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☆ What Does ‘Made in America’ Mean? In Green Energy, Billions Hinge on the Answer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Phred Dvorak | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Qcells, a South Korean company, makes solar panels at a Dalton, Ga., factory and intends to expand into panel components such as solar cells. Virginia-based power company AES Corp. says it is ready to push the button on a solar-panel order of more than $1 billion if a manufacturer will commit to building a factory in the U.S. If that factory gets built, AES can buy its panels and apply for federal subsidies recently made available to clean-energy developers that use equipment made in the U.S.

☆ What Does ‘Made in America’ Mean? In Green Energy, Billions Hinge on the Answer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Phred Dvorak | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ TikTok CEO got grilled by lawmakers from both parties on whether the Chinese-owned app can protect American privacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Welcome to the most bipartisan committee in Congress," boomed Rep. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., noted this was the 32nd hearing Congress has held on privacy and Big Tech. A ban or forced sale of the app, which some members think is the only way to solve the immediate risks, is another matter. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) is reviewing ByteDance's acquisition of TikTok's predecessor app, Musical.ly. Or, the government could find other ways to try to ban the app.

☆ Despite mass layoffs led by Meta, it's still hard to hire the right tech talent
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Kevin Travers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Even so, it's harder to find and retain tech talent, according to a survey of 1,000 human resources professionals by General Assembly, a professional placement and talent recruitment firm. "I think it's better for tech talent because they are not confined to looking for a job at a 'tech company,'" she said. Create a vision, not just a jobParticularly when it comes to specialized talent, companies have to be intentional. It's about listeningColangelo said success in hiring tech talent comes down to listening well. As for the overall tech talent market, Colangelo said the supply and demand equation may be coming back into better balance.

☆ China's Shein set to raise $2 billion in new funding round, aims for U.S. IPO later this year, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters reports the fast fashion retailer is targeting a U.S. IPO in the second half of 2023. Shein cut its valuation to $64 billion in this fundraising, down by a third from a funding round a year ago, according to six sources with knowledge of the matter. All sources declined to be identified as the information was confidential. Shein said it does not currently have plans for an IPO and declined to comment further. Shein, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chris Xu, has grown into one of the world's largest online fashion marketplaces since its 2008 launch in Nanjing.

☆ House Republicans target the CFPB as the agency takes aim at 'junk fees'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers discussed ways to reform, or altogether defund, the nation's foremost consumer protection agency on Thursday, as the regulator takes aim at illegal "junk fees" levied on consumers. GOP lawmakers in the hearing criticized the Biden administration's push to eradicate "junk fees," largely regulated by the CFPB. On Wednesday, the agency released a list of illegal junk fees encompassing deposit accounts; auto and mortgage loan servicing; and payday and title lending. Subcommittee member Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., said Chopra has used junk fees as an excuse to expand his authority. The CFPB's working definition of junk fees is "any fee they don't like," argued Devin Watkins, an attorney at the conservative-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute.

A CHINESE COMPANY? Those rules followed a regulatory crackdown that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese companies to a trickle. Chinese companies raised only around $230 million in U.S. listings last year, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021, according to Refinitiv data. It was not immediately clear if SHEIN is planning to officially seek Chinese regulatory approval for its IPO. The moves were designed so that SHEIN could bypass seeking Chinese regulatory approval for the listing, sources have previously said.

☆ House Democrats push back against GOP bill to abolish IRS, impose national sales tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — Three Democrats in the U.S. House introduced a measure to push back against a controversial Republican tax proposal that would abolish the IRS, eliminate income taxes and impose a national sales tax. House Republicans introduced the Fair Tax Act in January shortly after Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, was voted in as speaker. The three Democrats introduced a House resolution opposing a national sales tax on working families and, instead, supporting a tax cut to benefit middle-class families. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., who introduced the Fair Tax Act, said it would simplify the tax code. Pettersen said the sales tax would hurt the most those who are unable to save, such as seniors and low-income families.

☆ Where Restrictions on Abortion Pills Could Matter Most
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Allison Mccann | Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Abortion providers in the United States A United States map shows the location of abortion providers in states without abortion bans. total abortions Medication abortions 71,700 61,500 58% 37,500 32,100 28,800 29,500 41% 61% 60% 51% 52% Florida New York Georgia Pa. Mich. N.C. N.J. Ohio Wash. Mass. Some ways the ruling could affect the availability of abortion pills A flowchart shows possible outcomes from a judge’s ruling and highlights how abortion pills could remain available under some scenarios. Even if the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, abortion pills could remain available. The foundation’s Wichita, Kansas, clinic sees more than 500 patients a month, many from Texas, and 60 percent choose abortion pills.

☆ Key Georgia election official rips Marjorie Taylor Greene 'conspiracies' after tense meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A top election official in Georgia took aim at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for spreading "disproven conspiracies" after she falsely claimed during a House panel on election integrity that former President Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 election. Sterling, who came into the national spotlight when he denounced false claims of election fraud in Georgia after the 2020 election, was one of several elections officers who appeared Tuesday before the GOP-led House Election Integrity Caucus. Greene then made the repeatedly disproven assertion that there were "thousands" of dead voters whose ballots were counted in Georgia. "I'm going to follow up with one more thing: Trump won Georgia," Greene said, before voicing more election conspiracies, including the debunked claim that "suitcases" full of ballots were secretly scanned in Atlanta. Trump never conceded the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.

☆ How the Allman Brothers Band Helped Make Jimmy Carter President
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Alan Paul | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

News that Jimmy Carter , 98, has entered hospice care sparked an outpouring of appreciation and admiration from many corners, including the fans and surviving members of the Allman Brothers Band. The group played a crucial role in his bid for the 1976 Democratic nomination and then the presidency. “The Allman Brothers helped put me in the White House by raising money when I didn’t have any,” Mr. Carter said in the documentary film “Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President.”As the then-governor of Georgia began his presidential campaign in early 1974, the Macon, Ga.-based band was the most popular act in the nation, riding high on their hit album “Brothers and Sisters” and its smash single “Ramblin’ Man.” The band’s co-frontman Gregg Allman was emerging as a national celebrity, a status sealed by his 1975 marriage to Cher.

☆ Supply-Chain Headaches Ease for Many Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Paul Berger | Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Supply-chain snarls are fading from among the top challenges facing some U.S. companies as freight congestion eases, shipping costs fall and factories in Asia are freed from Covid-19 lockdowns. The rising costs and lengthy transit times pushed some companies to cut back on slower-selling products and raise prices. Today, freight congestion has cleared and ocean shipping costs have fallen close to prepandemic levels. Mr. Bergman said the decline was “partially offset by 40 basis points of favorable supply-chain impact driven by lower freight costs, which more than offset product cost headwinds during the quarter.”Some companies said they still have a way to go before supply-chain challenges are resolved. And Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Jim Farley told a virtual town hall on Feb. 9 that supply-chain problems were continuing to hamper the company’s progress.

☆ GOP lawmakers vilify ESG moves at BlackRock, Vanguard but take their money nonetheless
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But Republicans have vilified BlackRock, Vanguard Group and State Street for leading the push on Wall Street to promote clean energy and what GOP lawmakers often title "left-wing social priorities." Still, many Republican lawmakers received money from the very firms their party is criticizing. It was the third election cycle in a row that both lawmakers took donations from the firm's PAC. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., received $10,000 from BlackRock and a combined $6,500 from Vanguard and State Street in the 2022 cycle. Huizenga's spokesman Brian Patrick said the donations won't affect the lawmaker's position on ESG issues.

☆ As Jimmy Carter Enters Hospice Care, Former President’s Hometown Reflects on Native Son
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | Photographs Nicole Craine For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PLAINS, Ga.—Many in this southwest Georgia hamlet of about 550 people have met its most famous son, Jimmy Carter —at stores, festivals, church or just on the street. “He’d stop and talk to people, didn’t matter who you were,” said Meshia Williams, 54 years old, who has lived in Plains most of her life. “He would sit down with you, play with your baby.”

☆ As Jimmy Carter Begins Hospice Care, Former President’s Hometown Reflects on Native Son
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | Photographs Nicole Craine For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Georgia Grand Jury Cites Possible Perjury in Trump Election Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fulton County, Ga., Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had ordered the release of some excerpts of the report. ATLANTA—A judge on Thursday released parts of a special grand-jury report saying unidentified witnesses may have lied to jurors investigating former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. “A majority of the Grand Jury believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it,” one excerpt of a report written by the jurors and released by the judge said. “The grand jury recommends that the District Attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.”

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.

☆ The top 10 best U.S. cities for STEM careers, according to new research
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Despite recent mass tech layoffs , STEM careers have remained in high demand — and some cities are better than others for professionals in the field. Seattle, WATotal Score: 70.82Professional opportunities ranking: 1Quality of life ranking: 222. Austin, TXTotal Score: 67.33Professional opportunities ranking: 2Quality of life ranking: 103. Sacramento, CATotal Score: 60.16Professional opportunities ranking: 38Quality of life ranking: 32According to Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst, most of these cities have consistently remained the best places for STEM careers for almost a decade. The recent layoffs have only affected a small part of the total labor force and the STEM field encompasses more areas than just tech.

☆ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is cleaning up her image and cozying up with GOP leadership to gain power. It's working.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is cozying up with GOP leadership after two years of being an outsider. Two years later, under Republican leadership, she's angling herself into positions of power. It's clear she's learned valuable lessons from two of her GOP colleagues, Rep. Lauren Boebert and former Rep. Madison Cawthorn. In spite of this, Gingrich ultimately gained prominence among the GOP, becoming the Republican whip and later speaker of the House. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia takes a selfie with Kevin McCarthy after his election as speaker of the House.

☆ An Augusta Living Room Design With the Masters in Mind
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Laura Hine | Laura Hin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Designer Lauren Robbins had two potentially conflicting goals for the large living room in the new construction house she was working on in a gated community that is just minutes from Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Ga. Like many of his neighbors, the homeowner, who is an intelligence consultant, rents his house out for the week during the Masters Tournament, so the living area needed to be great for entertaining. However, the majority of the time, it’s just the homeowner, who’s a divorced father, and his two sons, so the living room also needed to feel approachable and warm. Ms. Robbins’s solution to both needs was to make the room very symmetrical. “As big as the room is, it feels balanced and comfortable,” she said. “It has a timeless appeal, but still has some curious and interesting pieces that are conversation starters.”

The notion that powerful forces control the world in part with the careful deployment of body doubles is a long-standing conspiracy theory. As a medical team worked on him, anti-vaccine activists flooded social media sites with unfounded claims that a vaccine was somehow to blame. Hamlin’s injury came during a surge in anti-vaccine misinformation that attributes any recent death, without evidence, to vaccines. Much of the misinformation came from a handful of serial misinformers, including longtime anti-vaccine activists, conspiracy theorists and podcasters. While still recovering, Hamlin has tweeted a photo of himself in front of a mural painted in his honor., seemingly winking at the conspiracy theory.

President Joe Biden on Thursday is expected to criticize the fiscal proposals of House Republicans in his first major economic speech of the year, which he will deliver at a steamfitters union hall in Springfield, Virginia. Biden will talk about his goals of growing the U.S. economy with new factories and construction in communities across the country and creating well-paying jobs for the middle class that don’t require a four-year degree, a White House official said. Biden also is expected to announce a new “Invest in America” Cabinet comprised of the secretaries of commerce, labor, transportation, treasury, energy, and health and human services; the EPA administrator; and senior White House advisers, a White House official told NBC News. In his remarks, Biden will contend that the House GOP's economic agenda would pose a threat to the economy and the working class, the official said. Biden is expected to characterize the House GOP’s economic proposals as a “MAGA economic plan,” the White House official said — a reference to former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” 2016 campaign slogan.

WASHINGTON — Republicans, newly empowered with a House majority, are demanding spending cuts as a price for lifting the debt ceiling and averting a catastrophic default on U.S. debt. Republicans are divided over whether Medicare and Social Security spending should be on the chopping block. Jose Luis Magana / APLuna said she wants to do it without tax increases or Social Security or Medicare cuts. The White House has vowed that Biden won’t grant concessions on the debt limit and that paying the country’s bills is non-negotiable. But I think we’ve got to also honor our commitment to Americans when it comes to Social Security and Medicare,” Garcia continued.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is angling to be Donald Trump's running mate in 2024, according to two people who have spoken to the firebrand second-term congresswoman about her ambitions. "She sees herself on the short list for Trump's VP. A second source who has advised Greene said her "whole vision is to be vice president." The source, who has ties to Trump but spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, said he also believes Greene would be on Trump's short list. McCarthy stood by Greene at the time, facilitating the development of a political alliance.

☆ Georgia Judge Hears Arguments on Releasing Grand-Jury Report on Trump Election Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jan Wolfe | Cameron Mcwhirter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Then President Donald Trump rallied supporters at a campaign event in Rome, Ga., in November 2020. ATLANTA—A judge heard arguments Tuesday over whether to publicly release the findings of a special grand jury that investigated former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis , the state prosecutor in Atlanta leading the investigation, said prosecutorial decisions are imminent and urged the judge to hold off on publicly releasing a report by the special grand jury that summarizes its findings. She said public disclosure at this time would undermine her office’s investigation.

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