the memory of when the young Belichick shadowed his father, Steve, who was a UNC assistant from 1953 to 1955. As news of his hiring spread around the NFL world, the reaction ranged from excitement at seeing him back on the sideline to disbelief. The most decorated coach in NFL history after earning six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, and two more as the defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Belichick is officially making his next challenge college football after agreeing to a five-year deal with UNC. “I will have to see him on the sideline to believe that’s happening,” Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury joked Thursday. “We’ll see how the NFL job search goes and all that. I will have to see him on the sideline coaching in Chapel Hill to believe that’s happening." While Belichick’s knowledge of the sport, and his success, are unquestioned, there has been debate among those who have played for the 72-year-old coach during his 40-plus years in football about how well his style will translate to the college game. Some of his former players believe his skill set will work at any level. That list apparently includes Tom Brady, the quarterback during all six of Belichick’s Super Bowl wins with New England. “Congrats, coach. The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing,” Brady posted on Instagram on Thursday, referencing “The Patriot Way” that he popularized in New England. Some cautioned that the players he brings into the UNC program should prepare to have their limits tested like never before. “I think he’s going to do good,” said Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne, who played under Belichick during his final three years in New England. “Bill does a good job of developing players, developing young men. I think it will be a challenge for the young man. He’s a tough coach, which we all know. But I think it will be good for certain players that have the right mindset.” Bourne's advice? Always stay locked in mentally. “Just stay tough,” Bourne said. “Have a gritty mindset because it’s not going to be easy, but in the end, it’s going to be worth it." Though some have questioned why the Tar Heels would even consider hiring Belichick after parting ways with 73-year-old Mack Brown this season, current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said good coaching is ageless. “To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re a young man or a 10-year vet in the league, he’s a great teacher,” said Mayo, who played eight seasons under Belichick, winning a Super Bowl during the 2014 season, and then succeeded him as head coach after last season. "I wish him nothing but the best. It doesn’t really matter what level, I think he’ll be successful.” NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is a relative newcomer to the college game himself. He spent three seasons at Jackson State before going to Colorado in 2023. In a message posted to the X social media platform, he welcomed Belichick as a competitor. “Coach Bill Belichick is a coaches coach to all us Coaches along with my man coach (NIck) Saban,” Sanders posted. “They’re game changers and they know how to move people forward. I know this is a great thing for College Football & for North Carolina. God bless u Coach, if you’re happy I am 2.” But former Patriots defensive back Je’Rod Cherry wonders how well Belichick’s old-school coaching style will be received in an era in which in-your-face methods don't always fly as well as they did when Belichick began his career. “You can’t coach hard anymore,” Cherry said during an appearance on ESPN GameNight. “You can’t yell at guys, curse at guys and that’s what he does. You are going to have to find guys who are going to accept that brand of coaching and will accept someone constantly getting on them." New York Jets safety Jalen Mills, who played for Belichick with the Patriots from 2021 to 2023, said he was surprised by the news. “I thought he definitely was going to try to wait it out until after the season and come back to the NFL,” Mills said. "But I think it’s gonna be a good thing for him because now you get a guy who has won and, of course, he’s going to try to turn that program around. But he also gets to connect with the younger generation and kind of modify and adjust to this younger generation of football on top of what he already knows. So I think that’ll just help him as far as coaching. And then, of course, he’ll give those guys, those young guys, structure as far as what the NFL looks like, too.” Just how much the Belichick on the college sidelines will resemble the one in the cutoff hooded sweatshirt who patrolled NFL sidelines is unclear. Belichick hinted they will be one and the same. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN prior to agreeing to the UNC job, Belichick laid out what his approach at the college level would be. “The program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players than have the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques — that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level.” AP National Writer Howard Fendrich and Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women's volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to compete in the Mountain West Conference women's championship opening this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by nine current players against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league's policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player's name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. People are also reading... Crews' ruling referred to the athlete as an "alleged transgender" player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. San Jose State will "continue to support its student-athletes and reject discrimination in all forms," the university said in a statement, confirming that all its student-athletes are eligible to participate under NCAA and conference rules. "We are gratified that the Court rejected an eleventh-hour attempt to change those rules. Our team looks forward to competing in the Mountain West volleyball tournament this week." The conference did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The players filed a notice for emergency appeal with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Crews said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a loss in league standings. He also refused a request to re-seed the tournament without the forfeited losses. The judge said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 — making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season's awareness of her reported identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a major election year. Crews' ruling also said injunctions are meant to prevent harm, but in this case, he argued, the harm has already occurred. The games have been forfeited, the tournament has been seeded, the teams have made travel plans and the participants have confirmed they're playing. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. Colorado State is seeded first and San Jose State, second. The teams split their regular-season matches and both get byes into Friday's semifinals. San Jose State will play the winner of Wednesday's match between Utah State and Boise State — teams that both forfeited matches to SJSU during the regular season. The conference tournament winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. San Jose State coach Todd Kress, whose team has not competed in the national tournament since 2001, has said his team has been getting "messages of hate" and that has taken a toll on his players. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official conference standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada's players stated they "refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes," without elaborating. Nevada did not qualify for the conference tournament. The nine current players and others now suing the Mountain West Conference, the California State University Board of Trustees and others include San Jose State senior setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser. The teammate Slusser says is transgender hits the volleyball with more force than others on the team, raising fear during practices of suffering concussions from a head hit, the complaint says. The Independent Council on Women's Sports is funding a separate lawsuit against the NCAA for allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Both lawsuits claim the landmark 1972 federal antidiscrimination law known as Title IX prohibits transgender women in women's sports. Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination in federally funded education; Slusser is a plaintiff in both lawsuits. Several circuit courts have used a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to conclude that discriminating against someone based on their transgender status or sexual orientation is sex-based discrimination, Crews wrote. That means case law does not prove the "likelihood of success" needed to grant an injunction. An NCAA policy that subjects transgender participation to the rules of sports governing bodies took effect this academic year. USA Volleyball says a trans woman must suppress testosterone for 12 months before competing. The NCAA has not flagged any issues with San Jose State. The Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the team cancellations, citing fairness in women's sports. President-elect Donald Trump likewise has spoken out against allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Crews was a magistrate judge in Colorado's U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him as a federal judge in January. Be the first to knowRiley scores 18, Utah Tech beats Denver 68-54