In this April 14, 2016 file photo, Ken Burns attends the 2016 Room To Grow Benefit, to support babies born into poverty, at Tribeca Three Sixty in New York. (Photo by Christopher Smith/Invision/AP)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Ken Burns is getting back into medicine.
The documentarian has acquired the rights to make author Siddhartha Mukherjee's book on molecular biology, "The Gene: An Intimate History," into a series for PBS. The Washington PBS station, WETA, announced the deal on Thursday, including no public timetable for when it might get on the air.
Burns is assembling the same production team, led by Barak Goodman, that adapted Mukherjee's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies" into a 2015 series. They used the book as a framework for the film and updated the reporting.
"The Gene" details the discovery of the science behind how traits are passed from generation to generation.
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
