The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/coca-cola" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coca-Cola Company</a> quietly removed a mention on its website about donations to Black Lives Matter after the activist group came out in support of the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
The soft drink giant recently deleted a sentence referencing donations to Black Lives Matter by Sprite, which is sold by Coca-Cola.
&#8220;The brand also donated $500,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network to support the group’s voting education efforts and their February 2021 Black Future Month program to empower the next generation of Black youths,&#8221; reads the deleted sentence.
The sentence <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230610012719/https://www.coca-colacompany.com/social/diversity-and-inclusion/taking-a-stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appears</a> in an archived version of Coca-Cola&#8217;s &#8220;Taking A Stand&#8221; website page from June. The current version of the page <a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/social/diversity-and-inclusion/taking-a-stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">does not</a> contain the sentence.
&#8220;Recognizing our duty to strive for greater racial equity in our communities, the company and some of our brands are using our voice and our reach to take a stand,&#8221; Coca-Cola states at the top of the page.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) flagged Coca-Cola&#8217;s edit in an X post last week.
&#8220;Editing your website is not enough. Americans DEMAND an apology,&#8221; Cruz wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
CAUGHT RED-HANDED. <a href="https://twitter.com/CocaCola?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CocaCola</a> deletes its support for BLM.
One screenshot is of <a href="https://twitter.com/CocaCola?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CocaCola</a>&#39;s website before BLM supported Hamas parachuting into a concert to kill Israeli civilians.
The other is from this morning.
Editing your website is not enough. Americans DEMAND an apology. <a href="https://t.co/WKRdxVrTu8">pic.twitter.com/WKRdxVrTu8</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1715451845403983878?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Earleir this month, Hamas launched deadly terrorist attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, including children. Israel is now waging a massive counteroffensive, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestinians-death-toll-ground-offensive-expected/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launching</a> airstrikes in Hamas-controlled territory and preparing for a ground offensive.
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Coca-Cola&#8217;s move comes after several Black Lives Matter chapters posted in support of Palestinians, some appearing to support Hamas itself.
Black Lives Matter Chicago <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/blm-chicago-under-fire-for-pro-palestine-post-featuring-paragliding-terrorist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X an image of a paraglider with a Palestinian flag along with the words &#8220;I stand with Palestine.&#8221;
Hamas used paragliders to enter Israeli communities before slaughtering hundreds of civilians and taking them hostage.
“That is all that is it!” Black Lives Matter Chicago added in its post. That X post has since been deleted.
Black Lives Matter Chicago also posted a cartoon showing a person saying, “This isn’t about Hamas — this is about Palestinians right to resist 75 years of Israeli settlers colonizing their native land.”
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles posted on Instagram that the Palestinians people&#8217;s &#8220;resistance must not be condemned.&#8221;
&#8220;As the world is faced with deep questions about self-determination, as we all desire and pray for a world of peace, we must stand unwaveringly on the side of the oppressed. When a people have been subject to decades of apartheid and unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense.&#8221;
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles has not deleted their post.

Paris Games Week 2017 : Day Two At Porte De Versailles In Paris

Coca-Cola Scrubs BLM Donations Mention From Website After Hamas Support

Black Lives Matter

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The iconic beer brand Bud Light took a massive hit over the summer due to the fallout from its partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
In the first week of the controversy, Bud Light sales <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/bud-light-sales-decline-dylan-mulvaney-transgender-boycott-1796451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreased</a> 11%, and its stock <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/05/31/anheuser-busch-stock-enters-bear-territory-amid-anti-trans-bud-light-backlash/?sh=11c6283e1bfe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plunged</a> 20% by the beginning of June, losing the brand&#8217;s parent company, AB InBev, billions in market value. It <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/19/dylan-mulvaney-bud-light-boycott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered a revenue loss</a> in its North American market of almost $400 million during the second quarter, and the brand&#8217;s sales are still lagging.
Despite being the target of one of the most successful boycotts in U.S. history, AB InBev&#8217;s stock has mostly stabilized. It&#8217;s <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ab+inbev+stock&amp;sca_esv=571003301&amp;ei=yfAeZb3-Doe7qtsP__OQoAY&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj9huvstd-BAxWHnWoFHf85BGQQ4dUDCBA&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=ab+inbev+stock&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiDmFiIGluYmV2IHN0b2NrMg0QABiABBixAxhGGPoBMgcQABiKBRhDMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgARIjRJQAFjXD3AAeAGQAQCYAYcBoAGdCqoBBDEwLjS4AQPIAQD4AQHCAg0QLhjHARjRAxiKBRhDwgIREC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYxwEY0QPCAg0QLhiKBRjHARjRAxhDwgIKEAAYigUYsQMYQ8ICEBAuGIoFGLEDGMcBGNEDGEPCAg8QABiKBRixAxhDGEYY-gHiAwQYACBBiAYB&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">down</a> only 12% from the start of the year, and it&#8217;s actually up 17% from one year ago. The mitigation of AB InBev&#8217;s overall losses largely stems from the fact that it owns 7 0f the 10 best-selling beer brands in the United States. So, while sales of Bud Light have plummeted, the sales of other brands owned by AB InBev have remained the same or even increased as Americans switch to other brands without knowing that they are owned by the parent company of Bud Light.
The company, along with rival Molson Coors (the owner of Miller and Coors), have an iron grip on the domestic beer market, reducing the effectiveness of any boycott. This is why the boycott of Bud Light has only damaged AB InBev&#8217;s North American market and not crippled it.
<div id="attachment_636329" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-636329" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-636329" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1574581815-864x576.jpg" alt="MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 27: Bud Light, made by Anheuser-Busch, sits on a store shelf on July 27, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Anheuser-Busch InBev announced it will lay off hundreds of corporate employees as its Bud Light beer sales continue to struggle. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1574581815-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1574581815-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1574581815-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1574581815.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Joe Raedle/Getty Images</div>
Beer isn&#8217;t the only market that has been cornered by a few large, woke companies. Practically every name-brand item that you can buy in your local grocery store is owned by a handful of very powerful corporations, and all of them have pushed leftist ideology in some way.
The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2021/jul/14/food-monopoly-meals-profits-data-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigated</a> 61 items commonly sold at grocery stores in 2021 and found that a majority of the market share for almost 80% of those products was controlled by four or fewer companies. Close to 93% of the market for soft drinks is dominated by the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr. Pepper. Breakfast cereal giants General Mills, Kellogg&#8217;s, and Post Holdings have cornered close to 73% of their market. PepsiCo has an almost complete monopoly on the country&#8217;s dip brands, with 88% of the market.
In 2022, 60% of the domestic American market for goods such as pork, coffee, bread, and cookies was controlled by just four companies. For products like beef, baby food, pasta, and soda the market concentration is even more acute — 80% of the market for those goods is controlled by the top four producers, <a href="https://time.com/6139127/u-s-food-prices-monopoly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Time.
The largest of these companies own dozens if not hundreds of brands and make tens of billions of dollars a year in revenue. According to the credit card company <a href="https://capitaloneshopping.com/blog/11-companies-that-own-everything-904b28425120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Capital One</a>, these companies are:
<h4>Kellogg&#8217;s</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Cheez-It, Eggo, Famous Amos, Pop-Tarts, Pringles, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Special K, Rice Crispies</li>
</ul>
<h4>General Mills</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.generalmills.com/food-we-make/brands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Gold Medal, Cheerios, Chex, Green Giant, Lucky Charms, Nature Valley, Pillsbury</li>
</ul>
<h4>Kraft-Heinz</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.kraftheinzcompany.com/brands.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Heinz Ketchup, Kraft Mac &amp; Cheese, Lunchables, Velveeta, Jell-O, Oscar Meyer, Kool-Aid</li>
</ul>
<h4>Mondelez-International</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.mondelezinternational.com/Our-Brands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Cadbury, Chips Ahoy!, Nabisco, Oreo, BelVita, Triscuit, Ritz, Wheat Thins</li>
</ul>
<h4>Mars</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.mars.com/our-brands">brands</a>: M&amp;Ms, Snickers, Twix, Skittles, Uncle Ben’s, Milky Way, Starburst, Spearmint, 3 Musketeers</li>
</ul>
<h4>Coca-Cola</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/brands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, Sprite, Barq&#8217;s, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, Vitamin Water, Schweppes</li>
</ul>
<h4>Unilever</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.unilever.com/brands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Ben and Jerry&#8217;s, Hellmann&#8217;s, Knorr, Breyers, Ragu, Klondike</li>
</ul>
<h4>PepsiCo</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.pepsico.com/who-we-are/about-pepsico#:~:text=Our%20portfolio%20includes%20major%20global,Mafer%2C%20Tortrix%20and%20Kero%20Coco." target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: Pepsi, Lay&#8217;s, Aquafina, Doritos, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos</li>
</ul>
<h4>Nestle</h4>
<ul>
<li>major <a href="https://www.nestle.com/brands/brandssearchlist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brands</a>: CoffeeMate, DiGiorno, Gerber, KitKat, Lean Cuisine, Perrier, Stouffer&#8217;s, Toll House, San Pellegrino</li>
</ul>
The brand lists for these companies are in no way exhaustive. Each has a massive portfolio of brands under their control.
The food industry made close to $200 million in political contributions during the 2020 election cycle, and almost $125 million during the 2022 midterm elections, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/totals.php?cycle=1990&amp;ind=A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Open Secrets. The 9 companies listed above tended to give equally to Democrats and Republicans during the 2022 election cycle, despite the fact that they have also tended to support leftist social policies.
All 9 companies have expressed support for LGBT pride celebrations and have touted their LGBT inclusion policies.
One of Unilever&#8217;s most recognizable brands, Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s ice cream, has become infamous for its endorsement of leftist policies.
The co-founders of the brand, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have been trying to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-and-jerry-still-fighting-to-keep-their-ice-cream-from-fellow-jews-in-israel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boycott</a> Israel for several years, and new employees were reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-ben-jerrys-employees-forced-to-watch-anti-israel-videos-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">required</a> to watch video lectures featuring Palestinian activists lying about the Jewish state.
<div id="attachment_636333" style="width: 871px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-636333" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-636333" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1241326101-861x576.jpg" alt="Tubs of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, manufactured by Unilever Plc, in a freezer at an Iceland Foods Ltd. supermarket in Christchurch, UK, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. &quot;Britain's cost-of-living crisis -- on track to big the biggest squeeze since the mid-70s -- will continue to worsen before it starts to ease at some point next year,&quot; said Jack Leslie, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, a research group campaigning against poverty. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="861" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1241326101-861x576.jpg 861w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1241326101-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1241326101-768x514.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1241326101.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px" />Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
Unilever has pushed to sell the ice cream in Israel and has said it has “never expressed any support” for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BDS</a>) movement, which argues that companies around the world should refrain from doing business with Israel due to the country’s alleged occupation of territory held by Palestinian Arabs.
This past Independence Day, Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s issued the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-jerrys-says-u-s-needs-to-give-back-stolen-land-native-american-chief-says-companys-hq-is-on-native-land" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>, &#8220;The United States was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it.&#8221; The post included a link to a site that calls for Mt. Rushmore to be handed over to Native Americans.
Advertisements for Unilever&#8217;s personal care items, such as Dove soap, have also become <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bodily-mutilation-fat-liberation-is-this-the-wokest-soap-brand-in-the-nation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infected</a> by woke ideology, pushing things like &#8220;fat liberation&#8221; and body modification for kids who identify as transgender.
Gatorade, owned by PepsiCo, has also co-opted the &#8220;fat liberation&#8221; movement despite advertising itself as &#8220;sports fuel for performance athletes.&#8221; An ad from earlier this year for Gatorade Fit (marketed as a healthier option than regular Gatorade) <a href="https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/jessamyn-stanley-gatorade-advert-fatphobia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featured</a> obese yoga instructor and &#8220;body positivity advocate&#8221; Jessamyn Stanley.
The Coca-Cola Company came under <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backlash-hits-coca-cola-after-accusations-of-anti-white-agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">severe scrutiny</a> in early 2021 when slides from their &#8220;anti-racism&#8221; training for employees were leaked online. Some slides reportedly instructed participants to “try to be less white.&#8221; The company also planned to implement a diversity quota in which it would only work with law firms that provide at least 15% of billed time from black attorneys. After the backlash, Coca-Cola dropped the diversity plan.
M&amp;M&#8217;s, owned by Mars Incorporated, came under fire in early 2022 for changing the design of its famous &#8220;spokescandies,&#8221; anthropomorphized versions of their products, to become more &#8220;inclusive.&#8221;
The most <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mm-characters-are-becoming-inclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noticeable change</a> was made to the green M&amp;M character, who lost her peach-colored legs and stiletto boots in favor of white legs and sneakers after criticism that the character was sexualized. Mars said it wanted the green M&amp;M to be “better represented to reflect confidence and empowerment, as a strong female, and known for much more than her boots.”
In September 2022, the company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mms-brand-promises-acceptance-and-inclusivity-with-debut-of-new-purple-spokescandy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> a new &#8220;spokescandy,&#8221; a purple M&amp;M, specifically &#8220;designed to represent acceptance and inclusivity,&#8221; drawing further criticism. The backlash became so strong that in January 2023 the brand <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mms-pulls-spokescandies-after-supposed-controversy-sales-dipped-after-going-woke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> an &#8220;indefinite pause&#8221; on using the characters in ads.
<div id="attachment_636341" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-636341" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-636341" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1262999657-1-864x576.jpg" alt="Orlando, Winter Park, Rocket Fizz Soda Pop &amp; Candy Shop, variety of M&amp;M candy display. (Photo by: Jeff Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1262999657-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1262999657-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1262999657-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/GettyImages-1262999657-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jeff Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</div>
Another Mars Incorporated candy, Skittles, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/social-media-erupts-after-skittles-black-trans-lives-matter-packaging-goes-viral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnered</a> with GLAAD, an organization that supports radical gender theory, to create special Pride Month packaging for the candy that included slogans like &#8220;Joy Is Resistance&#8221; and &#8220;Black Trans Lives Matter.&#8221;
As part of Pride Month, Skittles promised “to support the LGBTQ+ community by amplifying and celebrating their stories&#8221; and said it will “donate $1 for every Skittles Pride pack sold to GLAAD in support of their ongoing efforts to work through media to combat anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.”
Oreo, owned by Mondelez International, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-cookie-must-affirm-your-sexual-lifestyle-oreo-takes-pro-lgbt-stance-in-new-ad-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> an ad back in April featuring a young man coming out as gay to his grandmother. There is very little actual product placement in the commercial, focusing almost solely on social messaging.
“Coming out doesn’t happen just once. It’s a journey that needs love and courage every step of the way. Share our new film 👇 and let someone know you’re their #LifelongAlly,&#8221; the caption of the video posted on X said.
“Your cookie must affirm your sexual lifestyle,” Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro quipped. “Again, the chief reply here seems to be: ‘How dare you notice that a cookie company is now running ads on sexual orientation?’ Guys, the story is that every woke corporation now believes it must become an activist LGBTQIA+-%6&amp; outlet. And yes, that’s a story.”
Uncle Ben&#8217;s, owned by Mars Incorporated, and Aunt Jemima, owned by PepsiCo, were both altered in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the subsequent riots <a href="https://www.eater.com/22450623/racist-brand-mascot-logo-changes-aunt-jemima-uncle-bens-land-o-lakes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in order to</a> &#8220;create a more inclusive future.&#8221; Uncle Ben&#8217;s was changed to Ben&#8217;s Original, while Aunt Jemima was rebranded to Pearl Milling Company.
There are non-woke alternatives to some of these products, including <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/jeremys-chocolate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chocolate</a> and <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/hair" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soap</a>, but many small would-be competitors to these giant corporations end up being bought out and joining their portfolio of brands, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/18/america-food-monopoly-crisis-grocery-stores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Guardian&#8217;s investigation. Anti-trust laws and regulations could be used to block mergers and curb monopolistic practices, and President Joe Biden has called on government agencies to enforce existing laws. But, as with so many other issues in Washington, lobbying and a lack of bipartisan support has stymied attempts at reform.
This illusion of choice in the grocery store not only hinders free market competition, it also impedes the effectiveness of any potential boycott launched by conservatives to protest these companies&#8217; political stunts. Both the corporate and ideological monopoly held by these companies ensures that conservative customers will have fewer and fewer options for products that don&#8217;t push leftist ideologies.
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General Mills and Quaker Cereal aisle in Publix, grocery store, Florida

Practically Everything You Buy At The Grocery Store Is Owned By A Few Woke Companies

Anti-trust

Ben &amp; Jerry's

Bud Light

Kelloggs

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Woke Culture

All it took was a single photo posted by Elon Musk and now Diet Coke is making headlines, again.
“Elon Musk and the hardcore cult of Diet Coke,” the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/28/elon-musk-diet-coke/">article</a> proclaimed just after the billionaire businessman shared a snapshot of his bedside table, which included items such as two replica guns, a Buddhist amulet, and four open cans of caffeine-free Diet Coke.
The article goes on to point out other shunned celebrities who enjoy the same beverage, including former president Donald Trump and disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Besides the supposed nefarious associations, the Post paints Coke’s calorie-free version as being unhealthy and addictive.
The history of the brand’s best-selling, yet riskiest product debut is just as fascinating as the tale of Musk buying Twitter.
The original fizzy beverage, Coca-Cola, was created in 1886 by Atlanta pharmacist John S. Pemberton, per <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Coca-Cola-Company" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britannica</a>. His bookkeeper Frank Robinson was responsible for naming the drink and coming up with the telltale font style.
Pemberton marketed his new drink as being beneficial for treating many common ailments. At the time, the recipe included cocaine from the coca leaf along with caffeine. The cocaine was taken out around 1903. Even without the stimulant, Coca-Cola became a huge success.
Coca-Cola went strong for decades before the arrival of a new phenomenon in the product line: Diet Coke. It was introduced to the market in 1982 following lackluster sales of Tab soda, which was introduced in 1962 as the company’s version of a calorie-conscious beverage. The slogan, “keeping a tab on your weight” just wasn’t catchy enough and did not reap the benefits of the mighty Coke brand name.
That’s when diet Coke premiered, with pizazz, in 1982. The formulation resulted in a new, smoother flavor that used less phosphoric acid, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_880981">according to</a> the Smithsonian. 
This diet version was sold using the tagline, “Just for the taste of it, Diet Coke!” All along the Coca-Cola corporation suspected that Diet Coke would cannibalize their Tab sales, but they were so keen on breaking into the diet market with this new product that they took the risk anyway.
Marketers intentionally used a lowercase “d” for the new product, which was the first new beverage to capitalize on the “Coke” name since their flagship product. The company focused on the taste of their new product offering and not on the diet aspect in their initial advertising campaigns, which was another reason for keeping the “d” lowercase and therefore less noticeable.
In no time, Diet Coke outsold Tab. By the end of 1983, Diet Coke became the best-selling diet beverage on the market and the fourth best-selling brand in the overall beverage category, coming in behind Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and 7-Up. 
Over the years, Diet Coke exploded in popularity, becoming the second best-selling beverage from 2011 through 2015. Tab was eventually discontinued in 2020.
Critics of Diet Coke had levied a barrage of claims against the brand, saying it falsely masquerades as a “healthier” alternative to traditional soda, which is usually made with corn syrup sweetener. Instead, Diet Coke is made with artificial sweetener, which has no calories but is composed of chemicals that critics have deemed problematic.
A 2017 Consumer Reports <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/soda/mounting-evidence-against-diet-sodas/#:~:text=Some%20evidence%20has%20also%20suggested,foods%2C%20leading%20to%20weight%20gain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> presented evidence suggesting that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas can cause inflammation, which is associated with heart disease. The report also claimed that the sweetness of diet sodas such as Diet Coke may “trick” the brain into craving rich, high-calorie foods, which could lead to weight gain that cancels out any calorie deficit created by drinking a calorie-free product.
A Boston University School of Medicine <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/20/health/diet-sodas-stroke-dementia-study/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from 2017 found that people who claimed to consume at least one can of artificially sweetened soft drink each day were almost three times as likely to have a stroke caused by a blood clot when compared to those who abstained. They were also found three times as likely to be diagnosed with dementia.
But it’s not just ingredients and suspected health risks that the media holds against Diet Coke. While the brand has become synonymous with people seeking to lose weight, it’s also become associated with conservatives thanks to people like Trump and Musk singing its praises on social media and beyond.
As far back as 2013, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/02/republicans-diet-coke/317966/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Atlantic</a> zeroed in on conservatives as having an affinity for Diet Coke. The article cited a poll that showed Republicans were far more likely than Democrats to prefer the drink, which the writer claimed was at odds with GOP opposition to taxes on sugary soft drinks. More recently, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/28/elon-musk-diet-coke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Post</a> claimed the drink has a cult following that includes former President Trump and Twitter and Tesla boss Elon Musk, who is currently the object of liberals&#8217; ire.
A 2017 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/politics/donald-trump-president.html?_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the New York Times claimed that Trump drank as many as 12 cans of Diet Coke per day. And Musk’s most recent photo wasn’t the first time he waxed poetic over the fizzy drink favorite. In April, the Tesla founder <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519480761749016577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quipped</a>, “Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in.”
While cocaine would be an interesting addition, Musk had previously explained why he swapped out regular Diet Coke for the caffeine free version. During a 2007 <a href="https://www.inc.com/magazine/20071201/entrepreneur-of-the-year-elon-musk.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Inc. magazine, Musk said that guzzling up to eight cans of Diet Coke per day plus having multiple cups of coffee eventually got to be too much. 
“I got so freaking jacked that I seriously started to feel like I was losing my peripheral vision,” he told the publication. “Now, the office has caffeine-free Diet Coke.”
But it’s not only conservatives buying up all that Diet Coke. Microsoft founder Bill Gates was rumored to enjoy the beverage with his fast food lunch order and also allegedly requested that his hotel rooms be stocked with a fridge full of Diet Coke.
Former president Bill Clinton was also an avid Diet Coke enthusiast. Clinton even included a signature silver can in a time capsule that’s buried at his official presidential library, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/health/diet-coke-trump-health-effects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>.
And that’s not all. Clinton’s former lover Monica Lewinsky claimed in her memoir, “Monica’s Story,” that Diet Coke played a key role in the affair that eventually led to “Slick Willy” being impeached.
&#8220;We were always concerned about appearances,” Lewinsky <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/portrait030499.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> of what happened after sexual encounters. “I would always leave with a Diet Coke; it looked a little more friendly and less sexual.&#8221;
As much as mainstream outlets try to connect Diet Coke with conservatives, the fact remains that this calorie-free concoction is unbound by politics — or morals.

Diet Coke

Diet Coke Is Not Liberal Or Conservative, So Please Stop

Bill Clinton

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

U.S.

In 2019, when Georgia passed a law that banned abortion after a baby’s heartbeat can be detected, a number of high-profile businesses spoke out against it. Executives at companies like Coca-Cola and Amazon went so far as to put their names on a widely-publicized <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/amazon-coke-execs-send-letter-opposing-heartbeat-abortion-bill/85-7a0443bb-ac15-421c-8090-adcd2c56011f">letter</a> to GOP Governor Brian Kemp, warning that the legislation would take the state “in the wrong direction.” Since then, corporations speaking out on controversial topics has become a common occurrence.
But according to an internal email obtained by the independent newsletter <a href="https://popular.info/p/pr-giant-advising-corporate-clients?s=r">Popular Information</a>, one of the nation’s top public relations firms is now telling companies that politics and business don’t mix, especially when it comes to hot-button issues like abortion.
Zeno, a firm that represents such blue-chip brands as Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, and AT&amp;T is advising clients not to weigh in on a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Warning that abortion is a “textbook 50/50 issue,” Executive Vice President for Media Strategy Katie Cwayna says in the email template, drafted to share with clients, that “subjects that divide the country can sometimes be no-win situations for companies because regardless of what they do they will alienate at least 15 to 30 percent of their stakeholders.” She then cautions companies, “Do not assume that all of your employees, customers or investors share your view.”
The message specifically warns that the media will try to coerce businesses to speak out on the issue of abortion and says it would be a mistake to give in to that pressure.
When it comes to the loud voices on social media who demand that companies take a stand on the draft SCOTUS opinion, the firm offers much the same advice, saying, “Do not engage with direct questions about your company’s position. Whether in direct messages or public-facing posts, do not respond to questions about where your company stands on this issue.”
Elements within the Popular Information report suggest author Judd Legum&#8217;s purpose in writing it is to contribute to both the media and social media pressure big companies will feel to take a stand against overturning Roe.
In the article, Legum, who previously ran the leftwing news site ThinkProgress and worked for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, equates “women’s rights” with being pro-abortion. He implies Zeno’s advice is hypocritical because in the past the company has released generic statements cheering women’s equality, but is unwilling to condemn the SCOTUS draft. He writes:
<blockquote>In a March 2021 statement posted to its corporate website, Zeno said that everyone must make &#8220;a commitment to a gender equal world&#8221; and that includes “speaking up in the face of inequality”…
Now, with the constitutional rights of women in grave danger, Zeno is giving their clients — which also include Kia Motors, Astra-Zeneca, AT&amp;T, ASICS, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Phillips Health, Corona, Pizza Hut, Prudential, and Leveno — the opposite advice. If Edelman and other PR firms are doling out similar recommendations, it may explain why so few companies that publicly champion women&#8217;s rights have spoken out about the expected repeal of Roe.</blockquote>
<a href="https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1522567107149451264?s=20&amp;t=7vArePyx5AmoD8lImREuUg">Multiple</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1522567748030709763?s=20&amp;t=7vArePyx5AmoD8lImREuUg">Twitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1522569163784523776?s=20&amp;t=7vArePyx5AmoD8lImREuUg">posts</a> from Legum similarly seem intended to inspire outrage against Zeno for its advice.
Recent big business cautionary tales, however, suggest that companies that want to avoid angering their customers by taking sides on controversial subjects would do well to follow Zeno’s advice.
Since leftwing activists successfully pressured Disney to take a public stand against a Florida law that prevents public schools from speaking to children about sexuality and gender identity before fourth grade, the company has weathered a storm of negative press and faced boycotts from parents. CEO Bob Chapek’s pledge to fight to overturn the law also cost the company government perks like a special tax district in the Orlando area where its Disney World theme park is located.
Additionally, Disney&#8217;s stock has fallen roughly 19% since March, when it first reversed its initial policy of staying out of politics.

San Francisco’s Iconic Coca-Cola Sign To Be Taken Down

Top PR Firm Tells Clients Like Coca-Cola, Starbucks To Stay Out Of Roe V. Wade Fight

PR Firm Tells Clients Like Coca-Cola, Starbucks To Stay Out Of Roe V. Wade Fight

Abortion

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Supreme Court

Coca-Cola is expecting product shortages through 2022.
During an interview with <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/27/coca-cola-ceo-expects-to-see-sporadic-product-shortages-through-2022.html">CNBC</a>, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey explained that “some issues are ongoing and structural, and some issues appear for a quarter and disappear again.”
The outlet summarized:
<blockquote>Like other food and beverage companies, Coke is dealing with snarls in the supply chain and higher commodity costs, which have resulted in some shortages.
&#8230;
Quincey said the company uses its global scale and long-term partnerships to navigate issues within its supply chain. However, it’s not possible to mitigate all challenges. He presented a second analogy, comparing the supply chain headaches to a game of Whac-a-Mole.
&#8230;
On a call with analysts, he listed issues like labor shortages, spiking gas costs in Europe and a plastic plant in Brazil that burst into flames.</blockquote>
“My analogy would be it’s a bit like an earthquake,” Quincey added. “You get further shock waves coming through, but they tend to be of diminishing magnitude.”
As the United States economy recovers from COVID-19 and the lockdown-induced recession, many firms are gripped by supply chain shortages partially linked to labor shortages — both of which are contributing to high inflation.
At California’s two busiest seaports — which process 40% of all shipping traffic entering the United States — there are dozens of vessels <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-truckers-forced-to-dump-shipping-containers-in-nearby-neighborhoods-amid-supply-chain-crisis">waiting</a> to enter and unload, leading to empty shelves and product shortages across the nation. Nevertheless, Biden administration officials — such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-supply-chain-clog-happening-in-part-because-biden-has-successfully-guided-this-economy">dismissing</a> the bottlenecks as a sign of President Biden “successfully” managing the economy.
“Well, certainly, a lot of the challenges that we have been experiencing this year will continue into next year,” Buttigieg recently told CNN anchor Jake Tapper. “But there are both short-term and long-term steps that we can take to do something about it. Look, part of what’s happening isn’t just the supply side. It’s the demand side. Demand is off the charts. Retail sales are through the roof.”
“And if you think about those images of ships, for example, waiting at anchor on the West Coast, you know, every one of those ships is full of record amounts of goods that Americans are buying, because demand is up, because income is up, because the president has successfully guided this economy out of the teeth of a terrifying recession,” Buttigieg claimed. “Now the issue is, even though our ports are handling more than they ever have, record amounts of goods coming through, our supply chains can’t keep up. And, of course, our supply chains, that’s a complicated system that is mostly in private hands, and rightly so.”
As Buttigieg has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/17/buttigieg-supply-chain-problems-2022-516145">admitted</a>, economists fear that the crises affecting the United States will persist into 2022 — casting a foreboding shadow on economic growth prospects.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/survey-economists-foresee-high-inflation-supply-chain-crisis-labor-shortages-lasting-well-into-2022">surveyed</a> economists on high inflation, constrained supply chains, and labor shortages. Due to the phenomena, respondents slashed their predicted economic growth rate for this year from 7% to 3.1%.

American soft drink brand Coca-Cola bottles are seen outside

Coca-Cola Foresees Product Shortages Next Year

A bipartisan group of lawmakers held a hearing about American companies’ decisions to sponsor the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Due to human rights abuses from the Chinese Communist Party — such as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-passes-uyghur-forced-labor-prevention-act">genocide</a> of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hong-kong-issues-first-guilty-verdict-under-china-demanded-national-security-law">suppression</a> of civil liberties in Hong Kong — many officials are debating the role of American diplomats and athletes in the upcoming Winter Games, which are slated to begin in seven months.
On Tuesday, the <a href="https://www.cecc.gov/events/hearings/corporate-sponsorship-of-the-2022-beijing-olympics">Congressional-Executive Commission on China</a> hosted a hearing on corporate sponsorship of the Olympics. Lawmakers expressed concern to executives from Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Intel, Procter &amp; Gamble, and Visa over their decisions to provide millions in funding to the Games.
For instance, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said in his opening <a href="https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/Chairman%20Merkley%20Opening%20Statement%20-%20CECC%20Olympic%20Sponsors%20Hearing.pdf">statement</a>:
<blockquote>As the world watches the Olympics currently unfolding in Japan, this Commission remains deeply disturbed that in less than seven months another Olympic Games are scheduled to begin in the shadow of some of the world’s most egregious human rights abuses. The Olympic Games exist to uplift the human spirit. Yet, unless something dramatically changes, in a few months’ time the Games will be held in a country that continues to mercilessly crush the human spirit, in Xinjiang, in Hong Kong, and in Tibet; among human rights activists and civil society; and anywhere where defenders of freedom stand up to the Chinese government’s bullying.</blockquote>
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) <a href="https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/JPM%20opening%20statement--Corporate%20Sponsorship%20Hearing.pdf">prompted</a> the companies to draw attention to Chinese human rights abuses:
<blockquote>Congress and the Executive Branch are acting because, when it comes to the Chinese government committing atrocities, we do not accept business as usual. Today we ask whether you will treat the Beijing Olympic as business as usual. 
As U.S-based Olympic sponsors, your companies represent America on the world stage. We ask whether you are willing to stand up for universal values and use your leverage against genocide and crimes against humanity. </blockquote>
Despite lawmakers’ admonitions, the executives refrained from voicing concern over the Chinese Communist Party’s policies and reaffirmed their decisions to support the Games. In his opening <a href="https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Testimony%20-%20Paul%20Lalli_0.pdf">statement</a>, for example, Coca-Cola global vice president for human rights Paul Lalli brushed off the suggestion that his firm could meaningfully impact the Games: 
<blockquote>As a sponsor of global sporting events, our influence is limited. In the case of the Olympics, for instance, The Coca-Cola Company is one of 14 companies in The Olympic Partners program. Those 14 companies together provide less than a fifth of the IOC’s funding. By contrast, broadcasters contribute almost 75 percent. That governments are always intimately involved in bidding for and hosting any event only heightens the challenge.</blockquote>
Despite repeatedly emphasizing Coca-Cola’s commitment to human rights, the statement made no specific mention of the terms “Beijing,” “Uyghur,” “Xinjiang,” “Hong Kong,” or even “China,” apart from one mention of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/business/beijing-winter-olympics-us-sponsors-hnk-intl/index.html">CNN Business</a> reported that other business leaders likewise refused to reconsider their sponsorship of the Beijing Games:
<blockquote>During the hearing Rep. Christopher Smith asked representatives from the five companies how they could &#8220;reconcile their ostensible commitment to human rights with subsidizing an Olympics held in a country which is actively committing human rights abuses up to and including genocide.&#8221; He asked the executives whether the Games should be relocated.
&#8220;As long as governments are allowing the athletes to attend the games, we as Visa will be there to support or sponsor them,&#8221; said Andrea Fairchild, Visa&#8217;s senior vice president of Global Sponsorship Strategy.
David Holyoke, head of Airbnb&#8217;s Olympics and Paralympics Partnership, said that the company&#8217;s partnership with the International Olympic Committee is &#8220;not focused on Beijing or any other single games.&#8221;
And Intel executive vice president and general counsel Steven Rodgers said that the company has &#8220;not stated a position on the location of the games.&#8221;</blockquote>
On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-tom-cotton-shreds-coca-cola-in-explosive-hearing-for-refusing-to-condemn-communist-china">The Daily Wire</a> reported that Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) grilled Lalli over his company’s willingness to turn a blind eye to abuses in China — which is home to the world’s second-largest consumer economy — while blasting American officials for purported voter suppression.
“I’ve heard your talking points,” said Cotton. “And I’m tired of hearing them, Mr. Lalli. I’m asking you a simple question. Why is it that Coca-Cola will opine on Georgia’s election laws, but not on the genocide Olympics?”
“Georgia is our home, it’s where many of our employees live and work,” responded Lalli. “And we are most engaged on public policy issues here in the US.”
“I think the answer is, you are afraid of the Chinese Communist Party, you’re afraid of what they will do to your company, if you say a single word, like for instance, saying that both the Biden and the Trump administration are correct when they say that China is committing a genocide against its own,” retorted Cotton.

‘Woke’ Coca-Cola, Other Businesses Refuse To Reconsider Sponsorship Of 2022 Beijing Olympics

China

Olympics

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tore into Paul Lalli, Coca-Cola&#8217;s Global Vice President for Human Rights, during a Senate hearing on Tuesday over the company&#8217;s refusal to speak out about the genocide that China is committing after the company weighed in on local political matters earlier this year.
Cotton posted a video of the question, writing that Coca-Cola would not &#8220;condemn the Chinese Communist Party for committing genocide&#8221; and that the company would &#8220;support the Winter Olympics in Beijing.&#8221;
&#8220;You see this is what I&#8217;m talking about,&#8221; Cotton said to Lalli after Lalli refused to condemn the Chinese Communist Party. &#8220;Under questioning from Senator Merkley, and Representative McGovern, and Representative Chris Smith, every single one of you refused to say a single word by all appearances that will cost you one bit of market share inside of mainland China. Mr. Lalli, for instance, you were asked if Coca Cola would call for the IOC, to delay the Chinese Olympics to give a chance for them to be rebid or for China to stop its genocide against its own people and you said that Coca Cola quote, I think is your exact words, quote, &#8216;doesn&#8217;t have a say,&#8217; end quote. So, can you tell me why Coca Cola doesn&#8217;t have a say in whether it[] sponsors the genocide Olympics next year, but it does have a say and how the state of Georgia runs its election laws?&#8221;
&#8220;Senator, what I stated was that we do not have a say in the selection of the host city, nor on whether an Olympics is postponed or relocated,&#8221; Lalli responded.
&#8220;Yeah, so you don&#8217;t, but you could just make a statement,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;Your CEO could saddle up the same moral high horse that he got on when Georgia passed its election law and write a letter to the IOC and ask them to, anybody can do that. If he&#8217;s an American citizen, that&#8217;s his right under our Constitution.&#8221;
Lalli claimed that Coca-Cola was &#8220;most engaged on policy issues here at home,&#8221; which led Cotton to ask: &#8220;Can you can you explain to me why James Quincy, will &#8230; denounce a democratically elected legislature&#8217;s laws, but he will not simply say that the IOC should consider rebidding its Olympics or that Coca Cola should consider sponsoring the genocide Olympics? What&#8217;s the difference there?&#8221;
&#8220;Our role as a sponsor is to support and follow the athletes,&#8221; Lalli responded.
&#8220;So, you&#8217;re sponsoring the genocide Olympics, you are spending millions of dollars to sponsor the genocide Olympics,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;Yet you will not opine on any matter about it, that you will stick your nose in the Georgia legislature&#8217;s election reform laws. Can you explain to me the contrast?&#8221;
&#8220;I think the answer is, you are afraid of the Chinese Communist Party, you&#8217;re afraid of what they will do to your company, if you say a single word, like for instance, saying that both the Biden and the Trump administration are correct when they say that China is committing a genocide against its own,&#8221; Cotton later added.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Coca-Cola: We stand up for what is right across the world.
Also Coca-Cola: We will not condemn the Chinese Communist Party for committing genocide, and we will support the Winter Olympics in Beijing. <a href="https://t.co/9C56MJJYe8">pic.twitter.com/9C56MJJYe8</a>
&mdash; Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1420092672400936960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): So your company said at the time that we will continue to stand up for what is right in Georgia and across the United States. So are we to take from your that statement at the time that Coca Cola will not stand up for what is right outside the United States? Because that&#8217;s what it sounds like this morning in this testimony.
PAUL LALLI, COCA-COLA&#8217;S GLOBAL VICE PRESIDENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: No, Senator, we stand up for what is right across the world. We apply the same human rights principles in the United States that we do across the world.
COTTON: Do you believe that the Chinese Communist Party is committing genocide against the Uyghur people?
LALLI: We&#8217;re aware of the reports of the State Department on this issue as well. There are other departments of the U.S. government. We respect those reports. They continue to inform our program, as do reports from other from civil society.
COTTON: You see this is what I&#8217;m talking about. Under questioning from Senator Merkley, and Representative McGovern, and Representative Chris Smith, every single one of you refused to say a single word by all appearances that will cost you one bit of market share inside of mainland China. Mr. Lalli, for instance, you were asked if Coca Cola would call for the IOC, to delay the Chinese Olympics to give a chance for them to be rebid or for China to stop its genocide against its own people and you said that Coca Cola quote, I think is your exact words, quote, &#8216;doesn&#8217;t have a say,&#8217; end quote. So, can you tell me why Coca Cola doesn&#8217;t have a say in whether it&#8217;s sponsors the genocide Olympics next year, but it does have a say and how the state of Georgia runs its election laws?
LALLI: Senator, what I stated was that we do not have a say in the selection of the host city, nor on whether an Olympics is postponed or relocated.
COTTON: Yeah, so you don&#8217;t, but you could just make a statement. Your CEO could saddle up the same moral high horse that he got on when Georgia passed its election law and write a letter to the IOC and ask them to, anybody can do that. If he&#8217;s an American citizen, that&#8217;s his right under our Constitution.
LALLI: As I stated, we are most engaged on policy issues here at home. But we are clear in our respect for human rights globally.
COTTON: Can you can you explain to me why James Quincy, will &#8230; denounce a democratically elected legislature&#8217;s laws, but he will not simply say that the IOC should consider rebidding its Olympics or that Coca Cola should consider sponsoring the genocide Olympics? What&#8217;s the difference there?
LALLI: Our role as a sponsor is to support and follow the athletes.
COTTON: So, you&#8217;re sponsoring the genocide Olympics, you are spending millions of dollars to sponsor the genocide Olympics. Yet you will not opine on any matter about it, that you will stick your nose in the Georgia legislature&#8217;s election reform laws. Can you explain to me the contrast?
LALLI: First, let me say that we do not make decisions on these host locations we support and follow the athletes wherever they compete.
COTTON: Yeah, no, I&#8217;ve heard your talking points. And I&#8217;m tired of hearing them, Mr. Lalli. I&#8217;m asking you a simple question. Why is it that Coca Cola will opine on Georgia&#8217;s election laws, but not on the genocide Olympics?
LALLI: As I&#8217;ve stated, of Georgia is our home, it&#8217;s where many of our employees live and work. And we are most engaged on public policy issues here in the US.
COTTON: I think the answer is, you are afraid of the Chinese Communist Party, you&#8217;re afraid of what they will do to your company, if you say a single word, like for instance, saying that both the Biden and the Trump administration are correct when they say that China is committing a genocide against its own.</blockquote>

Senate Judiciary Committee Hears Testimony From Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland

WATCH: Tom Cotton Shreds Coca-Cola In Explosive Hearing For Refusing To Condemn Communist China

Tom Cotton

A nonprofit launched an advertising campaign criticizing “Woka-Cola” and other politicized brands.
Consumers’ Research — which works “to increase the knowledge and understanding of issues, policies, products, and services of concern to consumers and to promote the freedom to act on that knowledge and understanding” — is producing ads that note the hypocrisy of firms that stress social justice while promoting clear injustice around the world.
The group’s “<a href="https://consumersresearch.org/consumersfirst/">Consumers First Initiative</a>” includes ads about American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Nike, Major League Baseball, and Ticketmaster: “We are putting corporations on notice — It’s time to start serving your customers and stop serving woke politicians.”
A jingle about Coca-Cola points out the unhealthy nature of its products and reliance upon labor in China:
<blockquote>At Coke, we say we’re woke
We sell drinks bad as smoke
China is our labor supplier
That drives our stock price even higher
What the world knows today
Obesity won’t go away
Diabetes is here to stay
That’s our real thing. Woka-Cola!</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Always Woka-Cola: It’s the Real Thing" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J2x_ovDsa3Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Another advertisement points out the inconsistency behind American Airlines&#8217; opposition to election reform laws:
<blockquote>American requires passengers to show ID to fly, but attacks Texas’ popular voter ID law. Why is CEO Doug Parker trying to appease the radical Left? To distract from billions in taxpayer bailouts.</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Worst" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fg89CSkoSuI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The third advertisement about Nike observed the brand’s ties to slave labor in the Xinjiang region of China, where the government is enslaving Uyghurs:
<blockquote>Nike is constantly political. Why? Cover. Congressional reports suspect Nike used forced labor in China. Religious minorities were ripped from their families, sterilized, and sold to factories. Nike made shoes in those same areas.
Congress tried to ban Nike’s labor practices. Nike fought back with highly-paid lobbyists… Stop exploiting foreign labor. Serve your customers. Not woke politicians.</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Cover" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tDWLSAdf48o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftists-lose-it-after-woke-coca-cola-accidentally-blocks-phrase-black-lives-matter-from-custom-label-maker">The Daily Wire</a> reported last month that Coca-Cola faced backlash after its make-your-own-label “Share A Coke” promotion mistakenly blocked the phrase “Black Lives Matter.”
Although phrases such as “White Lives Matter,” “Asian Lives Matter,” and “Baby Lives Matter” were not blocked, “Black Lives Matter” produced an error message: “Oops! Looks like the name you requested is not an approved one. Names may not be approved if they’re potentially offensive to other people, trademarked, or celebrity names. We’ve worked hard to get this list right, but sometimes we mess up. If you think this is an error, please contact our Customer Care team. Otherwise, please try again, keep it fun and in the spirit of sharing!”
After customers realized that terms such as “Lesbian,” “Mexican,” and “Gay Pride” were also disallowed, they castigated the brand on social media — particularly, in the comments of a Coca-Cola tweet supporting “Pride Month.”
In the wake of other election security laws — especially one signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) — firms such as JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, and Major League Baseball issued <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/5-woke-corporations-who-condemned-georgia-while-still-doing-business-with-china">statements</a> about purported systemic racism in the measure. All five companies, however, benefit from their extensive operations in China.

In this photo illustration a glass bottle of Coca-Cola seen

WATCH: New Ads Target ‘Woka-Cola,’ Other Politicized Brands

Coca-Cola is facing backlash after its make-your-own-label “Share A Coke” promotion blocked the phrase “Black Lives Matter” while failing to disallow other phrases.
The beverage giant is inviting fans to <a href="https://us.coca-cola.com/store/personalized-bottle">customize</a> eight-ounce glass bottles with words or phrases of their choice, which can then be purchased for $6 apiece. However, the online tool was inconsistent in the terms that it rejected.
As confirmed by The Daily Wire, phrases such as “White Lives Matter,” “Asian Lives Matter,” and “Baby Lives Matter” were not blocked. However, “Black Lives Matter” produced an error message: &#8220;Oops! Looks like the name you requested is not an approved one. Names may not be approved if they&#8217;re potentially offensive to other people, trademarked, or celebrity names. We&#8217;ve worked hard to get this list right, but sometimes we mess up. If you think this is an error, please contact our Customer Care team. Otherwise, please try again, keep it fun and in the spirit of sharing!&#8221;
Customers took to social media and expressed their frustration.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Coke won’t let people put Black Lives Matter on a bottle but this is fineeeee <a href="https://t.co/M4SH6xRhIK">https://t.co/M4SH6xRhIK</a>
&mdash; Cortana: German Mullet Expert (@CortanaV) <a href="https://twitter.com/CortanaV/status/1407341088520691714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Seems coke are ok with white lives matter but Black Lives Matter not so good 😤 <a href="https://t.co/5tAHJqT9YX">https://t.co/5tAHJqT9YX</a> <a href="https://t.co/FBafjOhrAu">pic.twitter.com/FBafjOhrAu</a>
&mdash; Becky (@LfcBecky) <a href="https://twitter.com/LfcBecky/status/1407353826718408706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Twitter users also discovered that terms such as “Lesbian,” “Mexican,” and “Gay Pride” were disallowed, triggering a further backlash in the comments of a Coca-Cola tweet supporting “Pride Month.”
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But I can’t share a drink with multiple LGBTQ+ groups in your Coke Customizer? Happy Pride, Coke.
&mdash; 𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖌𝖚𝖎 𝕭𝖔𝖎 🇳🇬 blm/tlm (@Plaguiboi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Plaguiboi/status/1407803357767606275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Poor donations, slurs allowed on design bottles but not queer phrases, and you can’t even donate to your local queer organizations in Atlanta?
&mdash; 🏳️‍🌈Still Poor, But Gayer🏳️‍🌈 (@EffectiveCone29) <a href="https://twitter.com/EffectiveCone29/status/1407768813521838083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
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 <a href="https://t.co/QztgJH1xrF">pic.twitter.com/QztgJH1xrF</a>
&mdash; Greg Hagen (@gregory_hagen) <a href="https://twitter.com/gregory_hagen/status/1407425070494982147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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🤔 <a href="https://t.co/nzEKS6BOIq">pic.twitter.com/nzEKS6BOIq</a>
&mdash; Amy Hudson is very tired (@unicorn__sauce) <a href="https://twitter.com/unicorn__sauce/status/1407401411713851400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, terms such as “Nazis” and “White Supremacy” were permitted.
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 <a href="https://t.co/05XCCVUBYV">pic.twitter.com/05XCCVUBYV</a>
&mdash; no more billionaires (@michael_chips) <a href="https://twitter.com/michael_chips/status/1407183420178849796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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A Coca-Cola spokesperson told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/23/business/coke-label-fail/index.html">CNN Business</a> that the tool is undergoing review.
&#8220;We&#8217;re continuously refining and improving our Share A Coke personalization tool to ensure it is used only for its intended purpose,&#8221; said the spokesperson. &#8220;Words or phrases that have appeared in the preview mode of the tool may not necessarily be approved, but rather are words we have not previously assessed. Actual bottles are not made with words that are inconsistent with the program&#8217;s intent.”
Although Coca-Cola supports social justice causes in the United States, it recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-nike-lobbying-against-anti-china-bill-banning-import-of-products-made-by-forced-uyghur-labor">lobbied</a> against a bill that would have prevented American companies from importing products made in Chinese labor camps.

Labels for bottles of Coca-Cola soft-drink are stacked at th

Leftists Lose It After ‘Woke’ Coca-Cola Accidentally Blocks Phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ From Custom Label Maker

A group of “concerned” Coca-Cola shareholders have sent a letter to the beverage corporation, alleging a recent policy aimed at diversity would actually require law firms that represent the company to violate anti-discrimination law.
Paul Mirengoff, a board member of the American Civil Rights Project (ACRP), <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/06/concerned-shareholders-take-action-against-cokes-racist-demands.php">reported</a> at Powerline that in January 2021, “the general counsel of Coca-Cola <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/03/coke-demands-that-its-law-firms-engage-in-unlawful-discrimination.php">sent a letter</a> to the law firms that represent it. The letter demanded, among other things, that these firms ‘commit that at least 30% of each of billed associate and partner time will be from diverse attorneys, and of such amounts at least half will be from Black attorneys.’”
ACRP responded to the policy with <a href="https://www.americancivilrightsproject.org/blog/submissions/open-letter-on-behalf-of-shareholders-to-officers-and-directors-of-coca-cola-company/">an open letter</a> demanding that Coca-Cola either “publicly retract the discriminatory outside-counsel policies it announced in January” or “provide access to the corporate records related to the decision of Coca-Cola’s officers and directors to adopt and retain those illegal policies,” Mirengoff wrote.
The letter notes that Coca-Cola’s policy “of contracting, refusing to contract, and altering the terms of signed contracts on the basis of the race of Coke’s counterparties, the [directors] have exposed Coke and its shareholders to material risk of liability” for potentially violating anti-discrimination laws.
The letter continues:
<blockquote>The Policies additionally expose the company to potential litigation on other theories, including (without waiving the right to later note more):
(a)the Policies order outside counsel to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, and disability status in hiring, promotional decisions, firing, staffing, and internal compensation structures. In doing so, the Policies order outside counsel to violate Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964,Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
(b)in requiring the disclosure of individual outside-counsel “team member[’]s” disability status, the Policies separately compel the violation of the confidentiality provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.</blockquote>
As Mirengoff noted, the letter adds that Coca-Cola knew or should have known the policy it enacted was illegal. In April, famed attorney Boyden Gray wrote <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/04/coca-cola-receives-warning-over-its-attempt-to-impose-racial-quotas.php">an open letter</a> to the company outlining how the new policy was discriminatory, so by now the company should have no questions as to whether the policy is potentially illegal.
Yet, as Daniel Morenoff, leader of the ACRP wrote in the letter to Coca-Cola, on the same day Gray wrote his letter, the company:
<blockquote>[Coke] executed and filed with the SEC a Form 10Q omitting any reference whatsoever to the [illegal contracting] policies or Coke’s related liabilities. Given the total omission of these material liabilities, that document, by all appearances, did not “contain[ ]” or “fairly present[ ], in all material respects, the financial condition…. of the Company.” Thus, [Coke] executed and submitted to the SEC a false “Certification Pursuant to 18 USC Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.</blockquote>
Even though Coca-Cola didn’t report this new policy, Morenoff wrote, it has retained the policy. Concluding his letter, Morenoff issued a demand to the company:
<blockquote>The Stockholders therefore demand that you immediately publicly retract the Policies in their entirety. If we do not receive a response to these demands within 30 business days, we will understand. . .Coke. . .to have refused to address these matters themselves. At that point, the Stockholders will be forced to seek judicial relief to protect Coke and the Stockholders’ interests in the company from your continued breaches of your fiduciary duties.
I hope that after you have reviewed this letter, you will be in touch to inform us of how Coke will comply with these demands.</blockquote>

Coca-Cola Shareholders Send Letter Attacking Company’s Woke Policy For Contracted Lawyers, Saying It Requires Them To Violate Anti-Discrimination Law

Racial Discrimination

International soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo may have cost Coca-Cola billions in market value after snubbing its flagship soda at a press conference.
Ronaldo, captain of Portugal’s national team, sat behind two bottles of Coca-Cola during a Monday press conference for the Euro 2020 tournament. Ronaldo was there to preview Portugal’s upcoming Group F opener against Hungary.
As the press conference was starting, “Ronaldo, an advocate of a healthy diet, moved the glass bottles out of the camera frame and instead held up a bottle of water and said in Portuguese: ‘Water!’” <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/portugal-por/story/4410619/cristiano-ronaldo-snub-sees-coca-cola-share-price-fall-by-$4bn">ESPN</a> reported. “Coca-Cola saw its share price drop by 1.6% to $55.22 soon after Ronaldo&#8217;s actions. The market value went from $242bn to $238bn – a $4bn drop.”
Coca-Cola is an official sponsor of the Euro 2020 and its drinks are offered to players free of charge at every press conference.
“Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences,” a Euro 2020 spokesperson <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/16/cristiano-ronaldo-snubs-coca-cola-billions-wiped-off-drink-giants-market-value">said</a> in a statement. Everyone “is entitled to their drink preferences.”
Ronaldo has long been critical of consuming sugary fountain drinks and sweets. He has said he tries to dissuade his children from drinking and eating them.
“I&#8217;m hard with him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta sometimes and I&#8217;m pissed with him,” Ronald <a href="https://www.sportbible.com/football/funny-ronaldo-says-he-gets-pssed-off-when-his-son-drinks-coca-cola-20201228">said</a> in a December interview after winning “Player of the Century” at the Global Soccer Awards. “I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, he knows I don&#8217;t like it.”
“Even my small kids, when they eat chocolate they always look to me and, you know, we have to be strong,” Ronaldo said.
Coca-Cola has recently been in the headlines in the United States, not because of the health of its products but because of the company’s apparent politics. In June, a North Carolina county voted to ban Coca-Cola vending machines in county-owned buildings over the company’s political agenda. As The Daily Wire reported:
<blockquote>A county in North Carolina is banning Coca-Cola machines in response to the company’s left-wing political agenda, saying they are going to fight back in the culture war.
“The left wing in America, they defund, they boycott, they cancel, they tear down statues — all sorts of egregious actions,” Eddie Harris, Surry County county commissioner, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/02/north-carolina-county-bans-coca-cola-machines-over-left-wing-politics/">said</a>. “The expectation from them is the opposing political side will cower in the corner and we’re supposed to accept that and it’s supposed to be OK. And it’s not OK.”
The county commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of banning Coca-Cola vending machines in county-owned buildings after the company criticized the state of Georgia for passing voter integrity laws aimed at securing elections.
Harris sent a letter on official county letterhead to James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, saying that the company’s position was “wrong on many levels.”</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/georgia-gop-lawmakers-are-kicking-coca-cola-out-of-their-offices-for-trashing-election-reforms">Georgia GOP Lawmakers Are Kicking Coca-Cola Out Of Their Offices For Trashing Election Reforms</a>

Coca-Cola Company

Coca-Cola Lost Billions After Being Snubbed By International Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo

Soccer

A county in North Carolina is banning Coca-Cola machines in response to the company&#8217;s left-wing political agenda, saying they are going to fight back in the culture war.
“The left wing in America, they defund, they boycott, they cancel, they tear down statues — all sorts of egregious actions,” Eddie Harris, Surry County county commissioner, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/02/north-carolina-county-bans-coca-cola-machines-over-left-wing-politics/">said</a>. “The expectation from them is the opposing political side will cower in the corner and we’re supposed to accept that and it’s supposed to be OK. And it’s not OK.”
The county commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of banning Coca-Cola vending machines in county-owned buildings after the company criticized the state of Georgia for passing voter integrity laws aimed at securing elections.
Harris sent a letter on official county letterhead to James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, saying that the company&#8217;s position was &#8220;wrong on many levels.&#8221;
&#8220;I have seen no public statements from you or Coca Cola regarding the placement of China&#8217;s ethnic Uighurs and Turkic Muslim minorities in concentration camps,&#8221; Harris wrote in a letter obtained by The Daily Wire. &#8220;Where is your outrage of this persecution in a Communist country in which Coca Cola is heavily invested?&#8221;
&#8220;It has also come to our attention that your company has adopted policies that disparage people based on their race,&#8221; Harris continued. &#8220;According to a whistleblower, your employees were asked to be &#8216;less white&#8217; and another training slide said: &#8216;In the U.S. and other Western nations, white people are socialized to feel that they are inherently superior because they are white.&#8217; The slide detailing what it means to be &#8216;less white&#8217; noted 10 areas in which Caucasians should improve. This type of bigoted and racist thinking has no place in corporate America or our country. People should be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin.&#8221;
&#8220;Additionally, your corporate political commentary favoring the Democratic Party and their attempts to divide Americans by race and ethnicity are unnecessary in an era where Americans of all beliefs are more divided now than at any time in the last century,&#8221; Harris continued. &#8220;Michael Jordan once said &#8216;Republicans buy sneakers too&#8217; when asked why he didn&#8217;t make public comments about politics. Citizens of Surry County and across America are growing increasingly tired of large multinational corporations and their CEOs pushing an increasingly intolerant, bigoted, left-wing, divisive political agenda on its customers.&#8221;
&#8220;Due to your company&#8217;s support of the out-of-control cancel culture and bigoted leftist mob, the Surry Board of County Commissioners voted at their May 17, 2021 meeting to remove all Coca-Cola machines from Surry County Government facilities,&#8221; Harris concluded. &#8220;Our Board felt that was the best way to take a stand and express our disappointment in Coca-Cola&#8217;s actions, which are not representative of most views of our citizens. Our Board hopes that other organizations across the country are taking similar stances against Coca-Cola and sincerely wishes that future marketing efforts and comments emanating from your company are more considerate of all your customers&#8217; viewpoints.&#8221;

A woman walks past a Coca Cola vending m

County Votes To Ban Coke Machines Over Leftism: Your ‘Bigoted And Racist Thinking’ Has No Place Here

Leftism

North Carolina

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