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☆ Biden administration bolsters protections for federal workers, getting ahead of potential Trump moves
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Betsy Klein | Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The Biden administration has finalized a new rule bolstering protections for career federal workers, marking a move to preemptively halt or significantly slow any efforts by former President Donald Trump, should he win in November, to reduce or alter the federal workforce. Critics warned that the order would allow the president to fill the federal workforce with his loyalists. Trump’s executive order created a new classification of federal employees titled “Schedule F” for employees serving in “confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating positions” that typically do not change during a presidential transition. It strengthens and clarifies existing rights for career civil servants by making clear that civil service protections cannot be taken away from employees unless they give them up voluntarily. “The threat of a politicized civil service is too great, and too real, for this to be the end of our efforts,” he said in a statement.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, ”, Bitsy, ” Skerry, “, Skerry, Gerry Connolly, Connolly, Brian Fitzpatrick, Biden’s, ” Everett Kelley, Doreen Greenwald, CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN, “, Public Citizen, Customs, US Postal Service, Biden, CNN, Trump, Management, Virginia Democrat, Technology, Government Innovation, Republican, American Federation of Government Employees, District of Columbia, National Treasury Employees Union Locations: Washington ,, Virginia, Pennsylvania

☆ What investors should know about the U.S. easing vehicle emissions rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Joe Biden speaks at the United Auto Workers political convention at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 2024. The new Environmental Protection Agency rules released Wednesday aim to cut tailpipe emissions by 49% between model years 2027 and 2032. The EPA set a target for EVs to make up at least 35% of new vehicle sales by 2032. The EPA's new strategy for cutting tailpipe emissions doesn't focus only on EVs. The EPA's percentage targets for EV adoption are not mandates but expectations for how automakers could meet the emissions regulations.

Persons: Joe Biden, Saul Loeb, Biden, Emmanuel Rosner, Mary Barra, Ngan, John Bozzella, Stocks, Tesla, weren't, Chelsea Hodgkins, Martin Viecha, Chris Kapsch, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas Organizations: United Auto Workers, Marriott Marquis, Washington , D.C, AFP, Getty, DETROIT, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, EV, Detroit Automotive, Wall Street, Detroit, General Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler, capex, Deutsche Bank, Chevrolet Silverado, Huntington Place Convention, Afp, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, United Auto Workers union, UAW, Toyota, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Democratic, GM, Ford Locations: Washington ,, Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Detroit, Michigan

From 1985 to 2002, he worked at Goldman Sachs, one of the most storied — and criticized — investment banks on Wall Street. He famously swooped in to turn around the struggling IndyMac bank after its failure in the financial crisis of 2008. Earlier this month, Mnuchin jumped back into the headlines when his PE firm led a roughly $1 billion investment in embattled New York Community Bancorp. In 2009, OneWest Bank Group, where Mnuchin was chairman and CEO, bought the troubled IndyMac after federal regulators took over the bank. Mnuchin was Treasury secretary in 2020, when the Trump administration brokered a deal where Oracle and Walmart would take a large stake in TikTok.

Persons: Steven Mnuchin, Donald Trump’s, Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin, Max, Mnuchin's dealmaking, Robert Weissman, ” Weissman, Robert Rubin, Clinton, Weissman, couldn’t, NYCB, George Soros, John Paulson, OneWest, Kevin Kaiser, “, ” Kaiser, Maxine Waters, ”, Trump, doesn't, Chris Caulfield, ” Caulfield, ” ___ Rugaber Organizations: Trump, Public Citizen, Treasury, Treasury Department, Liberty Strategic Capital, Citizens, New York Community Bancorp, OneWest Bank Group, Federal, of Insurance Corp, FDIC, Wharton School, Oracle, Walmart, CNBC Locations: Wall, TikTok, Saudi Arabia, East, Washington, Congress, U.S, China, West Monroe, “

☆ A Goldman Sachs-backed electricity firm is making a play to reach more Americans’ homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That covers energy networks, mostly in the Northeast, that provide electricity for 190 million Americans, according to federal data. It also gets Goldman into an industry, albeit through an intermediary, that critics have called a hotbed of consumer abuse. The startup, which began offering retail energy plans to Texans in 2021, avoids the teaser rates and hidden fees of rivals, it has said. "Many of those companies operate businesses that serve retail customers. Private equity firms have transformed the energy landscape in the nation's largest power markets.

Persons: Omar Marques, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, watchdogs, James Bride, Marcus, David Solomon, Dennis Wamsted, Tyson Slocum Organizations: Lightrocket, Getty, Energy, CNBC, Texans, U.S . Energy Information Administration, New, Institute for Energy Economics, Utilities, Federal Energy Regulatory, Street, Public Citizen Locations: Texas, Houston, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland

☆ Your energy costs could become a lot more unpredictable
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For more than a decade, Americans could rely on cheap natural-gas prices to heat their homes and power businesses. Prices shot up exponentially, and homeowners, renters, and businesses are still seeing the ripple effects on their utility bills — even though natural-gas prices have since fallen. Just six years later, the US surpassed Qatar to become the world's leading exporter of natural gas. Slocum added that natural-gas exports put upward pressure on prices, citing recent reports by the US Energy Information Administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission . The higher costs between 2021 and late 2023 are due to the energy crisis in Europe and "cannot explicitly be linked" with greater US gas exports, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tyson Slocum, Goldman Sachs, Slocum, Mike Sommers Organizations: Service, Business, LNG, US Energy Information Administration, Federal Energy Regulatory, American Petroleum Institute, CNBC, Energy, Consumer Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Texas, New Mexico, Qatar

The recordings immediately went viral on social media, and the candidate, who is pro-NATO and aligned with Western interests, was defeated in September by an opponent who supported closer ties to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin. AI images that falsely depicted former President Donald Trump sitting with teenage girls on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane circulated on social media last month. And once a deepfake appears on social media, it can be nearly impossible to stop its spread. Šimečka said his team and others complained to social media platforms and law enforcement. He said social media platforms need to “put measures in place” to prevent attempts to meddle with an election.

Persons: he’d, Vladimir Putin, ”, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein’s, Trump, “, Subrahmanian, Alex Curtas, Curtas, Jared DeMarinis, ’, ” DeMarinis, Chelsea Carattini, Ilana Beller, haven’t, ” Beller, Paul Vallas, Sean R, Clark, ” Vallas, Vallas, Brandon Johnson, ” “ We’ll, Slovakia Michal Šimečka, ” Šimečka, Šimečka, ” Daniel Milo, Milo, it’s, ” Milo, Janis Sarts, ” Sarts Organizations: CNN, NATO, Northwestern University, Senior, Twitter, Democratic, Chicago, Political, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Public Citizen, State’s, Republican Party, Commission, Progressive, YouTube, Facebook, Slovakia’s Ministry, Meta, NATO Strategic Communications, of Excellence, Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Intelligence Locations: Slovakia, Moscow, Europe, States, New Hampshire, Russia, China, Russian, Northwestern, American, California , Michigan, Minnesota , Texas, Washington, New Mexico, Idaho, Chicago, Progressive Slovakia, Slovakia’s, Latvia

The ruling comes in a lawsuit by Democrats that originally sought $2.4 million in damages from all 10 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump as the 2020 election winner in Wisconsin. But Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington said they can be questioned, although he put limitations on the Evers interview. The fake elector plan hatched in seven battleground states was central to the federal indictment filed against Trump earlier in August that alleged he tried to overturn results of the 2020 election. Trump's attorney Chesebro, who is a defendant in the Wisconsin lawsuit, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents after being charged with participating in efforts to overturn Trump’s loss in Georgia. Trump has continued to spread falsehoods about the 2020 election.

Persons: Tony Evers, Donald Trump's, Trump, Jim Troupis, Kenneth Chesebro, Joe Biden’s, Troupis, Evers, Barnes, “, ”, Matthew Fernholz, that’s, ” Fernholz, Frank Remington, Remington, “ I’m, ” Remington, it’s, ” Evers, Biden, Josh Kaul, hasn't, Chesebro Organizations: —, — Wisconsin Gov, Democratic, Democrats, Republicans, Gov, The Wisconsin Department of Justice, U.S, Senate, Trump, Government, Biden Locations: MADISON, Wis, — Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Dane, Georgia

Experts say these are just glimpses of what could ensue if campaigns or outside actors decide to use AI deepfakes in more malicious ways. So far, states including California, Minnesota, Texas and Washington have passed laws regulating deepfakes in political advertising. Federal law is limited in its ability to regulate AI at the state and local levels, Benson said in an interview, adding that states also need federal funds to tackle the challenges posed by AI. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, announced earlier this month that it will require political ads running on the platforms to disclose if they were created using AI. Google unveiled a similar AI labeling policy in September for political ads that play on YouTube or other Google platforms.

Persons: Gretchen Whitmer, They're, Joe Biden, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump’s, Deepfakes, Democratic Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Republican Sen, Josh Hawley of, Jocelyn Benson, Benson, ” Benson, ”, ___ Swenson, Christina A, Cassidy Organizations: Federal, Commission, Gov, Republican National Committee, Republican Florida Gov, Public Citizen, Fiscal Agency, Democratic, Republican, Social, Google, YouTube, Associated Press, AP Locations: LANSING, Mich, Michigan, United States, California , Minnesota , Texas, Washington, Illinois , Kentucky , New Jersey, New York, Minnesota, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Washington ,

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa, Colombia and other countries that lost out in the global race for coronavirus vaccines are taking a more combative approach towards drugmakers and pushing back on policies that deny cheap treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV. The pills are especially important for South Africa, where TB killed more than 50,000 people in 2021, making it the country’s leading cause of death. In July, J&J’s patent on the drug expired in South Africa, but the company had it extended until 2027, enraging activists who accused it of profiteering. Back then, President Nelson Mandela’s government in South Africa eventually suspended patents to allow wider access to AIDS drugs. Bedaquiline was not rolled out as a standard treatment in South Africa until 2018.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Brook Baker, Johnson, Christophe Perrin, Peter Maybarduk, Petro Terblanche, Afrigen, Nelson Mandela’s, “ Mandela, Terblanche, Lynette Keneilwe Mabote, Andy Gray, Gray, Zolelwa, Bedaquiline, “, Sifumba, ___ Cheng Organizations: Health Organization, Northeastern University, One, Johnson, J, Viiv Healthcare, WHO, Public Citizen, Pfizer, Moderna, Terblanche, Big Pharma, South, University of KwaZulu, World Health Organization, AP Locations: CAPE, South Africa, Colombia, Belarus, Ukraine, Colombian, Washington, Africa, Natal, South African, London

When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. Ironically, the failure of Bankman-Fried's FTX and his subsequent arrest late last year may have contributed to the momentum for regulation stalling out. Before FTX imploded, Bankman-Fried spent millions of dollars — illegally taken from his customers it turns out — to influence the discussion around cryptocurrency regulation in Washington and push for action. “Moreover, almost everything the crypto industry does is clearly covered by existing securities and commodities laws that every other law-abiding financial firm in the country follow," he said. Bartlett Collins Naylor, a financial policy advocate for Public Citizen's Congress Watch said “laws on fraud and securities are currently sound.”__Hussein reported from Lewiston, Maine

Persons: Sam Bankman, cryptocurrencies, FTX, Fried, “, Sens, Debbie Stabenow, John Boozman, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, He’s, ” Brown, can’t, Joe Biden, Dennis Kelleher, Bartlett Collins Naylor, __ Hussein Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Coinbase, PayPal, SEC, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Agriculture Committee, U.S ., Financial Services, White, Federal Reserve, Consumer, Better, Public Citizen's, Watch Locations: PALM SPRINGS, Calif, Washington, Ohio, stablecoins, Lewiston , Maine

[1/2] U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland gives a brief statement at the Justice Department in Washington, U.S., August 11, 2023. That puts the Biden administration's second year of corporate enforcement on par with the second year of the Trump administration's - the fifth-lowest corporate prosecutions on record. The new safe harbor program also "directly undermines" the Biden Administration's anti-monopoly efforts, they said. The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission have mounted an unprecedented number of legal challenges to mergers since Biden took office. A recently-departed DOJ official told Reuters in August that more big corporate settlements were coming.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Bonnie Cash, Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, Lisa Monaco, Monaco, Elizabeth Warren, Biden, Chris Prentice, Rod Nickel Organizations: U.S, Justice Department, REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Public Citizen, Democratic, Department of Justice, Public, Biden, Trump, The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, DOJ, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Monaco

☆ OpenAI's Sam Altman has 'deep misgivings' about people becoming friends with AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he had "deep misgivings" about friendships with AI. "We named it ChatGPT and not a person's name very intentionally," he said during WSJ's Tech Live event on Tuesday. AdvertisementAdvertisementOpenAI CEO Sam Altman has misgivings about friendships between humans and AI. AdvertisementAdvertisementAltman's comments come amid a growing number of AI companies putting out chatbots with human-like personality and friendliness as a key feature. When AI startup Replika disabled their chatbots' "erotic role-play" feature, it caused an uproar among users who felt their AI companions had been "lobotomized."

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman's, —, Altman, Joanna Stern, Claude, Character.AI's, Kendall Jenner, Chris Cox, Altman isn't, Insider's Rob Price, OpenAI Organizations: WSJ's Tech, Service, Tech, Public Citizen Locations: Laguna Beach , California

Google was the first big tech company to say it would impose new labels on deceptive AI-generated political advertisements that could fake a candidate's voice or actions. The pressure on the social media companies comes as both lawmakers are helping to lead a charge to regulate AI-generated political ads. Google has already said that starting in mid-November it will require a clear disclaimer on any AI-generated election ads that alter people or events on YouTube and other Google products. This policy applies both in the U.S. and in other countries where the company verifies election ads. Facebook and Instagram parent Meta doesn’t have a rule specific to AI-generated political ads but has a policy restricting “faked, manipulated or transformed” audio and imagery used for misinformation.

Persons: Tom Hanks hawking, Pope Francis, Rand Paul, Mark Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, ”, Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Yvette Clarke, didn't, Clarke, Klobuchar, “, ” Klobuchar, Republican Sen, Josh Hawley of, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Anthony Fauci, Ron DeSantis, Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Ari Cohn, haven't, ” Cohn, Ali Swenson Organizations: Sen, Capitol, Google, Facebook, Democratic, Associated Press, Klobuchar, U.S ., Twitter, Meta, Senate, YouTube, Republican, Republican National Committee, GOP, Florida Gov, Administration, Commission, Public Citizen Locations: Minnesota, York, U.S, Josh Hawley of Missouri, United States

“There’s a lot of climate exaggeration,” said Gates, who founded Microsoft and is now a philanthropist. Some financial institutions could supplement emissions reduction measures with the voluntary purchase of carbon credits, according to a handout. She said the goal is to affirm “the importance of credible net-zero commitments and to encourage financial institutions that make them to take consistent approaches to implementation." Yellen also announced that a group of philanthropic organizations – including Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies and others – would pledge $340 million to help financial institutions “develop and execute robust, voluntary net-zero commitments,” she said. Afterward, Prince William headed toward ground zero, where he visited with firefighters at FDNY Ten House, the station that was the first on the scene at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks.

Persons: Britain’s Prince William, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, “ We’ve, ” William, he'd, John F, ”, Gates, Janet Yellen, ” Yellen, Yellen, Bloomberg Philanthropies, David Arkush, “, Prince William, Prince, chatted, Hussein, Bobby Caina Calvan, Seth Borenstein, Fatima Hussein Organizations: Microsoft, Treasury, Investment, ”, Fund, Bloomberg, FDNY Ten House, World Trade Center, AP Locations: London, U.S, Washington, New York

☆ Questions About Key Players in Trump’s Plan to Overturn the 2020 Election - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( New York Times Opinion | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There were others who funded aspects of the election overthrow effort. The Rule of Law Defense Fund, an organization associated with the Republican Attorneys General Association, for instance, was involved in promoting the Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse. Other donors include Julie Jenkins Fancelli, a Publix heiress who reportedly gave about $300,000 to rally organizers. It includes an appendix entitled “The Big Rip-off,” which explains how the Trump campaign raised enormous sums off its claims that the election was stolen. And of course, there’s a whole additional piece of this puzzle: the figures who continue to fund the members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election.

Persons: Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Jack Smith, Trump, Judd Legum’s, Jeff Tarakajian, Mark Meadows, Ronna McDaniel Organizations: Law Defense Fund, Republican, General Association, Public Citizen, Trump Locations: Washington, ”, Narragansett, R.I

☆ These environmental laws are making it harder to fight climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New Jersey has sued to block New York City's congestion price law using environmental review. The environmental review process has “metastasized well beyond what anyone intended it to be,” Dourado said. “To me, it’s clearly dysfunctional.”Reform effortsThe need to reform the environmental review process has become a bipartisan issue in recent years. Some environmental groups believe these reforms are needed to advance clean energy progress and other goals. While the Environmental Defense Fund supports the Biden administration’s reforms to NEPA, it’s against a draconian rollback of environmental review, he said.

Persons: Michael Nagle, ”, Howard Slatkin, Richard Nixon, Paul Sabin, ” Sabin, Eli Dourado, “, ” Dourado, Elgie Holstein, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, ” Holstein Organizations: New, New York CNN, Environmental, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Federal, Administration, NEPA, Congress, Democrats, Citizens Housing, Planning, Reform, University of California, Magna Carta, Act, Yale University, “ Public, Big Government, Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, Center for Growth, Utah State University, “, Environmental Defense Fund, Biden Locations: New York, Manhattan, New Jersey, York, Jersey, London, Stockholm, United States, New York City, Berkeley, Minneapolis

☆ Richard Ravitch, Rescuer of the Subways and New York’s Finances, Dies at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Richard Ravitch, a politically savvy, civic-minded developer and public citizen who helped rescue New York City from the brink of bankruptcy and its decaying subways from fiscal collapse, died on Sunday in Manhattan. His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by his wife, Kathleen M. Doyle. Mr. Ravitch never won elective office. He later served as New York’s lieutenant governor, enlisted by David A. Paterson in 2009 to lend gravitas to his teetering administration. (Mr. Paterson had succeeded Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in disgrace after a prostitution scandal.)

Persons: Richard Ravitch, Kathleen M, Doyle, Mr, Ravitch, David A, Paterson, Eliot Spitzer Organizations: New, Urban Development Corporation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: New York City, Manhattan, New

☆ UPS workers vote to authorize strike while cheering unexpected progress on heat safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Adiel Kaplan | J.J. Mccorvey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

UPS acknowledged the vote outcome and noted that Friday's strike authorization doesn't automatically trigger a work stoppage. While many union members at UPS cast their votes on the strike authorization before the heat safety deal was announced, some drivers said afterward that other big priorities remain. Heat safety experts praised the preliminary agreement on air conditioning but cautioned that addressing the threat of extreme temperatures would take time. Seth Harris, a law and policy professor at Northeastern University who served as President Joe Biden's top labor policy adviser, said progress on heat safety at UPS could have broader ripple effects. Already, though, the concessions have jolted UPS workers and their allies with a dose of optimism.

Persons: Sean O'Brien, Zakk Luttrell, We've, it's, Luttrell, Amit Mehrotra, Mehrotra, Juley Fulcher, Fulcher, —, Seth Harris, Joe Biden's, Theresa Klenk, Klenk, — Annie Probert Organizations: Teamsters, UPS, NBC, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Deutsche Bank, Logistics, FedEx, U.S . Postal, Public Citizen, Northeastern University, New, New Jersey UPS Locations: New Jersey

☆ Microsoft is facing another hurdle in closing a $70 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard: a new FTC lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The FTC just filed a new lawsuit to seek to stop Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft has been trying to win the OK from global regulators for the nearly $70 billion purchase. This suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, seeks to stop the deal from closing. "We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, said in a statement Monday. "By filing in federal court to enjoin the transaction, the FTC is showing that it won't back down in the face of Microsoft's escalatory tactics."

Persons: Brad Smith, Matt Kent Organizations: FTC, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Activision, Morning, Federal Trade Commission, Sony, PlayStation, Nintendo, UK's, Public Citizen, Public Locations: San Francisco, China, Japan, Brazil, South Korea

☆ Chamber of Commerce gets nearly half its funding from those who give at least $1 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce pitches itself as representing the interests of millions of businesses of all shapes and sizes. The chamber, according to the study, brought in 18 contributions from those who donated anywhere from $2 million to over $4 million. The report says that the group raised around $54 million from those big-money contributors alone. And like America, the vast majority of our members — 90% — are small businesses and state and local chambers of commerce." By all measures, our impact for them is substantial and small businesses are strongly engaged with the Chamber."

☆ Amazon workers seriously injured at more than twice the rate of other warehouses, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That's more than double the rate of all non-Amazon warehouses, which had 3.2 serious injuries for every 100 workers. Amazon's serious injury rate fell by about 3% between 2021 and 2022. The rate shot up to 6.8 serious injuries for every 100 workers in 2021, compared to a rate of 5.9 serious injuries for every 100 workers in 2020. While Amazon's serious injury rate fell between 2021 and 2022, its overall injuries increased. In 2021, Amazon set a goal to halve its warehouse injury rate by 2025.

☆ Sky News Australia quits TikTok citing security risks posed by Chinese-owned app
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Australian broadcaster Sky News has left TikTok because of security concerns that have led several Western governments to ban the video app on devices used by officials. “We urge [media organizations] to consider this dilemma and stop trading security and integrity for a few worthless views,” he added. There is still no public evidence the Chinese government has actually spied on people through TikTok. Sky News Australia is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWSA)oration, and is a separate entity to UK broadcaster Sky News, which is owned by Sky Group, a division of US conglomerate Comcast (CCZ). ByteDance said the relevant staff were investigating potential information leaks, and they were fired for misusing their authority to access TikTok user data.

☆ Why Blackouts, Power Outages Are Becoming More Common
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Taylor Dorrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Power outages have increased 64% from the early 2000s, and weather-related outages — many driven by the worsening climate crisis — have increased 78%. A record-breaking blizzard in Buffalo, New York, this winter caused power outages throughout the city, resulting in the deaths of 47 residents. In 2021, a heat wave led to power outages and the deaths of hundreds in the Pacific Northwest. While regional organizations might use fees to penalize companies for power outages, it's now much harder to pinpoint and hold a person or entity responsible. In the meantime, the climate crisis will continue to wreak havoc on an aging grid system that puts profits over reliability.

☆ Moderna plans 400% increase in price of Covid vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailModerna plans 400% increase in price of Covid vaccinePublic Citizen Access to Medicines Director Peter Maybarduk and Northwestern healthcare economist Craig Garthwaite joins CNBC’s Brian Sullivan and ‘Last Call’ to discuss the debate over Moderna’s decision to raise the price of its Covid vaccine.

Companies Wells Fargo & Co FollowWASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - The former head of Wells Fargo's retail bank is facing prison time after pleading guilty to obstructing a bank examination in relation to the sweeping phony accounts scandal that roiled the bank in 2016. An attorney for Tolstedt, who ran the bank's retail and small business lending from 2007 to 2016, declined to comment. But, in this case, Ms. Tolstedt took steps to cover up misconduct at Wells Fargo," Joseph McNally, acting U.S. attorney for the central district of California, said in a statement. A spokesperson for Wells Fargo declined to comment. The development marks a rare instance of a senior bank executive facing prison time as a result of their job, but some said it does not go far enough.

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