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☆ The Fed could make a big change today. We’re not talking about interest rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Wednesday’s Federal Reserve policy decision will likely be pretty boring for investors — officials are widely expected to keep interest rates the same, just as they have since July 2023. They think that the Fed may curtail its quantitative tightening (QT) program — that’s the selling off of its assets to decrease money supply and increase interest rates — by as much as half. Those purchases ended up pushing down interest rates in certain parts of the economy, like housing and auto sales. That led to a “repo crisis”, where the interest rates for overnight loans between banks spiked unusually high. That’s because a taper should send bond prices higher, and interest rates lower.

Persons: there’s, Jamie Dimon, Jerome Powell doesn’t, Krishna Guha, Marco Casiraghi, ”, Bill Adams, Biden, reclassify, General Merrick Garland, Xochitl Hinojosa, “, Nancy Mace, Earl Blumenauer, ” Read, Zhao, Allison Morrow, ” Binance Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Fed, JPMorgan Chase, Comerica Bank, Bank of America, CNN, US Department of Justice, Federal Register, Congress, Associated Press, Republican, CZ, Binance, Bloomberg Locations: New York, South Carolina, Oregon, Seattle

How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and TaiwanVotes on the Foreign Aid Bills Source: Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of RepresentativesThe House passed a long-stalled foreign aid package on Saturday that gives funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with a majority of lawmakers backing money for American allies across the globe. A majority of Republicans voted against Ukraine aid on Saturday, in a reflection of the stiff resistance within the G.O.P. to continuing to aid Ukraine against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s invasion. While all Democrats voted in favor of aid to Ukraine and all but Ms. Tlaib supported funding to Taiwan, 37 left-leaning Democrats defected to vote against the Israel aid bill. The opposition to the Israel aid represented a minority of Democrats, but reflected the deep resistance to unconditional aid and the divisions in the party on Gaza.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy’s, Mr, McCarthy, Vladimir V, Putin, Elise Stefanik, Rashida Tlaib, Bob Good, Good, “, Tlaib, Jamie Raskin, Donald S, Beyer Jr, Earl Blumenauer of, John Garamendi of Organizations: Foreign Aid, Foreign, House, Senate, House Progressive Caucus, Fund, Caucus, Republican, Republicans, ”, Maryland, Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, New York, Michigan, Virginia, Gaza, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, John Garamendi of California, United States

☆ Temu has officially opened to US-based sellers in a strategy shift that could help it compete more closely with Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTemu has opened its marketplace to sellers with US-based warehouses, marking a shift to its strategy that has focused on shipping orders from China. Business Insider previously reported that US Amazon sellers were largely eager to try selling on Temu once it was made available to them. Offering faster shipping options could help Temu to better compete with US e-commerce incumbents like Amazon. The company's use of de minimis shipments has gotten increased attention from US lawmakers as of late. Shein, another China-linked e-commerce marketplace, also began onboarding US merchants last year.

Persons: —, Temu, Brightever, Bernstein, De minimis, Earl Blumenauer, Neal Dunn, Dan Bishop, Shein Organizations: Service, Pinduoduo Holdings, Business, US, US Customs Locations: China, Palm Springs, Las Vegas

☆ Labor unions, domestic manufacturing groups launch coalition to reform de minimis import loophole
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

-WASHINGTON — Labor unions, domestic manufacturers, business associations and other interest organizations on Wednesday announced a bipartisan coalition to target an import loophole allowing billions of un-taxed goods into the U.S."The coalition we have assembled is a testament to the mounting pressure to close the de minimis loophole," Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said. The ranking member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade is working in conjunction with the new Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole. CBP said it processed over 1 billion de minimis shipments in FY '23, according to a report last modified on March 1. The company has been valued at over $66 billion according to a November report, while PDD reported third-quarter revenue of $9.44 billion that month. "Our industry has lost astonishingly 10 plants in five months as a result of the de minimis loophole," Glas told reporters.

Persons: Rep, Earl Blumenauer, minimis, Blumenauer, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, Neal Dunn, Sherrod Brown, Marco Rubio, Dunn, Dan Bishop, Rosa DeLauro, Conn, Shein, PDD, Kim Glas, Glas Organizations: Port, WASHINGTON — Labor, Wednesday, Trade, Coalition, Chinese Communist Party, U.S . Customs, CBP, CNBC, House CCP Committee, PDD Holdings, National Council of Textile Organizations, AFL, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Coalition for, Prosperous Locations: China, Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach , California, U.S, United States, Sens, Ohio, Singapore, Prosperous America

But the de minimis rule also has powerful defenders. China's exports grew only 0.6% last year, but the bright spot was cross-border e-commerce, which includes but is not limited to the de minimis packages. In a January meeting with Mayorkas, the National Council of Textile Organizations complained about unfair trade practices, including the de minimis rule. It is unclear how much fentanyl and other illicit drugs may be slipping undetected into the country in the small packages. On a recent Friday morning at Chicago's O'Hare airport, small parcels that had arrived by mail from overseas were on conveyor belts going through X-ray machines for inspection.

Persons: Lindsey Puls, Puls, ”, Alexander Mayorkas, Earl Blumenauer of, ” Blumenauer, Sen, John Thune, LaFonda Sutton, Burke, Charles Benoit, Benoit, Mayorkas, Videojournalist Melissa Perez Winder, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: WASHINGTON, Will, Homeland, National Foreign Trade Council, FedEx, UPS, DHL, eBay, South Dakota Republican, Customs, Custom, China’s Communist Party, Coalition for, Prosperous, National Council of Textile Organizations, National Association of Police, Border Protection, Investments Locations: China, U.S, Shiocton , Wisconsin, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Shein, Singapore, Chicago, United States, Prosperous America, Chicago's, New York

☆ 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

☆ Shein and Temu use a loophole to ship millions of packages to the US tax-free. Here's why the tax rule faces increased scrutiny.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The other bill, from Sen. Bill Cassidy and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, would ban de minimis shipments from China. The provision is more likely to change — a prospect that both Shein and Temu have said they support. Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins/InsiderShipping consultancy ShipMatrix estimates that Shein and Temu each ship more than a million packages to the US daily. It added that almost 50% of all de minimis shipments to the US come from China. Related stories"Changes to the exemption could create a paradigm shift for retailers like Temu and Shein," Bank of America analysts wrote in the note.

Persons: minimis, Earl Blumenauer, Russia —, Bill Cassidy, Sen, Tammy Baldwin, Cassidy, Baldwin, Jay Sole, It's, Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins, Shein's, Temu, Shein, Donald Tang, SHEIN, de minimis, they've, Steve Story, Sole, Satish Jindel, ShipMatrix, Jindel Organizations: Business, Customs, Rep, Bank of America, US Chamber of Commerce, Express, UBS, Pinduoduo Holdings, Goods, Shipping, Chinese Communist Party, China . Shipping, Wired, Shein, American Apparel and Footwear Association, Apex Logistics International, Walmart Locations: Xinjiang, China, Russia, Sen, Singapore, Boston, minimis, United States, mstone@insider.com

☆ Bipartisan tax bill clears key congressional hurdle, teeing up potential House vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The package released earlier this week was the result of a rare, bipartisan agreement between Republican House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (Mo.) To help win more Democratic support, the bill also expands the child tax credit by adjusting it for inflation and allowing Americans who don't have a tax bill to get the credit as a refund, among other changes. In addition to Friday's committee vote, the White House also came out in support of the legislation. In the end, Blumenauer said he would "reluctantly" vote for the bill, but wanted to see the child tax credit expanded further. House Speaker Mike Johnson had yet to confirm when, or even if, he would bring the bill to the House floor for a vote.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Jason Smith, Ron Wyden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Earl Blumenauer, Blumenauer, Mike Johnson, Smith, Wyden Organizations: Business, of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, Republican, Democratic, White, Oregon Democrat Locations: Taiwan, Mo, Oregon

☆ Elon Musk should face an SEC probe over his claims that no monkeys died as a result of Neuralink implants, lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk is facing scrutiny over his comments related to the Neuralink monkeys, per a Wired report. Lawmakers are calling for an investigation after he said no monkeys had died due to the brain chip. AdvertisementElon Musk is facing renewed scrutiny over the deaths of Neuralink's test monkeys as the company prepares to begin human trials. The news comes after reports that a dozen monkeys experienced a range of health issues after having the implant installed, before they were eventually euthanized. Musk has long faced intense controversy over claims that the monkeys Neuralink tested its brain interface technology on had experienced "extreme suffering."

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon, Gary Gensler, Musk, Earl Blumenauer, Barbara Lee, James McGovern, Tony Cárdenas, Neuralink, quadriplegia Organizations: Service, SEC, Wired, Medicine, FDA, Business

☆ US lawmakers ask SEC to scrutinize Musk comments on Neuralink
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Marisa Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Neuralink logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. Yet Musk, Neuralink's CEO, downplayed investor concerns about the results of its animal testing, the letter said. Musk wrote that "no monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant," in a post to his social media site, X, on Sept. 10. Neuralink did not respond to requests for comment on the letter to the SEC. As a result, Musk's statement "may have violated" SEC rules in denying a connection, the lawmakers wrote.

Persons: Elon, Dado Ruvic, Elon Musk, Earl Blumenauer of, Jim McGovern, Barbara Lee, Tony Cardenas, Musk, Neuralink, Marisa Taylor, Michele Gershberg, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Securities and Exchange Commission, Democratic, Reps, Massachusetts, SEC, Reuters, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Tony Cardenas of California

Known for donning a bow tie and bicycle pin, Blumenauer, 75, has served roughly five decades in public office at the local, state and federal level. “I spent a career working to make Portland the most livable city in the country. He would go on to serve as a commissioner in Multnomah County, home to Portland, and on the Portland City Council before being elected to the U.S. House in 1996. His legacy remains visible today — a bike and pedestrian bridge that opened in the city last year bears his name. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Persons: Earl Blumenauer, We’ve, “, ” Blumenauer, Kevin McCarthy, that's, ”, Jonathan Maus, Blumenauer, Hakeem Jeffries, “ Earl, ” ___ Claire Rush Organizations: — U.S . Rep, Associated Press, Oregon House, Portland City Council, U.S . House, Congressional, Caucus, Rep, Washington D.C, Congress, quicken, Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: PORTLAND, Oregon, Portland, City Hall, Multnomah County, Mount Hood, Columbia, America, ”, Washington

Democratic U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer From Oregon Says He Won't Run for Reelection Next YearOregon's Democratic U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer has announced that he won't be running for reelection next year

Persons: Earl Blumenauer Organizations: Democratic U.S . Rep Locations: Oregon

☆ US near-miss with government shutdown illustrates Washington dysfunction
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. narrowly dodged its fourth partial government shutdown in a decade on Sunday, but the past week exposed the depths of political dysfunction in Washington and particularly within the splintered House Republican caucus. “The dysfunction caucus at work,” Republican Representative Don Bacon told reporters earlier this month, after hardliners blocked consideration of a defense appropriations bill that finally passed on Thursday. He’s a charlatan,” Representative Mike Lawler, a centrist Republican from New York, said of Gaetz after the failed Republican stopgap vote. There are a lot of personalities at play here, and multiple strategic objectives,” Republican Representative Kat Cammack told reporters. “There’s this sort of strange woulda-coulda-shoulda -- appropriations should have just moved faster,” said Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw.

Persons: Ken Cedeno, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, ”, Sarah Binder, McCarthy, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump’s, Moody’s, Earl Blumenauer, ’, Don Bacon, Monica De La, Matt Gaetz, “ He’s, He’s, Mike Lawler, Gaetz, “, Kat Cammack, Chuck Schumer, Rosa DeLauro, Dan Crenshaw Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Republican, Capitol, REUTERS, Brookings Institution, Democratic, Senate, Aaa, ” Democratic, Republicans, Biden, Republican Party, Reuters, Trump Locations: Washington, Washington , U.S, House, United States, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, New York

☆ Shutdown near-miss illustrates Washington dysfunction
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Ken Cedeno Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. narrowly dodged its fourth partial government shutdown in a decade on Sunday, but the past week exposed the depths of political dysfunction in Washington and particularly within the splintered House Republican caucus. "The dysfunction caucus at work," Republican Representative Don Bacon told reporters earlier this month, after hardliners blocked consideration of a defense appropriations bill that finally passed on Thursday. He's a charlatan," Representative Mike Lawler, a centrist Republican from New York, said of Gaetz after the failed Republican stopgap vote. There are a lot of personalities at play here, and multiple strategic objectives," Republican Representative Kat Cammack told reporters. "There's this sort of strange woulda-coulda-shoulda -- appropriations should have just moved faster," said Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw.

Persons: Ken Cedeno, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, Sarah Binder, McCarthy, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump's, Moody's, Earl Blumenauer, Don Bacon, Monica De La, Matt Gaetz, He's, Mike Lawler, Gaetz, Kat Cammack, Chuck Schumer, Rosa DeLauro, Dan Crenshaw, David Morgan, Jason Lange, Moria, Carolina Mandl, Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Brookings Institution, Democratic, Senate, Aaa, House Republicans, Biden, Republican Party, Reuters, Trump, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, House, United States, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, New York, Moria Warburton

A person walks past the U.S. Capitol building at sunset as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives reconvenes on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - A significant minority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday said they opposed a federal bill that would overturn a California animal welfare law, arguing it infringes on states' rights. The members urged Thompson and Scott not to include the EATS Act in the upcoming farm bill, a package passed every five years that funds nutrition and farm support programs. A spokesperson for Thompson, who has previously expressed support for the EATS Act, declined to comment. The current farm bill expires Sept. 30, although Congress will likely need to pass a short-term extension due to delays drafting and negotiating the next bill.

Persons: reconvenes, Leah Millis, Thompson, David Scott, Democrat Earl Blumenauer, Scott, Leah Douglas, Conor Humphries, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Republican, REUTERS, U.S . House, Representatives, Agriculture, Democrat, Pork Producers Council, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, California

☆ Regulator says found no animal welfare breaches at Musk firm beyond 2019 incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Marisa Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

July 19 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. agency responsible for animal welfare has told lawmakers that it did not find any violations of animal research rules at Elon Musk's Neuralink beyond a 2019 incident the brain implant company had already reported. The inspection included visits at Neuralink's two facilities in January 2023, Vilsack wrote, adding that there would be more inspections. Vilsack said in his letter his agency did not include in its inspection citations an "adverse surgical event" at Neuralink that occurred in August 2019. The company proactively reported it and took corrective action, which complied with the policy at the time, Vilsack added. The mistakes weakened the experiments' research value and required the tests to be repeated, leading to more animals being killed.

Persons: Thomas Vilsack, Earl Blumenauer, Vilsack, Musk, Neuralink, Blumenauer, Ryan Merkley, Marisa Taylot, Greg Roumeliotis, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S, Elon Musk's, Department of Agriculture, Reuters, USDA, Physicians, Responsible Medicine, Neuralink, University of California, UC Davis, Drug Administration, FDA, Department of Transportation, Washington , D.C, Thomson Locations: Neuralink, Davis, Washington ,

☆ Congress Spotlights ‘Serious’ Forced Labor Concerns With Chinese Shopping Sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Ana Swanson | Claire Fu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The number of de minimis packages entering the United States has exploded in recent years, to 720 million in 2021, from 220 million in 2016. Based on data submitted by the companies, the report said that Temu and Shein alone are likely responsible for almost 600,000 packages shipped to the United States daily under the de minimis rule. Among teenagers, Shein was the third most popular e-commerce site behind Amazon and Nike, according to a Piper Sandler report issued this spring. As their popularity has grown, so has congressional scrutiny of the firms given their ties to China. Temu, which is based in Boston, is a subsidiary of PDD Holdings, which moved its headquarters to Ireland from China this year.

Persons: Earl Blumenauer, ”, Shein, Piper Sandler Organizations: United States, Customs, Nike, PDD Holdings Locations: United States, United, China, Oregon, Singapore, Boston, Ireland

☆ Bipartisan Bills Look to Change Import Law Seen as Boon to E-Commerce Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Jordyn Holman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Currently, companies importing packages valued under $800 are not charged duties, taxes or fees to the United States government. A bill introduced Thursday looks to bar countries such as China and Russia, which are considered “nonmarket economies,” from being eligible to use this trade law. Some online retailers have financially benefited from the law because they ship small batches of orders directly to shoppers from overseas. Its $11 smock dresses and $6 floral print bikinis are shipped directly to shoppers, allowing it to bypass any import fees. That could lead to more fees at customs as it directs bulks of goods to its warehouses before going to consumers.

Persons: ”, Marco Rubio, Sherrod Brown, Earl Blumenauer, Neal Dunn, ” Mr, Blumenauer, Shein Organizations: United, Customs, Republican, Ohio Democrat, Democrat, Florida Republican Locations: United States, China, Russia, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, U.S

☆ China e-commerce shipments would lose US tariff exemption under proposed law
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The bill would ban such shipments from China immediately upon enactment, sponsor Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said. Ecommerce sellers such as China-founded, Singapore-based Shein and Temu, a rival owned by PDD Holdings Inc (PDD.O) that operates the Chinese ecommerce site Pinduoduo, are big beneficiaries of the exemption. De minimis shipments have drawn attention at least since 2019, when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported it struggled to catch unsafe imports because of the heavy volume of low-value packages. Such shipments rose to 685.5 million in 2022 compared with 410.5 million in 2018, U.S. customs data showed. Under the bill, countries other than China and Russia could keep the exemption by adopting the $800 threshold for their own tariff-free imports.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Bill Cassidy, minimis, Temu, De, J.D, Vance, Tammy Baldwin, Earl Blumenauer, Katherine Masters, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, PDD Holdings, U.S . Consumer Product Safety, Democratic, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Singapore, Xingiang, Xinjiang, Russia

☆ China e-commerce shipments would lose U.S. tariff exemption under proposed law
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers planned to introduce a bill on Wednesday to eliminate a tariff exemption widely used by e-commerce sellers to send orders from China to U.S. shoppers, one of the sponsors said. The bill would ban such shipments from China immediately upon enactment, sponsor Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said. E-commerce sellers such as China-founded, Singapore-based Shein and Temu, a rival owned by PDD Holdings that operates the Chinese ecommerce site Pinduoduo, are big beneficiaries of the exemption. De minimis shipments have drawn attention at least since 2019, when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported it struggled to catch unsafe imports because of the heavy volume of low-value packages. Under the bill, countries other than China and Russia could keep the exemption by adopting the $800 threshold for their own tariff-free imports.

Persons: Bill Cassidy, Temu, De, J.D, Vance, Tammy Baldwin, Earl Blumenauer Organizations: PDD Holdings, U.S . Consumer Product Safety, Democratic, FedEx, UPS, DHL Locations: Washington ,, U.S, China, Singapore, Xingiang, Xinjiang, Russia

☆ US lawmakers seek probe of how Elon Musk's brain chip venture oversees animal experiments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Rachael Levy | Thomson Reuters | Award-Winning Journalist Covering Corporate Governance. Her Reporting Has Prompted Federal Investigations | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will ask regulators to investigate whether the make-up of a panel overseeing animal testing at Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments. The lawmakers have shared the draft with peers to gather more signatures and plan to send it to the USDA on Monday. A spokesperson for Blumenauer said the USDA did not respond to an earlier request from lawmakers for a probe into Neuralink in the wake of that story. Musk and Neuralink representatives, and spokespeople for the USDA and the agency’s inspector general, did not respond to requests for comment. The Inspector General and the USDA did not respond to a request for comment on the progress of that investigation.

☆ A 74-year old Democrat in Congress pushing to make roads safer thinks 'the bicycle is the key to much of what ails us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Biking advocates gathered on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning to push for federal legislation. The 74-year-old lawmaker has a short ride to work, but "on a nice morning, you just sometimes keep going," he added. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, with his bicycle at a congressional bike ride organized by cycling advocacy groups. Romney's comments received significant backlash from biking advocates and others, who pointed out that there's plenty of evidence that better bike infrastructure gets more cyclists on the road, reduces driving, and cuts emissions. "Every person on a bicycle is somebody who's not in a car in front of you," Blumenauer said.

☆ Utah bicycling groups and Democrats call on Mitt Romney to rethink his comments calling bike lanes 'the height of stupidity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Romney faced widespread criticism after telling Insider that bike lanes are "the height of stupidity." "I love Mitt," Schatz told Insider recently in the Capitol. "We're not forcing anybody from an automobile onto a bike, but the truth is, the market is starting to demand that, but the bike lanes haven't caught up. And then in a matter of months, people are putting in their real estate advertisements that it's next to a bike lane. "As much as I ride my bike, unless it's a protected bike lane I don't trust it," he said.

The U.S. lawmakers want the SEC to mandate Shein to independently audit and verify "that the company does not use Uyghur forced labor as a condition of being registered to issue securities in the United States," the letter said. Sources have said Shein is eyeing an IPO in the U.S. this year. Rights groups and governments have accused China of forced labor and internment of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority, in Xinjiang. They say the exception allows websites selling cheap Chinese goods to evade millions of dollars in taxes and fees, as well as regulations banning forced labor in the consumer product supply chain. "As a global company, SHEIN takes visibility across our entire supply chain seriously.

☆ Lawmakers reintroduce SAFE Banking Act, a bill the cannabis industry hails as a lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Aaron Smith, chief executive officer of the National Cannabis Industry Association, speaks during a news conference on the Safe Banking Act outside the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. A group of bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in the House and Senate on Wednesday, after the legislation designed to free up banking services for the cannabis industry stalled in last year's Congress. "For the first time, we have a path for SAFE Banking to move through the Senate Banking Committee and get a vote on the floor of the Senate," Merkley said in a statement. The bipartisan nature of the SAFE Banking Act's reintroduction appeared to boost hopes of more relief to come in the industry. It is past time that Congress addresses the irrational, unfair, and unsafe prohibition of basic banking services to state-legal cannabis businesses," said Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

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