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Monthly archive

August 2017

Obama Labor Regulator to Get Final Shots at Uber Before Trump Appointment

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Time is ticking on one of the last pro-labor vestiges of the Obama administration. The National Labor Relations Board is set to make its case against contract language used by Uber to prevent collective action against allegedly abusive bosses. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that the Board could join plaintiffs in proceedings set to be held on Sept. 20. The case comes weeks before a Supreme Court clash over similar impositions on workers, and months before President Trump will have the opportunity to…

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Government Greenlights Amazon’s Expansion Into Grocery Industry

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A proposed $13.7 billion takeover of Whole Foods Market, by the world’s largest online retailer, was approved by federal trust-busters on Wednesday. With regulatory hurdles now cleared, Amazon said it intends to finalize the deal sometime later this year, giving the tech giant an opportunity to bolster its grocery delivery services. Consumer advocates worry that Amazon could leverage its robust supply chain and soon-to-be acquisition of more than 465 Whole Foods stores to dominate the burgeoning home grocery delivery industry. The development would strengthen its…

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OFF-SITE READING 8/16/17

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News from elsewhere…       * CHARLOTTESVILLE RESIDENTS ON ANTIFA: “LIKE ANGELS TO ME” Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick published first-hand accounts recalling the “violent” tactics employed by anti-fascist forces in Charlottesville on Saturday. They unanimously describe acts of communal self-defense in face of right-wing terror–what Trump denounced as “alt-left.” One pastor said that “antifa saved my life twice on Saturday.” Another non-violent protester described getting defended by “anarchists and anti-fascist folks” and said “the antifa were like angels to me in that moment.” *NO SIGN…

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Trump’s Economic Council Implodes As White House Defends Fash

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Donald Trump’s private and political career has been colored by several accusations of blatant racism, but it was the President’s recent defense of white supremacists and neo-Nazis that forced CEOs to finally distance themselves from the administration. Two White House panels, staffed with CEOs of top companies, were abruptly disbanded on Wednesday by President Trump, whose hand was forced by several high-profile resignations in the wake of the President’s reaction to the racist violence in Charlottesville, Va. The CEO of the mining company 3M, Inge Thulin,…

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DeVos Staffer Could Face Up to Five Years Behind Bars for Work on Industry-Friendly Student Debt Rules

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An aide to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos could be in prison for violating ethics rules, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Wednesday. Robert Eitel, a senior counselor to DeVos, was simultaneously employed earlier this year by both the Department of Education and Bridgepoint Education, an operator of for-profit colleges. Warren said that Eitel’s agency work on student debt rules between February and April might run afoul of the criminal code. “This set of rules applied to the [sic] Mr. Eitel from the day of…

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OFF-SITE READING 8/15/17

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News from elsewhere…     *IS TRUMP #STILLWITHHER? The President is still flailing after the Charlottesville attack, unable to unequivocally denounce white nationalism and the outright fascism that inspired the killer. According to the AP, he said today that “the ‘alt-left’ bears some responsibility for violence in Charlottesville, ‘nobody wants to say that.’” Looks like someone has been watching MSNBC! *WARREN INCREASINGLY A HOUSEHOLD NAME Two-thirds of Americans now have an opinion of Elizabeth Warren, up from 52 percent in 2015. According to Gallup, as…

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Conservative Outlets Join Groups Lashing Out at Trump FCC, Sinclair-Tribune Mega-Merger

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Right-wing media outlets are joining trade associations and public interest advocates in urging lawmakers and the Trump administration to block a merger of giant broadcasters. Executives from One America News Network (OANN) and The Blaze are part of a coalition, announced on Tuesday, formed to oppose the purchase of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcasting. The group said that the $3.9 billion deal will give Sinclair access to 72 percent of American homes—almost double the 38 percent of the country that the giant currently reaches. “This…

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Massive DOJ Demand for Info on Dissenters Goes to Court

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The Justice Department will attempt on Friday to defend a warrant requiring an internet host to turn over 1.3 million IP addresses of visitors to a website critical of the Trump administration. Dreamhost, the subject of the DOJ order, called it a “clear abuse of government authority.” The company has been fighting the warrant for months leading up to Friday’s court date on the matter. Federal prosecutors are seeking the IP addresses of anyone who visited disruptj20.org, a website hosted by Dreamhost, as well as the website’s…

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OFF-SITE READING 8/14/17

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News from elsewhere… *FCC ALLOWING CONGLOMERATE TO REACH PAI IN THE SKY The Trump administration has ushered in deregulation that is “carefully aligned” with media giant Sinclair “business objectives,” according to The New York Times. Ajit Pai, the FCC chair, enthusiastically met with company CEO David Smith just days after Trump’s inauguration. Pai’s first act was to relax regulations on revenue sharing among TV stations–something Smith had discussed with the incoming FCC head. Pai also relaxed restrictions on the number of stations one broadcaster can…

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Pentagon Ready for “Full Range” of Options, Despite South Korea Pleas to Rule Out War

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The highest-ranking US military officer again warned that the Trump administration stands ready to attack North Korea, despite pleas for peace from South Korea. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Joseph Dunford on Monday said that the Pentagon is prepared “to use the full range of military capabilities to defend our allies and the US homeland.” Dunford made the comments in Seoul while meeting with South Korean civilian and military officials. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the sabre-rattling to stop, declaring “there must…

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Ford Rangers, Drones, and Helicopters: A Snapshot of the US-Supplied Afghan Defense Force

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More than $60 billion has been spent by the Pentagon providing arms to the Afghan National Defense and Security Force (ANDSF), according to a review by a government watchdog. Mandated by the 2017 defense policy bill, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) catalogued all the military hardware provided to Afghan police and defense forces since America’s longest running war began back in 2002. The GAO’s findings offer the most detailed glimpse yet into the armaments of the Afghan military. In total, Afghan security forces have received more than 884,000…

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