 |
|
|
|||||
President Trump won a temporary victory Thursday night when a federal appeals court blocked a lower court judges order to return control of Californias National Guard to the state. Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer previously ruled that Trumps activation of the National Guard, a state-based reserve military force, in Los Angeles was unlawful and illegitimate. California Governor Gavin Newsom and the states attorney general, Rob Bonta, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration this week after the president activated the troops in response to demonstrations against immigration raids. His actions were illegalboth exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Breyer wrote. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith. While Newsom notched an early win, a federal appeals court did not agree. Three judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay on the lower courts ruling late Thursday, leaving control of the troops with Trumpat least until a June 17 hearing. Trump vs. Newsom The clash between federal and states rights has set up a fiery confrontation between Newsom, who likely holds his own presidential ambitions, and the White House. We didnt have a problem until Trump got involved, Newsom wrote on X this week. Rescind the order. Return control to California. The Trump administration denies critics claims that the National Guards deployment intentionally escalated tensions in the city. If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Newsom isnt the only Democrat clashing with the Trump administration. On Thursday, California Senator Alex Padilla was tackled and handcuffed after trying to interrupt Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem with a question during a press conference. Breaking with history Trumps move to deploy thousands of California National Guard troops to bolster the governments increasingly aggressive immigration crackdown is unprecedented in at least a few ways. Historically, a governornot the presidenttaps the National Guard when traditional state resources are overwhelmed. Guard members can be called up to meet many kinds of needs a state might have, from administering vaccines to filling in as substitute teachers (both of which occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic). Trumps activation of the Guard was the first time since 1965 that a president has deployed the troops within a state against a governors wishes. That year, Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights protesters over the wishes of Governor George Wallace, a segregationist. Johnsons actions bear little resemblance to the Trump administrations decision to send troops into Los Angeles to back immigration and law enforcement agents as they conduct raids in locations ranging from downtown garment district businesses to suburban Home Depot parking lots. In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement announcing the National Guard deployment. Law enforcement has made around 400 arrests related to the protests since they began last week, including two men charged with possessing Molotov cocktails. The Justice Department is also pursuing assault charges against two California residents for throwing objects including water bottles and beer cans at federal officers. A number of Waymo self-driving cars have been set on fire since protests began, prompting the company to pull its vehicles from the area. The White Houses narrative paints a dark picture of widespread social unrest and violence in Los Angeles, an image that many Angelenos pushed back against on social media with posts showing upbeat gatherings and normal brunch dates. On TikTok and other social networks, L.A. residents have rejected national portrayals of a city under siege, calling attention to the relatively small area of the sprawling city affected by ongoing protests.
Category:
E-Commerce
Five years ago, I watched alongside millions of Americans as the news media looped a clip of George Floyds murder at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. In the days that followed, as a national movement came to life, dozens of CEOs and executives reached out to me for advice on how their companies should navigate this sudden “racial reckoning.” One time donations or DEI policies would no longer be enough. We needed a sustained response that would create generational wealth for Black families, and start to move the dial on closing the racial wealth gap. I told them, Black people are almost 15% of the U.S. population, major retailers should commit 15% of their shelf space to Black owned brands. If, in 2020, major retailers began making this commitment, venture capital would be forced to take notice, and might be ready to allocate more than their traditional 1% of capital to Black entrepreneurs, therefore driving capital into Black communities. Not enough customers But in those early days of my nonprofit, the Fifteen Percent Pledge, for every late night call I had with a CEO who had been moved to tears over their complicity in systemic racism, there was a call the next morning with an executive telling me “they didnt have enough Black customers to do this” or that “they just wanted to stock the best products.” To be clear, the Pledge has only ever asked retailers to stock the best productsand we want to expand customer bases, not narrow them. The business case for investing in people of color, which is too often boiled down to DEI, was as true then as it is now: when we invest in small businesses, everyone wins. Mounting pressure And yet, over the past few months, weve seen mounting political and cultural pressure aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. From conservative lawsuits to shareholder proposals trying to roll back corporate commitments, the backlash is unendingand some companies are caving. They are quietly scrubbing DEI language from their websites, dissolving departments, laying off experts, and shrinking procurement goals, all under the guise of following the lawto be clear, there is no American law that actually bans inclusive business practices. But even as many companies cower in fear at the prospect of a nasty tweet from a certain elected leader, the ones that have truly committed to diverse employees, vendors, and customers are not backing down. Smaller, stronger, more serious Yes, the performative DEI eramarked by splashy social media campaigns, vague equity initiatives, and one-off diversity trainingsis over. Whats emerging in its place is a smaller, stronger, more serious cohort of brands that are leaning into the hard work of equity. These are companies that understand this isnt about politicsits about people and profit. And right now, those two things are aligned more than ever, for better and for worse. Lets look at Target. In 2020, the companybased at the epicenter of the Black Lives Matter movementactively chose not to partner with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, and instead launched REACH, their Racial Equity Action and Change committee, along with a $10 million pledge and series of DEI goals for hiring, sourcing, training, and advocacy. In January of this year, Target disbanded the committee and all associated commitments, which promptly led to a series of customer boycotts. This month the company announced a 2.8% drop in quarterly sales and scaled down projections for the duration of the year. Increased profits On the other hand, companies like Sephora didnt stop at wordstheyve understood for years that consumers of color, and those rooting for them, are a massive market opportunity. Sephora has restructured their shelves to feature dozens of Black-owned brands, conducted in-store equity audits, and invested in vendor diversity throughout their supply chainand theyve seen significant results: stronger customer loyalty, greater brand trust, and an influence that reshaped their industry. Plus increased profits. Supporting diverse small businesses is not simply a moral argument, its a business case. Black-owned businesses contribute over $200 billion to the U.S. economy each year. If Black women-owned businesses achieved revenue parity with their white male counterparts, they would add $1.5 trillion in revenue. We know Gen Z and millennial consumers are shopping their values, and we know Black consumers collective buying power is expected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2030. The data is undeniable: equity sells. The market speaks And yet, were seeing major retailers suffer the consequences of abandoning the values they once claimed to uphold. Target is only one example of companies facing reduced foot traffic, declining Q1 earnings, and increasingly vocal backlash from the very consumers they rely on. The market is speaking. Are brands listening? The companies that will thrive in this next chapter wont be the ones retreating in this moment. Theyll be the ones redesigning their hiring and promotion pipelines, embedding supplier diversity into procurement, conductin holistic equity auditsnot just press-friendly initiatives. Theyll be the ones moving from symbolism to systems, from pledges to practice. DEI isnt dying. But performative DEI? Thats over. And were better for it.
Category:
E-Commerce
The latest TikTok trend has people exposing their terrible exes and most toxic relationship stories to Lordes new single “Man of the Year“with receipts. Since the song dropped at the end of last month, the trend has quickly gained traction on TikTok. Typically following a slideshow format, users post a selfie before revealing a series of text messages or, worse, a voice note from truly the worst villains. While the trend fundamentally misinterprets the lyrics, which explore Lordes gender identity, it has nonetheless opened Pandoras box online. One viral post, with almost five million views, shows someone scrolling through their ex-partners unopened Snapchat messages from other women (they just keep coming). “At least I was pinned,” the TikToker joked in the caption. That looks exhausting. is he unemployed, one commenter asked. @idk.but.im.a.joke_ at least i was pinned:) Man Of The Year – Lorde Another user posted an actual EDM track her ex created using a crying voicemail she had sent. He cheated, i broke up with him and then he proceeded to make a edm song to a crying voicemail, she explained in the caption. I think youve found a unique experience, one person commented. I’m so sorry this is the funniest thing ive ever seen, another added. @.avery.claire.user he cheated, i broke up with him and then he proceeded to make a edm song to a crying voicemail men are just great Man Of The Year – Lorde Some users chose to opt out of the trend. Could BODY this trend but chose peace, one TikTok user posted, hinting at some truly damning receipts. @xandrapohl hahahaha should I just do it anyway Man Of The Year – Lorde Some videos shared as part of the trend are genuinely disturbing, detailing harrowing accounts of emotional and physical abuse. According to the United Nations, over a quarter (27%) of women worldwide, aged between 15 and 49, who have been in a relationship report having experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Even Lorde, the unwitting originator of the trend, felt compelled to respond. Earlier this week, she posted a clip shaking her head as the song plays, her face expressing disbelief. The caption reads: These messages In response to one commentgirl yes, its got me scaredLorde replied: I cant look away. Another summed up the trend: guys youre stressing out lorde.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||