Things To Do In SW Florida

Bob Iger wants out of the culture wars.

Walt Disney Co. and its chief executive have made a sharp pivot since doubling down on diversity and inclusion efforts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis 4½ years ago. At the time, Disney’s top executives, including then-Chairman Iger, vowed in a message to employees: “We intend to keep the conversation going … for as long as it takes to bring about real change.”

The Magic Kingdom dropped its pomp greeting to fans for its nightly fireworks display. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” became a gender-neutral salutation to “dreamers of all ages.” Pixar’s animated movie, “Lightyear,” included a brief kiss between two women characters; and Disney’s animated film, “Strange World,” featured the company’s first biracial queer teen hero.

But in the past week, Disney acknowledged that a transgender athlete storyline had been removed from an upcoming Pixar animated series, “Win or Lose,” about a middle-school softball team. In a statement, Disney said it recognized “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.” read more

Workers at more than 300 Starbucks across the country went on strike on Christmas Eve, union organizers said, as baristas escalated a national walkout that began in three cities on Friday.

Workers at a store in Oviedo and another in Tampa were among those that picketed Tuesday, said Glitter Felten of Central Florida Jobs for Justice.

About a dozen Oviedo workers stood outside Tuesday morning in front of the store on East Mitchell Hammock Road, she said, joined by a half dozen supportive community members. The store closed for the day.

Kevin Beljan, a shift supervisor at the Oviedo store, said the one-day strike at the busy cafe aimed to “raise awareness” of the dispute between unionized Starbucks workers and the company.

Like counterparts at unionized Starbucks stores nationwide — about 5% of the company’s more than 10,000 company-owned stores in the United States — Beljan and his coworkers want the company to reach an agreement with the union for a better wage package than what has been offered. read more

Amanda Hernández | (TNS) Stateline.org

CHICAGO — Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice.

By JOSH BOAK, MARC LEVY and ASHRAF KHALIL, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel on Monday failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel, leaving the decision to President Joe Biden, who opposes the deal.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, sent its long-awaited report on the merger to Biden, who formally came out against the deal in March. He has 15 days to reach a final decision, the White House said. A U.S. official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private report, said some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks.

Monday was the deadline to approve the deal, recommend that Biden block it or extend the review process.

Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have courted unionized workers at U.S. Steel and vowed to block the acquisition amid concerns about foreign ownership of a flagship American company. The economic risk, however, is giving up Nippon Steel’s potential investments in the mills and upgrades that might help preserve steel production within the United States. read more

By TOM MURPHY, Associated Press

A big shopping deadline is drawing near for some people, and it has nothing to do with the holidays.

Millions of people use flexible spending accounts to help pay for health care, and some may lose money left in those accounts if they don’t spend it by year’s end.