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A non-partisan group representing working-class people is launching a 31-day boycott against Home Depot after the retailer appeared to erase its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, following the lead of many other corporations who are choosing to abide by Donald Trump’s orders. John Schwartz, founder of The People’s Union USA, revealed his organization’s boycott movement in a video shared on social media. Schwartz said Home Depot has “quietly erased their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page as if standing for fairness or for equality or for representation, was something to be ashamed of.”

“This July, we are boycotting Amazon, Starbucks and Home Depot for the entire month of July,” Schwartz said, per Newsweek. “And we’re not just doing this because of their political view, we are doing it for the people.”

Did Home Depot erase the page on its website dedicated to DEI?

Newsweek confirmed that Home Depot has erased a portion of its website that highlighted its DEI efforts. Another report from NewsOne added that the company’s former DEI page is rebranded to a site that states “WEARETHD.” While most of its policy on DEI is erased from the website, Home Depot still features a statement on racial equity and claims that 58 percent of new hires at the company are “ethnically diverse,” NewsOne reported.

Why are companies cutting DEI programs?

In recent years, corporations across the country implemented DEI programs to promote equal opportunities within their company for people of all backgrounds. Now, however, with Donald Trump continuing to argue that DEI is reverse racism, dozens of companies are slashing their initiatives. Meta, Walmart, Target and McDonald’s are among the corporations that have cut down their DEI programs. However, Apple and Costco are still maintaining their initiatives, Newsweek reported.

Home Depot didn’t confirm its latest stance on DEI, but the company told Newsweek that it welcomes everyone.

“For over 45 years, our business success has been driven by our eight core values, including respect for all people and taking care of our people,” the company said in a statement to Newsweek. “We’re proud to have a culture that welcomes everyone, and we believe it helps us achieve our business goals by supporting associates, building relationships and fostering innovation.”

Did First Lady Melania Trump really earn her chance to come to the United States the way she claims? That’s the question Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas seemed to be raising in a recent congressional hearing, expressing skepticism about the credentials that the First Lady would have needed to legally be in the United States.

During a House Judiciary Committee meeting last week, Congresswoman Crockett took issue with the “lack of integrity” regarding the First Lady’s process for coming to the United States. “Let me remind y’all that Melania, the first lady, a model—and when I say model, I’m not talking about Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell level—applied for and was given an EB-1 visa,” Crockett said at the hearing, “and what that stands for is an Einstein visa.” This type of visa is reserved for individuals with special expertise in fields such as business or research or those who have achieved “sustained national and international acclaim.”

Crockett elaborated that “you’re supposed to have some sort of significant achievement, like being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer, being an Olympic medalist, or having other sustained extraordinary abilities and success in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics” in order to obtain such a visa. Noting that the First Lady lacked any of those accomplishments, Crockett told the hearing attendees that “It doesn’t take an Einstein to see that the math ain’t mathin’ here.”

Crockett: Melania, the First Lady, a model— when I say model I’m not talking about Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford, or Naomi Campbell level— applied for an Einstein visa. You’re supposed to have some sort of significant achievement… She had none of those. It doesn’t take an Einstein… pic.twitter.com/u0c1SXJE8I— Acyn (@Acyn) June 25, 2025

Critics say Melania’s visa story doesn’t add up

Crockett is not the first to question Mrs. Trump’s immigration journey. A 2018 Washington Post article noted that in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Melania Knauss, as she was then known, was Donald Trump’s girlfriend and a model whose biggest accomplishment at the time was an appearance in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. Yet after having worked in the United States and dated Trump under a series of short-term visas, she was one of only five people from her home country, Slovenia, to be granted the EB-1 visa in 2001. Some experts have questioned how she would have qualified for the visa, though others note that the standards are subjective. The visa allowed her to enter the U.S., start the path toward citizenship, and sponsor the permanent residency of her parents—a process known as “chain migration” that President Trump later opposed.

The Trump family’s immigration story sparks claims of double standards

The renewed scrutiny about Melania Trump’s immigration status comes as her husband’s administration continues to crack down on various forms of immigration. The administration’s aggressive use of ICE to hunt down unauthorized immigrants has created disruptions and fueled protests in cities like Los Angeles and elsewhere. The Trump administration has also sought to limit legal immigration. The Trump White House placed a dozen countries on a new travel ban, preventing citizens from these nations from coming to the United States. And the administration temporarily halted the visa process for international students amidst its feuds with several elite American universities.

In the midst of all these efforts to make it harder for people from other countries to come to the United States or stay within the country, the Trumps’ experience with U.S. immigration policy is facing scrutiny. As seems to be the case in many aspects of life and the legal system, it appears that the Trump family may have enjoyed a double standard, receiving favorable treatment that might not have been given to others.

LL Cool J pumped the brakes on a planned July 4 performance in Philadelphia due to a workers’ strike going on in the city. The rapper apologized to his fans and explained his support for workers trying to earn a “living wage” in the city.

The rapper posted on social media on July 3 to explain his decision to drop out of a planned Independence Day performance in Philadelphia in order to support a strike among city workers. In a video to his fans, LL said that “I never ever ever want to disappoint my fans” but explained that there is “absolutely no way that I could perform across a picket line.” The legendary Queens rapper showed love for the city of Philadelphia and announced that he would still be in the city on July 4 in case the strike is resolved.

Strike by city workers impacts Philly’s Fourth plans

LL had been scheduled to perform on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia for the July 4th Philly Wawa Welcome America concert. Other artists scheduled for the event include Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan, singer JoJo, and rapper Álvaro Díaz. However, LL pulled out of the event after learning about an ongoing strike by AFSCME District Council 33, which represents 9,000 city workers in Philadelphia. The striking employees, who include sanitation workers and security guards, among various service providers, walked out early Tuesday and have not yet reached an agreement with the city to return to work. The strike has halted services such as trash collection, but Mayor Cherelle Parker pledged to proceed with the Fourth of July celebrations as planned.

Mayor says she respects LL’s decision, but stands firm

Mayor Parker has spoken to the city and to LL in recent days. She posted a statement Thursday saying that she was aware of his decision. “I spoke personally with LL Cool J today. I respect his decision and understand his desire to see the city unified,” the mayor said, adding that LL “is always welcome in Philadelphia.” In a press conference Thursday, the mayor said that she “will not put the fiscal stability of the City of Philadelphia in jeopardy,” even “if that means I’m a one-term mayor.” Parker said that she had “put an offer on the table that no other municipal blue collar workers in the nation could be able to say that their city was providing mortgages for them to be able to become homeowners.” District 33 President Greg Boulware responded that the city had rejected the union’s proposal “and came back with very much the same proposal that they’ve had over the last three days.”

For now, the union and the city seem divided on how to move forward, thus extending the strike into Independence Day and possibly through the holiday weekend. And this holiday will go by without a performance from LL Cool J as he stands in solidarity with the workers.