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Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Behind AP's coverage of the Tour De France
The Tour de France - one of the world's biggest sports races - is a test of the mind and body. The 112th edition features over 180 riders covering 2,000 miles, ranging from flat surfaces to mountainous climbs, with significant elevation changes. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh explains how the race works, as well as some iconic moments. On the ground, AP photographers, Thibault Camus and Mosa'ab El Shamy capture the vibrant atmosphere and festive mood as the race passes through cities and towns.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
A test of the mind and body: The story behind AP's stage to stage coverage of the Tour De France
The Tour de France is not only one of the biggest sports races in the world, it's also a test of the mind and body. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh explains how the race works, as well as some iconic moments. On the ground, AP photographers Thibault Camus and Mosa'ab El Shamy share the energy and mood at this year's race. Gethin Coolbaugh, correspondent: Well, the Tour de France is the pinnacle of global cycling. This year is the 112th edition of the men's race that was first held in 1903. COOLBAUGH: That's the equivalent of riding from Manhattan to about Western Nevada, nearly California. PANJWANI: Some consider the Tour de France the world's most difficult cycling race. I'm Haya Panjwani. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, we're talking about the Tour De France. We'll hear from correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh. Also on the ground photographing the Tour de France, AP photographers, Thibault Camus and Mosa'ab El Shamy. PANJWANI: This race, as Gethin explains, is a test of the mind and body. COOLBAUGH: It's the treacherous terrain that makes this race one of the most challenging in the world and I would say among any sport in any athletic feat. Cycling 2,000 plus miles would be difficult on any surface, but it isn't comprised of only flat surfaces. The course fluctuates from flat surfaces to hills to mountains. The estimated change in elevation this year is about 52,000 meters. That's nearly 17,000 feet or 32 miles. That means that each section poses its own challenges, not just in terms of physical terrain, but also changes in oxygen levels. This year's route runs through 11 regions and 34 departments of France, beginning in Lille in the north and it ends in Paris. It winds all through the country, comprising of 21 stages. The 21 stages are seven flat stages, six hilly stages, six mountain stages, and five mountain finishes. That includes two time trials, which riders start in intervals and their times are recorded individually. The race runs from July 5th through July 27th. The first week is comprised mostly of flat terrain and progresses to a lot of climbing in the last 10 stages. The final week has three mountaintop finishes at the Mont Ventoux, which features the highest point of this year's race at just over 2,300 meters. PANJWANI: Mosa'ab has been following this route. It's his first tour de France. Mosa'ab El Shamy, AP photographer: It's been very exciting. Been a lot of diversity in terms of the places we've covered. It's a really thrilling experience for me. It's obviously a very festive occasion. The mood is very joyous. We pass through big and big cities and small towns and people are out. You can tell they've been waiting. They've been standing for a very long time, waiting for the racers. Everyone's really excited. You can tell that some places, tour is passing for the first time, so it's very special for those towns and there's a lot of decorations, there's lots of flags, people on top of their cars or camper vans and they're constantly waving to not just the cyclists but to the cars and to the photographers and to the caravan, so, it feels like a very long party, would you say? PANJWANI: Thibault is with Mossab, it's his fifth Tour de France. Thibault Camus, AP photographer: It's a tradition that every year, many person come on the side of the road race to see the cyclists. Sometimes they come maybe three days before the race with camping cars and constantly along the race are some people waving, as I said, picnic or something like this. And some of them follow the race all along the tours. EL SHAMY: And it's a French race, so obviously they're very excited about French races. They have banners and they cheer on the French racers, even though the top, you know, two racers are not French, but when French racers pass, there's extra energy, there is extra support. Whenever one of them collects, you now, one of the jerseys at the end of the, at the end of day, like Thibault said, it's like seeped in tradition. And also there is lots of nationalist mood that's dominating the race. PANJWANI: The further the race progresses, the more renowned moments happen. CAMUS: Iconic moments often happen during mountain stages because it's getting harder and harder for the cyclists. COOLBAUGH: The battle between Jacques Anquetil and Ramon Poulidor in 1964, where Anquetil won for a record fifth time. There was the tragic collapse and death of British cyclist Tom Simpson in 1967. The badger Bernard Hinault, his dominant five-title run between 1978 and 1985. In 1989, Greg LeMond overcame a 50 second final day deficit to claim his famous 8-second victory. Miguel Indurain's five straight wins from 1991 to 1995. There was Chris Froome's crash in 2016 where he ran up the mountain in his cycling shoes. Mark Cavendish breaking and surpassing five-time winner Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins from the highs of the highs to the low of the lows, this race has featured so much, so much diversity. CAMUS: What affects me the most during the Tour de France is the energy that we talk about around the race on the roadside. There's so many people, it's sometimes crazy. And especially during the mountain stages where all the people are on the roads and the cyclists must, you know, open a way to reach the top of the climb. So that's very special. And sometimes people run after the cyclist by miracle, nothing happened. When you're on the bike and you see all those people and all the bikers, in the middle of that, it's very special. PANJWANI: To get photos of those bikers, Thibaut and Mosa'ab, ride on a motorcycle with their cameras in hand. EL SHAMY: We have a biker, an experienced person who knows the roads very well, he knows the rules, he is constantly getting briefed and communicated to by the race management. We alternate, one of us gets on the back of the bike one day with our cameras and our helmets. CAMUS: And when we're on the bike, we have to make pictures of the peloton, of the riders, but also we have a kind of postcard that means to put the peloton and the racers into the landscape here, which is everyday different and sometimes very beautiful. So that's a double challenge because we have be here for the action. We have two jobs when we are on the bike. PANJWANI: Of course, no mention of the Tour de France is complete without hearing a name most sports fans recognize - Lance Armstrong. COOLBAUGH: Lance's story was everything that you would ask for in an American sports hero. He overcame adversity, being diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that spread throughout his body. He underwent treatment and surgery and was declared cancer-free in 1997. He founded the Livestrong Foundation. COOLBAUGH: He returned to cycling in '98 and went on his record run only for it all to come crashing down in 2012 when a U.S. anti-doping agency investigation concluded he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. They called it 'the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.' He was subsequently stripped of all seven tour titles, his Olympic bronze medal, and was banned from cycling for life. Armstrong denied the accusations early on. But in 2013, in an Oprah Winfrey interview, admitted that he had used a number of PEDs and engaged in blood doping. It remains an incredible story of triumph and tragedy. CAMUS: There's many things to see, many things that will allow us to be creative. I mean, there's no end to this. So it's very good to be on this road and to be as much as we can creative, because we have this opportunity with AP to be creative. EL SHAMY: I think that Tour de France is a very special race to cover. It's the biggest in the world. It's kind of an adventure around France to cover it for AP. It is a really fun experience to go through. PANJWANI: This has been the story behind the AP story. I'm your host, Haya Panjwani. The executive producer is Ron Vample. Special thanks to sports freelancer, Gethin Coolbaugh, and AP photographers, Mosa'ab El Shamy and Thibault Camus for their contributions. For more on the AP's coverage of the Tour de France, visit
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
A test of the mind and body: The story behind AP's stage to stage coverage of the Tour De France
The Tour de France is not only one of the biggest sports races in the world, it's also a test of the mind and body. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh explains how the race works, as well as some iconic moments. On the ground, AP photographers Thibault Camus and Mosa'ab El Shamy share the energy and mood at this year's race. Gethin Coolbaugh, correspondent: Well, the Tour de France is the pinnacle of global cycling. This year is the 112th edition of the men's race that was first held in 1903.
Washington Post
21-02-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Details about Trump's executive orders around DEI are causing confusion
WASHINGTON — HAYA PANJWANI, host: In front of a large crowd in Washington, Donald Trump, shortly after being sworn into office for his second presidential term, signed a slew of executive orders. Those orders were what he calls 'Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity' and 'Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.' That executive order prompted companies around the United States to roll back their own diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. But the details of Trump's order and what it's actually implementing are still murky. I'm Haya Panjwani. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, we speak with deputy global business editor Pia Sarkar and reporter Alexandra Olson. Firstly, Alexandra, what is DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion? ALEXANDRA OLSON, reporter: It's not a specific policy. It is an idea that you want to make your workplace or your school or any number of institutions inclusive and diverse and welcoming to a diverse population. I think companies over time have evolved to become more deliberate in these efforts. Some of the first waves of what people think of as modern-day DEI initiatives started in the wake of the civil rights movement. Part of the Civil Rights Act is ensuring that your workplace is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. Some of the policies that companies had to institute involved compliance with those laws. And over time, you saw some prominent companies also institute an employment resource group for black employees or LGBTQ employees. Some of these companies started these groups in the '80s, even. PANJWANI: The Trump administration's executive order moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually laid off. Some businesses reacted. OLSON: Businesses have been rolling back their DEI initiatives or at least evaluating their DEI practices for many months now in response to conservative-led lawsuits that target some of these policies that they claim are discriminatory. But this review has taken on more urgency in response to the election of President Trump, and even more recently, his executive orders aimed at ending DEI-related policies both in the federal and private sectors. PIA SARKAR, editor: And businesses are also rolling back DEI initiatives. PANJWANI: That's Pia Sarkar, deputy global business editor. You saw a lot more of them starting to join the movement of sorts. First, it started off with a handful of companies like Tractor Supply and John Deere. They were kind of smaller companies, but still name brands. But then suddenly you started to see much bigger companies also jumping in, including Walmart and McDonald's. And those are much bigger employers. And their rollback of some of these policies are much more impactful and may influence even bar companies to do the same. OLSON: Trump's executive orders were both very aggressive and at the same time not specific about what constitutes what the government is calling illegal or discriminatory. The orders did lay out the intention to harness the enforcement power of the federal government of the day against these policies. And that's what has gotten a lot of people's attention. For example, the executive order threatens to impose financial sanctions on federal contractors deemed to have illegal DEI programs under new contracts. Federal contractors have to have a clause stating that they do not engage in discriminatory DEI programs. If they are found to be in violation of that, they could be subject to massive damages under the 1863 False Claims Act. PANJWANI: What's being rolled back at companies varies. OLSON: Very few companies have gotten rid of everything that falls under their DEI buckets. What they're trying to do is figure out which DEI practices or programs or policies could eventually be deemed illegal by a court responding to a lawsuit or by the federal government under these new Trump executive orders. One practice that has been prominently challenged is tying executive compensation to promoting diversity. What the argument is from the conservative side is that this kind of practice can pressure hiring managers to make decisions on who to hire and who to promote and who even to let go based on race. So it's important to note that it is illegal under Title VII of the civil rights law to take race into account in hiring or promotion decisions. And prominent companies that have long promoted their DEI efforts say they do not do that. SARKAR: And some of the other DEI practices that are worth noting are a little bit more open-ended. If a company was sponsoring a pride event, for instance, some have pulled back on how much sponsorship they're going to give. Some of those events, I think, Walmart, for instance, said that it was not going to renew its equity racial center that it set up in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd. And that was a five-year commitment, and it is not renewing it. PANJWANI: Consumers are reacting differently than they have in the past. SARKAR: So some are reacting to the rollback of the initiative initiatives a little bit more, at least from what I could see, in a more muted way than some of the protests that you saw, like, after George Floyd there was a huge demand for these kind of programs in 2020 and afterwards, in terms of people boycotting these companies because they're rolling back the initiatives, you don't see as much of that. There was a boycott that had been planned against, I believe, Target. There was a lot of pressure on social media, specifically from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, going after companies that were promoting DEI. And so that had raised a lot of social media backlash and calls for boycotts. Those boycotts never seem to have taken place, but the companies reacted to the threat of a boycott, in some cases by rolling back their DEI initiatives. And those rollbacks of the DEI initiatives haven't really led to more boycotts. It seems like because so many companies have gone in this direction, it almost is starting to feel like it's becoming more the norm than the exception. You're only hearing about the companies that are rolling back their DEI policies, right? We're not hearing from companies who are keeping them in place except for Apple and Costco and Microsoft. But there could be a lot more that just aren't saying anything at all. PANJWANI: Now what exactly is the confusion? OLSON: The confusion is what is illegal. What is illegal discrimination or preference? The trouble is that DEI can constitute such a wide range, a wide range of programs, that nobody is quite sure whether their policies and practices and programs that they've had in place in some cases for many years, in some cases maybe even decades. Whether these are in fact illegal or not. There's been a few hints of, of backlash or of people protesting that some of this anti-gay effort has gone too far. So we saw that, for example, when some government institutions or museums decided to stop celebrating Black History Month or Holocaust Remembrance Day. There's some indication that the government is trying to clarify that that is not what they're after. That speaks to the confusion, because these executive orders are so wide-ranging that nobody knows exactly what they are trying to target and what they are not. But it also speaks to a certain sensitivity that the anti-drag campaign might also go too far. I think there's also a danger for these companies. They want to make sure that they don't go so far as to dismantle policies that are geared towards ensuring that they comply with anti-discrimination laws. SARKAR: And I think there is also some caution around letting this issue go up to the Supreme Court, considering that it's a conservative Supreme Court right now in terms of whether or not there will be the pendulum swing back. It is worth noting that a lot of these companies that are rolling back their DEI programs are also making it a point to say, we still care about these issues. We're not pulling back completely. So it kind of feels like they want to keep one foot in the door still. And I don't know if that's because the pendulum might swing back. So kind of playing it both ways might be the best way to approach it right now, just in case it does go the other way. But right now, it doesn't look like that's going to happen in the foreseeable future. PANJWANI: This has been The Story Behind the AP Story. For more information on AP's DEI coverage, visit
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Details about Trump's executive orders around DEI are causing confusion
WASHINGTON (AP) — HAYA PANJWANI, host: In front of a large crowd in Washington, Donald Trump, shortly after being sworn into office for his second presidential term, signed a slew of executive orders. Those orders were what he calls 'Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity' and 'Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.' That executive order prompted companies around the United States to roll back their own diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. But the details of Trump's order and what it's actually implementing are still murky. I'm Haya Panjwani. On this episode of The Story Behind the AP Story, we speak with deputy global business editor Pia Sarkar and reporter Alexandra Olson. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Firstly, Alexandra, what is DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion? ALEXANDRA OLSON, reporter: It's not a specific policy. It is an idea that you want to make your workplace or your school or any number of institutions inclusive and diverse and welcoming to a diverse population. I think companies over time have evolved to become more deliberate in these efforts. Some of the first waves of what people think of as modern-day DEI initiatives started in the wake of the civil rights movement. Part of the Civil Rights Act is ensuring that your workplace is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. Some of the policies that companies had to institute involved compliance with those laws. And over time, you saw some prominent companies also institute an employment resource group for black employees or LGBTQ employees. Some of these companies started these groups in the '80s, even. PANJWANI: The Trump administration's executive order moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually laid off. Some businesses reacted. OLSON: Businesses have been rolling back their DEI initiatives or at least evaluating their DEI practices for many months now in response to conservative-led lawsuits that target some of these policies that they claim are discriminatory. But this review has taken on more urgency in response to the election of President Trump, and even more recently, his executive orders aimed at ending DEI-related policies both in the federal and private sectors. PIA SARKAR, editor: And businesses are also rolling back DEI initiatives. PANJWANI: That's Pia Sarkar, deputy global business editor. You saw a lot more of them starting to join the movement of sorts. First, it started off with a handful of companies like Tractor Supply and John Deere. They were kind of smaller companies, but still name brands. But then suddenly you started to see much bigger companies also jumping in, including Walmart and McDonald's. And those are much bigger employers. And their rollback of some of these policies are much more impactful and may influence even bar companies to do the same. OLSON: Trump's executive orders were both very aggressive and at the same time not specific about what constitutes what the government is calling illegal or discriminatory. The orders did lay out the intention to harness the enforcement power of the federal government of the day against these policies. And that's what has gotten a lot of people's attention. For example, the executive order threatens to impose financial sanctions on federal contractors deemed to have illegal DEI programs under new contracts. Federal contractors have to have a clause stating that they do not engage in discriminatory DEI programs. If they are found to be in violation of that, they could be subject to massive damages under the 1863 False Claims Act. PANJWANI: What's being rolled back at companies varies. OLSON: Very few companies have gotten rid of everything that falls under their DEI buckets. What they're trying to do is figure out which DEI practices or programs or policies could eventually be deemed illegal by a court responding to a lawsuit or by the federal government under these new Trump executive orders. One practice that has been prominently challenged is tying executive compensation to promoting diversity. What the argument is from the conservative side is that this kind of practice can pressure hiring managers to make decisions on who to hire and who to promote and who even to let go based on race. So it's important to note that it is illegal under Title VII of the civil rights law to take race into account in hiring or promotion decisions. And prominent companies that have long promoted their DEI efforts say they do not do that. SARKAR: And some of the other DEI practices that are worth noting are a little bit more open-ended. If a company was sponsoring a pride event, for instance, some have pulled back on how much sponsorship they're going to give. Some of those events, I think, Walmart, for instance, said that it was not going to renew its equity racial center that it set up in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd. And that was a five-year commitment, and it is not renewing it. PANJWANI: Consumers are reacting differently than they have in the past. SARKAR: So some are reacting to the rollback of the initiative initiatives a little bit more, at least from what I could see, in a more muted way than some of the protests that you saw, like, after George Floyd there was a huge demand for these kind of programs in 2020 and afterwards, in terms of people boycotting these companies because they're rolling back the initiatives, you don't see as much of that. There was a boycott that had been planned against, I believe, Target. There was a lot of pressure on social media, specifically from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, going after companies that were promoting DEI. And so that had raised a lot of social media backlash and calls for boycotts. Those boycotts never seem to have taken place, but the companies reacted to the threat of a boycott, in some cases by rolling back their DEI initiatives. And those rollbacks of the DEI initiatives haven't really led to more boycotts. It seems like because so many companies have gone in this direction, it almost is starting to feel like it's becoming more the norm than the exception. You're only hearing about the companies that are rolling back their DEI policies, right? We're not hearing from companies who are keeping them in place except for Apple and Costco and Microsoft. But there could be a lot more that just aren't saying anything at all. PANJWANI: Now what exactly is the confusion? OLSON: The confusion is what is illegal. What is illegal discrimination or preference? The trouble is that DEI can constitute such a wide range, a wide range of programs, that nobody is quite sure whether their policies and practices and programs that they've had in place in some cases for many years, in some cases maybe even decades. Whether these are in fact illegal or not. There's been a few hints of, of backlash or of people protesting that some of this anti-gay effort has gone too far. So we saw that, for example, when some government institutions or museums decided to stop celebrating Black History Month or Holocaust Remembrance Day. There's some indication that the government is trying to clarify that that is not what they're after. That speaks to the confusion, because these executive orders are so wide-ranging that nobody knows exactly what they are trying to target and what they are not. But it also speaks to a certain sensitivity that the anti-drag campaign might also go too far. I think there's also a danger for these companies. They want to make sure that they don't go so far as to dismantle policies that are geared towards ensuring that they comply with anti-discrimination laws. SARKAR: And I think there is also some caution around letting this issue go up to the Supreme Court, considering that it's a conservative Supreme Court right now in terms of whether or not there will be the pendulum swing back. It is worth noting that a lot of these companies that are rolling back their DEI programs are also making it a point to say, we still care about these issues. We're not pulling back completely. So it kind of feels like they want to keep one foot in the door still. And I don't know if that's because the pendulum might swing back. So kind of playing it both ways might be the best way to approach it right now, just in case it does go the other way. But right now, it doesn't look like that's going to happen in the foreseeable future. PANJWANI: This has been The Story Behind the AP Story. For more information on AP's DEI coverage, visit
