The U.S. Justice Department has removed a database tracking misconduct by federal law enforcement, a list proposed by Republican President Donald Trump during his first term and formally created by Democratic former President Joe Biden.
The website of the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database that appeared to have been taken down as of Thursday. The removal was reported first by the Washington Post.
The Justice Department website says the database is no longer active and was being decommissioned after Trump revoked Biden's executive order that had created it.
As of September 2024, there were 4,790 records of federal officer misconduct between 2018 and 2023 in the database, according to a report released last year.
Trump himself had proposed creating a database on "instances of excessive use of force related to law enforcement matters" in June 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
Trump in January, shortly after being sworn into his second term in the White House, pardoned two police officers in Washington who were convicted in the 2020 murder of a 20-year-old Black man named Karon Hylton-Brown.
The deletion of the federal database does not impact the National Decertification Index, a national registry of state and local police officers who have lost their certification or licensing because of misconduct, the Washington Post reported.
Amazon Outshines Walmart in Latest Quarterly Earnings
In a surprising turn of events, Amazon has surpassed Walmart in quarterly earnings, according to the companies' most recent financial reports released on Thursday. The e-commerce giant reported a significant boost in revenue, driven largely by its thriving cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and a strong holiday shopping season.
Amazon’s revenue for the quarter reached $170 billion, exceeding analysts’ expectations of $166 billion. This marks a 13% increase from the same period last year. Net income also soared to $10.6 billion, up from $2.9 billion in the prior year, bolstered by robust growth in AWS, which alone brought in $24.2 billion in sales.
Meanwhile, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer by revenue, posted solid but less impressive results. The company reported $173 billion in revenue, a 5.7% increase year-over-year, and a net income of $5.5 billion. While Walmart saw gains from its grocery business and a growing e-commerce segment, it couldn’t keep pace with Amazon’s explosive growth in cloud services and online retail dominance.
Analysts point to Amazon’s diversified portfolio—spanning e-commerce, cloud computing, and advertising—as a key factor in its edge over Walmart, which remains heavily reliant on its brick-and-mortar stores despite recent digital advancements. “Amazon’s ability to leverage AWS and its marketplace ecosystem gives it a flexibility Walmart can’t yet match,” said retail expert Sarah Connors.
Both companies expressed optimism heading into 2025, with Amazon forecasting continued strength in AWS and Walmart emphasizing investments in its online platform and supply chain efficiency. For now, though, Amazon’s latest earnings underscore its growing lead in the race for retail supremacy.
PepsiCo (PEP.O)
has joined the growing list of major U.S. companies that are making changes to their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as President Donald Trump pushes to dismantle the practice across the federal government and private sector.
The Frito-Lay to 7Up maker will end DEI workforce representation goals and transition its chief DEI officer to a broader role looking into associate engagement and leadership development, according to a memo to company associates. The officer will also continue working on its 2021 "A Space to Be You" program.
PepsiCo is revising its DEI program as 2025 marks the end of its five-year strategy and it will introduce a new "Inclusion for Growth" strategy, CEO Ramon Laguarta said in the memo.
American corporations from Target (TGT.N) to Alphabet-owned Google (GOOGL.O) has either dropped or considered changing their DEI policies after Trump urged private-sector companies to end "illegal DEI discrimination and preferences".
Trump has also directed federal agencies to terminate DEI programs and warned of cuts in federal funding for academic institutions and universities if they continue the policies.
PepsiCo is also expanding its supplier base by broadening opportunities for all small businesses to be a part of the company, according to the memo.
The snacks and beverages giant will also no longer participate in single demographic category surveys, the memo said.
Walmart (WMT.N) basket that is full, but investors see it as half-empty. The $780 billion retailer unveiled strong sales through the holiday season and into January, boosted by wealthier shoppers looking for discounts. It also flagged potential worries about inflation weighing on consumers, which deflated its equity value by 6%. It’s the latest sign that economic exuberance ushered in by President Donald Trump’s election victory is fading.
The company said on Thursday that U.S. stores opened at least a year increased sales 4.6% for the three-month stretch ending on January 31. The final month of the period was also the strongest. Walmart ticked boxes elsewhere, too. Its e-commerce revenue jumped 16%, double the pace of Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) online growth. For the year, the bottom line also grew five times faster than the top line.
After Trump won the White House, Walmart’s stock soared by 25%, outperforming the broader market. It propelled the enterprise’s valuation past Amazon’s, to 19 times EBITDA for the next 12 months EBITDA. Its edge against rivals stems from the ability to keep attracting customers in an inflationary environment and stocking plenty of food.
Even Walmart isn’t fully insulated from economic concerns, however. The company led by Doug McMillon expects full-year sales to rise between 3% and 4%, a slight hedge against the 4% analysts were expecting. An acknowledgment of “uncertain times” explains the measured forecast and contributed to the swift loss of about $50 billion in market capitalization.
As a bellwether of U.S. spending habits, Walmart’s ambivalence is significant. Trump already conceded that “inflation is back” and consumer assessments of business and labor conditions fell sharply in January, according to The Conference Board research outfit.
Wall Street is having its doubts, too, evidenced by this week’s warning from David Kelly, the chief global strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, to consider “the potential downside to economic growth from a tidal wave of new Washington policies.” The president’s threats over tariffs and deportations, in particular, loom large. If Walmart is getting even a little skittish, fear will seep further into the pervasive sentiment of greed.
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CONTEXT NEWS
Walmart said on February 20 that sales at U.S. stores open for at least 12 months increased 4.6% in the three months ending January 31 from the same span a year earlier. Total revenue grew 4.1%, to $181 billion.
The owner of its namesake and Sam’s Club stores said it expects sales to rise 3% to 4% for the full year and adjusted earnings per share between $2.50 to $2.60.
Walmart shares were down more than 6%, to $97.42 apiece, at 1115 EST.