| Joe Biden inspires no one – not even his own wife Posted: 23 Aug 2019 12:00 AM PDT  Can we stop pretending that Joe Biden is the inevitable 2020 candidate?'Joe Biden is Hillary Clinton 2.0.' Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/APMuch like Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden's Democratic primary campaign has thus far cloaked itself in an aura of inevitability. You might not like Joe Biden. He might say racist or sexist stuff from time to time. His gaffes might be occurring at an alarming rate. He might have uninspiring policy ideas. But he's going to win the primary anyway, so you better get used to him.That was the subtext, at least, and an explanation for how banal Biden's campaign has been so far. If victory is certain, why not hold the ball and milk the clock? Jill Biden, the former vice-president's wife, made the case bizarrely explicit on MSNBC earlier this week. "Your candidate might be better on, I don't know, health care, than Joe is," Biden said, "but you've got to look at who's going to win this election, and maybe you have to swallow a little bit and say, 'Okay, I personally like so-and-so better,' but your bottom line has to be that we have to beat Trump."To be sure, Joe Biden is leading among Democrats thus far. The RealClearPolitics average has him ahead of Bernie Sanders by around 12 points, and he has the support of major party funders. But less than a third of Democratic voters are planning to vote for Biden, down from more than 40% the week after his 25 April announcement. An Economist/YouGov poll from this week shows the race narrowing to within the margin of error – Biden at 22%, Sanders at 19%, and Elizabeth Warren at 18%.Biden's fundraising picture also looks less rosy than it did back in May. He's still the preferred choice of big party donors, but grassroots enthusiasm is receding. After raising an impressive $4.6m online on this first day of his campaign in April, things have slowed to a trickle. As Politico reports, Biden's median online daily fundraising by the end of June was just $67,000 a day, considerably below Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders.> The case for Biden's invincibility is baffling – he's been running for the Democratic nomination (and losing) since the 80sSanders is an especially important benchmark for Biden. They seem to be competing over much the same base – working class, diverse, not college educated – and either would benefit from the other's downfall. Despite a narrative earlier this summer of campaign dysfunction and imminent collapse, recent polls have showed that the Vermont senator in a steady position within striking distance of Biden. Sanders has a rabid base of volunteers, superior online fundraising infrastructure, and his existing support may even be undercounted by most polls.Yet the media narrative continues to paint Sanders as a fringe pariah and Biden as the inevitable 2020 candidate. It's reminiscent of the 2016 Republican primaries, in which Donald Trump was considered an unserious candidate whose support was continually underestimated. The serious commentators kept waiting for an establishment wave of moderate Republicans to make first Jed Bush, then Marco Rubio, and then even Ted Cruz happen.The case for Biden's invincibility is especially baffling – he's been running for the Democratic nomination (and losing) since the 1980s. It simply boils down to Obama coalition supporters (particularly black and brown voters) going with the most familiar face to rid of Trump era upheavals.But electability is just one element of what voters are looking for, and Biden is running on nothing else. He has failed to adequately address his past positions in favor of Medicare and Social Security cuts, his engineering of loathed free trade deals, or his opposition to important desegregation measures.While other candidates are galvanizing people around Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and calls to redistribute wealth and power from the 1% to working Americans, Biden is offering nothing. Poke one hole in his electability bubble and his campaign looks ready to implode.This early in the race things are constantly changing – many people are still undecided and won't start paying attention until much later on – so we would do ourselves a lot of good not to live and die with every poll. However, if there is one lesson from the 2016 general election worth remembering it's this: most people might have not liked Donald Trump, but he gave those who did a real reason to turn out on Election Day. He was a candidate with very obvious convictions running against someone who seemed to focus group and triangulate her every position.Joe Biden is Hillary Clinton 2.0. Perhaps Trump's time in office has been enough of a disaster that idea-avoidance will work this time. But if voters want to be inspired, they'll turn elsewhere or just stay at home again. Who knows, Jill Biden might even join them. * Bhaskar Sunkara is the founding editor of Jacobin magazine and a Guardian US columnist. He is the author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality
|
| Ex-wife, children of Atlanta surgeon Christopher Edwards found dead in apparent murder-suicide Posted: 23 Aug 2019 06:43 AM PDT  Authorities say they believe Marsha Edwards shot Christopher Edwards Jr. and Erin Edwards before turning the gun on herself.
|
| Jeffrey Epstein: At least eight jail officials knew he was not to be left alone in cell Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:42 AM PDT  At least eight US Bureau of Prisons staffers knew strict instructions had been given not to leave multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein alone in his cell, yet the order was apparently ignored in the 24 hours leading up to his death, according to people familiar with the matter.That so many prison officials were aware of the directive – not just low-level correctional officers, but supervisors and managers – has alarmed investigators assessing what so far appears to be a stunning failure to follow instructions, these people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing investigations. They declined to identify the eight.
|
| Chaotic scene as DNC votes down climate change debate at San Francisco meeting Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:03 PM PDT  The move sparked loud and angry backlash from climate change activists who believe the Democratic Party should change the rules to allow for a debate focused solely on climate issues.
|
| Russian doctor has trace of radiation after explosion Posted: 23 Aug 2019 08:12 AM PDT  More than 100 Russian medical workers who helped treat victims of a recent mysterious explosion at a military testing range have undergone checks and one man has been found with a trace of radiation, officials said Friday. It was followed by a brief rise in radiation levels in nearby Severodvinsk, but the authorities insisted it didn't pose any danger. The Arkhangelsk regional administration said Friday that 110 medical workers have undergone checks that one man was found with a low amount of radioactive cesium-137 in his muscle tissue.
|
| Family of detained UK consulate worker rejects 'made-up' report Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:32 PM PDT  The family of a staffer at the UK consulate in Hong Kong have rejected a "made-up" report by Chinese state media that he was detained in the mainland for visiting prostitutes. Simon Cheng disappeared after visiting the city of Shenzhen from the semi-autonomous city on August 8, and the Foreign Office in London said both British officials and relatives have been unable to speak to him since. The Global Times, a tabloid state-run newspaper, said he had been detained for "soliciting prostitutes", citing police in Shenzhen, which lies on the China-Hong Kong border.
|
| 2020 Toyota GR Supra vs. 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350: Which Is the Better Driver's Machine? Posted: 23 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT  Vastly different yet similarly capable, one of these rear-drive sports coupes begs to be driven harder than the other.
|
| Modi Ally Calls for Boycott of China Companies on Kashmir, Trade Posted: 22 Aug 2019 02:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Indians should stop buying from Chinese companies and the government should reconsider trade concessions to its biggest neighbor after China allied with Pakistan on Kashmir, according to an economic policy group linked with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.Companies like technology giant Huawei Technologies Co. should be barred from accessing the Indian market in the future and Chinese companies should be banned from state tenders, Ashwani Mahajan, co-convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, affiliated to the ruling party's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said in an interview Thursday."Not just in Kashmir, we believe that Chinese companies are a security threat to India especially in telecom," Mahajan said by phone. "Not just in consumer goods, they're a threat in telecom because their companies have massive support from the state, are allowed to vastly underbid Indian companies and win tenders for critical infrastructure."The group met Indian telecom companies on Aug. 17 to discuss strategies to be used to curb Chinese industry. The organization had also written a letter to Prime Narendra Modi seeking action against China, Mahajan said. Calls made to the Prime Minister's Office seeking comment went unanswered.This isn't the first time that the Swadesh Jagran Manch has called for a ban on Chinese goods and companies. The group, along with the Confederation of All India Traders had called for a similar ban in March this year after China blocked the blacklisting of Pakistan-based Maulana Masood Azhar, founder of the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, at the U.N. Security Council.A ban called by both organizations during the festival of Diwali in 2016 wasn't successful, although traders anticipated the sale of Chinese products would fall by 30%, the Press Trust of India reported. India has a trade deficit of over $53 billion with China.To contact the reporter on this story: Archana Chaudhary in New Delhi at achaudhary2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Abhay SinghFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Trump fumes over emissions deal between automakers and California Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:22 AM PDT  The president decried a deal between the most populous U.S. state and four major automakers.
|
| Jeffrey Epstein is dead. Prosecutors could still go after his inner circle if they helped him prey on young girls Posted: 23 Aug 2019 07:15 AM PDT  At least six women who accused billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse have already filed lawsuits against his estate and former associates
|
| Amazon fires: Bolsonaro actively trying to devastate rainforest, leaked documents show Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:26 AM PDT  Jair Bolsonaro hopes to sabotage conservation efforts in the Amazon, leaked documents show.A series of powerpoint slides reveal that Brazilian government officials intend to build a bridge, motorway and hydroelectric plant through the rainforest.
|
| L.L. Bean's Huge End-of-Summer Sale Is Taking Up to 70% Off Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:17 AM PDT |
| Sanders campaign boss concedes he may not win New Hampshire Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:44 PM PDT  The campaign manager for Bernie Sanders emphasized Thursday that New Hampshire is a critical presidential primary state he expects Sanders to win, but he's leaving room for a scenario in which Sanders falls short. Faiz Shakir said he doesn't "like the language of must-win," though he does believe it is an important early voting state.
|
| Russia launches floating nuclear reactor in Arctic despite warnings Posted: 23 Aug 2019 12:01 AM PDT  Russia will launch the world's first floating nuclear reactor and send it on an epic journey across the Arctic on Friday, despite environmentalists warning of serious risks to the region. Loaded with nuclear fuel, the Akademik Lomonosov will leave the Arctic port of Murmansk to begin its 5,000 kilometre (3,000-mile) voyage to northeastern Siberia. Nuclear agency Rosatom says the reactor is a simpler alternative to building a conventional plant on ground that is frozen all year round, and it intends to sell such reactors abroad.
|
| Chinese state media says fentanyl abuse is entirely U.S. responsibility Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:57 PM PDT ![Chinese state media says fentanyl abuse is entirely U.S. responsibility]( "Chinese state media says fentanyl abuse is entirely U.S. responsibility") Chinese state media on Friday hit back at claims by U.S. officials that China was failing to crack down on the flow of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances into the United States, saying that responsibility for opioid abuse lay with users. The United States was "pushing responsibility" for fentanyl abuse to China and ignoring that Beijing had implemented strict controls on the highly addictive synthetic opioid, reported The People's Daily newspaper, published by the ruling Communist Party.
|
| 2020 Chevy Bolt EV Gets More Driving Range Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:39 AM PDT  The Bolt goes from 238 miles to 259 and leapfrogs rival EVs from Tesla, Hyundai, and Kia.
|
| More is More Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| In the streets and on the run: Alligators are having a 'hot girl summer' of their own Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:27 AM PDT  From climbing fences in Florida to swimming in a Chicago lagoon, here are 11 of the best gator stories so far this year.
|
| More than 6,100 flights delayed across the US over thunderstorms in the Northeast Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:24 PM PDT  The Northeast is being hit with heavy rain, causing a flurry of flight delays and cancellations
|
| Hong Kong protesters form human chains to call for democracy Posted: 23 Aug 2019 07:13 AM PDT  Supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement lined city streets and part of the city's harbor front Friday, inspired by a human chain in a historic Baltic states protest against Soviet control 30 years ago. It was the latest protest in a nearly 11-week-old movement that began with calls to scrap a now-suspended extradition bill and has widened to include demands for full democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality at protests.
|
| Syria regime forces surround Turkish army post: monitor Posted: 23 Aug 2019 08:32 AM PDT  Syrian government forces surrounded a Turkish observation post in the northwest Friday after overrunning nearby areas, sparking anger from Ankara which vowed not to leave its outpost. The Syrian regime has upped the stakes with Turkey in its months-long Russian-backed offensive against the jihadist-ruled Idlib region. Moscow said on Friday that it has agreed with Ankara to "activate mutual efforts" to ease the situation in Syria's last major opposition bastion.
|
| Federal appeals court rules Colorado was 'wrong' to force electors to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:32 PM PDT  Bradley Moss and John Yoo weigh in on a federal court ruling in Colorado on the Electoral College that could make its way to the Supreme Court.
|
| China to soon unveil plan for retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. products: Global Times Posted: 23 Aug 2019 03:53 AM PDT  "Based on what I know, China will take further countermeasures in response to U.S. tariffs on $300 billion Chinese goods. Beijing will soon unveil a plan of imposing retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. products", Hu Xijin wrote in a tweet on Friday. Global Times is a tabloid published by the Ruling Communist Party's People's Daily.
|
| The tensions and drama behind the scenes of Trump's campaign to free rapper A$AP Rocky Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:16 AM PDT  How the White House and its unconventional allies scrambled to secure A$AP Rocky's freedom.
|
| Brexit Held at the Border Posted: 22 Aug 2019 02:22 PM PDT  In the last two days Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed that Ireland temporarily leave the European Union to align with the economic rules of a post-Brexit U.K. German chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested, somewhat flippantly, that the U.K. could figure out a special trading arrangement for itself and Ireland in the next 30 days. And French president Emmanuel Macron has said that there's still room for negotiation between the U.K. and the EU, but he's willing to be "the hard boy." Maybe Macron is taking the EU marriage metaphor a little too personally . . .What on earth is going on?It's been three years since a majority of the U.K.'s electorate voted to leave the European Union. And so far, all that Brexit has generated is a great deal of nearly incomprehensibly vocabulary. First we got Theresa May's red lines, her attempt to define how it was exactly that Brexit means Brexit, and what the future relationship, if any, the United Kingdom would have with the EU. These red lines, an end to freedom of movement from EU member states into the U.K., and an exit from the EU's customs union ruled out the Norway option but not Canada Plus Plus. Or Canada Plus Plus Plus. Yes, I'm serious.According to the withdrawal agreement negotiated between Theresa May and the rest of the EU, that future relationship has to be figured out in the transition period. That's a two-year window after the U.K. leaves the EU in which it would continue to follow EU rules until they came to a trade agreement. That is, unless there is a no-deal Brexit and the U.K. simply exits the European Union on October 31 and conducts business with the world based on World Trade Organization rules. Got it? Well, sort of.The focus is now on the Irish-border backstop. Basically, the backstop is a promise that there will be no hard border — a customs border across the island of Ireland, between the Republic of Ireland and the six counties of Northern Ireland. Irish public officials have argued (with the support of the EU) that a frictionless border is necessary for economic and political reasons. The frictionless border is understood there as part of the the peace settlement in Northern Ireland, following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. So too the "all-island economy" that it creates. The backstop is a promise by the U.K. to keep Northern Ireland following a number of regulations and customs rules that match it to the Republic of Ireland.This promise became the focus of Tory and Brexiteer anger at Theresa May's withdrawal agreement. First, because it created what seemed like a negotiating trap for the U.K. during the transition period. Having already agreed to keep Northern Ireland (and the rest of the U.K. with it) aligned with the EU's rules as part of a backstop, the EU would have less incentive to come to another, different trade relationship to supersede that agreement. The price to be paid for testing and pushing the EU might carve up the United Kingdom itself. If Great Britain diverged from the EU at the end of the transition period, Northern Ireland would be partially politically detached from the Union, and perhaps its citizens would have to go through customs to travel within their own country, from Belfast to Birmingham.Recently Johnson has begun calling the backstop "undemocratic" and hinting that it violates the Good Friday Agreement. He has a point. The backstop would keep Northern Ireland subject to EU rules and regs in which they have no say. It would deprive Northern Ireland's elected ministers to Parliament of any voice on matters that would be routine for MPs in any other constituent nation of the United Kingdom. That seems quite a lot like a partial form of Irish unification. But the Good Friday Agreement ensures that Irish unity can be achieved only by a majority vote for it in the six counties and another one in the Republic of Ireland.Proponents of the backstop hold that this measure would merely be the decision of a sovereign Parliament over a part of its territory. It is an agreement between Parliament and the EU and doesn't legally touch Ireland. That's true. But, the reality is that it would create checks between constituent parts of the U.K. that normally exist between two different countries. It does so in order to prevent those checks on the island of Ireland. And it does so to meet the expectations of the Irish government based in Dublin. To whom would Northern Irish people turn when trade policy affects them? Nobody they directly elect would have a constitutional say.Effectively these economic rules would be imposed on Northern Ireland as if it were a kind of EU colony, and done in the interests of the Republic of Ireland. This may satisfy the historical imagination of Irish nationalists. (Believe me, there is a delicious irony to be savored here.) But it is hard to argue that such a result is consonant with the Good Friday Agreement. Or a wise way to endear Northern Irish unionists to the Irish government.All of this confusion is the result of a kind of gamesmanship. The EU and U.K. each want to use the Irish border as a reason to crack the other's negotiating position. The EU would like to see the U.K. bounced into a permanent customs union in which it has no say, effectively maintaining the economic size and power of the EU while reducing the political influence of Eurosceptical Britannia. On the other side, the U.K. would like to see the Irish-border issue work in the opposite way, forcing the EU to strike an especially good and liberal trade deal with the U.K. that comes with fewer strings attached than those on Norway or other states that have non-standard arrangements.The lesson is rather obvious. You cannot predetermine what kind of infrastructure will be at a border and what laws will be enforced at it, in the absence of a durable agreement on trade in goods and materials. The EU and the U.K. have been trying to resolve questions in the wrong order. Both have done so out of a reasonable fear of loss.But the hour is late, and the real work must be done.
|
| A couple who ran a religious conversion therapy program have been charged with trafficking underage boys Posted: 21 Aug 2019 05:34 PM PDT  Gary and Meghann Wiggins were arrested in Alabama, and remain in custody at the Burnet County Jail in Texas on a $100,000 bond.
|
| Brown bear that is killing livestock and startling hikers in Italy's Dolomites is wanted, dead or alive Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:13 AM PDT  A bear that is raiding beehives, attacking livestock and startling hikers in the Dolomite mountains of Italy is now wanted dead or alive. The brown bear is known to scientists as M49 but was nicknamed Papillon, after the Henri Charrière novel about escaping from Devil's Island in French Guiana, when it managed to climb over a 16ft-high fence and flee an enclosure last month. It had been captured just a few hours before after being identified as a problem bear which posed a threat to farm animals. Since escaping the enclosure in a wildlife sanctuary in the province of Trentino on July 15, it has been slowly moving northwards, disemboweling a cow and encountering hikers. The province of South Tyrol has now issued an order which calls for the capture or, if necessary, the killing of the 140kg, three-year-old bear. It is normally illegal to kill or capture Italy's bears, which were introduced from Slovenia in the 1990s. The order was signed on Wednesday by Arno Kompatscher, the president of the autonomous, German-speaking province, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until the end of the First World War when it passed to Italy. "We want to capture the bear in order to protect other bears, and also wolves, because if it continues to be a nuisance, then bears and wolves will never be accepted by the population," said Arnold Schuler, the deputy president of the province. The bear is roaming the Dolomites in northern Italy, between the provinces of Trentino and South Tyrol The authorities say the bear poses a risk to humans. In the last few days, it was seen snuffling around a caravan used by shepherds in a remote mountain spot, looking for discarded food. Two national park rangers fired shots into the air to scare it away. The bear was encountered this week by a hiker on a mountain trail near the Bletterbach Canyon in South Tyrol. "My legs were shaking," the 64-year-old man told a local newspaper. "People joke about meeting a bear in the wild, but when you really do encounter one, you're no longer laughing." Carlo Groff, an expert on large carnivores from Italy's Forestry Corps, says rangers are trying to keep track of the bear's movements and hope to tranquilise and capture it. "The safety of humans comes before the bear," he told La Stampa newspaper. Conservation organisations and animal rights groups have threatened to take legal action against the authorities if the bear comes to any harm. "The bear is simply living its normal life. It has never been dangerous to humans. It has caused a few thousand euros' worth of damage, and it is right that compensation should be paid, but we need to learn to value bears as an asset, not a threat," said Isabella Pratesi of WWF Italy. While the autonomous provincial government has called for the bear's capture or, if necessary, killing, Sergio Costa, the environment minister, has called for the bear to be spared.
|
| More NRA drama: Legal team shaken up as group cuts ties with longtime outside attorney Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:06 PM PDT ![More NRA drama: Legal team shaken up as group cuts ties with longtime outside attorney]( "More NRA drama: Legal team shaken up as group cuts ties with longtime outside attorney") The ending of the relationship between the NRA and Charles Cooper, its outside counsel for the past 30 years, comes during what can only be described as a turbulent time for the powerful gun rights lobbying group.
|
| Texas governor expresses concern about private gun sales Posted: 22 Aug 2019 04:32 PM PDT  Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday raised concern about private firearm sales but didn't commit to crack down on them or act on gun control issues following a meeting on ways to prevent mass shootings such as the El Paso attack that killed 22 people. While lawmakers are feeling pressure to respond quickly to the Aug. 3 shooting at a Walmart, Abbott signaled that Texas would take a long and careful look at gun laws and other safety measures before its Legislature next meets in 2021. Scrutinizing private guns sales was among a list of ideas Abbott rattled off after emerging from a four-hour, closed-door meeting about the El Paso shooting with lawmakers, police and representatives from Google, Facebook and Twitter.
|
| Ex-US marine says injured by Russian prison guards Posted: 23 Aug 2019 09:11 AM PDT  A former US marine who was arrested in Moscow on espionage charges said Friday he had been injured by guards in the prison where he is being held awaiting trial. "I was injured in the prison... the prison doesn't want to tell you," Paul Whelan told journalists from a cage in a Moscow court, which was to decide on whether to extend his provisional detention. Whelan arrived in the court handcuffed and escorted by two security guards wearing black masks and plain clothes.
|
| Google the latest company to face worker revolt over immigration policy Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:30 PM PDT  Employees urged the tech giant not to work with US agencies involved with the separation and detention of immigrantsHundreds of Google employees on 14 August called on the firm to avoid working for US immigration officials until they stop 'engaging in human rights abuses'. Photograph: Amy Osborne/AFP/Getty ImagesLast week, Google became the latest company to be publicly lobbied by its own employees specifically because of US immigration policy.More than 1,300 Google workers have signed a petition demanding the company publicly commit to not support government agencies involved with the separation and detention of immigrants until those agencies "stop engaging in human rights abuses".Google employees timed the petition to coincide with US Customs and Border Protection's bidding period for a cloud computing contract, which Google could provide. The petition was also signed by 79 people outside the company, including several former Google employees and current Amazon employees.While these efforts – taking place at tech giants as well as furniture retailers – have yet to make a significant change, analysts expect employees will continue to speak out at companies that help prop up the US immigration system."The workplace is radically changing," said Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief reputation strategist at public relations firm Weber Shandwick, which found that four in 10 employees said they had spoken up to support or criticize their employers' actions over controversial issues.The Google petition comes after a summer in which the US government was found by its own auditors to have kept child migrants in egregious conditions; a senior immigration official blamed a father for drowning with his daughter; and the Trump administration introduced a rule that medical bodies warned jeopardizes the health and safety of legal migrants.The tech industry, from CEOs to staffers, have led a new wave of workplace activism in areas beyond immigration, but employees in more traditional industries are also starting to speak up. Walk outsIn June, employees at online furnishing retailer Wayfair walked out of its Boston headquarters in protest against the sale of furniture to migrant child detention facilities at the southern border. The company donated $100,000 to the Red Cross after the backlash, though protesters argued it should have been donated to a group providing care to migrants at the border.There is no indication, however, that Wayfair has declined orders from US immigration agencies.Whether or not employee activism moves companies to shift their business practices, it shows no signs of slowing down.Millennials are most likely to raise concerns about their employers, with 82% of them saying they have a right to speak out against their employer, according to the May study by Weber Shandwick. In the survey, 76% of Gen X workers and 65% of Boomers said they felt they had that right."Society is so polarized that I think it has heightened many employees' attitudes towards what's going on and made them question what is right and wrong – and how far they are willing to go in terms of what they are willing to say," said Gaines-Ross.This increase is led by the tech industry, but Gaines-Ross said the Wayfair protest in July showed employee activism is moving into mainstream industries. "It's definitely on the move and heading towards other sectors," she said.As employee activism moves to other industries, it is also revealing how the US detention system – which detains more migrants than any other country – is entrenched with US businesses.After Donald Trump took the unusual step in July of announcing planned immigration raids which would use hotels to house people arrested in the round-up, major hotel chains released statements saying they didn't want to detain migrants, according to the AP.Hotels faced pressure from the main hotel workers union, Unite Here, as well as customers.Major banks have said they would no longer lend money to private companies which run immigrant detention centers and American Airlines and United Airlines said last year that they didn't want to fly children separated from their parents.The global public relations firm, Ogilvy, said it would continue to work with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after facing criticism from employees over a multi-million dollar contract with the agency."Some of you feel strongly that we should stop working for CBP," Ogilvy chief executive John Seifert said to employees in a July memo, obtained by the Wall Street Journal. "While I do understand and appreciate this point of view, I have concluded that our work for CBP is genuinely intended to improve the quality of this government agency's public services."Pressure from workers on political issues comes as the bosses of major US companies have signaled a shift in their guiding principles.Earlier this month, the bosses of 181 US companies changed the definition of the purpose of a corporation to "improving our society" instead of making the most money possible.
|
| Russia's Chechnya inaugurates what it says is Europe's largest mosque Posted: 23 Aug 2019 06:33 AM PDT  Authorities in the Russian region of Chechnya on Friday inaugurated what they said was the largest mosque in Europe in a pomp-filled ceremony attended by local and foreign officials. Named after the Prophet Mohammed, the marble-decorated mosque has capacity for more than 30,000 people and has been described by the Chechen authorities as the "largest and most beautiful" mosque in Europe. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said the mosque -- located in Shali, a town of 54,000 just outside the regional capital Grozny -- was "unique in its design, and majestic in its size and beauty".
|
| Trump lashes out after economic gloom deepens, as he jokes about trading Puerto Rico for Greenland Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:37 AM PDT  Donald Trump had a much quieter day after yesterday's marathon spew. He started the morning off by renewing his criticism of the Federal Reserve, accusing it of "moving like quicksand" compared to Germany's central bank, despite insisting the US economy is "strong", refuting analysts' fears a recession is imminent and backing away from tax cuts. After that, he appeared to take the day off from social media, possibly at the hands of concerned aides, or maybe just after tiring himself out.The morning's attack follows the president's address to the American Veterans 75th National Convention in Kentucky on Wednesday evening, where he joked about awarding himself the Medal of Honor and trailed the idea of dumping thousands of captured Isis fighters on Europe.
|
| Border Agents Are Searching for Migrant Boy, 3, Swept Away With His Mom in the Rio Grande Posted: 22 Aug 2019 04:23 PM PDT  'This is [a] heartbreaking tragedy that occurs too often'
|
| A Mexican judge says 2 people can legally use cocaine — but they can't buy or sell it Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:58 PM PDT  A court in Mexico ordered the government to allow plaintiffs to "possess, transport and use cocaine," but not to sell or buy it.
|
| After 11 tons of trash taken off Mount Everest, officials ban single-use plastics Posted: 22 Aug 2019 03:45 PM PDT  Mount Everest has become littered with trash and bodies as more adventurers try their luck at scaling the natural wonder.
|
| Federal judge rules that immigration law is unconstitutional Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:56 AM PDT  A federal judge in Kansas has ruled that a law making it a crime to "encourage" or "induce" immigrants to enter or live in the country illegally is unconstitutional. KCUR-FM reports that U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia issued his ruling from the bench Wednesday before throwing out the convictions of Jose Felipe Hernandez-Calvillo and Mauro Papalotzi. Kansas isn't governed by the Ninth Circuit, but Murguia found the argument persuasive.
|
| New images from asteroid probe yield clues on planet formation Posted: 22 Aug 2019 01:41 PM PDT  Photographs snapped by a shoebox-sized probe that explored the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu offer new clues about its composition, insights that are expected to help scientists understand the formation of our solar system. The German-French Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) was dropped off by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft on October 3, 2018, free-falling from a height of 41 meters (135 feet) for six minutes before it hit the surface. Ryugu is just 900 meters wide and so its gravity is 66,500 times weaker than Earth's. Had MASCOT been equipped with wheels, its forward motion would have launched it back into space.
|
| The 10 Least Expensive New Compact SUVs to Own Posted: 21 Aug 2019 12:52 PM PDT |
| Global watchdog to monitor Pakistan's progress in tackling militant funding Posted: 23 Aug 2019 04:08 AM PDT ![Global watchdog to monitor Pakistan's progress in tackling militant funding]( "Global watchdog to monitor Pakistan's progress in tackling militant funding") The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will monitor Pakistan's progress in implementing a proposed plan against financing for militant organizations ahead of a meeting in October, the international watchdog body said on Friday. Its Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) met in Canberra this week to discuss reports on countries including Pakistan, which was last year placed on a "grey list" of countries with inadequate controls over money laundering and terrorism financing. Final publication on the APG website is expected in early October 2019, it added.
|
| 'Help America Grow': Republican group selling T-shirts with map of US that includes Greenland Posted: 22 Aug 2019 12:08 PM PDT  A fundraising group dedicated to electing Republicans to Congress is selling a T-shirt that includes Greenland on a map of the US, just after the president cancelled a trip to Denmark in protest at the prime minister saying he could not buy the country.Casey Tolan, a reporter based in California, spotted the T-shirt on a fundraising message from the National Republican Congressional Committee, which asked donors to "Support President Trump and his efforts to help America grow!" It appears to have since been removed.
|
| China Slaps Tariffs on $75 Billion in U.S. Goods Posted: 23 Aug 2019 06:48 AM PDT  China announced Friday that it will retaliate against the Trump administration's latest tariffs with duties on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods.Tariffs of between 5 and 10 percent will be imposed on September 1 and December 15, the same dates the U.S. plans to impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, the State Council's Customs Tariff Commission said, according to state media.The tariffs also include a 25 percent duty on American automobiles beginning in December."In response to the measures by the US, China was forced to take countermeasures," the Council said. "The Chinese side hopes that the US will continue to follow the consensus of the Osaka meeting, return to the correct track of consultation and resolve differences, and work hard with China to end the goal of ending economic and trade frictions.""We hope the United States will meet China halfway," a foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday, saying China hopes for "a resolution that is acceptable to both sides on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment.Earlier this week, President Trump defended his controversial trade policies, which have particularly hurt U.S. farmers, saying the issues with China should have been addressed before his administration."Somebody said this is Trump's trade war. It's not my trade war. This is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago by a lot of other presidents," Trump said.Washington in May upped tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, claiming Beijing had reneged on the previously agreed terms of a trade deal. The U.S. also has a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese high-tech products. In response, China has imposed 25 percent tariffs on tens of billions in U.S. goods.The world's second largest economy warned earlier this week of retaliatory moves to the hardline U.S. position on trade."Despite the U.S. decision to delay tariffs on some Chinese goods [until December] … if the United States rides roughshod over China's opposition and imposes any new tariffs, China will be forced to adopt retaliatory actions," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said Thursday.
|
| Ivanka Trump had to move out of her office in the White House because the ceiling might be contaminated with asbestos — here's why that's concerning Posted: 21 Aug 2019 10:25 AM PDT  Renovations underway at the White House are sparking fears of asbestos contamination in the offices of Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway.
|
| Elevator tragedy Posted: 23 Aug 2019 03:48 AM PDT  A New York City man was crushed to death when he tried to step off an elevator, prompting concerns over elevator safety. ABC News' Trevor Ault reports.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment