Companies pulling back from Russia over the war in Ukraine | CNN ...

CNN Business —

Dozens of the world’s biggest companies have abandoned or scaled back their operations in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

The exodus affects every corner of the economy, from its vast energy riches through autos, finance, retail, entertainment and fast food, starving Russia of new investment and removing products and services that had become popular in the decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Here’s a look at the major corporate departures.

Autos

Ford (F) announced it was suspending its operations in Russia. The American automaker has a 50% stake in Ford (F) Sollers, a joint venture that employs at least 4,000 workers and is shared with Russian company Sollers.

A Ford dealership and service center. Artyom Geodakyan/TASS/Getty Images

The company has plants in St. Petersburg, Elabuga and Naberezhnye Chelny but said it had “significantly wound down” its Russian operations in recent years. The automaker said it was “deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine,” and noted it has “a strong contingent of Ukrainian nationals working at Ford around the world.”

General Motors (GM) said it was halting all exports to Russia “until further notice.”

GM doesn’t have a significant presence there: It sells only about 3,000 vehicles a year through 16 dealerships, according to a spokesperson. That’s out of the more than 6 million vehicles the Detroit-based automaker sells annually.

Toyota announced it would stop making cars in Russia or importing them to the country “until further notice, due to supply chain disruptions.”

Volkswagen (VLKAF) is stopping production of vehicles in Russia and has suspended exports to the Russian market. The decision applies to the Russian production sites in Kaluga and Nizhny Novgorod.

Nissan (NSANF) has suspended the export of vehicles to Russia, adding that it “anticipates that production will stop soon at our plant in St. Petersburg.”

Aviation

Boeing (BA) said it would suspend support for Russian airlines.

A company spokesperson confirmed the aircraft maker was pausing “parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines,” and had also “suspended major operations in Moscow and temporarily closed our office in Kyiv.”

Airbus (EADSF) followed Boeing with a similar move. In a statement, the company said it has “suspended support services to Russian airlines, as well as the supply of spare parts to the country.”

Big Tech

Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a tweet that his company was suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.

Amazon (AMZN)’s cloud division, Amazon (AMZN) Web Services, said March 8 it would halt new sign-ups for the service in Russia and Belarus. The company has already had a “long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government” and does not have data centers, infrastructure or offices in Russia, the company said in a blog post.

“AWS has clear terms of service where if a customer is using AWS services to threaten, incite, promote, or actively encourage violence, terrorism, or other serious harm, they will not be permitted to use our services,” Amazon said. “Any customer we know of who is participating in this type of behavior will have their access to AWS suspended.”

Apple (AAPL) has stopped selling its products in Russia.

The tech giant said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” about the Russian invasion. In response, the company has also moved to limit access to digital services, such as Apple Pay, inside Russia, and restricted the availability of Russian state media applications outside the country.

A re:Store shop in central Moscow. re:Store is one of the largest Apple resellers in Russia. Vladimir Gerdo/TASS/Getty Images

Facebook (FB)-parent Meta said it would block access to Russian news outlets Sputnik and RT, the Russia-backed television network infamous for promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agenda, across the European Union.

The move comes after the company received “requests from a number of governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s VP of global affairs, wrote in a tweet.

Meta has also said it has applied algorithmic restrictions on Russian state media that should prevent those posts from surfacing as prominently in users’ feeds.

Hitachi (HTHIY) said March 10 that it is pausing exports to Russia and suspending all manufacturing in the country, “with the exception of products, services and support for electrical power equipment that are indispensable to the daily lives of people,” it said.

The Japanese conglomerate added that Russia accounts for just a small fraction — roughly 0.5% — of its revenue.

IBM (IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna said the company has suspended all business in Russia.

“In Ukraine, we have been in constant touch with our local teams and continue to provide assistance that includes relocation and financial support,” Krishna said. “The safety and security of IBMers and their families in all areas impacted by this crisis remains our top priority.”

Intel (INTC) said April 5 that it has suspended business operations in Russia. Earlier this year, the company said it stopped all shipments to Russia and Belarus.

Microsoft (MSFT) said it was suspending all new sales of its products and services in Russia. President and vice-chair Brad Smith also said the company is stopping “many aspects” of its business in Russia in compliance with government sanctions. Microsoft (MSFT) also said it will continue aiding in Ukrainian cybersecurity.

Netflix (NFLX) said it will be suspending its streaming service in Russia.

“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a Netflix spokesperson told CNN.

No other details were provided.

Previously, the company said it was refusing to air Russian state TV channels — something that the platform would have been required to do starting this week under Russian law.

“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” the company told CNN Business.

Nintendo (NTDOF) has stopped taking online orders in Russia.

In a statement on its Russian website, the Switch console maker said that it had “suspended the processing of payments in rubles,” and temporarily set its digital store on “maintenance mode.”

Roku (ROKU), which sells hardware allowing users to stream content through the internet, has banned RT worldwide.

Sony (SNE) has halted all software and hardware shipments, and temporarily suspended orders on its online PlayStation store in Russia.

The entertainment giant has also paused plans to launch Gran Turismo 7, a driving simulator game, in the country. Sony “joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine,” it said in a statement.

Spotify (SPOT) said it has closed its office in Russia “indefinitely” and restricted shows “owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media.” The streaming service removed all content from RT and Sputnik in Europe and other regions, a company spokesman said.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” the spokesman added. “Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever.”

Twitter (TWTR) has similarly announced plans to “reduce the visibility and amplification” of Russian state media content.

YouTube, which is owned by Google (GOOGL), said it blocked Russian state media within Ukraine, including RT. The video platform also said it would be “significantly limiting recommendations to these channels.” Google (GOOGL) and YouTube have also said they will no longer allow Russian state media outlets to run ads or monetize their content.

Consulting

Accenture is discontinuing its business in Russia as it “stands with the people of Ukraine,” it said.

The firm announced the move in a statement on March 3, where it thanked its “nearly 2,300 colleagues in Russia for their dedication and service to Accenture over the years.”

“We will be providing support to our Russian colleagues,” the company added.

In a similar move, Deloitte announced on March 7 that it would stop operating in Russia and Belarus.

“While we know this is the right decision, it will have an impact on Deloitte’s [approximately] 3,000 professionals located in Russia and Belarus. Like others, we know our colleagues in Russia and Belarus have no voice in the actions of their government,” the firm said.

“We will support all impacted colleagues during this transition and do all we can to assist them during this extremely difficult time.”

EY, otherwise known as Ernst & Young, also said it would remove its Russian practice from its official global network, but allow it to “continue working with clients as an independent group of audit and consulting companies.”

“EY in Russia is a team of 4,700 professionals working in 9 cities of the country. The company has been operating in the Russian market for more than 30 years,” it said on March 7.

“In light of the escalating war, the EY global organization will no longer serve any Russian government clients, state-owned enterprises or sanctioned entities and individuals anywhere in the world.”

Consulting and accounting firm KPMG International said that its “Russia and Belarus firms will leave the KPMG network.”

“KPMG has over 4,500 people in Russia and Belarus, and ending our working relationship with them, many of whom have been a part of KPMG for many decades, is incredibly difficult,” the company said. “This decision is not about them – it is a consequence of the actions of the Russian Government. We are a purpose-led and values-driven organization that believes in doing the right thing.”

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is also planning to break away from its Russian business.

“As a result of the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine we have decided that, under the circumstances, PwC should not have a member firm in Russia and consequently PwC Russia will leave the network,” the “Big Four” consultancy said in a statement.

“Our main focus at PwC continues to be doing all we can to help our Ukrainian colleagues and support the humanitarian efforts,” it added.

“We are also committed to working with our colleagues at PwC Russia to undertake an orderly transition for the business, and with a focus on the wellbeing of our 3,700 colleagues in PwC Russia.”

Energy and metals

BP said it was planning to exit its 19.75% stake in Russia’s biggest oil company, Rosneft, and suspending their joint ventures — which amount to one of the biggest foreign investments in Russia.

Equinor will also begin to exit its joint ventures in Russia, the Norwegian oil and gas company announced.

“We are all deeply troubled by the invasion of Ukraine, which represents a terrible setback for the world,” said CEO Anders Opedal.

The company said it had $1.2 billion in long-term investments in Russia at the end of 2021. It has operated in Russia for more than 30 years and has a cooperation agreement with Rosneft.

Exxon pledged to leave its last remaining oil-and-gas project in Russia and not to invest in new developments in the country.

The Sakhalin-1 venture is “one of the largest single international direct investments in Russia,” according to the project’s website. An Exxon subsidiary has a 30% share, while Rosneft also owns a stake.

By quitting this project, Exxon would end more than a quarter-century of continuing business presence in Russia.

Rio Tinto (RIO) was the first major mining company to announce it was cutting all ties with Russian businesses.

“Rio Tinto is in the process of terminating all commercial relationships it has with any Russian business,” a Rio spokesman told Reuters.

The miner owns an 80% stake in Queensland Alumina Ltd in a joint venture with Russia’s Rusal International, the world’s second-largest aluminum producer. The company did not comment on how its decision to cut ties with Russian businesses would affect Queensland Alumina dealings with Rusal.

Shell is getting out of Russia and ditching its joint ventures with Gazprom, including its involvement with the moribund Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.

The UK-based oil company said on February 28 it would dump its stake in a liquified natural gas facility, its stake in a project to develop fields in western Siberia and its interest in an exploration project in the Gydan peninsula in northwestern Siberia.

“We are shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine, which we deplore, resulting from a senseless act of military aggression which threatens European security,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement.

Shell has also decided to stop buying Russian oil and gas and will close its service station network.

A Shell gas station seen in Moscow in 2020. Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg/Getty Images

TotalEnergies (TOT) also condemned Russia’s actions and said it would no longer provide capital for new projects in the country.

The French oil giant has done business in Russia for 25 years, and recently helped launch a major liquefied natural gas project on the Siberian coast.

Finance

Norway’s $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund will divest shares in 47 Russian companies as well as Russian government bonds, the Norwegian prime minister said.

Mastercard (MA) said it was suspending its network services in Russia. Cards supported by Russian banks will not work in the company’s network, and any cards issued outside of Russia will not work within the country.

The credit giant, which has operated in Russia for more than 25 years, had previously announced that it had “blocked multiple financial institutions” from its network as a result of anti-Russian sanctions, and would “continue to work with regulators in the days ahead.”

Visa (V) said it is suspending all of its operations in Russia. It will end all Visa (V) transactions within its borders, and Visa (V) cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside of the country. In addition, all Visa (V) cards worldwide “will no longer work within the Russian Federation,” Visa (V) said.

American Express (AXP) said in a statement that globally issued American Express (AXP) cards will no longer work in Russia, and cards issued in Russia won’t work outside the country. The company also said it is ending its business operations in Belarus.

Moody’s said it is suspending commercial operations in Russia. Its investors service will “maintain analytical coverage for existing ratings from outside Russia.”

Goldman Sachs (GS) became the first major Wall Street bank to announce plans to exit Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. “Goldman Sachs (GS) is winding down its business in Russia in compliance with regulatory and licensing requirements,” a Goldman Sachs (GS) spokesperson told CNN.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM), America’s largest bank, said it is “actively unwinding” its Russian business and not pursuing any new businesses in the country. JPMorgan cited “compliance with directives by governments around the world” for its decision.

Western Union (WU) said in a statement that it is suspending operations in Russia and Belarus. “We have thoroughly evaluated internal and external considerations, including the consequences for our valued teammates, partners, and customers,” the company said. “Ultimately, in light of the ongoing tragic impact of Russia’s prolonged assault on Ukraine, we have arrived at the decision to suspend our operations in Russia and Belarus.”

Citigroup (C) expanded its exit from Russia, saying it’s going to stop soliciting new clients. In pulling out of the country, Citi said it will “include other lines of business and continue to reduce our remaining operations and exposure,” according to a company blog post from Executive Vice President of Global Public Affairs Edward Skyler. Citi noted that pulling its operations “will take time to execute” and that it is assisting multinational corporations.

PayPal (PYPL) CEO Dan Schulman said the company is suspending services in Russia.

“The PayPal community will remain steadfast in our humanitarian efforts to care for those in Ukraine who are experiencing devastating violence and tragic loss,” Schulman said.

Food and beverage

AB InBev, the maker of Budweiser and other beer brands, said it has “requested the controlling shareholder” of its Russia operations to suspend the license for the production and sale of Bud in the country. The company said it’s also “forfeiting all financial benefit” from its joint venture operations. Employees will still be paid.

Burger King said it is pulling corporate support from its businesses in Russia. Restaurant Brands International, which owns the burger chain, said it “has suspended all of its corporate support for the Russian market, including operations, marketing and supply chain.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that Burger King restaurants will be closed in Russia, however, as the company said the chain’s roughly 800 locations there are “fully franchised and managed by a local master franchisee.” This means that the company cannot simply pull the plug on those restaurants as other brands such as McDonald’s have done.

Coca-Cola (COKE) said that it is “suspending its business in Russia.” The company stated that “our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” adding that it will monitor the situation as things change.

Heineken will stop producing and selling beer in Russia. The brewer announced on March 9 that it would “take immediate steps to ring-fence” its Russian business, “to stop the flow of monies, royalties and dividends” out of the country. The beverage giant, which sells into more than 190 countries, had already announced a suspension on new investments and exports to Russia. “We are assessing the strategic options for the future of our Russian operations,” it said in a statement. “We see a clear distinction between the actions of the government and our employees in Russia.”

McDonald’s is temporarily closing its Russian restaurants. Eighty-four percent of McDonald’ locations in Russia are operated by the company, according to the document. Russia’s restaurants, along with another 108 in Ukraine, all operated by McDonald’s, accounted for 9% of the company’s revenue in 2021.

Nestle (NSRGF) is suspending all capital investment in Russia and halting advertising in the country.

“We are working hard to help keep food available to the people, be it on store shelves or through donations of essential foods and beverages like baby food, cereals, soup and noodles to those in need across the region,” the company said in a statement.

PepsiCo said it is suspending the sale of Pepsi-Cola and global beverage brands in Russia, but will continue to sell some of its essential products.

PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said that Pepsi is suspending capital investments, ads and promotional activity in Russia. But PepsiCo will continue to sell some of its products, including baby formula, baby food, milk and other dairy options.

“We have a responsibility to continue to offer our other products in Russia, including daily essentials,” Laguarta said. “By continuing to operate, we will also continue to support the livelihoods of our 20,000 Russian associates and the 40,000 Russian agricultural workers in our supply chain as they face significant challenges and uncertainty ahead,” he added.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said that “we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia,” in a message to employees. He added that “our licensed partner has agreed to immediately pause store operations and will provide support to the nearly 2,000 [employees] in Russia who depend on Starbucks for their livelihood.” Johnson added that Starbucks is halting shipment of all Starbucks products to Russia.

Yum Brands (YUM), which has 1,000 KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in Russia, said it would suspend all investment and restaurant development in the country. The company said it would “assess additional options” and redirect all profits from operations in Russia to humanitarian efforts.

Hospitality

Hyatt (H) is halting development in Russia and new investments there following the invasion of Ukraine. Hyatt (H) said it continues to “evaluate hotel operations” in Russia while complying with sanctions and US government directives.

Hilton (HLT) has shut down its corporate office in Moscow and is suspending all new development activity in Russia, the hotel company announced Wednesday. The moves will not end the Hilton (HLT) brand in Russia, where there are 26 Hilton (HLT) hotels. The company does not own any hotels in Russia. The 26 Hilton (HLT) hotels in Russia are managed or franchised and represent a small percentage of the company’s worldwide footprint of more than 6,800 properties, a spokesperson said.

Marriott (MAR) has closed its corporate office in Moscow, and paused the opening of upcoming hotels and all future hotel development and investment in Russia.

“Our hotels in Russia are owned by third parties and we continue to evaluate the ability for these hotels to remain open,” it added.

Industrials

3 said it has halted operations in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Dow (DOW) has suspended all purchases of feedstocks and energy from Russia, and says it “significantly reduced its operations and product offerings” in the country. Dow (DOW) has also stopped all investments in the region, and is only supplying limited essential goods in Russia, including food packaging, hygiene, cleaning and sanitation products and household goods.

General Electric (GE) suspended most of its operations in Russia, with the exception of “providing essential medical equipment and supporting existing power services.”

John Deere (DE), the world’s largest agriculture equipment maker, has halted shipments of its products to Russia. A Deere spokesperson said the only equipment produced in Russia is at a small factory in Orenburg, Russia that makes seeding and tillage equipment.

Caterpillar said on March 9 that it is suspending operations in its Russian manufacturing facilities.

“Operations in Russia have become increasingly challenging, including supply chain disruptions and sanctions,” the manufacturing giant said in a statement.

Media & entertainment

DirecTV is cutting ties with RT.

A spokesperson for the US satellite carrier told CNN Business that it had already been reviewing whether to renew the outlet’s carriage agreement, which was due to expire later this year. Russia’s war on Ukraine sped up its decision, according to the representative.

Disney (DIS) is also suspending the release of its theatrical films in Russia, citing “the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”

The entertainment giant had multiple films set for release in Russia in the coming months. That includes Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” on May 5 and Pixar’s “Lightyear” on June 16.

A shopper opening an umbrella featuring Disney Princesses at the Central Children's Store in Moscow's Lubyanka Square in 2017. Valery Sharifulin/TASS/Getty Images

“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” a Disney spokesperson said.

WarnerMedia said on February 28 that it would pause the release of “The Batman” in Russia.

The film is one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, and is being released in most countries by Warner Bros. which, like CNN, is a unit of WarnerMedia.

A company spokesperson said that the decision was made “in light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine,” and that the company hoped “for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”

WarnerMedia is also pausing all new business in Russia, ceasing broadcast of its channels, halting all new content licensing with Russian entities, and pausing planned theatrical and games releases.

Retail

Crocs said March 9 that it will “pause its direct-to-consumer business, inclusive of e-commerce and retail operations, in Russia.” It will also pause “the importation of goods into the country.”

Estée Lauder Companies said March 7 that it will “suspend all commercial activity in Russia, including closing every store we own and operate, as well as our brand sites and shipments to any of our retailers in Russia.” The company had already suspended business investments and initiatives in Russia, it said in a statement.

Fast Retailing announced March 10 that it was suspending Uniqlo’s business activities in Russia.

The turnaround came just days after Tadashi Yanai, CEO of the Japanese group, vowed to keep operating there, calling clothing a basic human necessity.

Now, “it has become clear to us that we can no longer proceed,” Fast Retailing said in a statement, citing “a number of difficulties.”

The company “is strongly against any acts of hostility,” it added. “We condemn all forms of aggression that violate human rights and threaten the peaceful existence of individuals.”

H&M (HMRZF) will pause all sales in Russia.

In a statement, the company said that it was “deeply concerned about the tragic developments in Ukraine, and stands with all the people who are suffering.”

The clothing giant’s stores in Ukraine are already closed due to safety concerns.

H&M Group, which operates a number of brands, had 168 stores in Russia as of last November, according to its website.

Ikea, the world’s largest furniture company, is closing its 17 stores in Russia. The company said the conflict is having a “huge human impact” and is “resulting in serious disruptions to supply chain and trading conditions.” In addition to pausing its retail and manufacturing operations in Russia, it will suspend all trade with the country and its ally, Belarus.

Ikea said 15,000 workers would be directly affected by the shutdown in the region. The company will continue to pay them, at least for the time being.

Imperial Brands (IMBBY), one of the world’s largest tobacco players, will sell off its Russian business.

The company behind Winston and Gauloises cigarettes says its operations in Russia comprise 1,000 employees in sales and marketing, as well as a factory in the city of Volgograd.

Imperial will “continue to pay their salaries until any transfer is concluded,” it said in a statement.

Inditex, the parent company of Zara, said it is pausing operations in Russia and closing 502 stores in the country. In a statement, the company said Russia accounts for about 8.5% of its earnings before interest and tax.

Mothercare is suspending business in Russia and stopping shipments there.

“Our local partner has confirmed that it will be immediately pausing operations in some 120 stores and online,” it said on March 9.

Russia accounts for around 20% to 25% of sales for the retailer, which specializes in goods for parents and babies.

Mondelez (MDLZ) said it would scale back all non-essential activities in Russia “while helping maintain continuity of the food supply.” The company said it would focus on “basic offerings,” and discontinue all new capital investments and suspend a advertising spending in the country.

German sports company Puma said it is suspending operations of all of its stores in Russia. The company said it operates more than 100 stores in the country.

Luxury fashion house Prada is suspending its retail operations in Russia.

Procter & Gamble (PG) CEO Jon Moeller said in a letter to employees on March 7 that the company has “discontinued all new capital investments in Russia” and is “suspending all media, advertising, and promotional activity.”

“We are significantly reducing our product portfolio to focus on basic health, hygiene and personal care items needed by the many Russian families who depend on them in their daily lives,” Moeller said. “As we proceed with the reduced scale of our Russian operations, we will continue to adjust as necessary.”

Unilever (UL) said it will “continue to supply our everyday essential food and hygiene products made in Russia to people in the country,” adding “we will keep this under close review.” But the company noted it is has suspended imports of its products to Russia and is stopping all investment in the country, in addition to stopping exports from there. It said it won’t profit from its presence in Russia.

Shipping goods

UPS and FedEx have suspended operations in Russia and Belarus. FedEx said it suspended operations to “support the people of Ukraine.” DHL said it has suspended inbound shipments to Russia and Belarus.

Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company are both halting cargo bookings with Russia.

“As the stability and safety of our operations is already being directly and indirectly impacted by sanctions, new Maersk bookings to and from Russia will be temporarily suspended, with exception of foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies,” the Denmark-based company said in a statement.

“We are deeply concerned by how the crisis keeps escalating in Ukraine,” the company added.

MSC, a Swiss-owned container shipping line, said its suspension would cover “all access areas, including Baltics, Black Sea and Far East Russia.”

Transportation

French train maker Alstom said that it will “suspend all deliveries towards Russia” in a statement on March 9.

The group is also suspending all future business investments in Russia, it added.

Alstom owns a 20% stake — as a capital investment — in Transmashholding (TMH), the Russian locomotives and rail equipment provider.

“There was no material business nor operational link between Alstom and TMH,” the company said. “The book value will be re-assessed as part of the fiscal year 2021/22 closing accounts.”

— Rishi Iyengar, Michelle Toh, Diksha Madhok, Chris Isidore, Vanessa Yurkevich, Paul P. Murphy, Mark Thompson, Vasco Cotovio, Peter Valdes-Dapena, Frank Pallotta, Brian Fung, Oliver Darcy, Jordan Valinsky, Aliza Kassim, Chris Liakos, Pamela Boykoff, Robert North, Anna Stewart and Blake Essig contributed to this report.

The problem with AI? Study says it's too white and male, calls for ...

SAN FRANCISCO – Facial recognition systems frequently misidentify people of color. Lending tools charge higher interest rates to Hispanics and African Americans. Sentencing algorithms discriminate against black defendants. Job hunting tools favor men. Negative emotions are more likely to be assigned to black men's faces than white men. Computer vision systems for self-driving cars have a harder time spotting pedestrians with darker skin tones.

The use of artificial intelligence, which combs through vast amounts of our personal data in search of patterns, is rapidly expanding in critical parts of Americans' daily lives such as education, employment, health care and policing. Increasingly, powerful artificial intelligence tools determine who gets into school, who gets a job, who pays a higher insurance premium.

Yet a growing body of research shows that these technologies are rife with bias and discrimination, mirroring and amplifying real-world inequalities. A study scheduled to be released Wednesday by New York University's AI Now Institute identifies a key reason why: The people building these technologies are overwhelmingly white and male.

Artificial intelligence technologies are developed mostly in major tech companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Microsoft, and in a small number of university labs, which all tilt white, affluent and male and, in many cases, are only getting more so. Only by adding more women, people of color and other underrepresented groups can artificial intelligence address the bias and create more equitable systems, says Meredith Whittaker, a report author and co-founder of the AI Now Institute.

"The problem of a lack of diversity in tech is obviously not new but it's reached a new and urgent inflection point. The number of women and people of color in the AI sector has decreased at the same time that the sector is establishing itself as a nexus of wealth and power," Whittaker says. "In short, the problem here is that those in the room when AI is built, and those who are benefiting from the rapid proliferation of AI systems, represent an extremely narrow segment of the population. They are mainly men, they are mainly technically educated and they are mainly white. This is not the diversity of people that are being affected by these systems."

The study, "Discriminating Systems: Gender, Race, and Power in AI," comes as scrutiny of AI intensifies.

For years, tech companies could not deliver on the industry's ambitious promises of what hyper-intelligent machines could do. Today, AI is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Machines can recognize objects in a photograph or translate an online post into dozens of languages. And they are getting smarter all the time, taking on more sophisticated tasks.

Tech companies, AI researchers and industry groups cast AI in a positive light, pointing to the possibility of advances in such critical areas as medical diagnosis and personalized medicine. But as these technologies proliferate so, too, are alarm bells.

People often think of computer algorithms and other automated systems as being neutral or scientific but research is increasingly uncovering how AI systems can cause harm to underrepresented groups and those with less power. Anna Lauren Hoffmann, an assistant professor with The Information School at the University of Washington, describes this as "data violence," or data science that disproportionately affects some more than others.

The NYU researchers say machines learn from and reinforce historical patterns of racial and gender discrimination.

Last year, Amazon had to scrap a tool it built to review job applicants’ resumes because it discriminated against women. Earlier this month, more than two dozen AI researchers called on Amazon to stop selling its facial recognition technology to law enforcement agencies, arguing it is biased against women and people of color.

Google's speech recognition software has been dinged for performing better for male or male-sounding voices than female ones. In 2015, Google's image-recognition algorithm was caught auto-tagging pictures of black people as “gorillas.” Last year, transgender drivers for Uber whose appearances had changed were temporarily or permanently suspended because of an Uber security feature that required them to take a selfie to verify their identity.

Other companies use AI to scan employees' social media for “toxic behavior” and alert their bosses or analyze job applicants' facial movements, tone of voice and word choice to predict how well they would do the job. Predictim analyzes online activities to produce ratings of which babysitters are more likely to abuse drugs or bully.

AI can't make up for lack of diversity:Russia exploited race divisions on Facebook. More black staffers, diversity could have helped.

Read more on tech's lack of diversity:Inequity in Silicon Valley

Leading the charge in raising awareness of the dangers of bias in AI is Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Joy Buolamwini, who with her research and advocacy has prompted Microsoft and IBM to improve their facial recognition systems and has drawn fire from Amazon, which has attacked her research methodology. Her work has also caused some in Congress to try to rein in the largely unregulated field as pressure increases from employees at major tech companies and the public.

Last week, Democratic lawmakers introduced first-of-their-kind bills in the Senate and the House that would require big companies to test the "algorithmic accountability" of their artificial intelligence systems such as facial recognition. The bills were introduced just weeks after Facebook was sued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has charged the social media giant's targeting system with allowing advertisers to exclude protected groups from seeing housing ads.

San Francisco is considering banning city agencies from using facial recognition. Privacy laws in Texas and Illinois require anyone recording biometric data, including facial recognition, to give people notice and obtain their consent. The Trump administration has made developing "safe and trustworthy" algorithms one of the key objectives of the White House's AI initiative.

AI is controversial in tech world too:Elon Musk says AI could doom human civilization. Zuckerberg disagrees. Who's right?

Some see AI doing social good:Can artificial intelligence prevent the next Parkland shooting?

Facebook: Big user of facial recognition:Facebook wants to save your face. Should you say yes to facial recognition?

The NYU researchers say it's critical for AI to diversify the homogeneous group of engineers and researchers building these automated systems. Yet the gender gap in computer science is widening.

As of 2015, women made up 18 percent of computer science majors in the U.S., down from a high of 37 percent in 1984. Women make up less than one quarter of the computer science workforce and receive median salaries that are 66 percent of their male counterparts, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The number of bachelor’s degrees in engineering awarded to black women declined 11 percent between 2000 and 2015.

The problem is even more acute in AI. Most speakers and attendees of machine learning conferences and 80 percent of AI professors are men, research shows. Women account for 15 percent of AI research staff at Facebook and 10 percent at Google. While there is very little public data on racial diversity in AI, anecdotal evidence suggests that the gaps are even wider, the study says.

Last month when Stanford University unveiled an artificial intelligence institute with 120 faculty and technology leaders to represent humanity, not a single one was black. Boards created by tech companies to examine the ethics of artificial intelligence also lack members from underrepresented groups.

Google also announced an “external advisory council” on AI ethics last month. NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson complained the new body "lacks a qualified member of the civil rights community." "This is offensive to people of color & indicates AI tech wouldn't have the safeguards to prevent implicit & racial biases," he wrote on Twitter. Google later scrapped the advisory council.

"Both within the spaces where AI is being created, and in the logic of how AI systems are designed, the costs of bias, harassment, and discrimination are borne by the same people: gender minorities, people of color, and other underrepresented groups. Similarly, the benefits of such systems, from profit to efficiency, accrue primarily to those already in positions of power, who again tend to be white, educated, and male," the NYU study, a year in the making, found.

Current efforts to attract and retain underrepresented groups in AI are not cutting it, the study warned.

The push to bring more women into tech is too narrow and is "likely to privilege white women over others." Arguments focused on a recruiting or "pipeline" problem ignore pernicious issues in corporate and university work cultures – power imbalances, harassment, exclusionary hiring practices and unequal compensation – that drive women and people of color from AI or dissuade them from joining the field in the first place, researchers say.

Among the study's recommendations: publish compensation levels broken down by race and gender and end pay and opportunity inequality; produce harassment and discrimination transparency reports; change hiring practices to increase diversity and the number of people of color, women and other underrepresented groups at senior leadership levels and create pathways for contractors, temps and vendors, who tend to be from more diverse backgrounds, to become full-time employees; and ensure executive incentives are tied to increases in hiring and retention of underrepresented groups.

"To tackle the diversity crisis and to address AI bias, we need to look beyond technical fixes for social problems. We need to look at who has power, we need to ask who is harmed, we need to look at who benefits and we need to look at, ultimately, who gets to decide how these tools are built and which purposes they serve," Whittaker says. "If the AI industry wants to change the world then it needs to get its own house in order first."

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News from around our 50 states

From staff and wire reports

Alabama

Mobile: Historical officials say researchers have located the wreck of the last ship known to bring enslaved people from Africa to the United States. A statement issued Wednesday by the Alabama Historical Commission says remains of the Gulf schooner Clotilda have been identified and verified after months of assessment. The commission’s executive director, Lisa Demetropoulos Jones, calls the discovery “an extraordinary archaeological find.” In 1860 the wooden ship illegally transported 110 people from what is now the west African nation of Benin to Mobile. The Clotilda was then taken into delta waters north of the port and burned. The captives were later freed and settled a community that’s still called Africatown.

Alaska

Anchorage: The Anchorage Assembly has adopted a climate action plan setting goals for the city. Alaska Public Media reported Wednesday that officials voted Tuesday to adopt the 100-page document outlining aims such as reducing carbon emissions by 80% within 30 years. The measure passed 8-2, with both Eagle River assembly members opposed. The action plan is primarily a set of nonbinding proposals to guide municipal entities toward more environmentally friendly policies. All 22 members of the public who testified at the meeting favored the measure. Many spoke about the evidence of climate change observed in their lives such as warmer winters, worsening tree pollen, invasive insect species and heightened wildfire conditions.

Arizona

Phoenix: State lawmakers are poised to consider tripling the amount of cash they’re paid for each day they work in new legislation that emerged as their yearly session nears a close. Lawmakers in both parties appeared supportive of the change Thursday. They said rural lawmakers especially are undercompensated for their costs of traveling to and staying in Phoenix during the session. They also note that federal tax law changes eliminated the ability to write off those expenses. Lawmakers earn $24,000 a year, plus a daily expense stipend that currently is $60 for rural lawmakers and $35 for Maricopa County residents. The Senate bill introduced Thursday raises the daily rate for rural lawmakers to the federal rate of $185 a day and half that for Phoenix-area residents. The rate would adjust yearly.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The governor has announced 15 new Cabinet secretaries under a state agency reorganization that cut the number of departments answering directly to him. Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday said the new secretaries will begin work in July under the reorganization plan that lawmakers approved earlier this year. The plan cut the number of Cabinet-level agencies from 42. The new secretaries include Jami Cook, who will head the new Department of Public Safety that includes State Police, the Crime Lab and the Department of Emergency Management. Cook currently heads the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training. State Department of Heritage Director Stacy Hurst will head the new Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. State Economic Development Director Mike Preston will head the new Department of Commerce.

California

Sacramento: The Trump administration will not immediately give $1 billion it revoked from the state’s high-speed rail project to another project, according to a legal agreement reached Wednesday between the two sides. The Federal Railroad Administration announced last week that it was revoking the money, prompting California to sue on Tuesday. Beyond the lawsuit, the state planned to seek a temporary restraining order halting the federal government from giving the money to a different rail project. The new agreement means the state won’t file the restraining order, but it does not change the status of the lawsuit. California is trying to build a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a venture expected to cost upward of $77 billion. The $929 million is for a segment of track already under construction in the Central Valley that must be completed by 2022.

Colorado

Highlands Ranch: Construction workers have unearthed fossils in a Denver suburb that experts say could be from a rare horned dinosaur. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science said Monday that it is exploring the construction site near a retirement community in Highlands Ranch where a dinosaur’s lower leg bone and several ribs were found. Fossil expert Natalie Toth told KDVR-TV the fossils could be from a torosaurus – a dinosaur similar to the triceratops but differentiated by three bones. Toth says the fossils seem to be intact, so crews are hoping to uncover the entire dinosaur. The fossils are embedded in a rock layer 66 million to 68 million years old. Toth says fossils in the Denver formation are from dinosaurs that were among the last “walking around before the big extinction.”

Connecticut

Torrington: The local police department has reached a deal with a fugitive that would have him surrender if enough people respond to a wanted poster on social media, an agreement that at least one expert calls unethical. Jose Simms, 29, who is believed to be somewhere in New York, has seven arrest warrants and is being sought as a fugitive after failing to appear in court on charges that range from breach of peace to risk of injury to a child. Torrington police Lt. Brett Johnson posted on the department’s Facebook page Wednesday that Sims had contacted him through the social media site and agreed to turn himself in if the post containing his poster gets 15,000 likes. Johnson said he negotiated Simms down from 20,000 likes. “It will be difficult but is doable,” he wrote.

Delaware

Rehoboth Beach: Those who love people-watching and checking out the sights and sounds of nature at the state’s beaches but can’t make it out for Memorial Day weekend – or aren’t fans of dealing with sand, sunscreen and sea creatures – have an option to get their fix online. Southern Delaware Tourism maintains a list of online live cameras available in the area, so people can tune into the shorebirds aflutter along the Delaware Bay or the Boardwalk cruisers from the comfort of their own couch. “It’s such a great tool to be able to help visually relay what a great scene it is here along the coastline,” says Scott Thomas, executive director at Southern Delaware Tourism.

District of Columbia

Washington: Officials of the Metropolitan Area Transit Authority say part of the transit train system is set to shut down for 15 weeks, affecting an estimated 17,000 riders per day. News outlets report the six-station shutdown is set to start Saturday and will be the longest in Metro history. Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld urged affected riders on Wednesday to explore other commuting options, such as working from home or carpooling. Officials say more buses will be available. This shutdown is part of a three-year platform reconstruction project and will affect Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn and Franconia-Springfield stations. This project portion is expected to cost about $200 million. The transit agency hopes to rebuild 20 station platforms by the end of 2021.

Florida

Olga: With no fanfare, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has quietly closed a well-loved Caloosahatchee River beach. This week, staff will start sodding over the sand that slopes to the river at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam. Though the swimming area was often barricaded for high fecal bacteria levels, it was Lee County’s only official upriver swimming hole, the site of many a kid’s birthday and al fresco wedding. The Florida Department of Health in Lee County will no longer sample the water there for dangerous bacteria, spokeswoman Tammy Yzaguirre said. In rural Olga some 30 miles upriver from the Gulf, the beach is just one of its 154 miles of navigable waterway the Corps supervises between the Franklin and the St. Lucie locks.

Georgia

Atlanta: Two film projects have pulled production from the state after the governor signed the so-called heartbeat bill, which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks, before many women realize they’re pregnant. The Lionsgate comedy “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” starring Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, and director Reed Morano’s Amazon series “The Power” initially were to be shot in Georgia but now will relocate production. Morano did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday but told Time she had been scheduled to fly to Savannah to scout locations for the new TV series. She canceled after Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill. The measure is set to go into effect Jan. 1.

Hawaii

Hilo: The first breeding attempt by a pair of Hawaiian crows in the wild in nearly 20 years appears to have failed. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports officials at the Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve did not find offspring at a nest the birds built. Researchers at the state park on the Big Island saw the crows, Manaolana and Manaiakalani, display behavior associated with egg incubation earlier this month, but then found no sign of chicks in the nest beyond the point when eggs would be expected to hatch. While the female, Manaiakalani, continues to act as though incubating, researchers say it is normal for alala – the Hawaiian name for the crows – to perch on infertile or otherwise nonviable eggs until realizing they will not hatch.

Idaho

Boise: Federal officials are taking public comments on a plan to build a 16.5-mile power line at an eastern Idaho nuclear site as part of a cybersecurity effort to bolster protections for the nation’s electric grid. The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday that it’s taking comments through June 21 on the plan to build the power line at the 890-square-mile federal site that includes the Idaho National Laboratory. Officials say the proposed 138-kilovolt powerline will make it easier to conduct experiments at the Idaho National Laboratory’s Power Grid Test Bed. The Idaho National Laboratory contains one of the United States’ primary cybersecurity facilities that uses the existing power grid at the site for experiments to make electric grids around the U.S. more secure from potential hackers.

Illinois

Springfield: The Illinois State Fair karaoke contest is returning this summer, and the winner will get to perform on the fair’s biggest stage. Organizers say nine regional county fairs will host qualifying rounds of State Fair Karaoke this summer. The top two winners from the regional contests will compete at the finale at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Aug. 11. The overall winner will be chosen that day. Fair Manager Kevin Gordon says it’s a great opportunity for local talent to perform on the grandstand stage. It’s also another type of free entertainment for people attending the fair. Competitors must be a solo act and at least 18. The contest is free to enter, but space is limited. Competitors are encouraged to pre-register on the fair website.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Quinto sleeps about 15 hours a day and covers his face with a blanket. If enough moss is in his habitat, some could grow in his fur and turn him sort of green. The 15-year-old is part of a group of two-toed sloths who are the first of the mammals ever to reside at the Indianapolis Zoo. The group will live part of the time in the new MISTery Park, one of two new permanent experiences the zoo is unveiling this Memorial Day weekend. The other, in contrast to the cuddly mammals, is “Size, Speed & Venom: Extreme Snakes,” which includes black mambas, pythons and rattlesnakes. The exhibits are different enough that the zoo is instituting a competition between the two – visitors which choose which team they’re on at the end of their visit.

Iowa

Des Moines: The U.S. General Services Administration has released concept drawings of the approved design for the new U.S. Courthouse planned along the city’s riverfront. The GSA said in a release that the design concept for the $137 million building remains subject to minor modifications, according to budgetary, operational and security requirements. The federal courthouse is planned to be built at the former YMCA site along the riverfront. The project has been controversial, with Des Moines leaders fighting GSA’s plans to build at the site for years. Local officials have said that it won’t be in the best interest of a city that has been working to revitalize the riverfront for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Kansas

Scott City: The state is relying on its conservation effort to protect the lesser prairie chicken as an ecotourism attraction that is attracting birdwatchers from across the world. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism officials are working with ranchers and tour groups to meet the high demand for areas to view the vulnerable species of grouse. The department’s outdoor content manager, Michael Pearce, says western Kansas is one of the last remaining places with a sustainable native population of lesser prairie chickens. The tourism aspect has taken off recently, and the state is trying to hand off the project to private citizens. Tour organizer Jim Millensifer says Kansas ranches have had more than 200 people from 11 countries visit for guided tours.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The state’s Division of Waste Management is giving grants to five counties to use recycled rubber tires to repave roadways. The $502,000 in grant funding will be used for rubber-modified asphalt projects that use crumb rubber manufactured from waste tires. The grants were announced by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, which oversees the waste management division. Cabinet Secretary Charles Snavely says the grant program is valuable because it promotes the use of recycled rubber from discarded tires. The counties of Clark, Fayette, Hardin, Hopkins and Pulaski received the grants. The state’s Waste Tire Trust Fund collects a $2 fee from the sale of each new tire in the state. The funding helps manage millions of scrap tires discarded each year and develops markets for recycled tire products.

Louisiana

New Orleans: Residents of an island that’s sinking into the Gulf of Mexico are working with legal representatives and case managers hoping to help them relocate. Louisiana’s Office of Community Development Executive Director Pat Forbes tells The Houma Courier that representatives have been working with Isle de Jean Charles residents for several weeks. The island has lost about 98% of its land over the past 60 years. It has 40 residents, many of whom belong to the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw or the United Houma Indians tribes. Resettlement options include moving into a planned 150-home community or getting funding for a home elsewhere. Forbes says residents don’t have a deadline to decide, though federal funding for the project must be used by September 2022. He says construction may start on the community this year.

Maine

Bar Harbor: The National Park Service says numerous improvements are taking place at Acadia National Park over the coming months. The service says work has begun at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, and work is slated to begin on the Frazer Point Pier early in July. Hiking trails are also scheduled for improvements. Some work is already finished, including the rehabilitation of historic firepits at Seawall Campgrounds. Acadia National Park is one of Maine’s top tourist destinations in the summer months. It’s famous for Cadillac Mountain, the high point of the North Atlantic’s seaboard. The park service says the maintenance projects are paid for via methods including park entrance fees, federal funding and fundraising.

Maryland

Ocean City: Two male grey seals rescued by the National Aquarium earlier this year were released Thursday at the city’s beach. Choppy waves and a windy, cloudy morning greeted the two semi-aquatic mammals as they were released from their crates. Keeping in line with the nonprofit’s 2019 theme of naming seals after influential scientists, the National Aquarium Animal Rescue Team dubbed the rescuees Edwin Hubble and George Washington Carver. Hubble was found stranded in St. Augustine, Florida – several hundred miles out of the normal range for grey seals, who usually don’t go south of North Carolina. Sea World took him in, and from there, rescuers up and down the Atlantic Coast coordinated a relay for Hubble. He eventually landed in Baltimore at the National Aquarium. Carver was found in early April just south of where he and Hubble were released Thursday.

Massachusetts

Amherst: A slab of rock that bears dinosaur footprints is being donated to Amherst College by authorities who seized it as part of a poaching case. Massachusetts Environmental Police turned the fossil trackway over to the school’s museum of natural history Thursday. It’s believed to bear the tracks of Eubrontes giganteous, a large dinosaur that lived about 190 million years ago. The specimen was taken as evidence in a 2004 case involving poaching in the rich fossil beds of western Massachusetts. The case led to passage of a law protecting fossils and artifacts on public land. After finishing their investigation, police offered it to Amherst’s natural history museum in February. The museum, which says it has the world’s largest collection of fossil dinosaur tracks, was glad to take it.

Michigan

Ann Arbor: A nonprofit tree-planting and education organization is seeking the largest trees in the state. Ann Arbor-based ReLeaf Michigan says its 14th Michigan Big Tree Hunt Contest runs through Sept. 3. Certificates and prizes will be awarded for the largest tree submitted from each of the state’s counties, for the largest tree found by someone 15 and younger and 16 and older, and for the largest eastern white pine in the state. The Michigan Big Tree Hunt was started in 1993 to celebrate the state’s beauty and gather information about its biggest trees. Contest entries provide potential state champion trees to Michigan’s Big Tree Registry as well as the National Register of Big Trees. ReLeaf Michigan partners with communities to replenish the state’s tree canopies by planting trees in public spaces.

Minnesota

St. Paul: Minnesota State has agreed to pay up to $1.9million to settle a wage dispute with faculty at its two-year colleges. The Minnesota State College Faculty union has been fighting since 2010 over wage calculations for faculty who do certain jobs, such as teaching independent studies or coordinating internships. The union prevailed at arbitration in 2016 but argued the public higher education system refused to comply with that ruling. The faculty sued Minnesota State in Ramsey County District Court in December 2017, alleging unfair labor practices. Responding to that lawsuit, Minnesota State said it paid faculty in accordance with the arbitration ruling but maintained it was not required to change practices going forward. The settlement announced Wednesday brings an end to that lawsuit.

Mississippi

Jackson: Wildlife are struggling to survive as floodwaters cover some of the state’s wildlife management areas. Residents and officials say prey and predators alike are congregating wherever there are dry grounds, adding even more stress to their situation. Roger Tankesly, a Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks wildlife management area biologist for the Delta region, says seven of the state’s more popular wildlife management areas have been completely underwater since January, with some covered in 15 feet of water. David Thornton, 77, of Eagle Lake, says he’s hunted in the area for as long as he can remember. He says the deer have “eaten all the leaves they can reach,” and even raccoons are now wading through water in search for food.

Missouri

Columbia: Callers to a state hotline for abuse of elderly or disabled residents frequently can’t get through to anyone. Records obtained by the Columbia Missourian and KBIA radio found only about half of the 92,000 calls to the hotline last year were answered. From January through April, only about 39% of calls were answered. Data obtained through a records request shows the past decade has seen a 35% increase in reports of abuse or exploitation. The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services added one hotline worker during that time. Jessica Sax, director of the Division of Senior & Disability Services, says the department is first addressing inefficiencies in the hotline before asking for more workers. She says the division also is studying how other states run their hotlines.

Montana

Billings: Renewable energy activists are urging state regulators to reject a proposal to add a charge for homeowners who generate surplus electricity from their own solar panels. Critics told the Montana Public Service Commission on Thursday that the NorthWestern Energy proposal would kill a burgeoning rooftop solar industry. Over the past two decades, about 2,300 NorthWestern customers in Montana installed their own solar panels. When they generate more electricity than a customer uses, the surplus is fed into the electric grid and earns the customer a credit on their bill in a process known as net-metering. NorthWestern spokeswoman Jo Dee Black says the new charge would ensure net-metering customers pay their fair share of service costs. Officials say the charge would be about $50 a month based on average customer demand.

Nebraska

Omaha: The Omaha Airport Authority is preparing to move forward with a $500 million reconstruction of Eppley Airfield. The Omaha World-Herald reports the project to rebuild the terminal within five years would overhaul its concourse, airline gates, security checkpoints, ticket counters and baggage claim. The Airport Authority is working with contractors to create a preliminary design for the terminal by this fall. The plans come as Eppley Airfield sees steady passenger growth and airline investments. Airlines scheduled a record of more than 6 million seats to fly through Eppley last year. They’ve also doubled the number of nonstop flights from the airport since 2013. Officials are planning to issue long-term revenue bonds to fund the reconstruction.

Nevada

Las Vegas: A company backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk has been granted a nearly $49 million contract to build a transit system using self-driving vehicles underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center. The board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved the contract Wednesday with The Boring Co., the Musk-backed enterprise based in Hawthorne, California. The company plans to construct a twin tunnel system running less than a mile long. The system will use self-driving electric vehicles capable of transporting up to 16 people. The system also will include three underground stations and a pedestrian tunnel. The company plans to start construction in September and debut the system by December 2020. The authority will reimburse the company as it completes certain stages of the project.

New Hampshire

Plymouth: A new exhibit showcases the grand hotels that once were commonplace in the White Mountains. The exhibit at the Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University opened last week, and a series of talks and events runs through Sept. 12. Featuring paintings, photographs and various artifacts as far back as the 1880s, as well as stories of the people who visited and worked at these gracious establishments, the exhibit explores the origins and history of the hotels. Among the highlights will be landscape paintings from residents at several of the hotels including Edward Hill and Frank Shapleigh. A special focus will be on the four surviving hotels: the Omni Mount Washington Resort, Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, Eagle Mountain House & Golf Club and The Wentworth Hotel.

New Jersey

Sea Girt: Smoking and vaping will be banned on nearly every public beach in the state this summer under tougher new restrictions. Nonsmokers are rejoicing over the ban, which also applies to public parks. But some smokers are feeling discriminated against by the law, which took effect in January. Fines would start at $250 for a first offense and go up to $1,000 for a third offense. At least 20 Jersey shore towns had already enacted their own smoking bans before the statewide law took effect. Nationwide, more than 300 coastal communities have banned smoking on their beaches. But bans as broad as New Jersey’s are rare. The Clean Ocean Action environmental group counted more than 22,000 cigarette butts its volunteers picked up from New Jersey beaches during spring and fall cleanups last year.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The first woman to oversee the state’s multibillion-dollar mineral resources is proposing to do away with gender-specific pronouns such as “he,” “his” or “him” in agency rulebooks. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard says the State Land Office will hold a public hearing Friday in Santa Fe on the proposed changes. Gender-specific pronouns would be replaced by more neutral or specific references. Garcia Richard says current agency rules use male pronouns throughout to refer to her position. She says it’s no surprise that some written wording has grown outdated at the 120-year-old agency. The commissioner has final say on the language changes. The State Land Office oversees energy leases across about 14,000 square miles of state trust land to help fund schools, universities and hospitals.

New York

West Point: The class of cadets preparing to jubilantly toss their caps in the air at the U.S. Military Academy’s graduation ceremony Saturday includes 34 black women, a record number that’s a sign of concerted efforts to diversify West Point’s Long Gray Line. West Point remains mostly white and mostly male. “I can show other little girls that yes, you can come to West Point. Yes, you can do something that maybe the rest of your peers aren’t actually doing. And yes, you can be different from the rest of the group,” says senior cadet Stephanie Riley, who was among the black female cadets who recently posed for pre-graduation photos in their gray uniforms, holding out ceremonial sabers. The pictures – part of a tradition for graduating cadets – were posted widely online and became a symbol of West Point’s increasing diversity.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Gov. Roy Cooper says his directive that state agencies provide paid leave for workers following a birth means parents will no longer have to choose between their career or their child. Cooper signed an executive order Thursday that offers paid parental leave to state employees in his Cabinet-level departments starting Sept. 1. That’s eight weeks of full paid leave to those who give birth and four weeks to their spouses or partners. Such paid leave is already offered by many private-sector companies. At an Executive Mansion event, Cooper said such leave has been found to increase worker productivity and improve recruitment and retention. Cooper says carrying out the order will cost $3.5 million annually, with his agencies absorbing the expenses from current funds.

North Dakota

Mandan: A federal judge has granted a reprieve to the owners of a bar fighting to preserve a mural at their business. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday two days after the owners of Lonesome Dove filed a lawsuit against the city of Mandan over the mural city officials ordered removed. Bar owners Brian Berube and August “Augie” Kersten were cited for have an unpermitted, Western-themed mural on the outside of the bar. The Bismarck Tribune says Berube and Kersten were unaware of the permit, later applied and were denied because city ordinance states that “no mural may be placed on the front of the building.” The judge says “such a content-based restriction on speech as Mandan has enacted is unlikely to survive constitutional muster.” He scheduled a settlement conference for June 4.

Ohio

Alliance: The University of Mount Union has ended its affiliation with the United Methodist Church over the denomination’s renewed bans on LGBT clergy and same-sex marriage. The Canton Repository reports the school’s president says the board of trustees considered the issue for months before voting recently to end the affiliation of more than 150 years. University President W. Richard Merriman Jr. says the school wants a diverse campus. He says it became difficult to see how the denomination’s recent actions could be reconciled with the university’s values. The General Conference of the United Methodist Church in February voted to continue prohibiting ordination of gays and lesbians and barring its clergy from presiding at same-sex weddings. The university says ending the affiliation won’t affect its curriculum.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A bill that would force more school districts to return to five-day school weeks has been given final legislative approval and is heading to the governor’s desk. A top priority of Senate Republicans this year, the bill passed the House on Wednesday on a 63-32 vote. The state Department of Education says 92 of Oklahoma’s more than 500 school districts currently are operating on four-day school weeks. In those cases, instructional hours are extended each day to reach the required number of hours. Under the bill, schools could continue operating four-day weeks if the district meets minimum guidelines for student performance and cost savings. Supporters of the four-day school week say it helps districts save money and recruit teachers.

Oregon

Portland: A new report says that in future years, the state’s population will mostly grow through people moving into the Beaver State rather than through new births. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis predicts the state will see deaths outnumber births sometime in the next decade. Josh Lehner, a state economist, predicts the flip will happen around 2026 or 2027. It would be the first time in Oregon’s history that deaths outnumber births. The trend is already affecting the state’s more rural counties but now is spreading statewide. As the trend continues, analysts say factors that negatively affect migration to Oregon from other states – such as housing affordability – will have a bigger impact on the economy and the size of public budgets.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Gov. Tom Wolf says preliminary statistics are pointing to a decrease in overdose deaths in the state last year, as his administration suggests the opioid crisis might be starting to wane in some parts of Pennsylvania. Wolf spoke Wednesday as he participated in a training session on how to administer a nasal spray that reverses an opioid overdose. Wolf says physicians are issuing fewer opioid prescriptions and doctor-shopping is over, thanks to a 2016 law that requires prescribers to check a state database before issuing an opioid prescription to a new patient. His administration says more robust health care outreach and law enforcement programs are paying dividends. It’s also made the anti-overdose medication naloxone regularly available at most pharmacies in Pennsylvania, at little or no cost for those with insurance.

Rhode Island

Providence: A poet has sued the city and a police officer, saying he was racially profiled, assaulted, harassed and falsely arrested three years ago. The Providence Journal reports Christopher Johnson, of Providence, a spoken-word artist and former state poet laureate candidate, is seeking unspecified damages and the firing of the officer. Johnson says he declined to provide his name to the officer, who pulled alongside him in a police SUV while walking home from a concert in May 2016. Johnson says he was grabbed and slammed into the vehicle so hard it left a dent. Charges against Johnson were later dismissed. A police spokeswoman says Johnson never filed a formal complaint with the department.

South Carolina

Columbia: The South Carolina State Fair this year marks its 150th anniversary of showcasing the state’s agricultural roots. The commemorative event is themed “Prize-Winning Memories” and will be held Oct. 9-20 at Columbia’s fairgrounds. WIS-TV reports the fair will present many special offerings along with traditional favorites including a free, daily big top circus; a Midway with 70+ rides; nearly 70 food stands; arts and crafts displays; pig races; livestock and agricultural exhibits; and stage shows. On July 12 as an early kick-start to the celebration, the fair will host a free outdoor screening of “The Greatest Showman.” The fair was organized in 1869 and is a self-supported, charitable organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting the state’s agricultural roots while supporting statewide education.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will elect a new bishop next month. The election will take place during the synod assembly May 31 and June 1 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. Fifteen names have been pre-identified as potential candidates but will not be official nominees until their names are placed on the ballot by someone at the assembly, according to Sawyer Vanden Heuvel, director of communications for the South Dakota Synod. Any ELCA rostered minister of Word and Sacrament is eligible for the nomination, and the first ballot becomes the ballot of nominations. Nominees will be contacted and allowed to withdraw their names if they so choose by 2 p.m. Friday.

Tennessee

Memphis: A massive new exhibition and entertainment hall is set to open at Elvis Presley’s Graceland with three museum-style exhibits, including one on the late boxing great Muhammad Ali. Graceland officials say the 80,000-square-foot Graceland Exhibition Center opens Saturday to guests visiting the Presley-themed tourist attraction in Memphis. The singer, actor and pop icon lived in the city until his death Aug. 16, 1977. Presley and Ali were known to be friends. Presley once gave Ali a custom-made robe in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. A replica of that robe is part of the Ali exhibit, along with photos of the heavyweight boxing and civil rights champion and other artifacts. Exhibits about motorcycles and the planet Earth also are scheduled to open Saturday.

Texas

Dallas: City leaders have declared a Confederate statue surplus property and offered to sell it for a minimum $450,000 – what it cost to move the bronze artwork from public view. The Dallas City Council on Wednesday designated the statue, of Robert E. Lee and a young soldier riding horses, available for sale to the highest bidder. The 1935 sculpture by Alexander Phimister Proctor was removed from a park in September 2017 and put in storage. The statue was appraised at $950,000, which Dallas authorities say could pay for removal of the city’s Confederate War Memorial. The Dallas Landmark Commission in March approved a plan to disband the 123-year-old memorial complex, which critics say is racist and not historic. A 65-foot obelisk has stood over Pioneer Park Cemetery since 1961.

Utah

Salt Lake City: State and federal officials have signed an agreement to defer to the state when planning forest projects. The Salt Lake Tribune reported Wednesday that Republican Gov. Gary Herbert and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed the agreement Wednesday. Officials say the deal obligates the U.S. Forest Service to rely on the state’s guidance for designing, implementing and prioritizing projects intended to reduce wildfire risks and promote the health of the state’s 12,500 square miles of forest. Utah officials say they believe the agreement will build on existing programs and investments in restoring degraded forest landscapes. A Utah forest supervisor says the forest service has already prepared and authorized treatment plans on 1,563 square miles of state forest land using mechanical thinning and controlled fires.

Vermont

Montpelier: State Attorney General T.J. Donovan says he’s filed suit against eight members of the family that owns the drug company that manufactures OxyContin, one of the drugs believed to be partly responsible for the opioid crisis. Donovan alleged Tuesday that for over two decades the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, minimized the health risks of opioids, claiming the prescription drugs were rarely the cause of abuse, addiction or death. Donovan says the Sacklers directed Purdue to promote products that were more dangerous, addictive and lucrative. Last September, the state filed suit against Purdue. In a statement released after the September lawsuit, the company said it shared Vermont’s concerns about the opioid crisis but denied Purdue acted improperly.

Virginia

Richmond: A large trash collector in the state will use recycling bins that are partly made from recycled trash. The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority said this week that it ordered 2,000 bins from Israeli company UBQ. The firm uses a patented process that converts municipal waste into a plastic-like composite material. UBQ said the authority is its first U.S. customer. CVWMA serves about 280,000 households in the Richmond area. Executive Director Kim Hynes said it’s testing out the bins, which she said are comprised of 25% of the UBQ material. UBQ says it creates the material by milling anything from banana peels to dirty plastics into a powder. The powder is then placed into a reaction chamber. UBQ says the process produces no greenhouse gas emissions or residual waste.

Washington

Seattle: State and local authorities will now be restricted from asking about people’s immigration status, adding to a West Coast wall of states with so-called sanctuary policies. Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure Tuesday implementing the new rules. They put Washington among only a handful of states, including California and Oregon, to have enacted statewide sanctuary policies and rank among the strongest statewide mandates in the nation. Police officers in Washington won’t be able to inquire about immigration status except in limited circumstances, and the state attorney general will draw up rules for courthouses, hospitals and other state government facilities aimed at limiting their use as places where federal immigration agents look for people in the country illegally. “We will not be complicit in the Trump administration’s depraved efforts to break up hard-working immigrant and refugee families,” Inslee said.

West Virginia

Logan: The community is taking a stand against needle exchange programs. News outlets report Logan County commissioners voted this week to draft an ordinance that would outlaw starting a needle exchange program there. Commissioner Danny Godby says officials want to find a way to eliminate dirty needles, but they think a needle exchange would make the problem worse by adding more needles to the mix. Some communities in West Virginia and other states have approved needle exchanges to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV and distribute educational materials about where drug addicts can seek help. A needle exchange in Charleston closed last year over concerns about increased needle litter and other issues.

Wisconsin

Madison: The state Department of Natural Resources board is tweaking the state’s bear hunt structure for the first time since 1980. The new framework calls for six bear management zones rather than the current four. Numeric zone kill limits in DNR rules would end. The agency would instead set limits based on agricultural damage, hunter success and nuisance complaints. The changes could into effect as early as the fall of 2021. The plan called for allowing hunters to use hounds in a newly formed central Wisconsin hunting zone. The board voted 6-1 to remove those provisions, however. Opponents told the board that allowing hounds in the zone would lead to trespassing. Megan Nicholson of the Humane Society of the United States said hunting with hounds is a blight on the state.

Wyoming

Gillette: A traditional Native American horse race in the city has been postponed following cold and wet conditions in northeast Wyoming. The Gillette News Record reports the Horse Nations Indian Relay was planned for Saturday and Sunday, but rough track conditions have forced organizers to reschedule the event for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The sport involves racers riding without saddles to make three laps around a track. Riders finish each lap on a different horse, so they jump on to a new horse twice during each race. Four to six relay teams compete in every race. The event leads up to the Championship of Champions race in Walla Walla, Washington, in late September.

From staff and wire reports