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The U.S. government will stop sharing air quality data gathered from its embassies and consulates, worrying local scientists and experts who say the effort was vital to monitor global air quality and improve public health.In response to an inquiry from the Associated Press, the State Department said Wednesday that its air quality monitoring program would no longer transmit air pollution data from embassies and consulates to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow app and other platforms, which allowed locals in various countries, along with scientists around the globe, to see and analyze air quality in cities around the world.The stop in sharing data was “due to funding constraints that have caused the Department to turn off the underlying network” read the statement, which added that embassies and consulates were directed to keep their monitors running and the sharing of data could resume in the future if funded was restored. The fiscal cut, first reported by the New York Times, is one of many under President Donald Trump, whose administration has been deprioritizing environmental and climate initiatives.The U.S. air quality monitors measured dangerous fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and lead to respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and premature death. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution kills around seven million people each year.News of the data sharing being cut prompted immediate reaction from scientists who said the data were reliable, allowed for air quality monitoring around the world and helped prompt governments to clean up the air. “A big blow” to global air quality research Bhargav Krishna, an air pollution expert at New Delhi-based Sustainable Futures Collaborative, called the loss of data “a big blow” to air quality research.“They were part of a handful of sensors in many developing countries and served as a reference for understanding what air quality was like,” Krishna said. “They were also seen to be a well-calibrated and unbiased source of data to cross-check local data if there were concerns about quality.”“It’s a real shame,” said Alejandro Piracoca Mayorga, a Bogota, Colombia-based freelance air quality consultant. U.S. embassies and consulates in Lima, Peru, Sao Paulo and Bogota have had the public air monitoring. “It was a source of access to air quality information independent of local monitoring networks. They provided another source of information for comparison.”Khalid Khan, an environmental expert and advocate based in Pakistan, agreed, saying the shutdown of air quality monitoring will “have significant consequences.”Khan noted that the monitors in Peshawar, Pakistan, one of the most polluted cities in the world, “provided crucial real-time data” which helped policymakers, researchers, and the public to take decisions on their health.“Their removal means a critical gap in environmental monitoring, leaving residents without accurate information on hazardous air conditions,” Khan said. He said vulnerable people in Pakistan and around the world are particularly at risk as they are the least likely to have access to other reliable data.In Africa, the program provided air quality data for over a dozen countries including Senegal, Nigeria, Chad, and Madagascar. Some of those countries depend almost entirely on the U.S. monitoring systems for their air quality data.The WHO’s air quality database will also be affected by the closing of U.S. program. Many poor countries don’t track air quality because stations are too expensive and complex to maintain, meaning they are entirely reliant on U.S. embassy monitoring data. Monitors strengthened local efforts In some places, the U.S. air quality monitors propelled nations to start their own air quality research and raised awareness, Krishna said.In China, for example, data from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing famously contradicted official government reports, showing worse pollution levels than authorities acknowledged. It led to China improving air quality.Officials in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, which struggles with smog, said they were unfazed by the removal of the U.S. monitors. Environment Secretary Raja Jahangir said Punjab authorities have their own and plan to purchase 30 more.Shweta Narayan, a campaign lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said the shutdown of monitors in India is a “huge setback” but also a “critical opportunity” for the Indian government to step up and fill the gaps.“By strengthening its own air quality monitoring infrastructure, ensuring data transparency, and building public trust in air quality reporting, India can set a benchmark for accountability and environmental governance,” Narayan said. Adebayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan, Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, Aniruddha Ghosal in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Steven Grattan in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Taiwo Adebayo and Sibi Arasu, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
Several U.S. retailers that publicly scrapped diversity, equity and inclusion programsincluding Target, Amazon, and Tractor Supplyare maintaining certain efforts behind the scenes. The three retailers, while they’ve ended DEI programs on paper, have told advocacy groups and individuals they will continue to offer financial support for some LGBTQ+ Pride and racial justice events, as well as provide internal support for resource groups for underrepresented employees. These contradictions between public remarks to investors and those made to individuals or small groups illustrate the tightrope they’ve walked since U.S. President Donald Trump deemed some elements of DEI illegal and threatened possible investigations into firms that practice it. Advocates say DEI programs aren’t exclusionary policies, but are needed to redress longstanding bias, inequity and discrimination, while detractors counter people should be hired solely on merit without taking into consideration gender or race. Companies are “trying to thread the needlestay true to corporate values, satisfy various stakeholders, but reduce legal risk,” said Jason C. Schwartz, an employment law partner at Gibson Dunn who advises corporate clients on their DEI policies. Reuters conducted more than a dozen interviews with company employees, advocates for underrepresented groups who’ve met with corporate executives, and consultants advising companies on DEI issues for this story. The developments they described haven’t been previously reported. Tractor Supply, which sells home and garden supplies and clothing to farmers and ranchers, in June ended a DEI program that had aimed to help put people of color in management roles and boost funding to education programs for Black Americans. It also ceased gathering data on its workforce for the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index, a benchmarking tool that rates American businesses on their treatment of LGBTQ+ workers and customers. A Tractor Supply spokesperson told Reuters it “remained steadfast” in its “purposeful decision to remove perceived political and social agendas” from its business. But Keayana Robinson, the contractor who led the diversity data collection at Tractor Supply, told Reuters the retailer offered to keep her on in an undefined role that would be “as closely aligned as possible” to the DEI work she had been doing. Managers assured her that Tractor Supply’s inclusivity initiativesparticularly its resource groups for underrepresented employeeswould continue, Robinson said. “I don’t want to work for an organization that wants to hide me,” she said. Tractor Supply declined to comment on Robinson’s account of its conversations with her. Target in January ended its participation in the HRC survey, and scrapped a DEI program that included a goal to increase the number of Black employees by 20% over three years. A Target spokesperson said the new approach “is all about driving business results by increasing relevance with U.S. consumers and making Target a destination for talent.” After Target rolled back its DEI program, Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of corporate consultancy Rae Mackenzie Group in Minneapolis, said she met with Target executives, including CEO Brian Cornell. Target has long been a sponsor of her career events in Minnesota for people of color, as well as an event she organized honoring Black women of Minneapolis. She said the meetings reassured her that Target would keep a commitment to diversity. I believe the Target DNA we have come to love remains intact, Smith-Akinsanya said, adding that she understands the political threats companies are facing. For some, the retailers’ private pledges or actions to continue to support diversity and minority groups don’t go far enough. Twin Cities Pride Executive Director Andi Otto said representatives of Minneapolis-based Target called him to make assurances that their inclusivity efforts would not change, despite the changing and current climate of anti-DEI sentiment. But his organization turned down a $50,000 sponsorship from Target this year after nearly two decades of partnering with the chain because of their changes in DEI coupled with the company removing some Pride Month products in 2023. Twin Cities Pride did not accept a sponsorship from Target this year because the company would not specify how it would continue to support LGBTQ+ shoppers and employees to the organization’s satisfactions, Otto said, calling Target’s move away from DEI “problematic.” Turning down Target’s money is a form of protest, a move that he says sends a message to Target that it can’t have it both ways. Similarly, when Black business leader Sheletta Brundidge learned Amazon had rolled back some DEI programs, she dropped the online retailer as a $10,000 sponsor of her annual Black Entrepreneurs Day held at the Minnesota State Capitol. A company representative tried to downplay the changes during a subsequent phone call, according to Brundidge, but it did not change her mind. Weve been working to build a diverse team for many years and are committed to continuing on that path, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. “Youll see us continue to inspect and evolve our programs to help us do this really difficult work well.” Amazon did not comment on Brundidge’s account. ‘PICKING THEIR BATTLES’ Some companies are keeping DEI programs despite political and legal risk. Investors at Apple voted against proposals to curtail DEI during its shareholder meeting in February. A day later, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that “Apple should get rid of DEI rules.” Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the company’s website says it is continuing to “create a culture of inclusion, belonging, and collaboration where everyone can do their best work.” Costco Wholesale shareholders in January voted down a proposal to curb its DEI initiatives. A week later, 19 Republican attorneys general demanded Costco notify the states within 30 days whether it will repeal its DEI policies or provide an explanation for maintaining them. Costco did not immediately return a message seeking comment. But the list of companies removing DEI programs in recent months has expanded to include Paramount, Walmart, Lowe’s, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, John Deere, and others. Walmart, PepsiCo, Paramount, and McDonalds confirmed changing their DEI programs, while other companies did not immediately comment. Lawyers say that, as executives calculate which programs to eliminate and which to keep, they’re considering both legal and political risks. Although U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 5 threatened to criminally prosecute companies with illegal DEI programs that exclude individuals based on race or sex, she did not explicitly define “illegal,” lawyers say. In a memo, she said her mandate does not prohibit “educational, cultural, or historical observances . . . that celebrate diversity,” like Black History Month. Black Women Talk Tech co-founder Regina Gwynn said it is seeing continued support from some companies tat sponsor its events for Black women founders and tech workers. But some sponsors requested to have their names left off marketing materials out of fear of political and legal retribution, she said. The programs most often retained, Gibson Dunn’s Schwartz said, are the ones tied to relationships with customers and employees: sponsorships of events benefiting underrepresented groups, employee groups that create a sense of community at work, and cultural events like Black History Month. “Companies are essentially picking their battles,” he said, “or trying to avoid battles altogether.” Nicholas P. Brown and Arriana McLymore, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Causal dining chains had a pretty bad 2024 when it came to solvency issues. Major chains, including Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, and Roti, all filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year. And 2025 doesnt seem to be fairing better for more restaurants. The latest restaurant chain to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is the Tex-Mex casual dining chain On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. Heres what you need to know about the companys bankruptcy filing. Why is On The Border filing for bankruptcy? On March 5, OTB Holding LLC, owner of the On The Border chain, announced it had voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Georgia. In the press release announcing the bankruptcy filing, the restaurant chain did not explicitly state why it filed for Chapter 11 protection. However, many casual dining chains have struggled with declining foot traffic in recent years as inflation-weary consumers opt to save money by staying home and cooking instead of eating out. On The Borders president, Chris Rockwood, said that the “restructuring is the best path forward for On The Border. It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth.” In a court filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia, OTBs chief restructuring officer, Jonathan M. Tibus, said the company had faced a rapid loss of liquidity in recent months, which resulted in it having to quickly institute holds on vendor payments and rent payments to maintain cash. This, in turn, has led landlords and vendors to cut off service, withhold goods, repossess leased premises or exercise set-off rights, which resulted in the Company losing stores, additional operational challenges, and a severe liquidity crisis.” How many restaurants does On The Border have? According to the company, there are 80 On The Border restaurants across the United States and South Korea. A court filing reveals that the majority of those are in the United States. As the filing states, OTB currently operates 60 restaurants in the United States across 18 individual states. Are On The Border locations closing? The company hopes to continue operating. However, a court filing indicates that it has already closed at least 77 locations that were deemed underperforming or were expected to drive losses. On The Border has asked a court to allow it to reject the leases on these locations The list of locations it has closed spans 24 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia. “The Debtors are no longer occupying, nor have use for, the Leased Premises,” the court filing states. By filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company hopes to restructure itself and look for a buyer who would presumably keep operating the brand. In the companys press release announcing its Chapter 11 filing, OTB stated, The Company intends to use the proceedings to drive operational improvements and pursue a sale of substantially all of its assets.” The company also said that its remaining locations will remain open and operating as normal throughout the Chapter 11 process. What about On The Border employees? According to court documents, On The Border currently employs about 2,800 workers. Of those, 375 are full-time hourly employees and 216 are full-time salaried employees. The remaining 2,210 workers are part-time hourly employees. The court documents state that the company has filed first day relief pleadings in which it seeks permission to keep paying workers wages.
Category:
E-Commerce
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