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3 rich Will the "Fateful Eight" Stocks Outperform the "Magnificent Seven" in 2025?By ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from an earlier version. Here are the Aggies who have either entered the transfer portal or announced their intention of doing do. This list, which features the contributions this past season of each player, will be continually updated. Fourteen of these former Aggies — wide receivers Grant Page and Otto Tia, tight end Will Monney, defensive back Jaiden Francois, cornerbacks JD Drew, DJ Graham II and Mason Edwards, offensive linemen Aloali’i Maui and Teague Andersen, safeties Chase Davis and Simeon Harris, defensive tackle Collin Vaughn and linebackers Tanner Williams and Jadon Pearson — have verbally committed to or signed with other FBS programs. FOURTEEN FORMER AGGIES WHO HAVE COMMITTED ELSEWHERE * Collin Vaughn (6-2, 285): Vaughn, who has signed with FCS program Youngstown State, only played in one game in his lone season as an Aggie before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. The former Limestone player (Division II program) has one year of eligibility left. * Chase Davis (6-3, 185): Davis, who has signed with FBS program Texas State, was an Aggie for two seasons as he redshirted as a true freshman in 2023. Davis, who has three years of eligibility left, appeared in nine games and made one start as a redshirt freshman this past season, and the one-time Arizona State commit contributed with 12 tackles and a forced fumble (against Colorado State). * Grant Page (6-3, 200): Page, who will be reunited with former USU head coach and current Southern Miss offensive coordinator Blake Anderson, appeared in all 12 games in his second season as an Aggie and was a starter in five of those games. The Colorado transfer ranked fourth in the team in receptions (33) and fifth in receiving yards (281), plus caught a pair of TDs. Page has two years of eligibility left. * Otto Tia (6-4, 220): It was a breakout season for Tia, who has been an Aggie since 2021, but will now play for the University of Utah. Tia, who has one year of eligibility remaining, started all 12 games for USU this past season and contributed with 434 yards and seven touchdowns on 44 receptions. Tia only caught six passes in his 21 games with the Aggies prior to ’24. * Aloali’i Maui (6-1, 305): Maui, who will be reunited with Anderson and Page at Southern Miss, was a difference maker in his two seasons as an Aggie as he played in 25 games and was a starter in all but one of them, mainly at right guard. Maui, who has one year of eligibility left, led the team in 2023 with 50.0 knockdowns. Heading into the 2024 season finale against Colorado State, Maui had been credited with 44 knockdowns, which ranked second on the team and was only one off the team lead. * Will Monney: (6-4, 230): Monney, who has committed to play at Oklahoma State, where he will be reunited with tight ends coach DJ Tialavea, played in 10 games in this second season as an Aggie and contributed with 138 yards on one touchdown on 11 receptions. The former Springville High star, who has two years of eligibility and one redshirt season left, suffered a season-ending knee injury against Hawaii. * JD Drew (5-11, 165): Drew, who is headed back to his home state of Oklahoma and his signed with Tulsa, was USU’s seventh-leading tackler this past season with 45. Drew, who was a starter in nine of the 12 games he played in, also picked off a pass in his third season as an Aggie, broke up two more and forced a fumble, which was picked off in midway by teammate Jaiden Francois and returned for a touchdown against Colorado State. Drew has two years of eligibility left. * Jaiden Francois: Francois, who is headed to Duke for his final year of eligibility and has signed with the Blue Devils,made an impact in his two seasons at USU as he contributed with 108 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions — both of which were returned to the house — 2.0 sacks, four PBUs and one forced fumble. The UCF transfer appeared in 24 games for the Aggies, with 13 starts. * Teague Andersen (6-5, 305): Andersen, who has started 17 games during the last two seasons for the Aggies, is headed to ACC program North Carolina State. The news of Andersen committing to the Wolf Pack was reported by a few different writers and retweeted by Andersen on X. Andersen, who has two years of eligibility remaining, was recently selected to the all-Mountain West honorable mention squad. This was Andersen’s third season at USU. He is the younger brother of USU offensive lineman Trey Andersen. * Jadon Pearson (6-1, 205): Pearson, who came on strong in his lone season at USU, is headed to fellow Mountain West program Fresno State, he announced on X. Pearson finished with 42 tackles, 3.0 TFLs and one pass broken up in 10 games, which included four starts, for the Aggies in 2024. Pearson, a graduate transfer who has one year of eligibility left, has also played at Air Force, Reedley (California) College and Utah. * Simeon Harris (5-11, 180): Harris, who announced his commitment to Fresno State — where he will be reunited with Pearson — on X — played in three of the first four games in his second season as an Aggie and contributed with 4.0 tackles and one PBU. The Colorado transfer, who was a starter nine times in his first season at USU, has two years of eligibility left. * DJ Graham II (6-0, 200): Graham, who was USU’s eighth-leading tackler this past season with 42, is headed to Big 12 Conference program Kansas. He announced his intention of becoming a Jayhawk on X. The Oklahoma transfer also finished in a three-way tie atop the Mountain West with three forced fumbles, plus ranked second on the team in interceptions with two and broke up two passes in his lone season at USU. Graham, who started in nine of USU’s 12 games and has one year of eligibility left, was recently selected to the all-Mountain West honorable mention squad. * Tanner Williams (6-2, 215): Williams, who played in four games as a true freshman for the Aggies and recorded his lone tackle against Washington State, is headed to San Diego State. Williams announced his commitment to the Aztecs on X. Williams, who played for California high school power Mater Dei, has four years of eligibility left. * Mason Edwards (6-2, 180): Edwards, a Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College transfer, played in two games and made two tackles — both against San Diego State — in his lone season as an Aggie. Edwards, who is headed to FCS program McNeese State, he announced on X, has two years of eligibility left. RUNNING BACKS * Robert Briggs (5-6, 185): Briggs missed essentially his entire third season at USU as he broke his leg while being tackled on a 55-yard run in his team’s home and season opener against Robert Morris. Briggs, who has two years of eligibility left, played in 22 games during his time in Logan, with four starts, and contributed with 861 yards and a trio of touchdowns on 163 carries. He also caught 16 passes for 80 yards. * Herschel Turner Jr. (5-9, 190): Turner made an impact as a true freshman for the Aggies as he contributed with 431 yards and four touchdowns on 79 carries, plus caught 12 passes for 71 yards, in 12 games. Turner, who gained a season-high 85 rushing yards against Washington State, has three years of eligibility left. CORNERBACK * Avante Dickerson (5-11, 170): Dickerson contributed with 19 tackles, one interception and three passes broken up this past season. Dickerson was banged up as he missed three games, but started in seven of the nine he played in. This was the Oregon transfer’s second season with the Aggies and he has one year of eligibility left. DEFENSIVE ENDS * Marlin Dean (6-5, 235): The one-time Georgia Bulldog played in eight games and contributed with six tackles and 1.5 sacks — all 1.5 sacks against San Diego State — in his lone season at USU. Dean, who has two lefts of eligibility left, transferred to USU from Butler (Kansas) Community College last winter. * Blaine Spires (6-3, 230): Spires started the first four games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury, thus preserving his final year of eligibility. The former Bowling Green player contributed with eight tackles, 3.0 TFLs and 1.0 sack in his second season as an Aggie. Spires, a graduate transfer, finished with 5.0 sacks in his first season in Logan. * Gabe Peterson (6-2, 255): Peterson was limited to four games, highlighted by one start, in his lone year at USU before suffering a season-ending injury. The former New Mexico State linebacker — he contributed with 55 tackles, 8.0 TFLs and 3.5 sacks a year ago — accounted for 6.0 tackles, 1.0 TFL and 0.5 sacks in those four games this past season. Peterson has two years of eligibility left. LINEBACKERS * Max Alford (6-1, 245): Alford played in four games and made two tackles in his third season as an Aggie. The former starter was coming off a season-ending knee injury. Alford, who has three years of eligibility left, was a key contributor as a true freshman in 2022 as he accounted for 40 tackles and 4.0 TFLs. * Logan Pili (6-0, 235): Pili played in the first eight games this past season — he suffered a season-ending injury against Wyoming — and contributed with 7.0 tackles and 1.5 TFLs. This was the former BYU player’s third season as an Aggie — he made 31 tackles a year ago — and he has two years of eligibility left. SAFETIES * Teeg Slone (6-1, 195): Stone, the younger brother of USU standout edge rusher Cian Slone, appeared in two games in each of his two seasons as an Aggie. Slone, who has two years of eligibility left, made two tackles during the 2023 campaign. * Terrell Taylor (5-11, 195). The Golden West (California) College transfer played in seven games in his lone season as an Aggie and did not record any stats. The former Army player has one year of eligibility left. * Malik McConico (6-2, 200): The Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College transfer played in six games, with one start (against USC), in his lone season at USU. McConico, who has three years of eligibility left, contributed with 12 tackles. PUNTER * Ryan Marks (5-11, 235): Marks punted seven times this past season for an average of 42.29 yards and placed five of them inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. Marks has two years of eligibility left. KICKER * Tanner Cragun (6-2,195): Cragun was USU’s go-to kicker on field goals and PATs for the lion’s share of the ’24 campaign. The Utah transfer was successful on 7 of 9 of his field goal attempts in his lone season as an Aggie, highlighted by a walk-off 40-yarder to beat Wyoming on the road. Cragun has three years of eligibility left. DEFENSIVE TACKLE * Braydon Bailey (6-1, 295): The Golden West (California) transfer did not appear in any games in his lone season as an Aggie. Bailey has two years of eligibility left.Over the course of 2024, China’s foreign trade development has maintained a good momentum, with overall quality and structure improvement and stable growth. The achievements have not come easily considering the current slowing global economic recovery, intensifying trade protectionism and intertwined geopolitical conflicts. China’s foreign goods trade increased by 4.9 percent year-on-year to reach 39.79 trillion yuan ($5.45 trillion) in the first 11 months of 2024, demonstrating stable growth and ongoing structural improvements, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed. “With the concerted efforts of both stock and incremental policies in the field, China is expected to end the year with a smooth performance in foreign trade and achieve the goal of stable quality and quantity,” Lü Daliang, spokesperson of the GAC, said at a press conference on December 10. While maintaining a stable growth in foreign trade, China also vowed to share its vast market with the world by boosting the expansion of imports, including policy support, platform construction and transport facilitation. In the first 11 months, China’s imports from all the least developed countries (LDCs) that have established diplomatic relations with China increased by 12.4 percent, nearly 10 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of China’s imports, according to GAC data. Honey from Rwanda, wild aquatic products from Uganda, peanuts and sesame from Chad, fresh pine nuts from Afghanistan ... In 2024, more and more agricultural products have been exported to China, opening its market to more and more countries through major trade events and e-commerce. The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), held in November in Shanghai, featured 37 LDCs, with the event organizers providing more than 120 free exhibition booths specifically for businesses from these countries. “This is the second time that we have participated in the CIIE ... We have 30 companies coming to the expo this year compared with about 20 in 2023,” Kassim Kone, a delegate from the Mali Export Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Mali, told the Global Times, an indication of how Mali values this event. Bangladesh also showcased a variety of products at the 7th CIIE, ranging from leather to food. Some of these products are already being exported to China, Md Ziaur Rahman, the commercial counselor of the Embassy of Bangladesh in China, told the Global Times. “Since its launch, the CIIE has been providing facilitation for LDCs. For the past seven years, more and more products from LDCs have entered the Chinese market through the CIIE, which contributed to the industrial development and improvement of people’s livelihood in these countries,” Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on November 7 at a regular press conference. Shanghai launched the 2024 Shanghai Silk Road E-commerce Carnival in May 2024, under which Meione (Shanghai) Network Technology Co conducted a special promotion event exclusively for African products, selling raw materials such as cocoa cubes, coffee extracts and tea extracts from African countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, Meione said in a statement shared with the Global Times. China has been facilitating market access for more imports, especially for LDCs. Starting from December 1, 2024, China gave zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines to LDCs. China is the first developing country and major global economy to implement this initiative, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said. Regarding China’s zero-tariff treatment policy for LDCs, of which Bangladesh is one, Rahman said that “this policy will significantly promote trade for countries like ours, and we are very grateful for it.” “This demonstrates China’s commitment to forge a global development partnership, under which no country or individual should be left behind,” Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, an exporter of home furnishing products, told the Global Times on Friday. China’s foreign trade, while with increasing imports from more countries and keeping a stable growth in 2024, also improved its mix, with exports of high-quality and high-tech products particularly increased. Specifically, mechanical and electrical products accounted for nearly 60 percent of exports in the first 11 months, of which automatic data processing equipment and its parts, integrated circuits and automobiles exports grew by double digits, according to GAC data. Exports of the “new trio,” namely, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, have become China’s new business cards in the world. It means that in the “smile curve” of the global manufacturing industry, Chinese foreign trade enterprises are moving toward the upstream of the global value chain. The curve is called a “smile” because the two ends of the curve (R&D and after-sales service) have higher value, while the middle section (manufacturing) is relatively lower in terms of value creation. According to the latest data from China Automobile Dealers Association, China’s cumulative export volume of new-energy vehicles was 1.72 million units in the first 10 months of 2024, an increase of 15 percent year-on-year. “Compared with labor-intensive goods such as textiles and clothing, the ‘new trio’ represents technology-intensive products, which are transformed and upgraded to high-end, intelligent and green – meaning higher added value,” said Zhu. The transformation and upgrading of China’s economic and trade structure have been demonstrated through China-initiated trade events, such as the CIIE, the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), and the China International Supply Chain Expo. The Canton Fair, for example, used to mainly showcase consumer goods. But in recent years, the proportion of intermediate and capital goods on display has increased to 12 percent, the Global Times learned from the organizer. In the machinery exhibition area where capital goods are concentrated, the number of booths has increased by more than 50 percent in the past five years. With increasingly advanced technologies, together with China’s world-leading manufacturing level and stable supply chains, Chinese enterprises are making high-tech products more affordable for the world, Liu Jinshi, chief engineer of Ston Robotics Changzhou Co, told the Global Times. While China’s position in the global trade market is gradually shifting to the middle and high-end in terms of industrial chains and value chains, the country’s trade partners are also diversifying. In particular, its trade with developing and emerging markets grew at a fast pace. In the first 11 months, China’s trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road cooperation saw a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, while that with ASEAN members rose by 8.6 percent. In this period, China’s foreign trade with Latin America increased by 7.9 percent and that with Africa up 4.8 percent, according to GAC. The foreign trade of goods this year showed a good performance, both from the perspective of trading partners and the structure of traded goods, Wan Zhe, an economist and professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times. “The export growth of products with high technologies is strong, reflecting the increasing quality of China’s industrial development,” said Wan. China’s economy has demonstrated strong resilience, great potential and vitality. The country is building a new economic development pattern of “dual circulation” with the domestic market as the mainstay and the domestic and overseas markets reinforcing each other and China is capable of resisting the impact of external shocks, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, said on November 22 at a press conference. The State Council recently issued a package of policy measures aimed at promoting the stable growth of foreign trade, while the MOFCOM, the GAC and other departments launched specific measures to accelerate the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade, further optimize the business environment at ports, and promote the convenience of customs clearance for enterprises, said Lü. The recent Central Economic Work Conference further stressed efforts to promote high-standard opening up while keeping foreign trade and foreign investment stable as being one of the key tasks for 2025, according to the Xinhua News Agency. “Looking ahead, favorable conditions are stronger than unfavorable factors, such as declining global demand and growing trade barriers and protectionism. There is a basis and support for China to achieve steady growth of imports and exports,” said Zhu. Source: Global TimesTHE TIMING COULDN’T have worked out better for Ireland’s political parties. A general election round the corner, and lo and behold! A €14 billion Apple has fallen from the magic money tree. The first €3 billion of the sum was transferred to the Irish Exchequer earlier this very month, with billions more to come before the end of the year. Just before the Budget in October, Finance Minister Jack Chambers said the extra cash would be invested in a variety of infrastructure projects, including housing, energy, water and transport. The official spending plan was meant to be approved in early 2025. But where’s the fun in that? The decision to call an election before Christmas, rather than allowing the government to run its full term until early in the new year, means the pot of gold is now up for grabs. That’s why we’ve asked all of Ireland’s major political groups how they would spend the Apple tax money – here’s what they had to say. On housing, €4 billion will go to the Land Development Agency (LDA), the state body tasked with getting affordable homes built on state sites. €2 billion will also go to a new ‘Towns Investment Fund’. €2.5 billion is to be spent improving Ireland’s creaking electricity grid, while €3 billion is to go to Irish Water for similar reasons. On transport, €3.6 billion will go to the slightly vague area of ‘the improvement of transport networks countrywide’, while €2 billion will go towards improving digital technology in the healthcare system. The party wants most of the Apple money to go into housing. Part of this will go into extending two grants for first-time buyers: the Help-to-Buy grant will be increased from a maximum of €30,000 to €40,000 until 2030; and the First Home Scheme will be extended to second-hand homes for five more years. Another part of the money for housing will go into increased building. While €4 billion will go on various energy, water and transport projects. The party said it will give a more detailed plan for the allocation of the funds ‘within 100 days of taking office’. Sinn Féin’s premier idea for the Apple tax money is to start an ‘Equality for Communities Fund’. The money would be allocated on the basis of the Pobal Index, the national deprivation index. The funds would be used for the likes of sports facilities, arts facilities and public spaces. It also said slightly over half the money, €7.6 billion, would be used to build affordable housing. Other key areas the money would be spent on include €2 billion in health, €2.5 billion on a renewable energy fund and €1 billion on redress for Celtic Tiger-era housing defects. Like many parties, housing features heavily in Labour’s plans for the Apple tax money. €6 billion would go towards setting up a new state construction company, which would be developed through the LDA. €1 billion would go on works, such as developing water infrastructure, which would make the land suitable for development. On the climate front, €1 billion would be reserved for offshore wind, while €2.5 billion each would go towards a National Retrofitting Plan and then to developing large-scale transport projects. Finally, €1 billion would be set aside for modernising the health service, such as by digitising records. Approximately €7 billion will go towards major transport projects in urban centres. The party has suggested that this could include the likes of a Luas tram line in Cork. This would be part of a €10 billion transport plan, with the remaining €3 billion coming from unidentified ‘other sources’. The focus would be on major infrastructure projects, such as Metrolink, Luas extensions and heavy rail projects. As mentioned, the €14 billion would be split between housing and climate measures. The party told : ‘50,000 affordable purchase homes and 25,000 affordable rental homes would be delivered’. On the climate side of things, the party said potential projects would include ‘investing in State-owned renewable energy’ and additional grants for retrofitting and solar panels. “Infrastructure, Infrastructure Infrastructure,” leader Peadar Tóibín wrote on X, formerly Twitter, recently, adding that Ireland is “creaking at the seams”. Key areas aligned with those identified by other parties – housing, transport, energy and health. Similar to Labour, PBP wants to use the Apple tax money to set up a state building company. An indication of the scale envisaged is indicated from their comparison to Ireland’s two biggest private housebuilders, Cairn and Glenveagh. “[They] build less than 2,500 homes a year – we need tens of thousands,” the party said. “Funded with the Apple tax revenues, such a body can easily access the land, finance and labour that are needed at scale to directly build at least 35,000 social and affordable homes per year.” The group has not given a detailed breakdown on the Apple funds. Richard O’Donoghue, one of Independent Ireland’s TDs, said in a recent Dáil debate that the Apple tax money should be used for infrastructure, specifically highlighting the lack of affordable housebuilding.

Hezbollah fires about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in heaviest barrage in weeks