“I’m waiting to hear from the Washington Post as of this morning,” Attiah said. “I’m willing to go back to the work that I was doing as a columnist and as a writer particularly focused on race, gender and international rights.”

A Thursday ruling by arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa said the newspaper did not have sufficient cause to fire Attiah over social media posts about violent white men following last year’s killing of Charlie Kirk, and ordered the Post to award Attiah full back pay and lost benefits.

“So, the Washington Post has its marching orders, let’s see if they follow them,” said Attiah, who described her reaction to arbitrator’s ruling as “vindicated, slightly tired, really happy about the decision and reinstatement, plus back pay, of course.”

Kirk rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to become a top podcaster and ally of President Donald Trump. He was shot and killed Sept. 10 during a public appearance at Utah Valley University. He was 31.

After Kirk’s death, Attiah, the founding global opinion editor for the Post and the newspaper’s only Black female opinion writer, made several posts to her Bluesky account.

One post read: “Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is 
 not the same as violence.”

“If anything, the rush to coddle violent white men is self-protective — that we know they are not used to feeling vulnerable and mortal — and will react violently out of fear. And we will all suffer,” read another post.

Attiah was emailed a termination letter on Sept. 11, accusing her of “gross misconduct.”

‘Write about the way that we think the world could be’

Attiah said Espinosa’s ruling was a “big win for anyone who’s been silenced, and who’s faced their voice being censored, and particularly a big win for journalism and specifically for opinion journalism.”

The Democracy Defenders Fund, which, along with Washington-Baltimore News Guild, represented Attiah, said the ruling marks a landmark moment for press freedom, “confirming that corporate media institutions cannot use retaliatory discipline to silence journalists who address uncomfortable truths.”

When asked to describe the differences between journalists and opinion journalists, Attiah cited her late editorial page editor and former boss Fred Hiatt, who .

“Reporters write about the world as it is — the who, what, when, where and why. And those of us who are in column writing and editorial, we have the privilege and sometimes the burden of trying to write about the world as we think it should be,” Attiah said.

While reporters typically limit their writing to facts, opinion journalists have a slightly different standard, she said.

“I think we have this extraordinary privilege and freedom, and frankly, responsibility to try to write about the way we think the world could be,” Attiah said. “And to question frameworks, to hold up a mirror to society, even when that’s uncomfortable.”

After the arbitrator’s ruling, the Post said in a statement that it respects the arbitration process, but declined to comment further. ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app is seeking comment from the Post on if and when it intends to reinstate Attiah.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Briskman’s announcement sets up a potential Democratic primary against current board chair Phyllis Randall, who has held the position for nearly 11 years.

“I’ve been trying to push back on the unconstrained, uncontrolled growth of data centers in the county,” Briskman said during an interview at her home. “I think the current chair and current leadership on Loudoun County’s board of supervisors has been very pro-data center and missing opportunities to have a balance.”

According to Loudoun County’s , there are 209 completed data center buildings, with more under construction. The county’s Department of Economic Development says  in FY24 totaled $875 million, which is $35 million more than the county’s general operations budget.

“People moved to Loudoun County for our excellent schools, they moved to Loudoun County because they think it’s a great area to invest in their forever home,” Briskman said. “And these data centers and all the infrastructure that’s required is really threatening that livability of Loudoun County.”

“Loudouners have been told for years and years that we don’t have a choice, when it comes to big corporations basically running roughshod over our county,” Briskman said while sitting at her dining room table. “I feel that Loudouners are tired of it, and all the commensurate infrastructure that comes with the data centers, and I think Loudoun County is ready for new leadership in that regard.”

Randall has not announced whether she will run for reelection. According to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), a  to support a potential Randall run for chair already had more than $76,000 on hand.

Asked to comment about Briskman’s announcement, Randall told ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app: “Anyone has the right to run for public office, and I respect that process. My focus remains on serving the people of Loudoun, addressing the issues in front of us, and continuing the work residents elected me to do.”

Briskman said her vision for data center development in Loudoun differs from Randall’s.

“I think that if you look at our voting records, the voters will see that my stance on data centers has been consistent. I have consistently voted against rezoning property in Loudoun County to data center use when it should be residential use, flex industrial to help our small businesses, maybe even small manufacturing use,” Briskman said.

Infrastructure projects tied to data center growth remain controversial, including a proposed rural transmission line project in rural parts of the county.

“PJM and Dominion have planned power lines in our community without engaging our community,” Briskman said. “Now we find out they’re planning to put these five hundred kilowatt power lines through people’s backyards.”

Randall said, “There will be plenty of time to discuss differences in temperament and governing styles, constituent services, priorities and an honest accounting of votes and our records.”

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ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app is relaunching “Friday Freebies,” bringing you the top freebies you can get in the D.C. region, every week.

We’ll run them down every Friday morning on air at 103.5 FM and here on ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app.com.

Know of a freebie you’d like featured in ĂÛÌÒÊÓÆ”app’s Friday Freebies roundup? Let us know!

Another week down, let’s give your wallet a break with this latest edition of Friday Freebies. From food to events, here are some things to enjoy without breaking the bank.

Free summer fun at Western Market

Western Market in Foggy Bottom is hosting a . The event runs Saturday and Sunday and features shopping, food, music and other activities, along with chances to win prizes and giveaways.

Free popsicles and more at the popsicle festival

Cool off Sunday at the in Northwest D.C. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. and features free popsicles, food, crafts, games and a moon bounce. Families can also pick up free school supplies and backpacks, plus free haircuts and braiding while supplies last.

Free hairstyles and backpacks at a back-to-school bash

Getting ready for the new school year? A free is happening Sunday in Southeast D.C. from noon to 5 p.m. Families can get free hairstyles, including haircuts and braiding, along with free stuffed backpacks while supplies last. The event also includes games, crafts, face painting, a moon bounce, food, raffles and giveaways.

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I present the Land Rover Defender 110 OCTA Black.

And black it is. The paint, the wheels and the leather seats are all black, among other things. Even the Land Rover grille emblem is blacked out. Team of goons not included.

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The menacing look is backed up by what’s under the hood: a 4.4‑liter twin turbo mild‑hybrid V8 producing 626 horsepower, which growls at idle and roars under acceleration. It’s enough to rocket this behemoth to 60 miles per hour in a scant 3.8 seconds.

Land Rover says the OCTA provides “unmatched breadth of capability and performance both on‑ and off‑road” with this version “taking the capability of Defender 110 to an unparalleled level.”

(In case you are wondering, the Google says an octa diamond refers to an uncut stone shaped like two pyramids glued together, with eight triangular faces. Land Rover says the OCTA “is a rare combination of toughness and luxury,” hence the diamond-inspired name. The RANDOM CAPITALIZATION of OCTA is not explained.)

Additionally, the OCTA “will wade deeper than any production Defender vehicle before it,” with this one pushing its way through more than three feet of water. An air suspension can raise and lower the vehicle. And the OCTA “can automatically detect which surface it is being driven on and optimize its dynamic settings accordingly.” Its 33‑inch tires are the largest ever fitted to a production Defender.

Its only real nemesis: parking garages, as this one is taller and wider than a normal Defender, thanks in part to extended wheel arches. Also, climbing in and out isn’t the easiest.

I got to enjoy the OCTA on a trip to New York City. Its New Jersey plates were perfect for the Turnpike. Hey, I’m driving here! Huge side mirrors helped with lane changes. A chime can alert you to impending traffic enforcement cameras. My wife and I also enjoyed the “Body and Soul Seat,” which allows the driver and front passenger to feel, as well as hear, music. I didn’t worry about getting a flat on the highway. Does it have a spare? Does it ever! Just look at that knobby, full-size rubber hanging off the rear cargo door. However, the aforementioned garage took some sweet-talking to get into. I then had to look away as the mega-Defender got squeezed into an elevator.

Is it dependable? The simple answer is not really, per JD Power, at least in relation to other brands. But if you can afford this ($170,650 after shipping, no options required) you can take one of your dozen other luxury cars while this is at the dealer getting “adjustments.” Or you can just use your helicopter or whatever else you ultrarich people do.

In the end, this one delivers on style, exclusivity and all-around capability, or as Land Rover puts it, “no compromises.”

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are ticking higher Wednesday after the U.S. Treasury Department said it will buy more U.S. government bonds in a move that eased pressure on financial markets worldwide. Strong profit reports for the spring from Estee Lauder, and other U.S. companies are also helping to support the stock market.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% and is on track for its first gain after setting last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 133 points, or 0.3%, as of 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.2%.

The stock market has been under as worries about , big and other factors drive Treasury yields higher in the bond market. That ultimately makes for everyone, which slows the economy and undercuts prices for stocks and other investments.

But Treasury yields fell in the morning after the U.S. Treasury Department said it will at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term Treasurys from Sept. 9 through Nov. 4. The department said it’s doing so “to provide greater liquidity support in longer-dated nominal sectors where there is consistent strong sponsorship from market participants.”

These longer-term 10- and 30-year Treasurys are less beholden to the Federal Reserve, which can raise or lower very short-term interest rates for overnight loans. President Donald Trump has lobbied for the Fed to lower interest rates to help the economy.

Instead, longer-term yields are set by investors in the bond market, who are deciding how much interest they need to get paid by the U.S. government in exchange for lending it money. And recently, they have been demanding more in interest to make up for the growing risks of high inflation, continued government deficits and other factors.

After the Treasury department’s announcement, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.66% from 4.71% late Tuesday. It, though, remains well above its 3.97% level from before the sent oil prices and worries about inflation much higher.

The 30-year Treasury yield, which has recently touched its highest level since 2007, fell more sharply to 5.2% from 5.28% late Tuesday.

On Wall Street, Moderna and Merck helped lead the market after they announced encouraging initial results from a study of a cancer vaccine they co-developed. The new drug showed better recurrence-free survival in melanoma patients who had a combination of it and Keytruda, a prescription immunotherapy drug made by Merck, than with Keytruda alone.

Moderna soared 138.4%, while Merck jumped 12.4%.

The continuing parade of U.S. companies to report bigger profits for the spring than analysts expected, meanwhile, continues to support stocks.

Estee Lauder rallied 17.4% after CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said a key measure of its revenue growth accelerated for a fourth straight quarter. It reported growth in revenue around the world, with the strongest in mainland China.

The skin care company reported earnings per share of 39 cents, after excluding some restructuring and other one-time expenses. That’s up from just 9 cents a year earlier and was better than the 32 cents that analysts expected, according to FactSet.

Such growth is imperative because stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term. And strong growth helps allay criticism that stock prices shot too high in their runs to records.

Target rose 5.9%, Lowe’s added 2.8% and homebuilder Toll Brothers climbed 5.3% after they all also reported better profits for the latest quarter than expected.

They helped offset drops for some Big Tech stocks, which restrained the overall market. Broadcom fell 4.3%, for example, and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500. It and other winners of the boom have been through the summer that their stocks may have shot too high and that the AI frenzy may not be sustainable if it doesn’t produce big-enough profits.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mostly lower in Asia and mixed in Europe.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 sank 3.2%. South Korea’s Kospi, which has been home to some of the world’s sharpest swings because of its heavy reliance on AI stocks, slumped 5.8%.

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AP Writers Michelle Chapman, Chan Ho-him, Mike Stobbe and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

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Oman has played a relatively low-profile role since the Iran war began, including as a mediator. But its geography has thrust the sultanate into the uncomfortable position of negotiating with Tehran over management of the strait while facing Trump’s threats.

Trump this week told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way,” using an expletive for emphasis. It’s not the first such threat he’s made. Oman’s foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions about Trump’s threat and when Oman and Iran might issue a joint statement on their deal.

Here’s a look at the country in the middle of the Washington-Tehran tug-of-war.

Trump is not happy about emerging Oman-Iran deal

Trump threatened Oman because he’s not happy that it’s close to a deal with Iran over the strait, Tuesday.

Trump is under pressure. He vowed a quick war and a weakened Iran, along with a better deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. Instead, Iran has seized on the Strait of Hormuz as a new weapon in talks, asserting control of what had been seen as an international waterway before the war.

U.S.-Iran negotiations have dried up. This week ended that launched when the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement. It had been meant to open the way for more detailed talks. There’s no sign of it being extended. Trump now says there are no planned talks with Iran.

So the only confirmed discussions happening now are between Iran and Oman about shipping on the strait. These have been going on for weeks. Oman hasn’t said much about them publicly. Tehran says they’re finalizing a joint statement. There’s widespread thinking that Iran is not in much of a hurry.

Trump has made plenty of threats against Iran. Now he’s venting his frustration at Oman, too.

The sultanate had been trying to make peace

Oman, with a population of just over 5 million, is one of the quieter actors in the Gulf. It has allowed the U.S. military to use its facilities, though Washington has described defense relations as smaller in scale compared with Gulf neighbors like the United Arab Emirates.

Unlike other regional states, Oman hasn’t been targeted during the war in the way that Tehran has lashed out at other Gulf neighbors. The Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft notes that while Omani ports have been targeted by drones, Iran hasn’t claimed responsibility and Oman hasn’t blamed Iran, and no missiles have struck Omani territory.

Oman’s leaders have long preferred engagement with Iran. The sultanate has been involved in mediation efforts, but that work is now being driven by Qatar and Pakistan.

The world’s focus has turned more toward Oman since the interim agreement was signed. Not long after the signing, the relative calm was shattered when Iran started firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz near the Oman coast on a route supported by the U.S.

Now Oman is in discussions that appear to be driven by Iran, which has described the talks as aiming to “develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran’s security and national interests.” The mechanisms might include fees.

Regional officials have said the emerging deal calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. But any deal appears to rely on the U.S. lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.

Oman earlier this month described the talks as “proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere,” while in the same statement condemning repeated attacks on ships transiting the strait.

After a meeting Tuesday between Oman’s foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart, Egypt said the Iranian-Omani deal could pave the way for the U.S. and Tehran to return to negotiations for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability.”

It is not clear what effect Trump’s threat might have

Oman is caught between two heavily armed and stubborn powers. Meanwhile, global supplies of oil, natural gas and related goods are only able to get through the strait at a reduced level, with ships still at risk of attack.

Since Trump’s latest threat, the government’s Oman News Agency has been posting about other things — the Muscat Stock Exchange, sports, imports of coffee and tea. Foreign ministry statements have focused on diplomatic meetings and greetings.

It is not clear whether Trump’s threat will make any difference in Oman’s talks with Iran, including in hurrying the countries to finalize and announce a deal.

But it’s clear that the U.S. president is passing along the growing heat his administration feels as midterm elections approach, and as the global economy watches events on the Iran-gripped strait for any sign of relief.

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Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

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Written on it in black ink were the names of children and young adults who have died from social media related harms, including deaths by suicide after bouts of cyberbullying or sextortion. Giovanni, an 11-year-old, Bubba, a 13-year-old, and Englyn, a 14-year-old, were among the nearly 600 names. Parents said the names were “just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Behind us, justice is going to be served,″ said Lennon Torres, an advocate with the organization Heat Initiative. “The courtroom doors are open, and it is time that the public see what the executives at Meta have known all along: that their products are designed to addict and to harm children.″

Many of the gathered parents have attended previous trials, congressional hearings and other events related to online child safety. But they say this trial, in which the are seeking billions of dollars in damages for social media harms to children, marks a significant moment.

They see it as the culmination of years of work and public pressure on social media firms to do more to protect kids online. Social media companies are increasingly , and Meta already has lost two pivotal this year, both of which it is appealing.

The trial represents a “groundswell of public perception changing against these companies,” said Amy Neville, whose 14-year-old son Alexander Neville died from fentanyl poisoning after being deceived by a drug dealer operating on Snapchat. Neville, like many other parents who have lost their children in similar ways, has dedicated her life to of the dangers of social media.

“If we can keep holding them accountable over and over, something has to give, and I don’t want us to stop doing this until they’ve made their products safe by design,” she said.

Lawsuit focuses on broad claims

This lawsuit is not focused on any individual person, case or specific harm tied to social media, but rather broader claims that Meta made decisions in designing Instagram and Facebook that put young users at risk. The states also claim Meta knew the platforms to be dangerous and lied about how dangerous they were.

Meta has rejected the allegations and said the trial will show the work it has done to make its platforms safer.

The trial’s outcome could have significant consequences for Meta’s bottom line and how its platforms are designed and operated. But many parents are eager for evidence from the trial, namely internal Meta documents, to be brought to light.

John DeMay, whose son Jordan died by suicide at age 17 after being subject to a sextortion scheme on Instagram, is one of those parents who will be closely watching the trial and the evidence that emerges.

“As this information starts to unfold and unfold and unfold, the American people, the American mothers and the American fathers who are not seeing this stuff every day can see it and go, ‘Oh my God, this is really what’s happening,’ ” he said.

Some of the parents present outside of the courtroom were residents of the four states that are the plaintiffs in this trial — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — and they thanked their attorneys general for the work on the case.

Lori Schott of Colorado said Attorney General Phil Weiser has viewed the content that populated her daughter Annalee’s social media feeds and read her journals after her death by suicide. Annalee, who was 18 when she died, wrote in her journals about feeling ugly and comparing herself to other girls’ social media profiles.

Parents call for accountability

In a message to Meta, its and the , Schott said outside of court that they have built one of the most powerful companies in the world, “but power does not excuse harm.”

“Profits does not erase the responsibility of Big Tech and no company — no matter how wealthy, no matter how influential, no matter how untouchable it feels it is — should get to stand above the truth, the law and our children,” Schott continued.

Many parent advocates seemed to carry optimism with them on Tuesday. Erin Popolo, whose daughter Emily Murillo died by suicide after being subject to intense cyberbullying, was hopeful the trial’s outcome could lead to meaningful change on social media.

“I think that we’re going to make history here,” she said.

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Associated Press journalist Terry Chea contributed to this report.

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The San Francisco-based company says ChatGPT for Teens is tailored for kids ages 13 to 17 with stronger protections including content restrictions around things like suicide, self-harm and romantic or sexual chats. It also provides homework and study support designed to help students learn rather than and school essays.

The idea is to guide teens toward healthy AI use in an age-appropriate environment, the company said.

“We want to treat teens like teens, which means that we have to make sure that we’re showing up with the right developmental stage when we’re not either talking down to them or treating them like kids, but we’re also making sure that they’re not exposed to material that they shouldn’t be exposed to,” said Ann O’Leary, vice president of global policy at OpenAI.

The effectiveness of the safeguards remains to be seen, said Brendan Bouffard, associate general counsel for AI and privacy at children’s advocacy group Fairplay. He said it is unclear whether OpenAI’s actions are enough to address young users’ compulsive use of and emotional dependence on chatbots.

“Announcements like these can be seen as a step in the right direction,” he said. “But I also would caution against parents being lured into this false sense of safety based on the announcement.”

Risks abound in widespread teen usage of AI chatbots

Parents, educators and child development experts have been sounding alarms over children’s use of AI chatbots, which have been blamed for facilitating cheating on schoolwork and even . While even adults can fall victim to anthropomorphizing AI and developing unhealthy relationships with it, teenagers’ brains are not yet fully developed and they can be particularly vulnerable.

Last year, research from a watchdog group found that how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked. In interactions with researchers posing as vulnerable teens, ChatGPT typically warned against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury.

In the U.S., more than 70% of teens are turning to and half use AI companions regularly, according to a 2025 study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using digital media sensibly.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said the company is trying to study “emotional overreliance” on the technology, describing it last year as a “really common thing” with young people.

For users of ChatGPT for Teens, the chatbot is prevented from suggesting it has personal feelings toward the user or implying that it is conscious or experiences emotions, according to OpenAI. That’s in addition to blocking romantic or sexual chats.

“We went through and identified what are the hypothetical cues that a model could give that might make a teenager kind of develop a relationship to it,” said Allison Mishkin, head of child development at OpenAI.

A new version of the chatbot expands safety protections

OpenAI doesn’t verify users’ ages, but it already uses age assurance to estimate if someone is under 18 based on factors such as their types of queries. If someone is identified or identifies themselves as a minor, they are automatically placed into the teen version of the chatbot. This is similar to Meta’s approach to , which have stricter content, chat and privacy restrictions than regular accounts.

To use parental controls, both the teen user and their parent or guardian have to opt in. But O’Leary said the idea with the teen chatbot is to “make sure that this is safe, even if you don’t use parental controls.” Parents with linked teen accounts can set “quiet hours” when their teen can’t access ChatGPT, and receive safety notifications in limited high-risk situations, such as the possibility of a user hurting themself.

“We are adding additional notifications related to eating disorders, while limiting what is shared and focusing on moments when offline support may matter most,” OpenAI said.

Bouffard of Fairplay said some of what he would consider to be the most important safeguards, such as restricting ChatGPT’s long-term memory, are not in place by default in the teen accounts and would require the intervention of parental controls. That creates “a major gap in safety” despite the default protections around content and other areas of concern, he said.

For homework help, OpenAI said the teen chatbot is designed to guide students to come up with answers on their own. The company already offers a version of ChatGPT for teachers, and tailoring a model to help kids with studying and homework could give OpenAI more ways to bring its product to schools.

“We continue to also invest in expanding interactive learning because research shows that people learn more effectively when they actively engage and struggle with concepts,” Mishkin said.

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Huamani reported from Los Angeles.

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The nonprofit Corporate Accountability Lab said it spent more than three years investigating the working conditions on plantations owned by Central Romana Corporation, Ltd., the largest employer and landowner in the Dominican Republic. Its owners have ties to U.S. President and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the report noted.

Central Romana Corporation was previously investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which accused the company of isolating workers, withholding wages, fostering abusive working and living conditions and pushing for excessive overtime. In 2022, on imports of sugar and related products made by the company, but the ban was reversed last year under the Trump administration.

One of the owners of Central Romana is the Florida-based Fanjul Corp., which owns Florida Crystals. The Fanjul family has close ties to Trump and the Dominican government, the report stated.

The human rights group called on the U.S. government to reinstate the ban.

“As long as sugar and other well-positioned interests enjoy the benefits of such market access while ignoring labor rights abuses in their supply chains, U.S. policy will remain complicit in the very kinds of abuse it claims to oppose,” the nonprofit said.

Local civil society groups estimate that up to 8,000 workers toil in the company’s sugarcane fields that span more than 173,700 acres.

They have long complained about a lack of wages and of being forced to live in cramped housing that often lacks water or electricity, as verified by Associated Press journalists in recent years. Many of them are Haitian migrants or , who, despite being born in the Dominican Republic, .

The report quoted one unidentified worker as saying that he doesn’t have any documents to get another job: “Why would we stay? This way we are their slaves.”

Corporate Accountability Lab called on Central Romana Corporation to enroll workers in the country’s social security system; pay them at least the minimum day wage; allow them to join an independent union and protect their health, among other things.

One unidentified worker was quoted as saying that company employees assign jobs and make decisions about how much someone is owed: “They are always underpaying us, but we can’t fight for them to pay us justly because we don’t have that kind of power.”

The nonprofit asserted that a “climate of fear 
 pervades the industry” as it called on sugar customers to adhere to a proposed code of conduct that would be developed by workers.

“I want to complain every week, but since everyone is so scared, nobody will support you,” one unidentified worker was quoted as saying.

Such fears were reflected in a recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor, with the U.S. government also describing living conditions on plantations as “inhumane” and “abusive.”

The report by Corporate Accountability Lab included comment from Central Romana Corporation, which was quoted as saying that the report was “riddled with inaccuracies and untruths” and that the company had not violated local laws or international labor standards.

The company did not immediately respond to a request seeking additional comment.

Corporate Accountability Lab called on the Dominican government to regularize of all those recruited to work on sugarcane fields, to disburse owed pensions and enforce labor and environmental laws.

The organization found that two types of workers are most vulnerable: elderly canecutters who have not received their retirement benefits and those who are stateless.

“Governments of all countries should prohibit the importation of sugar and sugar-based products made with forced labor in the Dominican Republic,” the nonprofit said.

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Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at

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