ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after being issued a subpoena.
Uthmeier sent the subpoena to the NFL on May 13 as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.
“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said Tuesday during league meetings in Orlando, Florida. "We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive.”
Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.
Uthmeier said in a letter to Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”
The subpoena orders the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee, Florida, on June 12. It asks the league to produce extensive documents, including “all diversity reports, coaching census data, or demographic surveys that reflect the race and sex of coaching staffs of the teams from 2017 to the present."
Among the programs being reviewed by Uthmeier's office is the accelerator program, which the league created in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives.
The accelerator program gives participants an opportunity to connect with owners and team executives, and attend informative sessions designed to equip them for future interviews.
The NFL held its revamped accelerator program on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando after pausing it last May. It now includes nonminority participants and nearly half of this year’s group were white men.
“There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure, to get an opportunity,” Goodell said. “So, the people that are up there are the best of the best and they are a very diverse group, but they are the best of the best. And what we’re trying to do here is to make them even better and to give them opportunities. And that’s what I heard is that one, they appreciate the opportunity; two, it was helpful in that.”
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell answers questions during a news conference at the NFL football owners' meetings Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at a news conference during the football owners' meetings Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell answers questions during a news conference at the football owners' meetings Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NEW YORK (AP) — Target, which embarked on a turnaround plan under its new CEO three months ago, reported its largest jump in comparable sales in four years Wednesday.
More customers buying in all six of Target’s main merchandising categories helped deliver the better-than-expected sales, the company said. Comparable sales — those coming from stores and digital channels operating for at least 12 months, rose 5.6% in the three-month period ended May 2. It was the biggest gain since early 2022, and the first positive read after three consecutive quarters of negative comparable sales.
The retail chain also raised its annual revenue outlook, saying it expected the momentum to continue the rest of the year.
Shares rose 1.6% before the opening bell Wednesday.
Target CEO Michael Fiddelke, a 20-year company veteran who became the struggling retailer’s chief executive in February, said he remained guardedly optimistic given where the company is in its operational overhaul.
“We’re encouraged to see a strong guest response so far,” Fiddelke told reporters Tuesday, adding: “We’re maintaining a cautious outlook given the work we know we have in front of us and ongoing uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment.”
He and other Target executives presented investors in early March with a $6 billion plan to reverse three straight years of sales declines by remodeling stores, reclaiming the chain’s reputation for stocking stylish clothing for shoppers on a budget, and improving store staffing and worker training.
New collaborations with labels like Roller Rabbit, an apparel and home goods brand known for its whimsical, block-print designs, resonated with shoppers, company executives said. An expanded selection of toys costing under $10 also was popular, Fiddelke said.
Target is one of the first big major retailers to report financial results covering the February through April period. Analysts will be interested in hearing any comments from executives on whether consumers have changed their shopping due to surging gasoline prices fueled by the Iran war.
However, the discount chain was struggling well before the war, losing ground to rival Walmart. Customers complained of disheveled stores that lacked the fashionable yet affordable niche that had earned Target the nickname “Tarzhay.”
Fiddelke has been making changes in hopes of drawing shoppers back. He reshuffled the leadership team at Target, increased spending on store staffing and made cuts at distribution facilities and regional offices. On Tuesday, Target named a former Walmart executive as its new head of supply chain as it tries to address another problem that hurt sales: unreliably stocked store shelves.
The company also has focused on overhauling categories where it lost market share, including home goods and clothing. For example, 75% of the company’s decorative home accessories, including pillows and candles, will be new, the company said in early March.
Beyond its stores, Target also took a hit to its reputation in the last two years. The company’s decision to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives led to protests and boycotts.
Target became a flashpoint again this year when Minneapolis, the city where the retailer has its headquarters, became the center of an immigration crackdown. Local activists wanted the company to take a public stand against the Trump administration surging federal agents into the city, especially after two residents participating in protests were killed.
Fiddelke was one of 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies who, in the wake of a protester's death, signed an open letter in January “calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”
In early March, Fiddelke acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that boycotts impacted Target’s sales. He said Tuesday that the increased store traffic during the first quarter was broad-based across regions and types of customers.
Target posted first-quarter earnings of $781 million, or $1.71 per share, for the three-month period ended May 2. That compares with $1.04 billion, or $2.27 per share, in the year-ago period.
Adjusted earnings results were $1.71 per share.
Net sales rose 6.7% to $25.44 billion.
Analysts were expecting $1.47 per share on sales of $24.7 billion, according to FactSet.
For the full year, Target said it expected earnings per share to end up near the high end of $7.50 to $8.50, the guidance it offered in March. Analysts are expecting $8.12 per share for the year, according to FactSet.
Target said it now expects net sales growth to be up 4% for the year, up from the previous forecast of 2%. That would bring sales to $108.97 billion.
Analysts project annual sales of $107.15 billion for the year, according to FactSet.
FILE - Target CEO Michael Fiddelke speaks at Target's Financial Community Meeting at Target headquarters in Minneapolis, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Baker, File)
