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☆ Workplaces can do 1 simple thing to help employees grow, says expert: 'If you could do that for $1 per leader, you should'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's a paltry sum for many companies, but when spent intelligently, it can help promising employees become effective leaders, says Katy Tynan, a principal analyst at Forrester who co-published the report. Without quality leadership, employees become disengaged at work, leading to retention issues. That means if five employees making $100,000 annually quit, your company might need to spend $500,000 replacing them. The problem: Leadership development isn't something you can simply throw money at. Here's her advice for employees who want support, and workplaces struggling to retain them.

☆ Divided Government Set to Return With Start of 118th Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The opening session of the new Congress is expected to kick off two years of political battles over everything from immigration policy to inflation. WASHINGTON—A new era of divided government dawns this week as the 118th Congress begins, with Republicans looking to deploy their power with a fragile majority in the House and Democrats doing the same in the Senate. The House of Representatives will convene on Tuesday, a date designated by the 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that stipulates Congress should begin each new session at noon on Jan. 3.

☆ Congress Boosts Funding to Stockpile Key Metals, Battery Ingredients
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. defense stockpile for hard-to-get metals and lithium-ion battery ingredients is getting a $1 billion boost from Congress, as tensions escalate with China and Russia—with both nations the source of some key minerals. The money was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 23 by President Biden. The funding is just one component of the NDAA, which sets military service members’ pay and directs the Department of Defense which ships, airplanes and weapons to buy, among other initiatives.

☆ Some Starbucks customers are furious about changes to its rewards program that makes most free drinks harder to redeem
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Customers who enroll in the chain's Starbucks Rewards program earn points — or "stars" — when purchasing food or drinks, which can then be redeemed for free menu items, like coffee. Insider spoke to four Starbucks customers who said they'll visit the chain less often thanks to the change. Though she's been a loyal customer since 2015, Graf-Juarez plans to stop visiting Starbucks, she told Insider. Amy Babby, another former Starbucks devotee, told Insider that she plans to discontinue the habit completely. Chipotle increased the number of points rewards members needed for a free burrito by 16%, and Dunkin' revamped its entire rewards system, more than doubling the amount of spending required for drinks like a free latte.

☆ Keenan Cahill, YouTube creator who made videos lip-syncing with celebrities, dies at 27
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Keenan Cahill, a popular YouTube creator who made lip-sync videos with celebrities like 50 Cent, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and more, died on Thursday after open-heart surgery on Dec. 15. On his YouTube account, which has roughly 721,000 subscribers, Cahill’s videos have garnered more than 500 million views. He posted his first lip-sync video in August 2010 to Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” which has reached 58 million views. A year later, the pop star met up with Cahill in person and they filmed a video together. Cahill’s most popular video was with 50 Cent, where they lip-synced “Down on Me,” to the tune of 60 million total views.

☆ Lawmakers Plan to Scrutinize Southwest Cancellations, Federal Airline Refund Policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Federal lawmakers have signaled that they will investigate the mass flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines Co., with some Democrats suggesting the Transportation Department should be more aggressive at protecting passengers. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.), who leads the Senate’s committee on transportation issues, said in a statement this week that its members will look into what caused the cancellations and how consumers were affected.

☆ Analysis: U.N. nature deal can help wildlife as long as countries deliver
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Conservationists praised the deal's ambition, saying it amounted to a Paris Agreement for nature in setting out 23 specific targets against which countries can measure their progress. "This is equivalent to the 1.5 degrees Celsius global goal for climate," said Marco Lambertini, director-general of World Wildlife Fund International. "Otherwise, there is a big risk that the cheapest areas are protected rather than those that matter most for biodiversity." During the talks, delegates discussed whether protected areas should be entirely off-limits to human settlement and development, or if some resource extraction should be allowed if managed sustainably. Canada, one of the world's largest nations, is expanding protected land and marine areas in the Arctic.

☆ Bill Gates upbeat on climate innovation, even if 1.5C goal out of reach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Katy Daigle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The software-developer-turned-philanthropist was nevertheless upbeat about climate innovation - ticking off numerous areas advancing low-carbon technologies with funding from the Breakthrough Energy Group, which Gates founded in 2015. Gates has invested more than $2 billion toward climate technologies, including direct air capture, solar energy and nuclear fission. Breakthrough Energy, however, operates separately from the Gates Foundation charity. But any Breakthrough Energy profits are funneled back into the group or to the foundation. He did not elaborate on the DAC companies' plans.

Here are some of the key areas agreed on after two weeks of negotiations hosted in Montreal, Canada. CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND RESTORATIONDelegates committed to protecting 30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030, fulfilling the deal's highest-profile goal, known as 30-by-30. Wealthier countries should contribute at least $20 billion of this every year by 2025, and at least $30 billion a year by 2030. BIG COMPANIES REPORT IMPACTS ON BIODIVERSITYCompanies should analyse and report how their operations affect and are affected by biodiversity issues. This reporting is intended to progressively promote biodiversity, reduce the risks posed to business by the natural world, and encourage sustainable production.

☆ NDAA: What’s in the $858 Billion Defense Policy Bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The bill would provide a 4.6% pay raise for soldiers and raise the housing allowance by 2%. Senate lawmakers are expected to pass a $858 billion defense policy bill that authorizes U.S. military leaders to purchase new weapons and increase pay for troops. The 4,408-page National Defense Authorization Act contains hundreds of smaller policy proposals as lawmakers steer top Defense Department officials toward key priorities. What does the NDAA do on pay raises for troops? The bill would approve a 4.6% pay raise for military service members and Defense Department civilians, and increase the housing allowance for service members by 2%.

☆ Senate to Vote on $858 Billion Defense-Policy Bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Chuck Schumer said lawmakers could vote later Thursday on the National Defense Authorization Act. WASHINGTON—Senate lawmakers are preparing to vote on a $858 billion defense policy bill as early as Thursday and could consider measures that would speed up environmental reviews of major energy projects and reinstate military members who were fired for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said that lawmakers could vote later in the day on the National Defense Authorization Act, which would increase America’s total national security budget by roughly 10% from last year’s $778 billion authorization bill.

☆ Senate Passes $858 Billion Defense-Policy Bill and Stopgap Spending Fix
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Senate passed a bipartisan $858 billion defense-policy bill on Thursday that authorizes U.S. military leaders to purchase new weapons, increases pay for service members and ends the Pentagon’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate, checking a major item off Congress’s year-end to-do list. Lawmakers voted 83-11 to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which would increase America’s total national security budget by roughly 10% from last year’s $778 billion authorization bill. The proposal, which typically draws strong bipartisan support, needed at least 60 votes to pass the Senate.

☆ Senate Passes $858 Billion Defense-Policy Bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Senate passed an $858 billion defense-policy bill on Thursday that authorizes U.S. military leaders to purchase new weapons and would increase pay for service members, checking a major item off Congress’s year-end to-do list. Lawmakers voted 83-11 to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which would increase America’s total national security budget by roughly 10% from last year’s $778 billion authorization bill. The proposal, which typically draws strong bipartisan support, needed at least 60 votes to pass the Senate.

☆ Senate Closes in on $858 Billion Defense-Policy Bill Vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Senate lawmakers worked to finalize plans for a vote on a $858 billion defense policy bill Thursday, and the chamber could consider measures that would speed up environmental reviews of major energy projects and reinstate military members who were fired for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said that lawmakers could vote later in the day on the National Defense Authorization Act, which would increase America’s total national security budget roughly 10% from last year’s $778 billion authorization bill. But there was late wrangling on changes sought by some lawmakers over provisions that had been left out of the 4,408-page legislation, including a cap on fees for lawyers representing military members who drank tainted water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Of seven new dams planned in Laos, at least four are co-financed by Chinese companies, according to Mekong Dam Monitor data. 'WAKE-UP CALL'Farmers in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta region were not prepared for the speed at which their landscape - and fortunes - have changed. The Mekong River Commission estimated in 2018 that total sediment flow by now would be around 47 million tonnes per year. "Mainstream dams catch everything," said economist Brian Eyler at the Stimson Center, which runs the Mekong Dam Monitor. The Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams in Laos are the most recent to come online, with Xayaburi the largest on the entire Mekong River.

☆ Rising climate costs to challenge countries, companies in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Katy Daigle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nowhere was this more apparent than at the U.N. climate conference in Egypt, where countries reached a landmark agreement to set up a fund to help poor countries cope with climate-fueled disaster costs. Even Hayhoe and others warning about the dangers of climate change didn't escape censure, with some activists laying into them for flying to conferences or eating meat. As of today, there are 2,176 climate-related lawsuits in play across the world, including 654 filed in U.S. courtrooms, according to the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. And scientists and economists are making further advances in calculating exactly how much a country's activity may have contributed to climate change – and to specific disasters. With the new year, expect more public anxiety as climate change continues to escalate – and more worry among companies and governments over liability and risk.

☆ Analysis: Protecting 30% of the planet to save nature is not as simple as it sounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

More than 110 countries have come out in support of the 30-by-30 goal, including Canada, the United States and France. But as is often the case with science-based policy, the details matter to whether a 30% global conservation goal can truly save the world's imperiled species and places. "They would like to be able to leave Montreal and say we're going to protect 30% of the planet. "If we do things the right way, we protect most biodiversity by being smart — by protecting the areas that matter." Were such countries to protect only 30% of their territories, that could actually result in a significant loss of nature.

☆ Congress Faces Deadline for Keeping Government Funded
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lawmakers must overcome a partisan deadlock to agree on the terms of a full-year spending bill. WASHINGTON—Congressional leaders are set to return to the Capitol on Monday under pressure to negotiate a spending bill that would fund the federal government’s operations beyond Friday. Negotiators have days to reach a deal on a full-year spending bill or pass a short-term measure delaying the deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. To reach a longer-term deal, they will have to break the partisan deadlock between Republicans and Democrats, who are split over $26 billion in nondefense spending.

☆ Investor group launches campaign to help companies protect nature
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Expert Analysis | Reuters Professional | Calls Grow For Companies To Disclose Impacts On Nature In Bid To Plug Finance Gap | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Luis EcheverriaMONTREAL, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Here's the plan: Select 100 companies whose business burdens nature. Such is the vision of a campaign called "Nature Action 100" launched on Sunday by 11 investment firms hoping to encourage companies to help preserve ecosystems that support more than half the world's economic output. "The aim of Nature Action 100 is to engage those companies that have the highest impact on nature, not only to protect the natural environment but also to mitigate the risks these companies face from mounting pressure to effectively address biodiversity issues," Wearmouth said in a statement. The list of 100 companies will be published next year. Nature Action 100 would seek to select 100 companies for investors to focus on in suggesting how the private sector can navigate any new rules and monitoring their progress, the group said.

For decades, searching for such hard-to-reach plants and collecting samples was carried out by intrepid botanists who rappelled by rope down dangerous cliffs to hunt for what was lost. Now, we may have a little more time before extinction.”DIRE SITUATIONToday, two in five plant species globally are threatened with extinction. Kauai has 250 plant species that can be found only on the island. To protect species in the long run, botanists need to collect samples — seeds and genetic material — which they can cultivate in greenhouse nurseries. They might even use drones to bomb down collected seeds, packing them into sticky fertilizer balls that can adhere to steep cliffs.

☆ Activists dressed as birds and trees rally for nature at COP15 in Montreal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People take part in a march during the opening of COP15, the two-week U.N. Biodiversity summit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada December 10, 2022. REUTERS/Christinne MuschiMONTREAL, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people on Saturday braved sub-zero temperatures to march the streets of Montreal, the host city of this year's U.N. biodiversity summit, demanding a strong new deal to protect nature worldwide. Wearing costumes to look like birds, trees and caribou, activists said the COP15 summit could fail to meet the urgency of the issue, with about 1 million plant, insect and other animal species now threatened with extinction. Arkilaus Kladit, a member of the Knasaimos-Tehit tribe, traveled to Montreal from West Papua, Indonesia. Countries' ministers join the negotiations next week in Montreal with the hope of adopting a deal to guide conservation through 2030 and beyond.

☆ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Leaves Democratic Party to Become Independent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Eliza Collins | Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said she was leaving the Democratic Party and would register as an independent, a move that complicates Democrats’ narrow control of the chamber. “I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington,” she wrote in an opinion article in the Arizona Republic. “I registered as an Arizona independent.”

☆ New Tax on Buybacks Is Weeks Away, but Finance Chiefs Aren’t Too Worried
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

A new corporate tax on stock buybacks hasn’t worried finance chiefs enough for them to rethink their strategy. For Bolingbrook, Ill.-based Ulta Beauty Inc., a maker of beauty products, the impact of the tax will be minimal, finance chief Scott Settersten said. The company’s board in March authorized a new buyback program that enables Ulta Beauty to repurchase up to $2 billion in shares. It is set to be levied on net buybacks, meaning total shares repurchased minus new shares issued during the year. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS How will the new tax on stock buybacks affect company repurchase plans in the years ahead?

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☆ House Set to Vote on Legislation Protecting Same-Sex Marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—House lawmakers are expected to vote Thursday on legislation that would cement same-sex marriage rights into federal law, a Democratic-led measure that has moved through Congress with some Republican support despite misgivings among conservatives. Supporters said the proposal, if passed, would mark the most significant gay-rights measure to pass in Congress since lawmakers agreed in 2010 to repeal the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which required gay service members to keep their sexual orientation to themselves.

☆ House Passes Bill Protecting Same-Sex Marriage, Sending It to Biden’s Desk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Supporters of same-sex marriage say the Respect for Marriage Act marks the most significant gay-rights legislation to pass in Congress in more than a decade. WASHINGTON—House lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that would cement same-sex marriage rights into federal law, a Democratic-led measure that has moved through Congress with some Republican support despite misgivings among conservatives. The vote was 258 to 169, with all Democrats present joined by 39 Republicans in backing the measure. It now goes to President Biden for his signature.

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