DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Opinion | What to Keep in Mind About Mitt Romney
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Reading the recent excerpt from McKay Coppins’s forthcoming biography of Mitt Romney of Utah, I was struck by the depth of the senator’s contempt and disdain for much of the Republican Party, including many of his colleagues in the Senate. He saved his harshest words, however, for those Republican senators who would do or say anything for political power and influence. What bothered Romney most about Hawley and his cohort was the oily disingenuousness. Hawley and Cruz “were making a calculation,” Romney told me, “that put politics above the interests of liberal democracy and the Constitution.”As for the latest crop of Republicans, Romney had this to say: “I don’t know that I can disrespect someone more than J.D. Romney was, after all, the first senator in American history to ever vote to remove a president of his own party from office.

Persons: McKay, Mitt Romney, “, Trump, ” Coppins, smarmily, ” Romney, Romney, Hawley, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, ”, Cruz “, Vance, Donald Trump Organizations: Republican Party, Senate, ” Locations: Utah

Romney, who was the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, has long been a rare member of the Republican party who has been an outspoken critic of Trump. He ran as the Republican Party nominee in the 2012 presidential race and lost to Barack Obama, who was then the Democratic incumbent. Donald Trump calls global warming a hoax, and President Biden offers feel-good solutions that make no difference to the global climate. On China, President Biden underinvests in the military and President Trump underinvests in our alliances,” he said. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell praised Romney in a statement reacting to the news.

Persons: Utah Republican Sen, Mitt Romney, ”, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Romney, “, Biden, Trump, Trump’s, ” Romney, I’m, McKay Coppins, Coppins, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, ’ ” Romney, Vance, ’ ” Coppins, acquit Trump, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Barack Obama, Biden underinvests, Trump underinvests, Mitch McConnell, ” McConnell Organizations: CNN, Utah Republican, Senate, Republican, Biden, U.S . Senate, Democratic, Republican Party, Trump Locations: Utah, ”, States, U.S, West Virginia, Massachusetts, China

Is there an election coming up by any chance?”While some individual schools and colleges have implemented temporary mask requirements, there is no sign that anyone in federal or state leadership is considering widespread COVID-19 restrictions, requirements or mask mandates. “No COVID-19 public health restrictions or mask requirements are being considered by the Murphy administration," said Christi Peace, spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. It was largely the same message from Democratic governors’ offices in several other states that responded to an inquiry about whether any COVID-19 mandates were under consideration. “Currently, COVID-19 lockdowns and mask mandates are not being discussed and the governor has no plans to institute these measures,” she said. Reinstated mask requirements across the country have so far been limited to a handful of local schools and businesses.

Persons: It's, Ron DeSantis, ”, Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Donald Trump, Biden, ” Trump, Murphy, Phil Murphy, Jodi McGinnis Porter, Josh Shapiro, Kathy Hochul, Elisabeth Shephard, Tina Kotek, “, Alex Jones, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Joe Biden’s, ” Biden, they’ve, Sen, J.D, Vance of, Democratic Sen, Ed Markey, Greene, Lisa Fazio, Tate Reeves, Nicky Forster, Joey Cappelletti, Mike Catalini, Jill Colvin, John Hanna, Maysoon Khan, Seung Min Kim, Steve LeBlanc, Morgan Lee, Marc Levy, Lisa Mascaro, Andrew Selsky Organizations: Florida Gov, Republicans, New Jersey Gov, New, New Mexico Department of Public Health, Oregon . Pennsylvania, Democrat, Democratic, New York Gov, TSA, Transportation Security, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Republican, Morris Brown College, CDC, White House, Massachusetts, Vanderbilt University, Press, Associated Press, AP Locations: ”, Carolina, Rapid City , South Dakota, New Mexico, Kansas , Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, California, New York, COVID, Colorado, Atlanta, Georgia, South Lake, Maryland, Vance of Ohio, Mississippi

☆ Senate Republicans Grill S.E.C. Chair on Pace of Rule Making
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Matthew Goldstein | More About Matthew Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Gensler said the S.E.C. A rule governing climate change disclosures has been delayed, Mr. Gensler said, partly because the S.E.C. “We’re updating our rules to promote the efficiency, integrity and resiliency of the markets,” said Mr. Gensler, who appeared before the committee for about two hours. In response to questions about digital assets, Mr. Gensler said the cryptocurrency market faced “significant noncompliance” and was “rife for fraud.”The most heated moment of the hearing came when Senator J.D. “Have you ever spoken to anyone at the White House about your investigation of Donald Trump’s Truth Social?” Mr. Vance asked Mr. Gensler.

Persons: Gensler, ”, J.D, Vance, Mr, Donald J, “, Donald Trump’s Organizations: Republican, Truth, Trump, White House Locations: Ohio

☆ US Steel, once a symbol of America’s economic might, is now for sale in the bargain bin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Pittsburgh-based company formed in 1901 as a merger of the nation’s leading steel companies — including Carnegie Steel Corp. — and was engineered by financier J.P. Morgan. But, in recent years, US Steel’s fallen far below other American steel companies in steel output and stock market value. (Last year, US Steel shipped only 11.2 million tons of steel from its US operations and had just under 15,000 US employees.) That compares to 14.49 million metric tons from US Steel, including its operations in Europe, which rank 27th in the world for 2022, according to the World Steel Association. Bradford said all along the way, US Steel and other US integrated steelmaking rivals with storied names such as Bethlehem Steel, Inland Steel and LTV Steel underestimated the competitive challenge that they faced from overseas and mini-mills at home.

Persons: J.P, Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, eyeing, ”, Charles Bradford, “ It’s, ” Bradford, Nucor, Bradford, Walt, Joe Biden, Biden, what’s, he’s, Sen, J.D, Vance Organizations: New, New York CNN, US Steel Corp, US Steel, Steel, titans, Carnegie Steel Corp, United Nations, Homestead, US Steel's Carnegie, Illinois Steel Corp, Bettmann, Atlantic, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Post, Gazette, US, Fairfield Works, . Steel, World Steel Association . US Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Inland Steel, LTV Steel, Dow Jones, Walt Disney, JPMorgan, Co, Street, LTV, Reuters, Cliffs, The United Steelworkers, Ohio Republican Locations: New York, Pittsburgh, United States, Europe, Japan, Germany, Fairfield Works ., Charlotte, America, Bethlehem, steelmakers, China, India, Korea, Inland, Cleveland, Ohio

☆ Meet the New IRS, Same as the Old IRS
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( J.D. Vance | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel speaks at an event in McLean, Va., Aug. 2. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesThe Internal Revenue Service recently tried to reinvent itself. Earlier this year, outfitted with an additional $80 billion and 87,000 new agents, the agency unveiled a new set of priorities for the next eight years. Its Strategic Operating Plan promises to “deliver transformational change for taxpayers” while improving services and quickly resolving enforcement issues. That may sound too good to be true—because it is.

Persons: Daniel Werfel, Alex Wong Organizations: Internal Revenue Service, ” Locations: McLean , Va

☆ US Senator Vance asks US Steel to rule out foreign buyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Bianca Flowers | Thomson Reuters | Bianca Flowers Is An Award-Winning Multimedia Journalist Based In Chicago Where She Reports On The Backbone Of The U.S. Labor Market. She Covers Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Steel workers at U.S. Steel Granite City Works in Granite City, Illinois, U.S., May 24, 2018. Vance on Thursday asked U.S. Steel (CLF.N) to rule out a foreign buyer, in a sign that the emerging bidding war for the iconic steel producer could run into political headwinds. Vance, a Republican, said potential U.S. buyers for the Pittsburgh-based company should have priority because domestic steel production is an important aspect of national security. "It appears to be political grandstanding from somebody out making a name for themselves more than any national security interest, said Spoores, principal analyst at CRU Group. Vance was elected to the Senate in 2022 after winning the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, a Republican who also pushed for greater domestic steel production.

Persons: Lawrence Bryant, J.D, Vance, David Burritt, David Sutherland, Josh Spoores, Spoores, Donald Trump, Bianca Flowers, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Steel, U.S . Steel, U.S . Steel Granite City, REUTERS, Thursday, Republican, . Steel, Reuters, Industry, CRU Group, The United Steelworkers Union, Senate, Thomson Locations: U.S . Steel Granite, Granite City , Illinois, U.S, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Luxembourg, Ohio, Chicago

☆ US Senate Democrats push 'Buy America' bills ahead of tough 2024 elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - Facing uphill re-election battles in 2024, vulnerable Senate Democrats are pushing legislation that promotes "Buy America" policies, attempting to bolster their party on a brand of economic populism they hope will keep them in the majority. The Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday advanced a bill from Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican Senator J.D. "There's definitely momentum," Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan and chair of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a galvanizing force. Buy America policies are "mom-and-apple pie issues with American voters" that have "virtually universal support," Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said. Buy America bills often run in to opposition from corporate-minded lawmakers and pro-business associations.

Persons: Tammy Baldwin, J.D, Vance, Sherrod Brown's, Baldwin, Gary Peters, Donald Trump, Scott Paul, there's, Nick Iacovella, Trump's, Iacovella, Brown, Trump, Joe Biden, John Murphy, Moira Warburton, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Democratic, U.S, Navy, Democrat, Senate Democrats, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Coalition for, Voters, Brown, Trump, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Reuters, Thomson Locations: United States, Michigan, Ohio , Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, China, America, Ohio, Baldwin, Wisconsin, Bush, Trump, Washington

☆ Blinken Calls Blockade of Diplomatic Nominees a National Security Risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Michael Crowley | More About Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vance of Ohio, have also blocked nominees for different reasons. “These delays are undermining our national security,” Mr. Blinken told reporters during an unusual appearance at the State Department’s daily news media briefing. The overwhelming majority of the stalled State Department nominees are career diplomats, and more than a third have been awaiting votes for about a year or more, he added. The aide noted that the vacancies put the United States at a disadvantage in its global competition with China, which many Republicans call their top foreign policy priority. Beijing has ambassadors in dozens of foreign capitals where the United States lacks them, the aide said.

Persons: Rand Paul of Kentucky, Biden, Ted Cruz of, Vance of, Mr, Blinken, ”, chargé d’affaires Organizations: State Department, Republican, State, Department, Democratic, Foreign Relations, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund Locations: Ted Cruz of Texas, Vance of Ohio, United States, China, Beijing

☆ Fed nominees stress importance of inflation, job mandates in Senate hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Michael S. Derby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since joining the Fed last year, Cook said she's worked with her colleagues to combat high inflation and if she is confirmed for more time at the Fed, Cook said that's how she will continue to work. Cook attended the hearing with Philip Jefferson, a Fed governor nominated to become vice chair, and Adriana Kugler, the U.S. executive director to the World Bank who has been nominated to fill a governor slot. Kugler is prospectively the first-ever Latina to serve on the Fed in its just over a century long history. "I spent my childhood in Colombia, where in the late 1970s and early 80s inflation was very high, hovering about 25%. The three nominees did not offer any guidance about what they think the Fed should do with monetary policy beyond affirming the importance of bringing inflation back to the 2% target.

Persons: Philip Jefferson, Lisa Cook, Adriana Kugler, Read, Cook, she's, Vance, Kugler, Jefferson, Tim Scott, Michael S, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Federal, Federal Reserve, Capitol, U.S, Banking Committee, Fed, World Bank, Republican, South Carolina Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ohio, Colombia

☆ Mailbag: Does Trump Represent Half the Country?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nate Cohn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

I suppose it must be good news for the Nats at some level, but the Mets weren’t really their problem. Books by candidatesI previously mentioned that I don’t read books by aspiring presidential candidates. Of course, someone is unlikely to read a book by a candidate unless they are somewhat interested in that person. — Angie BoyterWhen I wrote that I don’t read a presidential candidate’s book, I was mainly thinking about the genre of political books written by someone just about to run for president. They largely go unread, but they offer an excuse for TV producers to book a presidential hopeful on their shows.

Persons: Haley, Nikki Haley — David Newberger, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis isn’t, Asa, Asa Hutchinson’s, — Merideth Tomlinson, I’m, Barack Obama, ” …, Angie Boyter, Obama’s, ”, ” —, Obama, Vance’s Organizations: Mets, Washington Nationals Locations: Arkansas

☆ Federal Policy on Homelessness Becomes New Target of the Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jason Deparle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vance, Republican of Ohio, used two recent hearings to argue that Housing First ignores the root causes of homelessness. The Cicero Institute, a Texas policy group, is promoting model state legislation that bars Housing First programs from receiving state funds. The escalating war over an obscure social service doctrine is partly an earnest policy dispute and partly an old-fashioned rivalry between groups seeking federal funds. “When people have a safe and stable place to live, they can address other things in their lives. If critics succeed in defunding these successful programs, we’re going to see a lot more deaths on the street.”

Persons: J.D, Vance, Donald J, Trump, Joe Lonsdale, ”, Ann Oliva Organizations: Republican, Cicero Institute, Democratic, National Alliance Locations: Ohio, Texas, “

☆ Republicans Against Inequality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Vance, the Ohio Republican, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts progressive, have collaborated on a bill to claw back executive pay at failed banks. The two worked through the details through in-person conversations, weekend phone calls and late-night texts. Rubio this month published a book, “Decades of Decadence,” that criticizes the past 30 years of globalization. Tomorrow afternoon, these four Republican senators — Cotton, Rubio, Vance and Young — will speak at an event on Capitol Hill that’s meant to highlight the emergence of a populist conservative movement in economics. Cass is right about that: Income growth for most families has been sluggish for decades, trailing well behind economic growth.

Persons: J.D, Vance, Elizabeth Warren, Marco Rubio, Rubio, Todd Young, Tom Cotton of, Biden, — Cotton, Young —, ”, Oren Cass, Mitt Romney, Cass, ” Cass Organizations: Ohio Republican, Todd Young of Indiana, Capitol, Conservative, American Locations: Massachusetts, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tom Cotton of Arkansas

☆ Fact Check-No evidence Sen. John Thune is holding DOJ nominees in response to Trump indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vance announced a hold of all Department of Justice (DOJ) nominees on June 13. 2 Republican John Thune is holding DOJ appointments in response to federal charges against former President Donald Trump. Republicans have condemned the Justice Department for the charges over Trump’s handling of classified documents, Reuters reported (here), (here). Ryan Wrasse, communications director for Thune, said the claim that Thune is holding DOJ nominees is “completely false.” Wrasse also addressed this in a June 13 tweet (here). There is no public evidence of Thune holding DOJ nominees in response to the Trump indictment, and Thune’s spokesperson has denied the claim.

Persons: J.D, Vance, Republican John Thune, Donald Trump, Trump, General Merrick Garland, Ryan Wrasse, Thune, ” Wrasse, Garland “, Joe Biden’s, ” Vance, “ Donald Trump, Merrick Garland, ” Merrick Garland, Vance’s, Biden’s, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump Jr, Read Organizations: Republican U.S, of Justice, Republican, Republicans, Justice Department, Reuters, Trump, DOJ, Department, Justice, Senate Locations: United States

☆ 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

☆ For companies, the stakes are high this Pride
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —Companies have long embraced Pride Month in June as an uncomplicated way to market to members of the LGBTQ+ community while telegraphing progressive values. Gavin Newsom called out Target’s CEO for “selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists.”The current landscape “is alarming,” Todd said. “That middle ground is going away.”So this year, companies that want to participate in Pride have to be prepared to take a real stance. Some of those lashing out have described a campaign against Pride itself, rather than Bud Light or Target (TGT) specifically. It won’t be worth whatever they think they’ll gain.”It’s no coincidence that the anti-trans assault comes as trans rights are under legal attack across the nation.

Persons: Bud Light, Bud Light’s Instagram, Bud, BUD, Eric Thayer, ”, Daniel Korschun, “, —, Jared Todd, Gavin Newsom, ” Todd, ” Korschun, Sen, J.D, Vance, J, Justin Sullivan, Anna Moneymaker, Matt Walsh, Sarah Kate Ellis, Ellis, Trevor, Seth Wenig, ” Ellis, Todd, It’s, didn’t, Colin Kaepernick, Drexel’s, Korschun, Jared Watson, ” Watson, Watson, Pattie Gonia, ’ ” Watson, ’ Organizations: New, New York CNN — Companies, Target, Bud Light, Anheuser, Busch, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Bloomberg, Getty, Drexel University, Wall Street, Foundation, Human Rights, HRC, California Gov, —, Pride, Twitter, HumanRights, UCLA School of Law, GLAAD, Morning, Nike, New York University, “ Locations: New York, Ohio, Target, California, America, New Jersey

☆ Sen. J.D. Vance on recent bank failures: FDIC 'changed the rules' in the middle of the game
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | 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 EmailSen. J.D. Vance on recent bank failures: FDIC 'changed the rules' in the middle of the gameSen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) joins 'Squawk Box' to preview the Senate Banking Committee's hearing on the failures of Silicon Valley and Signature Banks, his view on deposit guarantees, and more.

☆ These are the top Senate races to watch in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

They have reason to be hopeful: Democrats face a daunting 2024 Senate map that puts them on defense in 23 of the cycle's 34 races, including multiple seats considered ripe for GOP challenges. The grim outlook has some Senate Democrats considering retirement, even after the caucus expanded to a 51-49 majority following a better-than-expected showing in the midterms. Jim Justice, reportedly the state's richest man and one of its favored contenders for the Senate race. But the 2024 Senate race in Ohio is currently considered a toss-up, as Republicans have made significant gains in the state in the last two election cycles. Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report both say the Michigan Senate race leans Democratic.

When Thiel spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, he had more hope that the party would concentrate on economic issues, his business associate said. Four political sources also told Reuters that Thiel is taking a step back from U.S. politics. In 2012, Thiel backed libertarian lawmaker Ron Paul, and in 2016 he donated some $1.25 million to the campaign efforts of Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination. In the 2022 election cycle, however, Thiel emerged as a potential Republican kingmaker, contributing more than $35 million to 16 federal-level Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets. The business associate said he was not aware of any special proviso for former employees.

☆ After school shooting, some trans Tennesseans face backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Mykul Coscia, who performs drag as Eazy Love at Play, a night club, poses for a portrait after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 29, 2023. Even before the shooting, many transgender Tennesseans felt villainized by their state's efforts to regulate the lives of gay and trans people, and were increasingly fearful for their safety. Police identified the Nashville shooter as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, and initially referred to Hale as female. Every time there is a school shooting, Story VanNess said she has sleepless nights: she was a special education teacher in a Knoxville school for several years before becoming the director of trans and non-binary programs at Knox Pride. "We've had another school shooting but, because this shooter was trans, that's taken a back seat so politicians can demonize trans people.

☆ Senators unveil new rail safety bill in wake of toxic Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

John Fetterman and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sherrod Brown of Ohio – would build on provisions of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act. Brown and his fellow senator from Ohio, Republican J.D. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw endorsed parts of the bipartisan bill. The Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, released toxic chemicals into the environment. Shaw said Norfolk Southern would continue to support cleanup efforts in the area.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO told that railroads' planned voluntary safety improvements aren't enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw returns to Capitol Hill Wednesday facing pressure to support rail safety legislation proposed in the wake of his railroad’s massive toxic spill from a February 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. “We support legislative efforts to enhance the safety of the freight rail industry,” was the only discussion of the legislation in his prepared remarks. Shaw said the railroad would support increasing fines and penalties for people found tampering with railroad facilities and safety equipment, without endorsing proposals for potential fines on railroads found guilty of safety violations. They said residents who live near freight rail tracks can’t depend on the railroad’s voluntary measures to improve safety. Vance said it is important to raise the maximum fine for rail safety violations from the current limit of $225,455.

☆ Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's ties to billionaire George Soros are not as close as Republicans claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg moves to bring an expected indictment against Donald Trump, Republicans lawmakers leaping to the former president's defense have fixated on what they call Bragg's ties to billionaire George Soros. There is also no indication the Open Society Policy Center's donation was directed toward an eventual Color of Change campaign to influence Bragg. The funding from Soros' nonprofit was not targeted toward the campaign to support McCarter, the Color of Change official told CNBC. Open Society's website says the group's donation was intended "to support [Color of Change]'s social welfare activities" over the course of five years. Months before Bragg won a 2021 Democratic primary on his way to becoming Manhattan DA, George Soros' son, Jonathan, and his wife, combined to donate $20,000 to Bragg's campaign, state records show.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO says he supports parts of new rail safety bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Wednesday told senators that his railroad company supports parts of two bipartisan rail safety bills that came in the wake of a derailment last month of a train carrying toxic materials in Ohio. Shaw did not fully endorse the Railway Safety Act, which includes provisions calling for two-person crews on all railroad locomotives. "We're not aware of any data that links crew size with safety," Shaw said Wednesday. "There are significant opportunities for advanced technology to enhance rail safety, and we encourage Congress to consider additional research into on-board rail car defect detection technology." Ohio sued Norfolk Southern last week, seeking damages, civil penalties and a "declaratory judgement that Norfolk Southern is responsible," Attorney General Dave Yost said.

Search resuls for: "J.D. Vance"

25 mentions found