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☆ Group of Democrats call on Blinken to provide answers on bypassing Congress to approve arms sales to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A group of 19 predominantly Democratic lawmakers is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about why he bypassed Congress last month to approve arms sales to Israel. The top US diplomat made two emergency determinations in December to immediately approve the transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Israel. In their letter, the lawmakers noted the rarity of administrations using emergency declarations to immediately approve arms sales without congressional approval. “Use of a national emergency waiver does not exempt the U.S. government from assessing whether arms sales are consistent with” those standards, they wrote. I would say that the process that the secretary followed and the process that we follow here at the State Department is the process that the law actually prescribed,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch, James McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Raúl, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Jill Tokuda, Maxine Waters, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Leahy, credibly, “ Israel, ”, ’, “, Matt Miller, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, UN, Independent, Democratic, State Department, Leahy, ”, Department Locations: Israel, Gaza, Hamas

☆ House Democrats propose crackdown on fake, AI-generated robocalls
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The number of robocalls placed in the US peaked at around 58.5 billion in 2019, according to estimates by YouMail, a robocall blocking service. For all robocalls, including those Americans have authorized from their bank or doctor’s office, any use of AI would have to be disclosed under the proposed law. But even as officials have gained some ground on unwanted robocalls, those making the calls are increasingly turning to new technologies such as artificial intelligence to stay a step ahead. It would also seek to force phone providers to offer free robocall-blocking services to consumers and require the FCC to maintain a public list of the top 100 illegal robocall campaigns. Other Democratic co-sponsors of the legislation include Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, California Rep. Doris Matsui, Florida Rep. Darren Soto and Illinois Rep. Eric Sorensen.

Persons: Joe Biden, Frank Pallone, Pallone, ” Pallone, Jan Schakowsky, Doris Matsui, Darren Soto, Eric Sorensen Organizations: Washington CNN, House Democrats, New, New Hampshire voters, YouMail, CNN, House Energy, Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Regulators, Industry, FCC, Federal Trade Commission, Democratic, Illinois, California Rep Locations: New Hampshire, California, Florida

☆ Recalled baby products sold on Facebook draw the ire of powerful committee in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers cited the continuing sale of recalled baby products linked to infant deaths on Meta 's Facebook in a round of letters to 17 companies questioning compliance with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standards about the listing of unsafe products. Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said the CPSC has requested an average of about 1,000 takedowns per month to Meta for the Boppy Newborn Lounger, which was recalled in 2021. "Like other platforms where people can buy and sell goods, there are instances of people knowingly or unknowingly selling recalled goods on Marketplace," a spokesperson for Meta told CNBC. "We take this issue seriously and when we find listings that violate our rules, we remove them." Representatives for Amazon, Walmart and Target did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Persons: Meta, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Frank Pallone Jr, Gus Bilirakis, Jan Schakowsky Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Consumer Product Safety, Walmart, Target, House Energy, Commerce, Meta, CNBC, Amazon, Energy

☆ Recalled products linked to more than 100 infant deaths still for sale on Facebook, lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Recalled baby products linked to more than 100 infant deaths are still widely sold on Facebook Marketplace despite thousands of requests from federal regulators to take down the items, four members of Congress said. Lawmakers wrote that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has sent Facebook parent Meta about 1,000 requests a month since 2022 to remove the recalled Boppy Newborn Lounger, but the product keeps cropping up for sale on the platform. In June, the CPSC's commissioners sent a letter to Zuckerberg calling on him to do more to prevent the sale of the recalled products. In the letter, the members of Congress asked for more information about Meta's product safety policies, how it monitors recalls and how many staff members are dedicated to consumer-product safety issues. But they did not accuse the companies of selling recalled products.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Fisher, Price, Boppy Newborn, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Frank Pallone Jr, Gus Bilirakis, Jan Schakowsky, Meta didn't, Zuckerberg, Meta Organizations: Facebook, Lawmakers, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington Republican, House Energy, Commerce, New, New Jersey Democrat, CNBC, Target, Walmart, eBay Locations: Washington, New Jersey

☆ White House wants aviation bill to include new consumer protections
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The House is set to vote this week on legislation authorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but Republicans excluded many consumer protections sought by Democratic President Joe Biden. The White House said in a statement of administration policy that "the disclosure requirements currently in place for passenger tickets are necessary to help consumers comparison shop for a ticket." Most carriers voluntarily committed last August to provide hotels or meals but resisted providing cash compensation for delays. The White House also expressed concern in the statement about the House bill's proposal to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age to 67 from 65 - a change opposed by major aviation unions. "Making this change without doing research and establishing any necessary policies would be outside the international standard," the White House said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jan Schakowsky, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Schakowsky, Biden, May, David Shepardson, Will Dunham Organizations: Monday, Republicans, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Democratic, Transportation Department, European Union, White, Thomson Locations: Alexandria

☆ The Inform Act takes effect today — here's how it aims to target organized retail theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Inform Consumers Act, a new law that aims to curb organized retail theft and the sale of counterfeit and harmful products on online platforms, takes effect Tuesday as more retailers blame theft as a reason for lower profits. They claim organized crime groups steal merchandise from stores and then resell it on online marketplaces, typically at a lower amount than the sticker price. Many experts say organized retail theft has grown alongside the rise of online shopping, which boomed during the Covid pandemic and became the primary way consumers shopped. In the first quarter of 2023, e-commerce in the U.S. accounted for 15.1% of total retail sales, and reached $272.6 billion, a 7.8% jump from the year-ago period. "Under INFORM, online marketplaces can no longer turn a blind eye to criminal actors using their platforms to sell stolen and counterfeit goods.

Persons: Jan Schakowsky, Gus Bilirakis, They've, it's, Lisa LaBruno Organizations: eBay, Reps, Federal Trade Commission, Retail Industry, Association, CNBC, FTC Locations: U.S

☆ House lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill requiring total disclosure of ticketing fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers introduced a new bill on Thursday targeting ticketing fee disclosures in an effort to increase transparency in the entertainment industry. The "Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act,'' or TICKET Act, is modeled after current advertising guidelines for airline tickets, which require disclosing the full ticket price before purchase. With every ticketing debacle, from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift, and so many more, their frustration grows," Schakowsky said in a statement. The House bill mirrors the Senate measure in mandating ticket vendors to display the total price of a ticket, including all required fees, in any advertisement or piece of marketing. Bilirakis said the bill will bring "much-needed transparency to the whole ticketing industry."

Persons: Jan Schakowsky, Gus Bilirakis, Taylor Swift, Schakowsky, Sens, Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Biden, Cantwell, Bilirakis, Taylor Organizations: WASHINGTON — Lawmakers, Senate, New York, Office, Ticketmaster Locations: Beyoncé, Texas

☆ Lawmakers press companies that collect U.S. consumer data to reveal how they buy and sell it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In the letters, 10 lawmakers asked the companies for detailed responses on the types of sensitive information they gather, such as health, location and phone data, including apps consumers download to their devices. The companies were also asked what information they collect on minors. Last month, the subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a hearing with expert witnesses to examine "the role of data brokers in the digital economy." In that report, the regulator recommended that Congress force brokers to give consumers greater control over their data, but the "data brokers can easily circumvent existing rules and laws," the letter said. Here's the full list of data brokers who received the letter::AcxiomAtDataBabel StreetCoreLogic SolutionsEpsilon Data ManagementEquifaxExperianGravy AnalyticsInteliusKochavaLiveRampMylifeOracle AmericaPeopleConnectPlacer.aiRELXSafegraphSpokeoThomson ReutersTransUnionVerisk AnalyticsWhitepagesSubscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

☆ Democrats warn large tech firms could evade competition policies under new trade rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

It's not the first time Democrats have raised concerns about tech provisions being included in trade agreements. The group urged Tai and Raimondo "not to put up for negotiation or discussion any digital trade text that conflicts" with the agenda set by the whole-of-government effort. "Big Tech wants to include an overly broad provision that would help large tech firms evade competition policies by claiming that such policies subject these firms to 'illegal trade discrimination,'" the Democrats wrote. "Tech companies could also weaponize these digital trade rules to undermine similar efforts by our trading partners." The letter cited a U.S. Chamber of Commerce blog post about a trade group coalition note advocating for strong digital trade provisions in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

☆ Chicago mayoral election live results: Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas face off in runoff election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas are facing off in the Chicago mayoral runoff election. The winning candidate will succeed Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was the third-place finisher in the initial Feb. 28 mayoral election behind Vallas and Johnson, respectively, missing her chance to compete in the runoff. Garcia came in fourth place in the February mayoral election; in 2015, he was also a mayoral candidate, forcing then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff election, which he eventually lost. According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Vallas raised $6.4 million in the lead-up to the initial February mayoral election and has raked in at least $10.9 million since March 1. Johnson raised nearly $4 million before the February election and has taken in at least $5.8 million since March 1.

The lobbying comes amid a sustained effort by TikTok to play down fears raised by lawmakers who want to ban the app, which has 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. She defended the work of TikTok's team in Washington and said the company is trying to address lawmakers' privacy and safety concerns. At the furthest end of the extreme is the legislation from Hawley and Buck that simply seeks to ban TikTok outright by directing the president to block transactions with ByteDance. Hawley has not eased his campaign to ban TikTok. But after, "our phones were ringing off the hook," with the majority of callers voicing opposition to a TikTok ban.

☆ US Trade Rep fires back at GOP House member who said she has 'too nice a smile' to do her job: 'I don't need your pity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A US House member said the US Trade Representative had "too nice a smile" to do her job. "I don't need your pity. "I don't need your pity. "You don't need his crocodile tears," she added. A member of Biden's Cabinet, Tai is the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy.

☆ Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and other Democrats are once again trying to give retirees an additional $2,400 in their Social Security checks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sanders, Warren and other Democrats introduced a bill to extend Social Security solvency through 2096. Sanders, alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Val Hoyle, introduced legislation to beef up Social Security benefits and keep the program solvent through 2096. Social Security beneficiaries are currently facing down checks being cut as soon as 2035, as the program's trust fund slowly runs out. "Our job is to expand Social Security so that every senior in America can retire with the dignity that they deserve and every person with a disability can live with the security they need." Currently, only up to $162,000 is taxed for Social Security while any income above that limit is free from the tax.

☆ Elon Musk scheduled meetings with many Republicans but no Democrats on his visit to US Capitol, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk missed Democrats off his meeting agenda when visiting the US Capitol, per Politico. Musk said he met with the Dem House leader but reports say this wasn't a scheduled meeting. Rep. Jan Schakowsky told Politico it was "seriously a mistake" and he should go back to explain why. Following Musk's visit, McCarthy told reporters: "He came to wish me a happy birthday," Bloomberg reported at the time. Democrats told Politico they were unimpressed at Musk arranging meetings only with conservatives.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells pissed-off Swifties to demand the Justice Department break up Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift tickets debacle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lawmakers have previously called for the Justice Department to investigated the company. Take action with @MorePerfectUS," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after the news broke, directing her followers to a tweet that said: "Tell the DOJ to break Ticketmaster up here." The tweet also included a link to a form that allowed users to sign up to send an email to the Justice Department requesting the investigation. It's time for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate their conduct and move to break them up." The White House has not indicated whether it plans to investigate Live Nation Entertainment, although President Joe Biden indicated last month federal regulators were working to address "junk fees" tacked onto things like entrainment and travel.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for Ticketmaster-Live Nation 'monopoly' to be broken up in response to Taylor Swift pre-sale controversy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pre-sale tickets for Taylor Swift's upcoming "Eras" tour went on sale Tuesday. Ocasio-Cortez took the opportunity to voice longstanding concern about the 2010 merger of Ticketmaster, the ticket sales and distribution company, and Live Nation, the events promoter and venue operator, into Live Nation Entertainment. "We write in support of strong antitrust enforcement by the Biden Administration, including the live event ticket sales marketplace," the letter begins. Social media influencer Ellie Schnitt tweeted, "When Taylor Swift wrote 'the great war' she was actually preparing us for the Battle of Ticketmaster." — Taylor Swift, but also Ticketmaster after its site crashed.

☆ U.S. state attorneys general probing Kroger deal for Albertsons
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A customer leaves an Albertsons grocery store, as Kroger agrees to buy rival Albertsons in a deal to combine the two supermarket chains, in Riverside, California, U.S., October 14, 2022. REUTERS/Aude GuerrucciWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - A half dozen state attorneys general are digging into Kroger's (KR.N) planned acquisition of rival grocery chain Albertsons (ACI.N), District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine said on Wednesday. read moreRacine, along with attorneys general from Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois and Washington state, also urged the chief executive of Albertsons to delay $4 billion in payments to shareholders until the state merger review is done and the deal closes. Albertsons, which owns Safeway and other grocery chains, said on Oct. 18 it would give shareholders a special dividend of up to $4 billion. An Albertsons spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the special dividend allows the company "to return cash to all of Albertsons Companies’ shareholders," adding that it would continue to be well-capitalized after the dividend is paid.

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