Target CEO Brian Cornell said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China &#8220;will likely&#8221; lead to price increases at his company&#8217;s stores as soon as this week.
His remarks come after Trump’s 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada went into effect on Tuesday, as did his 10% tariff on China, which was added to a levy imposed a month ago, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china-stock-market-today-03-04-2025">reported</a>.
&#8220;The consumer will likely see price increases over the next couple of days,&#8221; he told CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box&#8221; while discussing consumer confidence. &#8220;Those are really short supply chains. You think about all the fresh produce. We depend on Mexico during the winter. We&#8217;re going to try to make sure we can do everything we can to protect pricing. But if there&#8217;s a 25% tariff, those prices will go up.&#8221;
He said that recent polls showing consumer confidence had taken a downward turn in recent weeks, partly because of concerns about tariffs.
&#8220;It&#8217;s just the state of the consumer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I think we&#8217;ve seen a cautious consumer for quite some time now. They&#8217;re shopping carefully. They&#8217;re making sure they&#8217;re stretching their budgets as carefully as they can.&#8221;
Cornell said that his team has prepared different scenarios to mitigate the increase in costs as much as possible and that they aim to be nimble to &#8220;react accordingly.&#8221;
He said some items that would increase in price include strawberries, avocados, bananas, and more.
Canada responded by imposing a 25% tariff on the U.S., China responded with tariffs, and Mexico signaled it would also retaliate with its own tariffs.
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Walt Disney Company’s Coverage Of The D23 Expo 2019

Target CEO: Prices ‘Likely’ To Rise In Coming Days Due To Tariffs

Business

Donald Trump

Economy

Prices

Target

Tariffs

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck announced on Thursday that PepsiCo will end all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives at the company and put an end to its woke &#8220;social credit system survey.&#8221;
In a post on <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1892623881682276386?s=51&amp;t=yVg_AIbZC0FnyCtU4qPVYw">X</a> from the filmmaker, Starbuck wrote that he could finally reveal that after he contacted the company and planned to expose its woke policies, PepsiCo has revealed big changes that aren&#8217;t just going to effect Pepsi, but all the the brands it owns including Gatorade, Quaker, Doritos, Ruffles, Frito-Lay, Aquafina, and more.
“@PepsiCo will no longer have a DEI Officer. PepsiCo will no longer have a DEI team. PepsiCo will END DEI representation goals,” Starbuck’s post read. “PepsiCo will no longer participate in the woke @HRC CEI social credit system survey. Woke trans agenda activists at the HRC are losing influence and power by the day.”
“They will END ALL DEI trainings,” he added. “ALL PepsiCo sponsorships must align with their business going forward. Instead of supplier diversity, PepsiCo is now focused on growing their small business supplier base.&#8221;
“I have to give their executives major credit for making these changes because these are some big changes,” Starbuck continued. “PepsiCo has 318,000+ employees and a market cap of more than $200 BILLION dollars. Those employees will now have a neutral workplace without feeling that divisive issues are being injected and this corporate neutrality will also extend to their many suppliers who will no longer feel pressure to endorse these policies.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MASSIVE news: I contacted PepsiCo to let them know that I planned on doing a story about their woke policies. When I contacted them, they were ready to make some BIG changes. I can now exclusively tell you what’s changing:
• <a href="https://twitter.com/PepsiCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PepsiCo</a> will no longer have a DEI Officer.
•… <a href="https://t.co/RnjhVuPnVR">pic.twitter.com/RnjhVuPnVR</a>
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1892623881682276386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
His post noted that with PepsiCo making these changes, the next major business under threat of wider public exposure of its woke policies is CocaCola.
“@CocaCola should be very nervous about continuing with their woke policies,” Starbuck wrote. “The spotlight is on them next. We are winning and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America.&#8221;
“Our campaigns are now so effective that we’re getting the biggest companies on earth to change their policies without me even posting a story outlining their woke policies,” he added. “Companies can clearly see that America wants normalcy back. The era of wokeness is dying right in front of our eyes. The landscape of corporate America is quickly shifting to sanity and neutrality. We are the trend, not the anomaly.”
Starbuck noted that the effort to get rid of woke policies and practices had impacted companies&#8217; worth more than $4 trillion so far and shared how people could help him <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1892623881682276386?s=51&amp;t=yVg_AIbZC0FnyCtU4qPVYw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continue</a>.
PepsiCo joins other major companies like Target, Walmart, McDonalds, Harley Davidson, Ford, Coors, and Toyota that reversed course on DEI initiatives thanks to Starbuck&#8217;s efforts.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-rolls-back-dei-joining-other-major-companies-like-walmart-meta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target Rolls Back DEI, Joining Other Major Companies Like Walmart, Meta</a>

DEI Book

PepsiCo Announces End To DEI Policies

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Robby Starbuck

Social Issues

U.S.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) confirmed it has closed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DEI</a>) office following President Donald Trump’s executive order to remove DEI from the federal government. 
In a statement from a PBS spokesperson to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/pbs-closes-dei-office-trump-executive-order-1236132553/">The </a><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/pbs-closes-dei-office-trump-executive-order-1236132553/">Hollywood Reporte</a><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/pbs-closes-dei-office-trump-executive-order-1236132553/">r</a>, the publicly funded nonprofit organization’s rep said, “In order to best ensure we are in compliance with the President’s executive order around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion we have closed our DEI office.”
“The staff members who served in that office are leaving PBS,” it added. “We will continue to adhere to our mission and values. PBS will continue to reflect all of America and remain a welcoming place for everyone.”
In a DEI report in Feb. 2023, the broadcast network said it had opened a DEI office in 2022 and staffed it, led by DEI head Cecilia Loving and DEI director Gina Leow. In the report, it said the company had reached a workforce of 44 percent BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color.)
Last month, Trump signed the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/">executive order</a> “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEl Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” placing all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officials on paid leave, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-to-put-all-federal-dei-officials-on-leave-by-end-of-day-tomorrow">reported</a>.
“The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military,” the order said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
SCOOP: PBS quietly shut down its DEI office and let go of its two top DEI executives—just hours after our Free Press reporter started asking questions. What happened? <a href="https://t.co/Arb98f15su">https://t.co/Arb98f15su</a>
— The Free Press (@TheFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFP/status/1889309215866454448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
In a separate executive order, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-ends-equity-in-federal-hiring-promises-to-only-focus-on-merit">said</a> that the government would no longer consider goals like “equity” when hiring but prioritize based on skills, experience, and patriotism.
“Federal hiring should not be based on impermissible factors, such as one’s commitment to illegal racial discrimination under the guise of ‘equity,’ or one’s commitment to the invented concept of ‘gender identity’ over sex,” the order added.  “Inserting such factors into the hiring process subverts the will of the People, puts critical government functions at risk, and risks losing the best-qualified candidates.”
“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit-based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/yamiche/status/1881897181189214714?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">said</a> at the time. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds. Promises made, promises kept,” she added about Trump’s EO to end DEI.
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nfl-to-remove-end-racism-message-in-super-bowl-end-zones-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL To Remove ‘End Racism’ Message In Super Bowl End Zones: Report</a>

In this photo illustration the Public Broadcasting Service (

PBS Confirms The Closure Of Its DEI Office

Celebrities

Disney

Entertainment

Hollywood

Walmart

Target was hit with a proposed class action lawsuit from shareholders who accused the retailer of misleading them about the risks posed by its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative.
Shareholders <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/target-being-sued-defrauding-shareholders-144200399.html">filed</a> the suit on Friday, naming CEO Brian Cornell and the company&#8217;s board as defendants, according to a report by Quartz. The City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund in Florida claims it purchased Target stock at an inflated price between August 2022 and November 2024. The stock later tumbled after pushback against the retailer&#8217;s diversity efforts.
The lawsuit alleges that backlash to Target&#8217;s May 2023 Pride campaign hurt store traffic and placed employees at risk, reportedly contributing to a more than 21% stock drop in November. It also points to more substantial quarterly earnings from Walmart as evidence that the brand&#8217;s diversity initiatives continued to weigh on investor confidence.
In January, Target announced the end of its DEI goals and external reporting to DEI accountability organizations. According to an internal memo obtained by Quartz, it also discontinued a program emphasizing more products from black or minority-owned suppliers.
Chief community impact and equity officer Kiera Fernandez said the company&#8217;s decision was based on an &#8220;evolving external landscape&#8221; and &#8220;date, insights, and listening.&#8221;
Lawyers for the Florida-based pension fund allege their client was unaware the company was engaging in what they described as the &#8220;misuse of investor funds to serve political and social goals.&#8221;
Court documents detail how the plaintiffs claim they would not have purchased shares at specific prices had they known about what they interpret as looming financial hazards attached to these programs.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, contends that Target&#8217;s disclosures masked the extent of possible fallout from consumer pushback. Its claims focus on the concern that executives allegedly withheld risks from investors, which plaintiffs say ultimately contributed to a steep drop in value when the broader public reacted negatively.
The complaint requests damages for alleged losses and highlights what plaintiffs view as a breach of the company&#8217;s responsibility to operate in the best interests of its shareholders.

2022 New York City Pride March

Target Faces Shareholder Lawsuit Over Pride Campaign, DEI Initiative Fallout

Courts

LGBTQ

Pride

Woke Culture

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/target">Target</a> is the latest major company to reverse its diversity, equity, and inclusion (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dei">DEI</a>) initiatives.
Per a new memo made public on Friday, the Minneapolis-based <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/business">retail giant</a> will be joining large companies, including Walmart, McDonald’s, and Meta, to name a few, by phasing out its DEI focus. That means ending three-year DEI goals that were previously laid out.
“Many years of data, insights, listening and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy,” chief community impact and equity officer Kiera Fernandez said in an internal memo sent to staff on Friday, per <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/24/target-rolls-back-major-dei-initiatives.html">CNBC</a>. “And as a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future – all in service of driving Target’s growth and winning together.”
Per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/target-ends-its-3-year-diversity-equity-inclusion-initiatives-2025-01-24/">Reuters</a>, the company pledged in 2022 to invest more than $2 billion in black-owned businesses by the end of 2025 as part of its REACH goals. Target also had goals of adding more than 500 black-owned brands and increasing exposure of diverse-owned brands through paid media, the outlet noted. Target will no longer focus on diversity when choosing suppliers.
Target will also stop reporting to external diversity-focused groups like the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
In 2023, the retailer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-to-offer-pride-merchandise-in-fewer-stores-after-backlash-against-tuck-friendly-swimsuit-sale-last-year">came under fire</a> for marketing a line of Pride-themed merchandise, including products like “tuck-friendly” female swimming suits, in prominent displays at the front of their stores. Other products in its “Pride Collection” included small shirts with phrases like “Just Be You And Feel The Love,” Pride-themed onesies, as well as rainbow-colored leggings, tutu skirts, and jumpers.
Following widespread backlash and boycotts, the Pride collection for 2024 was much smaller than the previous year. Conservative activist Robby Starbuck said a Target rep confirmed that the company would not market Pride merchandise to kids going forward, as he shared on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
MASSIVE news: Target is ending many of their woke policies. I can now exclusively tell you what’s changing and how it happened.
Recently executives <a href="https://twitter.com/Target?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Target</a> found out I was doing a story on wokeness there. When we learned they were prepared to make changes, we shifted our focus… <a href="https://t.co/4R7tGIn5Fk">pic.twitter.com/4R7tGIn5Fk</a>
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1882880575167463695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
These changes come just days after newly inaugurated President Donald Trump placed all federal DEI officials on paid leave. 
“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-to-put-all-federal-dei-officials-on-leave-by-end-of-day-tomorrow">reported</a>. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds. Promises made, promises kept.”
While major companies are abandoning DEI initiatives, others are digging in their heels. Costco <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/costco-shareholders-reject-anti-dei-proposal-spark-backlash">announced</a> on Friday that its shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI proposal.
“We owe our success to the more than 300,000 employees who serve our members every day. It is important that they all feel included and appreciated and that they transmit these values to our customers,” the company’s chairman, Hamilton “Tony” James, said of the decision to keep DEI as part of the company&#8217;s goals.

Target Rolls Back DEI, Joining Other Major Companies Like Walmart, Meta

Target Rolls Back DEI Efforts, Joining Other Major Companies Like Walmart, Meta

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>’s book about her massively popular Eras Tour was released on Black Friday, prompting fans to line up to purchase a copy. But now those same buyers are expressing their frustration on social media about all of the typos and layout issues in the 256-page coffee table book.
&#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/books">The Eras Tour Book,</a>&#8221; along with a vinyl and CD version of &#8220;The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,&#8221; debuted exclusively at Target for a sale price of $39.99. Fans waited in line overnight after Thanksgiving for a chance to nab their copy, and it became an instant bestseller, moving an extraordinary 814,000 copies over the holiday weekend.
That made it the biggest publishing launch of 2024, per <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-eras-tour-book-first-week-sales-1235845444/">Billboard</a>.
But now that fans have had a chance to page through the book, which features more than 500 photos from The Eras Tour and some of Swift&#8217;s thoughts about it, they’re pointing out multiple problems. Some have even nicknamed it “The Errors Tour.”
These mistakes likely stem from the fact that the 34-year-old singer chose to self-publish instead of going through traditional publishing channels. The book was released through Taylor Swift Publications. 
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@emermore7/video/7443323207899188511" data-video-id="7443323207899188511" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@emermore7" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emermore7?refer=embed">@emermore7</a> 
I know I’m not the only one disappointed with the Eras Tour book, but I haven’t seen anyone else talk about the glaringly obvious grammatical errors and clunky sentences within the pages. I make this video with peace, love, and a general frustration about how easy many of these problems could have been fixed with one more set of editing eyes. This book just had so much potential, and with a little tweaking it could have been absolutely spectacular. <a title="erastourbook" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/erastourbook?refer=embed">#erastourbook</a> <a title="errorstour" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/errorstour?refer=embed">#errorstour</a> <a title="booktok" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/booktok?refer=embed">#booktok</a> 
 <a target="_blank" title="♬ Cruel Summer - Taylor Swift" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Cruel-Summer-7211414788142794754?refer=embed">♬ Cruel Summer &#8211; Taylor Swift</a> </section>
</blockquote>
 <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
Some examples include the &#8220;Folklore&#8221; song &#8220;This Is Me Trying,&#8221; which appears in the book as &#8220;This Is Me Rying,&#8221; per <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-fans-lined-target-220553826.html">Business Insider</a>. The song &#8220;Gold Rush,&#8221; from &#8220;Evermore,&#8221; appears as one word in the book but is supposed to be two.
The book also incorrectly lists the singer’s Toronto tour stops as &#8220;November 14-16, 22-23,&#8221; ignoring the show she also played there on November 21.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1732727087136000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Ao27zcTCGutKhTz_xpaKC">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
As for the insider snippets from Swift, many are <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/06/taylor-swift-eras-tour-book-typos-tiktok-labour-wembley/">saying</a> the book included unnecessary commas and had the same words in consecutive lines, as well as “clunky sentences.” Fans also said they wanted more behind-the-scenes details.
&#8220;I thought there would be a lot more little blurbs about the making of the show,&#8221; one purchaser told BI. &#8220;Not full essays, but like, &#8216;Oh, here&#8217;s me behind stage,&#8217; you know, little things and a few more behind-the-scenes pictures.&#8221;
Typos aren’t the only issue being called out. After many fans expressed dismay over the cover image, which shows Swift making a face they say is weird, they also noticed that the image layouts throughout the book seem off. In some cases, it’s hard to see the photos that span across multiple pages, and they say some images look blurry.
“Maybe that’s stylistic and cute to some people, but that’s a mistake to me,” one TikTok user said.
Some fans complained of pages being printed upside down. Social media is full of Swifties posting examples of the mistakes.

Taylor Swift

‘The Errors Tour’: Fans Complain Taylor Swift’s Self-Published Book Full Of Typos, Layout Issues

'The Errors Tour': Fans Complain Taylor Swift's Self-Published Book Full Of Typos, Layout Issues

Books

World

Target CEO Brian Cornell slammed claims by Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday that retailers were hurting consumers by engaging in price gouging.
Harris said last week that her plan to combat inflation that skyrocketed during the Biden-Harris administration was to implement price controls, which most economists oppose.
Cornell was asked during an interview on CNBC: &#8220;Have you boosted any of your profits from gouging on prices? And how prevalent and pervasive do you think that was in terms of causing the recent 40-year highs in inflation?&#8221;
Cornell responded by noting that the retail giant has reduced prices on roughly 5,000 items.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
&#8220;I&#8217;ll put my retail hat on for a second,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You two talk to industry leaders in every different sector. Is there a more competitive space than retail?&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re celebrating this morning, the fact that we delivered a margin rate of over 6%,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You talk to other CEOs who are delivering up income of 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So we&#8217;re in a penny business.&#8221;
&#8220;It is a penny business, and it&#8217;s a very competitive space, and we provide the value consumers are looking for,&#8221; he added.
He also said that raising corporate taxes, which Harris supports, would hurt businesses.
&#8220;When the taxes were reduced, we put our capital to work,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Since 2017 when the corporate taxes were reduced, we spent close to $50 billion of capital building new stores across the country, remodeling over 1,000 stores.&#8221;
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
&#8220;We put the business dollars back into our business,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s helped us grow since 2017 our top line almost $40 billion, and I think it&#8217;s the way America should work.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Target CEO Brian Cornell rips Kamala Harris&#8217; claim that retailers are &#8220;price-gouging&#8221;:
“We’re in a penny business. It’s a very competitive space.” <a href="https://t.co/BsmZnL8TDI">pic.twitter.com/BsmZnL8TDI</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1826451687172661375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2024</a></blockquote>

Target Corp. CEO Brian Cornell Interview

Target’s CEO Blasts Kamala’s Claim That Retailers Are Price Gouging

Kamala Harris

Price Gouging

Target will be limiting the distribution of its “Pride” merchandise this year after widespread backlash last summer against its sale of products like “tuck-friendly” female swimming suits led to boycotts and sinking sales. 
The retailer <a href="https://apnews.com/article/target-lgbtq-pride-667ab2f6545645f5f86ca76394e531d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press on Friday that only a limited number of its stores would be carrying special LGBT-themed merchandise in June. The store said the merchandise would only be available in select markets, based on “guest insights and consumer research.”
Despite the pullback, the store said that it still maintained that it fully supported the LGBT movement. 
“Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round,” Target said. “Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members, which reflects our culture of care for the over 400,000 people who work at Target.”
Last year&#8217;s backlash to the retail giant began after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-slammed-after-offering-female-swimsuits-that-have-extra-crotch-coverage-are-tuck-friendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customers pointed out</a> that the outlet was selling “tuck-friendly” and “extra crotch coverage” female swimsuits. The swimsuits were a part of Target’s Pride collection and were described as having been “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions.” 
Other products in its “Pride Collection” included small shirts with phrases like “Just Be You And Feel The Love,” Pride-themed onesies, as well as rainbow-colored leggings, tutu skirts, and jumpers. 
The merchandise spurred calls for boycotts of Target, leading to declining sales and stock prices. Its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-sales-sink-after-pride-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sales plummeted</a> during the second quarter, after the backlash started, and fell for the first time in six years, falling 5.4% compared to the same period last year.
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Online sales fell nearly twice as much, 10.5%, Target said. The company also said that the number of transactions and the average dollar amount of a transaction fell this past quarter. Target’s total revenue of $24.8 billion was 4.9 percent lower than the previous year&#8217;s second quarter.
Target <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-situation-target-makes-emergency-calls-after-backlash-to-tuck-friendly-female-swimwear-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the backlash with emergency meetings, because it wanted to avoid a “Bud Light” situation, referring to the massive drop in sales of the beer brand after it partnered with transgender-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney. 
“We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage,” an insider said at the time.

After Target Lowers Sales Forecast, Shares Plummet

Target To Offer ‘Pride’ Merchandise In Fewer Stores After Backlash Against ‘Tuck-Friendly’ Swimsuit Sale Last Year

boycotts

LGBT

Pride Month

Transgender

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/walmart">Walmart</a> has decided to get rid of self-checkout machines in two locations due to a rise in crime at those lanes not manned by staffed personnel.
Two stores &#8212; one in Cleveland, Ohio, and another at Shrewsbury, Missouri &#8212; said they would be replacing the self-checkout kiosks with staff to “give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,” the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-13341161/walmart-self-checkout-removal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a> reported.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve decided to remove self-checkout lanes and replace them with staffed lanes at select locations,&#8221; a spokesperson for Walmart said.
“The decision was based on several factors, including feedback from associates and customers, shopping patterns and business needs in the area,” the person added.
The large retailer would not say if the two stores would be the only locations where the self-checkout machines would be removed, only that it did not &#8220;currently&#8221; have any announcements.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Walmart begins removing self-checkout machines<a href="https://t.co/38r6Eut90H">https://t.co/38r6Eut90H</a>
— VOZ (@Voz_US) <a href="https://twitter.com/Voz_US/status/1782465641569755539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said, “Most of the rollback of self-checkouts is due to retailer concerns over theft.”
“Theft rates at self-checkouts are reasonably high both because of deliberate actions and accidental mistakes,” he added. “Forcing more customers to used manned checkouts resolves a lot of these issues and saves retailers money.”
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It also turns out that the unmanned kiosks aren’t super popular with shoppers. A recent study from Drexel University in Pennsylvania found that the idea of self-checkout actually left shoppers irritated because they were left to having to do it all themselves, the outlet noted.
Walmart isn’t the only retailer making that decision. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-13210331/self-checkout-dollar-general-target-walmart.html">Dollar General</a> has opted to take the lanes away altogether from 300 of its stores due to high levels of shoplifting or mis-scanned items, the outlet noted.
&#8220;We believe these actions have the potential to have a material and positive impact on shrink,&#8221; Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said.
Target also revealed that it was limiting self-checkout kiosk customers to 10 items to improve shoppers&#8217; experience.
The decision follows Walmart&#8217;s recent announcement about the closure of four stores in Chicago, Illinois, due to poor performance at the locations, a move that also occurs as the city sees worsening crime rates.
The decision to shutter the four locations comes one month after Walmart closed the firm&#8217;s remaining two stores in Portland, Oregon. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in an interview with CNBC last year that the company has been impacted by an uptick in shoplifting and warned that “stores will close” if the phenomenon is not resolved by city officials.
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walmart-closes-four-stores-in-chicago-amid-elevated-crime-rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Walmart Closes Four Stores In Chicago Amid Elevated Crime Rates</a>

US-ECONOMY-EARNINGS-WALMART

Walmart Is Getting Rid Of Self-Checkouts At Two Locations Because Of Theft

Crime

Ohio

Doritos has fired a trans-identifying male influencer who <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/doritos-spain-faces-backlash-transgender-brand-ambassadors-resurfaced-tweets-1875763">reportedly</a> posted sexual comments about children in the past.
Over the weekend, Samantha Hudson, a trans-identifying man and social media influencer, appeared in a 50-second Instagram promo called “Crunch Talks” for Doritos Spain, which is part of PepsiCo Spain.
A Doritos Spain spokesperson <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Rolling Stone that the company had launched a campaign with Hudson on Sunday before they were aware of his previous comments.
On Monday, after the company was “made aware of Samantha’s deleted Tweets from around 2015,” the spokesperson said the Instagram video was removed.
“We have ended the relationship and stopped all related campaign activity due to the comments,” the Doritos Spain spokesperson <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/06/us-news/doritos-spain-fires-transgender-influencer-ivan-ranedo-over-controversial-tweets/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We strongly condemn words or actions that promote violence or sexism of any kind.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Doritos facing backlash for hiring TRANS man to be the face of the brand in Spain. 
Samantha Hudson, a biological man, has sparked outrage across the country for some of his tweets where he shares his fantasies about abusing kids.
H/T <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@libsoftiktok</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/hermanntertsch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hermanntertsch</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ef3z6Xir10">pic.twitter.com/Ef3z6Xir10</a>
&mdash; Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliLondonTV/status/1764688557136843201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🇪🇸 | Fuerte polémica en España tras conocerse que Doritos eligió a Samantha Hudson como embajadora de su marca en el país europeo.
Samantha Hudson: &#8211; Ha admitido ser una persona pedófila &#8211; Se identifica como una chica trans no binaria &#8211; Se burla abiertamente de las víctimas de… <a href="https://t.co/ur3l2orx3S">pic.twitter.com/ur3l2orx3S</a>
&mdash; UHN Plus (@UHN_Plus) <a href="https://twitter.com/UHN_Plus/status/1764655776813969632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The campaign’s removal and Hudson’s termination was due to Hudson’s history of controversial comments, not his gender identity, the spokesperson <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“Being perfect is not easy, but you end up getting used to it,” Hudson says in the Doritos Instagram spot, according to a translation.
By Monday, several jarring sexual posts about children that Hudson allegedly wrote resurfaced, sparking outrage online.
“I want to do thuggish things [to] a 12-year-old girl,” Hudson allegedly posted on X several years ago, adding a description of an extreme sexual crime against a child.
Hudson, 24, was <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/doritos-spain-faces-backlash-transgender-brand-ambassadors-resurfaced-tweets-1875763" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> 15 when he allegedly made that post.
“In the middle of the street in Mallorca in panties and screaming that I’m a nymphomaniac in front of a super beautiful 8-year-old girl,” Hudson allegedly wrote in another post.
Hudson also appears to have previously said that he wants to destroy the traditional nuclear family.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;I advocate for the destruction and for the annihilation of the traditional family.&quot; Brand ambassador for Doritos and self-described pedophiIe Samantha Hudson <a href="https://t.co/j4hPgmoaxi">pic.twitter.com/j4hPgmoaxi</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1764724659088482349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I advocate for the destruction and for the annihilation of the traditional, monogamous, nuclear family,” Hudson said in a video posted to X by several social media users.
“Not that I’m going to beat up my parents,” he added to laughter from an audience.
In yet another X post, Hudson allegedly said that he hates women who are rape victims.
“I hate women who are victims of rape and who turn to self-help centers to overcome their trauma. k fat wh****,” Hudson allegedly wrote.
Hudson himself previously attempted to explain away his old posts when they came to light after he became a minor celebrity, Rolling Stone reported.
“Some tweets that I posted in 2015 are resurfacing and honestly I don’t know what to say, I don’t remember having written such barbarities,” he <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boycottdoritos-spanish-trans-influencer-samantha-hudson-1234981041/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, according to a translation of his posts. “At that time I dedicated myself to saying nonsense, the heavier the better, because I thought that ‘dark humor’ was funny.”
The backlash over Doritos Spain’s decision to partner with Hudson echoes the reaction in the U.S. to Bud Light collaborating with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year.
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Bud Light’s parent company <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/business/anheuser-busch-revenue-bud-light-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> $395 million in the aftermath of a boycott.
Target also faced an expensive boycott last year over its Pride Month merchandise, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-target-lgbtq-1203e875adcc7c86f62252d4ace1a738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> a kid’s swimsuit with a tag reading “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions” and “The Pronoun Book” aimed at children.

PepsiCo Products Ahead Of Earnings Released

Doritos Fires Trans-Identifying Influencer After Backlash To Sexual Comments About Children

Bud Light

Europe

Food

Gender

Spain

A conservative group is challenging Oreo&#8217;s partnership with a &#8220;militant&#8221; LGBT organization with a new ad and a shareholder proposal calling out the popular cookie brand.
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) on Wednesday <a href="https://nlpc.org/oreo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> an ad criticizing Oreo for <a href="https://www.oreo.com/pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supporting</a> PFLAG (formerly Parents &amp; Friends of Lesbians and Gays), one of the most prominent LGBT organizations in the country. The group has evolved to develop &#8220;a more militant activist intent with expansionist strategies,&#8221; according to NLPC.
The ad warns that PFLAG supports sexually explicit books that have cropped up in school libraries, including &#8220;This Book Is Gay,&#8221; &#8220;Gender Queer,&#8221; &#8220;Flamer,&#8221; and &#8220;Lawn Boy.&#8221;
In recent years, these four books have been flagged by parents in school districts across the country for their mature and, in some cases, pornographic content. They <a href="https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all made</a> the American Library Association&#8217;s (ALA) list of the top 13 most challenged books of 2022.
&#8220;Books like these are promoted in our schools and local libraries by PFLAG, and Oreo is supporting them,&#8221; the NLPC ad&#8217;s narrator says.
&#8220;Is your favorite sandwich cookie company grooming children? What happened to the kid-friendly cookie we all used to know and love? Don&#8217;t let PFLAG and Oreo corrupt your children,&#8221; the ad says.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vkNcmg3dpEDA9hNLdPQaCPROnatD5VRO/preview" width="640" height="480"></iframe>
PFLAG is an official <a href="https://bannedbooksweek.org/sponsors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supporter</a> of Banned Books Week, an annual event that has <a href="https://bannedbooksweek.org/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoted</a> all four books, the NLPC noted.
Oreo&#8217;s website <a href="https://www.oreo.com/pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> the cookie brand partners with PFLAG and encourages people to click a &#8220;support PFLAG&#8221; button that takes them to the LGBT organization&#8217;s website.
Oreo also <a href="https://pflag.org/press/pflag-convention-comes-to-the-capital/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsored</a> last year&#8217;s PFLAG National Convention, which had a <a href="https://pflag.org/events/learningwithlove2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">panel</a> on banned books in schools hosted by MSNBC host Ali Velshi.
The NLPC made the Oreo ad &#8220;because of the threat an iconic brand so popular with kids poses by collaborating with the destructive gender ideology advocates and transgender surgery supporters at PFLAG,&#8221; Paul Chesser, the director of the Corporate Integrity Project at the NLPC, told The Daily Wire.
The National Legal and Policy Center also holds stock in Oreo&#8217;s parent company, Mondelez International, and has drafted a shareholder <a href="https://nlpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Mondelez-Proposal-2024-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> calling for a committee to examine the risks of Oreo&#8217;s associations with groups like PFLAG.
&#8220;Basically the proposal calls for the company to reconsider alliances with divisive political activists like PFLAG, and a report would at least produce more transparency about whatever else the company is doing,&#8221; Chesser said.
The shareholder proposal calls for the committee to issue a public report by the end of March 2025 and publish it on Mondelez International&#8217;s website. The proposal will be presented at the next shareholder meeting. It also notes that other companies have experienced customer backlash and damage to their bottom lines after taking a side on controversial cultural issues.
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Bud Light faced a massive boycott over a partnership with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney, resulting in the beer brand no longer ranking as America&#8217;s best-selling beer.
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Target&#8217;s sales also dropped after it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-sales-sink-after-pride-backlash">featured</a> &#8220;tuck-friendly&#8221; swimsuits for trans-identifying males, a kids swimsuit with a tag reading “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions,” and LGBT kids books for &#8220;Pride Month.&#8221;
The Walt Disney Company lost its special tax status in Florida after publicly opposing the state&#8217;s parental rights law in 2022.
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Lawsuit Seeks To Ban Oreo Cookies In California

WATCH: Oreo’s Partnership With ‘Militant’ LGBT Org Challenged By Group’s Ad, Shareholder Proposal

WATCH: Oreo's Partnership With 'Militant' LGBT Org Challenged By Group's Ad, Shareholder Proposal

Dylan Mulvaney

Target removed a &#8220;Black History Month&#8221; product from its shelves this week after a TikTok video went viral showing three Civil Rights leaders on the item had been misidentified.
The <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@issatete/video/7329892395485564191" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> posted by Las Vegas high school teacher Tierra Espy showed that photos of Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Booker T. Washington in a magnetic learning activity all had the wrong names under them, the Associated Press <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/target-stops-selling-product-dedicated-civil-rights-icons-tiktok-video-rcna137085" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. After Epsy posted her video pointing out the flaws on Tuesday, Target confirmed that it would be removing the item from all its stores and its website. The AP reported that the magnetic activity appeared to be made by Bendon, an Ohio-based children’s publisher.
“We will no longer be selling this product in stores or online,” the retail giant said in a statement. “We’ve also ensured the product’s publisher is aware of the errors.”
Espy told the AP that she bought the learning activity at the end of January hoping to hand it out to her children, but she quickly discovered the error after opening it up at home. Espy pointed out that Woodson’s name appeared under DuBois’ photo, Washington’s name appeared under Woodson’s photo, and DuBois’ name showed up under Washington’s photo.
“These need to be pulled off the shelves immediately,” Espy said in her video. “I teach U.S. History &#8230; and I noticed some discrepancies as soon as I opened this.”
“I get it, mistakes happen, but this needs to be corrected ASAP,” she added.
https://twitter.com/redvoicenews/status/1753806186976055767
Last year, Target was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-sales-sink-after-pride-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> for its Pride Month collection, which included a kids swimsuit with a tag reading “thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions.” Target also featured LGBT-themed books aimed at young children, such as “The Pronoun Book” and “Bye Bye Binary,” a story about a “joyful baby” who “refuses to conform to the gender binary and instead chooses toys, colors, and clothes that make them happy.”
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Following the backlash and boycotts over its Pride-themed products, Target reported that its sales dropped for the first time in six years, falling 5.4% in the second quarter. Then, around the Christmas holidays, the retail giant was criticized again — this time for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-mocked-for-selling-disabled-black-santa-ornament-pride-nutcrackers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">selling</a> an ornament of a black Santa Claus in a wheelchair.

Target Pulls ‘Black History Month’ Product After Viral TikTok Video Calls Out Major Problems

Target Pulls 'Black History Month' Product After Viral TikTok Video Calls Out Major Problems

Black History Month

Civil Rights