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Dozens of employees at the U.S. Education Department were put on paid administrative leave in response to President Donald Trumps order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, according to a labor union that represents hundreds of workers in the agency. It’s unclear how many workers were put on leave or for what reasons, said Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. The majority of employees placed on leave do not work in DEI initiatives and span all branches of the agency, she said, from an office that sends billions of dollars to K-12 schools to an office that enforces civil rights laws. The shakeup comes as Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, pushes to cut programs and federal workers at departments across the government, including the U.S. Agency for International Development. A DOGE team was working at the Education Department on Monday to implement Trump’s executive orders and agenda, said Madison Biedermann, an Education Department spokesperson. The department did not immediately comment on the personnel changes and would not say how many employees were placed on leave. At least 55 Education Department workers received an email Friday saying they were being put on paid leave effective immediately pursuant to Trump’s executive order. It wasnt being done for any disciplinary purpose, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Associated Press. Those placed on leave lost access to their government email accounts and were told not to report to the office. They include a range of staff members and managers across the department, which employs more than 4,000 workers in Washington and regional offices across the country. Most of those on leave appear to have taken a voluntary diversity training seminar offered by the department, Smith said. The Diversity Change Agent program has been promoted by the agency for years, including during Trumps first term in office. Graduates of the two-day program were expected to serve as role models and help improve the department’s capacity to attract and retain a diverse workforce, according to an internal email from 2019 obtained by the AP. Smith said hundreds of employees have taken the training, but it was unclear if all of them were placed on leave. She said many people were under the impression the training was strongly encouraged or required. It seems unfair to encourage or require people to take a training and then four or five years later place them on administrative leave, Smith said. Some current employees who are on leave said the action could disrupt the agency’s core work, including the management of federal student loans and the FAFSA form for student financial aid. The workers spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a former teacher and member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Trump is purging employees for taking a training course that his administration encouraged them to take. This wont help our kids learn or even save us money, Murray said on the social media site X. Hes just breaking services people rely on. Trumps order called for all DEI staff in the federal government to be put on paid leave and eventually laid off. Its part of a broader crackdown on diversity programs that the Republican president says are racist. Trump campaigned on a promise to shut down the Education Department, which he says has been infiltrated by radicals, zealots and Marxists. He said the agency’s power should be turned over to states and schools. Collin Binkley, Associated Press The Associated Presss education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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E-Commerce
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ordering the creation of a sovereign wealth fund within the next year, saying it could potentially buy the short video app TikTok. Trump offered little in the way of detail and it was unclear how such a wealth fund would work. Typically such funds rely on a country’s budget surplus to make investments, but the U.S. operates at a deficit. Its creation also would likely require approval from Congress. “We’re going to create a lot of wealth for the fund,” Trump told reporters. “And I think it’s about time that this country had a sovereign wealth fund.” Trump had previously floated such a government investment vehicle as a presidential candidate, saying it could fund “great national endeavors” like infrastructure projects such as highways and airports, manufacturing, and medical research. Administration officials did not say how the fund would operate or be financed, but Trump has previously said it could be funded by “tariffs and other intelligent things.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters the fund would be set up within the next 12 months. “We’re going to monetize the asset side of the U.S. balance sheet for the American people,” Bessent said. “There’ll be a combination of liquid assets, assets that we have in this country as we work to bring them out for the American people.” The Biden administration also was considering establishing such a fund prior to Trump’s election in November, according to The New York Times and Financial Times. Investors on Wall Street said the news came as a surprise. “Creating a sovereign wealth fund suggests that a country has savings that will go up and can be allocated to this,” said Colin Graham, head of multi-asset strategies at Robeco in London. “The economic rules of thumb don’t add up.” There are over 90 such funds across the world managing over $8 trillion in assets, according to the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds. In another surprise twist, Trump suggested the wealth fund could buy Tiktok, whose fate has been up in the air since a law requiring its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on Jan. 19. Trump, after taking office on Jan. 20, signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days the enforcement of the law. Trump has said that he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok’s purchase and would likely have a decision on the app’s future in February. The popular app has about 170 million American users. “We’re going to be doing something, perhaps with TikTok, and perhaps not,” Trump said. “If we make the right deal, we’ll do it. Otherwise, we won’twe might put that in the sovereign wealth fund.” Jarrett Renshaw, Pete Schroeder, and Suzanne McGee, Reuters
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E-Commerce
January was a long month, but we finally have some good news in 2025: Bookseller Barnes & Noble plans to open at least 60 new stores this year, topping last years record of 57 stores and marking a steady revival of its brick-and-mortar bookstores across the country. “[Barnes & Noble] is experiencing strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers,” the company told Fast Company. “In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019 . . . [The company] is enjoying a period of tremendous growth as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its local booksellers has proven so successful.” As Fast Company previously reported, after more than a decade of shuttering locations, ultimately closing 150 locations, the chain started ramping up again in 2023 with some 30 new stores. Some of its newest locations opening this year will be in prime retail locations, such as a new D.C. flagship store in upscale Georgetown. 2025 marks a new era for Barnes & Noble and other bookstores thanks to a few factors, including digital fatigue, TikTok’s #BookTok, the loneliness epidemic, and a rise in so-called third spaces (more on that below). But first, heres a list of the cities where Barnes and Noble will be opening new locations in 2025. New Barnes & Noble locations already open in 2025 Bellevue, Washington Town & Country, Texas Naples, Florida Superior, Colorado Brentwood, California Barnes & Noble locations yet to open in 2025 Barnes & Noble told Fast Company the chain also currently has 37 signed leases for upcoming stores in the following statesplus a number of other leases in the works (though it did not offer a timeline for when we can expect the new stores): California Florida Colorado Texas Washington Pennsylvania Ohio Virgina New York Nebraska Michigan Illinois Connecticut Arizona New Hampshire Maryland Kansas Why is there a bookstore revival? While it might seem counterintuitive in this age of digital consumption, with people often buried in their phones, bookstores (and books!) are actually making a comeback. One major reason is the rise of TikTok’s community of avid readers, #BookTok, which has been credited with helping authors sell millions of books, and has evolved into one of the more popular corners of the platform, with creators making videos of book hauls, reviews, and bookcase setups, and swapping recommendations. “Since the rise of BookTok during the pandemic, bookstores have seen a significant surge in popularity, especially among young people,” Barnes & Noble told Fast Company. “Our stores have become popular social spots, offering an experience that online shopping simply cant match.” There’s also a recent rise in “third places,” which are gathering places outside of work and home where people can go to be around other people or meet friends, like coffee shops, bars, and gyms. With loneliness and isolation at an all-time high, people are returning to these third places, including bookstores, because they are free and safe environments stocked with reading material, and often coffee and cold drinkswhich draws in more visitors (this is why many newer bookstores have added a coffee shop or café to help make the store more inviting). Bookstores also offer a way to be around like-minded people who have similar interests. That’s why, around the country, niche bookstoresromance bookstores, in particularare also booming. In fact, more than 20 have opened in the last few years, up from just two in 2020. One of those new bookstores is Lovestruck Books, which just opened smack in the center of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The delightfully decorated store has more than 12,000 books, in addition to a retail area with candles, tea, stationery, and a George Howell Coffee shop. (Author’s note: Yes, I admit that I’ve been thereand ended up staying for an hour. I highly recommend finding a bookstore near you!)
Category:
E-Commerce
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