tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93119982024-03-18T23:02:00.373-07:00LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left CommentIt’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.comBlogger136542125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-62470956206698949292024-03-18T22:52:00.006-07:002024-03-18T22:52:32.686-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Poland’s LPP Sheds $3 Billion as Hindenburg Alleges Russia Ties</span></b><br /><br />Konrad Krasuski<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="354" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/leRNd_I9hMlUXBLtv_NNfw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/997104300c7b8f0645c5f4f153b055a1" width="530" /><br /><img height="336" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R2fu.ngVfwmeFHcdCjaMIA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYxNTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/23cab3b8177c7fe191c6944049ebb270" width="524" /><br /><img height="292" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FdSuf2hccTR4R9Tw6djLOA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/85586617c22ffe74ae82f904b03e4080" width="519" /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">(Bloomberg) -- Shares in one of eastern Europe’s biggest fashion retailers plunged 36% after activist short-seller Hindenburg Research said the Polish company’s withdrawal from Russia was a “sham.”<br /></span></b><br />Hindenburg’s report on Friday alleged LPP SA didn’t fully divest its Russia business as promised following the start of war in Ukraine two years ago and has been selling its goods there through third parties. The short-seller dispatched “secret shoppers” to Moscow and St. Petersburg stores which it said sold “identical” clothes to LPP’s.<br /><br />The stock plummeted the most on record, wiping out $3 billion in shareholder value in one day. The selloff pushed Warsaw’s blue chip WIG20 stocks gauge down by 2.5%, making it the world’s worst performer among more than 90 primary indexes tracked by Bloomberg.<br /><br />In a series of statements, LPP said it’s a victim of an “organized disinformation attack” that no longer owns or runs businesses in Russia and alerted Polish prosecutors about the matter. Still, investors remain concerned about LPP’s transparency and reputation.<br /><br />“Polish consumer sentiment may not be so forgiving as it likely assumed a cleaner break” from Russia, said Charles Allen, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.<br /><br />Russia was the biggest market for LPP following Poland until the retailer, which owns several brands including its flagship Reserved label, suspended its fast-growing operations in the country in March 2022.<br /><br />Two months later, it sold its Russian unit, with inventories, to a Chinese consortium, while pledging to support the buyer with logistics, IT and supplies on a temporary basis.<br /><br />“We think LPP devised an elaborate sham ‘divestment’ strategy to continue retailing in Russia while trying to fool investors and consumers in Poland, Ukraine, and its other markets into thinking otherwise,” Hindenburg, founded by Nate Anderson, said in its report.<br /><br />Hindenburg had a remarkable 2023, when it released reports on the empires of high-profile businessman Gautam Adani, followed by attacks on companies run by Jack Dorsey and Carl Icahn. Short-seller activists carry out investigations into companies and seek to make money when their findings depress the stock price.<br /><br />‘Identical Designs’<br /><br />Hindenburg said its “secret shoppers” in Russia’s two biggest cities had in December found and photographed garments with “identical designs and colors to fall/winter collections in LPP’s online catalogs in Poland.”<br /><br />This, according to the short-seller, indicated that LPP products were still “somehow making their way into Russia at least 18 months after the claimed divestiture.” It also accused LPP of using Kazakhstan as a backdoor to help supply stores in Russia, a claim denied by the retailer.<br /><br />LPP said on Friday that it had previously informed investors that as part of the sale agreement of its Russian business there would be a transition phase “during which the buyer successively assumes complete autonomy over the various business areas.” It added that this period would run out as late as in 2026.<br /><br />“The degree to which merchandise assortment overlaps between LPP’s core stores and the sold Russian units can be explained by transitory contractual obligations could reassure about reported revenue from new countries,” said Allen from Bloomberg Intelligence.<br /><br />The Gdansk, Poland-based company’s sales recovered swiftly after its exit from Russia, which was broadly attributed then by analysts to the reopening of shopping centers from pandemic shutdowns as well as new demand from Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.<br /><br />Strong public pressure pushed Polish companies to retreat quickly from Russia following the start of war in Ukraine in February 2022, with shoppers boycotting brands which failed to do so.<br /><br />LPP, controlled by the family trust of founder Marek Piechocki, has gained 10% this year before Friday’s tumble, compared with a 3% advanced by the WIG20. The company has 14 buy-equivalent ratings, one hold and two sell views, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.<br /><br />Following Friday’s collapse, the firm is the 10th biggest company by market value in Warsaw’s blue-stock index. On Thursday, it was the seventh.<br /><br />The import of food, essential items and clothes — with the exception of luxury goods — aren’t under any international sanctions in Russia. Products ranging from iPhones to Coca Cola and garments made by international producers continue to enter the Russian market through so-called parallel imports, when they are purchased and re-exported by third countries. Russia has imported $70 billion of goods using this mechanism since early 2022, the government said in December.<br /><br />Poland’s financial regulator KNF said in a statement that it was analyzing the situation in LPP, as it does whenever “there are doubts regarding the correctness of the performance of disclosure obligations by public companies or suspicion of manipulation of shares.”<br /><br />--With assistance from Piotr Bujnicki and Piotr Skolimowski.<br /><br />(Updates with closing market prices, new comments from LPP and analyst.)<br /><br />Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-38883966159197969632024-03-18T22:46:00.000-07:002024-03-18T22:46:01.627-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hertz’s electric vehicle and CEO about-face is the latest twist after a COVID bankruptcy filing and a deep relationship with Carl Icahn</span></b><br /><br />Steve Mollman<br />Sat, March 16, 2024<br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sIEbR9ftfXd1zNzyKw1okg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/fortune_175/596b6b1d50b5d044b028c4085d17fc07" width="400" /><br />F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images<br /><br />It seemed like a good idea at the time. Now we know better.<br /><br /><a href="https://fortune.com/company/hertz-global-holdings/">Hertz</a>, reeling from a bankruptcy and the pandemic, announced plans to buy 100,000 Teslas in late 2021. The <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-25/hertz-said-to-order-100-000-teslas-in-car-rental-market-shake-up">splashy move</a> certainly helped Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle maker, which saw its market cap surge past $1 trillion for the first time.<br /><br />Hertz enjoyed a bump in its market value as well, and the car-rental giant hired NFL star Tom Brady to show off its new fleet of Teslas.<br /><br />“How do we democratize access to electric vehicles? That’s a very important part of our strategy,” interim CEO Mark Fields said at the time. “Tesla is the only manufacturer that can produce EVs at scale.”<br /><br />But Hertz <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-25/hertz-said-to-order-100-000-teslas-in-car-rental-market-shake-up">paid close to list prices</a> for the Teslas, rather than demanding a large discount as car-rental giants often do. That decision would come back to bite it.<br /><br />Last year, Musk’s EV maker cut prices across its lineup to boost sales. That not only angered individual customers who’d recently bought a Tesla at a higher price, but it also crushed the resale value of Hertz’s used EVs.<br />'Elevated costs' of EVs<br /><br />This January, the rental giant revealed that it was selling off 20,000 electric vehicles, noting the costly depreciation, weak demand, and pricey repairs. It took a $245 million hit and suffered its steepest quarterly loss since the pandemic.<br /><br />“The elevated costs associated with EVs persisted,” Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr said at the time. “Efforts to wrestle it down proved to be more challenging.”<br /><br />This week, Hertz <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/03/15/ceo-steps-down-prices-following-purchase-teslas/">announced that</a> Scherr was stepping down and would be replaced by Gil West, the former COO of General Motors’ Cruise robotaxi unit. While Scherr took over after the Tesla deal, under his leadership Hertz continued its focus on EVs, placing orders for some with GM and Polestar.<br /><br />The ill-fated EV push followed a difficult stretch for Hertz that culminated in billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn unloading his substantial stake in the car-rental company in 2020 days after its bankruptcy. In 2014, Icahn had begun acquiring his stake in Hertz, which was struggling. He <a href="https://fortune.com/2014/09/11/hertz-so-good-for-icahn-activist-gets-three-nominees-on-car-rental-companys-board/">called Hertz</a> “a great brand” that he hoped would “return to its former glory,” and three of his allies soon had board seats, while the hunt for a new CEO began.<br /><br />After selling selling his stake, Icahn said, “Yesterday I sold my equity position at a significant loss, but this does not mean that I don’t continue to have faith in the future of Hertz.”<br /><br />The following year, the company announced the decision to buy Teslas. Now it's about to welcome yet another new CEO, again tasked with turning things around.</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-46279191650925098682024-03-18T22:44:00.005-07:002024-03-18T22:44:28.166-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">US appeals court temporarily pauses SEC climate disclosure rules<br /></span></b><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-us-appeals-court-temporarily-211812387.html#"></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=458584288257241&link=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2F1-us-appeals-court-temporarily-211812387.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dfb%26tsrc%3Dfb"></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=UPDATE%202-US%20appeals%20court%20temporarily%20pauses%20SEC%20climate%20disclosure%20rules&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2F1-us-appeals-court-temporarily-211812387.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dtw%26tsrc%3Dtwtr&via=YahooFinance"></a><a href="mailto:?subject=UPDATE%202-US%20appeals%20court%20temporarily%20pauses%20SEC%20climate%20disclosure%20rules&body=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2F1-us-appeals-court-temporarily-211812387.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dma"></a><br /><br />Updated Fri, March 15, 2024 <br />By Clark Mindock<br /><br />March 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday temporarily paused new rules issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requiring public companies to report climate-related risks.<br /><br />The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request from Liberty Energy Inc. and Nomad Proppant Services LLC to put the rules on hold while it considers the oilfield companies' lawsuit challenging them.<br /><br />The 5th Circuit did not explain the reasoning behind the order. It was the first court action on a flurry of lawsuits filed over the rules since the SEC approved them March 6.<br /><br />The rules aim to standardize climate-related company disclosures about greenhouse gas emissions, weather-related risks and how companies are preparing for the transition to a low-carbon economy.<br /><br />The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br /><br />First<br /><br />proposed in 2022<br /><br />, the rules are part of Democratic President Joe Biden’s efforts to leverage federal agency rulemaking to address climate change threats.<br /><br />The companies said in court filings that the rules would force companies to collectively spend over $4 billion in compliance costs and could open companies up to increased litigation.<br /><br />They argued the rules go beyond the SEC's authority under U.S. securities law, and that they are a "thinly veiled attempt" to inject the SEC into climate policy by requiring disclosure of a "breathtaking volume of information" about greenhouse gas emissions and other climate concerns.<br /><br />On Wednesday, the SEC told the 5th Circuit that a pause was unnecessary, since the rules have extended compliance deadlines that do not require disclosures before March 2026. The agency said any potential harm to the companies is therefore not imminent.<br /><br />The agency also said the rules "fit comfortably within" its authority to require disclosure of information important to investors, and that they would provide "consistent, comparable and reliable information" about climate risks.<br /><br />At least 25 Republican-led states<br /><br />including West Virginia<br /><br />, Texas and Ohio and major business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have challenged the rules in court, including in the 5th, 6th, 8th and 11th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals.<br /><br /><br />The Sierra Club, one of the largest environmental advocacy groups in the U.S., has meanwhile<br /><br />challenged the rules<br /><br />in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing they do not go far enough to protect investors.<br /><br />It is unclear whether the 5th Circuit or one of the other courts will ultimately hear the challenges, since the cases are expected to be consolidated and the venue picked via a lottery. (Reporting by Clark Mindock Editing by Franklin Paul, Alexia Garamfalvi and David Gregorio)</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-91836727573141491692024-03-18T22:42:00.006-07:002024-03-18T22:42:51.395-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bangladesh Launches Largest Offshore Exploration Drive in a Decade</span></b><br /><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bangladesh-launches-largest-offshore-exploration-150000918.html#"></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=458584288257241&link=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fbangladesh-launches-largest-offshore-exploration-150000918.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dfb%26tsrc%3Dfb"></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Bangladesh%20Launches%20Largest%20Offshore%20Exploration%20Drive%20in%20a%20Decade&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fbangladesh-launches-largest-offshore-exploration-150000918.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dtw%26tsrc%3Dtwtr&via=YahooFinance"></a><a href="mailto:?subject=Bangladesh%20Launches%20Largest%20Offshore%20Exploration%20Drive%20in%20a%20Decade&body=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fbangladesh-launches-largest-offshore-exploration-150000918.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dma"></a><br /><br />Editor OilPrice.com<br />Sat, March 16, 2024 <br /><br />This month, the Bangladesh government invited international bids for oil and gas exploration in 24 blocks in the Bay of Bengal. This is aimed at increasing the country’s oil output. For several years, Bangladesh has been plagued with energy shortages, as its gas reserves have been depleting. Further, the rise in energy prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Russian energy have hit the low-income country hard.<br /><br />It is the first round of bidding since 2012 to offer offshore acreage, with 15 deep-water and nine shallow-water blocks available. The bidding round was approved following the provision of a 2D multi-client seismic data survey from the energy data firm TGS. The company delivered data from over 75,000 km2 across all 24 blocks on offer in April 2023.<br /><br />David Hajovsky, the Executive Vice President of Multi-Client at TGS, <a href="https://www.energy-pedia.com/news/bangladesh/petrobangla-announces-the-bangladesh-2024-offshore-bid-round-194476">stated</a>: “The Bengal Fan is one of the world's largest deep-water fans with significant evidence of working petroleum systems. It is widely considered one of the most extensively underexplored frontier regions. With limited existing offshore Bangladesh data, this new high-quality seismic, combined with the revised Production Sharing Contract 2023 (PSC), is a critical component for companies to evaluate and submit competitive bids for the blocks on offer in the Bid Round.”<br /><br />The government set a deadline for bids for the first week of September, with evaluations and deals expected to be finalised by the end of the year. Zanendra Nath Sarker, the chairman of state-owned Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla), <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/bangladesh-invite-bids-offshore-oil-gas-exploration-2024-03-05/">stated</a> “We're making plans to reduce supply shortages to keep gas-fired power plants and industries running.” He also stated the company’s intention to “drill 100 new gas wells in the country between 2025 and 2028 to boost local production.” There are two shallow water blocks under contract for exploration with a joint venture of ONGC Overseas Limited and Oil India Limited where drilling has already begun, according to officials.<br /><br />Bangladesh has proven oil reserves of around <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/oil/bangladesh-oil/">82 million barrels</a> and a production rate of approximately 4,105 bpd. However, there are fears that Bangladesh’s gas reserves could be completely depleted by 2033 if no new discoveries are found in the region. The country, which already depends heavily on energy imports, is finding it increasingly difficult to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-struggles-pay-fuel-imports-dollar-crisis-worsens-letters-2023-05-22/">fund its energy deficit</a>, making new exploration projects increasingly attractive. The International Monetary Fund already provided Bangladesh with a $4.7-billion bailout to tackle increased energy costs in 2023, but new oil and gas finds could provide it with a longer-term solution to its energy crisis.<br /><br />In February, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) signed a $2.1 billion financing plan with Bangladesh to fund the country's oil and gas imports. The State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/itfc-signs-deal-fund-21-bln-bangladesh-oil-gas-imports-2024-02-07/">explained</a>, “ITFC has been cooperating with us in oil imports for a long time. Now $500 million can be used to import gas, which will help solve the gas crisis.” The funds will allow state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation to import oil and Petrobangla to import liquefied natural gas. This provided Bangladesh with a lifeline after its foreign exchange reserves fell below $20 billion at the end of January, enough for just four months of imports.<br /><br /><br />Bangladesh hopes to <a href="https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=462953">increase its trade with Saudi Arabia</a> after the country’s Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud met with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Jeddah this month. Mahmud emphasised Bangladesh’s interest in purchasing more crude from the Middle Eastern power, as well as seeking investment in its refining and petrochemicals industry. Bangladesh currently imports around 700,000 metric tonnes of crude from Saudi’s state-owned oil firm Aramco.<br /><br />The Deputy General Manager of Bangladesh Petroleum Corp., Zahid Hossain, <a href="https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/bangladesh-seeks-saudi-cooperation-for-crude-oil-import/">explained</a>, “It’s very important as we are importing a large volume of crude oil from Saudi Arabia … If we can achieve this opportunity, it will definitely be a great support for us.” He added, “If we can defer the payment longer than 30 days, we would be able to use this ITFC fund to import other refined petroleum products. So, it will ease our financial burden to some extent.” If a payment plan can be arranged, it is expected to alleviate the financial pressure on Bangladesh and help its economic crisis.<br /><br />Bangladesh is looking to boost its oil production through the announcement of a new bidding round, while also seeking financial support to help it import the crude needed to meet its energy needs. New exploration activities could help provide the energy needed to meet the country’s growing needs, helping to reduce its reliance on foreign energy sources. However, Bangladesh needs a long-term solution to its energy shortages and economic crisis, which likely includes funding from high-income nations to support the rollout of more sustainable alternative energy projects.<br /><br />By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-80683054861107474162024-03-18T22:41:00.010-07:002024-03-18T22:48:04.266-07:00<div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tesla settles race bias claims by Black former worker after $3 million verdict</span></b><br /><br />Daniel Wiessner<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 a</span><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br />(Reuters) -Tesla has settled a long running lawsuit by a Black former factory worker who claimed he was subjected to severe racial harassment, according to a court filing on Friday, as the electric carmaker faces a series of other discrimination lawsuits.<br /><br />Tesla and lawyers for Owen Diaz, a former elevator operator at the company's Fremont, California assembly plant, did not disclose details of the settlement in the filing in San Francisco federal court.<br /><br />The agreement ends appeals that both sides were pursuing after a jury last year awarded Diaz $3.2 million in damages. Tesla claimed it was not liable for the alleged discrimination and Diaz had argued that the company's lawyers engaged in misconduct warranting a new trial.<br /><br />A different jury in 2021 had awarded Diaz $137 million, one of the largest verdicts ever in a discrimination case involving a single worker. But a judge found that the verdict was excessive and ordered a second trial after Diaz refused a lowered award of $15 million.<br /><br />Diaz, who first sued Tesla in 2017, claimed that when he worked at the Fremont plant he was subjected on a daily basis to racial slurs, scrawled swastikas and other racist conduct, and that Tesla ignored his complaints.<br /><br />Tesla and lawyers for Diaz did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company has said it does not tolerate discrimination and has fired employees accused of racist conduct.<br /><br />Tesla faces similar claims of tolerating race bias at the Fremont plant in a pending class action on behalf of 6,000 workers, separate cases from California and U.S. anti-bias agencies, and multiple lawsuits involving individual employees. The company has denied wrongdoing in those cases.<br /><br />(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New YorkEditing by Chris Reese, David Gregorio and Alexia Garamfalvi)</span></div></span></div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>Leaked SpaceX documents show company forbids employees to sell stock if it deems they've misbehaved</span></b><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=458584288257241&link=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fleaked-spacex-documents-show-company-191914484.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dfb%26tsrc%3Dfb"></a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Leaked%20SpaceX%20documents%20show%20company%20forbids%20employees%20to%20sell%20stock%20if%20it%20deems%20they%27ve%20misbehaved&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fleaked-spacex-documents-show-company-191914484.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dtw%26tsrc%3Dtwtr&via=YahooFinance"></a><a href="mailto:?subject=Leaked%20SpaceX%20documents%20show%20company%20forbids%20employees%20to%20sell%20stock%20if%20it%20deems%20they%27ve%20misbehaved&body=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fleaked-spacex-documents-show-company-191914484.html%3Fsoc_src%3Dsocial-sh%26soc_trk%3Dma"></a><br />Aria Alamalhodaei<br />Updated Mon, March 18, 2024 <br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/IuyNrMHWOrmZ5HmnipHLyg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/techcrunch_350/5f9ad37650cf3addee60bb25cc3cb309" width="400" /><br />Image Credits: TechCrunch<br /><br />SpaceX requires employees to agree to some unusual terms related to their stock awards, which have a chilling effect on staff, according to sources and internal documents viewed by TechCrunch.<br /><br />That includes a provision that allows SpaceX the right to purchase back vested shares within a six-month period following an employee leaving the company for any reason. SpaceX also gives itself the right to ban past and present employees from participating in tender offers if they are deemed to have committed “an act of dishonesty against the company” or to have violated written company policies, among other reasons.<br /><br />Employees often aren’t aware of the “dishonesty” condition when they initially sign up on the equity compensation management platform, one former employee said.<br /><br />If SpaceX bars an employee from selling stock in the tender offers, the person would have to wait until SpaceX goes public to realize cash from the shares — and it’s unclear when that will happen, if it ever does.<br /><br />SpaceX did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<br />Employees pay taxes on their shares<br /><br />Like most tech companies, SpaceX includes stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) as part of its compensation package to attract top talent. No doubt this has paid off: SpaceX's 13,000-strong workforce is helping to push the limits of what was thought possible in aerospace, including delivering crew to and from the International Space Station and building out the largest satellite constellation in history.<br /><br />Unlike stock in public companies, stock in private companies cannot be sold without the company’s permission. So employees can only turn that part of their pay into cash when their employer allows such transactions. SpaceX is known for generally holding buyback events twice a year — meaning SpaceX will buy the shares back from employees; this schedule, which has been fairly reliable in recent years, means that employees have biannual opportunities to liquidate assets that have likely appreciated since the vesting date.<br /><br />It’s not uncommon for additional terms to be attached to employee stock compensation at startups, and employees who stay with the company long enough to vest stock may have acquired stock under various stock plans with various conditions. Yet no employee at startups and private companies is entitled to sell their stock without their employer's approval.<br /><br />Indeed, at SpaceX, if an employee was fired “for cause,” the company stated it can repurchase their stock for a price of $0 per share, according to documents viewed by TechCrunch.<br /><br /><br />“It sounds unusual to have [a] cause type exclusion provision in a tender offer agreement,” attorney <a href="https://www.stockoptioncounsel.com/startup-equity-offer-evaluation">and stock options expert Mary Russell</a> told TechCrunch. She said it is also unusual for a traditional venture-based startup to have repurchase rights for vested shares that are unrelated to a bad-actor-type “for cause” termination.<br /><br />These terms “keep everyone under their control, even if they have left the company,” one former employee said, because employees don’t want to be forced to return their valuable SpaceX stock for no compensation. “And since there is no urgency by SpaceX to go public, being banned from tender offers effectively zeros out your shares, at least for a long time. Even though you paid thousands to cover the taxes.”<br /><br />“They also try and force a non-disparagement agreement on you when you leave, either with a carrot, or a stick if they have one,” the person said.<br />SpaceX names Elon Musk actions as a "risk factor"<br /><br />As recently as 2020, SpaceX was also providing to employees a separate document outlining the risks of investing in the company’s securities. It reads similar to an S-1 registration statement that public companies must file; given that SpaceX is private, it is a unique disclosure into the company’s risk profile.<br /><br />To a large extent, such documents are written to minimize the company’s legal liability. The SpaceX document rightly points out that equity investments are inherently risky, because participants are trading a highly liquid asset — cash — for highly illiquid shares. As such, they exhaustively list various material risk factors, no matter how unlikely — for example, in its risk document, seen by TechCrunch, SpaceX includes that Hawthorne, California, which is home to its headquarters, is a “seismically active region.”<br /><br />The company also includes a number of risk factors related to Elon Musk, its CEO and founder.<br /><br />“To date, the Company has been highly dependent on the leadership provided by the Company’s founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer, Elon Musk,” the document reads. “SpaceX, Mr. Musk, and other companies Mr. Musk is affiliated with, frequently receive an immense amount of media attention. As such, Mr. Musk’s actions or public statements could also potentially have a positive or negative impact on the market capitalization of SpaceX.”<br /><br />The document also calls out a $40 million settlement <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/26/elon-musk-sec-agree-to-guidelines-on-twitter-use/">between Musk and the SEC</a>, which came about after he tweeted in August 2018 that he was considering taking Tesla private. Even though that tweet did not relate to SpaceX, “the settlement has implications for SpaceX,” the document says.<br /><br />“If there is a lack of compliance with the settlement, additional enforcement actions or other legal proceedings could be instituted against Mr. Musk, which could have adverse consequences for SpaceX. Most notably, the SEC could deny SpaceX the right to rely on Regulation D, which is an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 for private financing transactions. A denial of future reliance on Regulation D could potentially make it more difficult for the Company to raise capital in the future.”<br /><br />While Tesla’s recent securities statements do call out the SEC settlement, they do not address potential media attention in the same direct manner.<br /><br />The document also states that there is a risk that there may never be a public market for the company’s common stock — an issue should an employee ever be barred from tender events.<br /><br />SpaceX is one of the most valuable private companies in the world, with the valuation topping out at $180 billion as of last December. Like other private companies, its stock is split into preferred and common stock. Employees are awarded the latter, while preferred stock is generally owned by institutional investors and entities affiliated with Musk. Preferred stock has some superior rights attached to it, including liquidation preferences and dividends.<br /><br />The common stock is split into three stock classes: Class A, B and C. According to an equity incentive plan approved by the SpaceX board in March 2015, and which has a termination date in 2025, employees receive Class C stock, a non-voting stock.</span></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-32694852989120830172024-03-18T22:38:00.008-07:002024-03-18T22:38:34.627-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Almost all top BP shareholders unhappy with green strategy, claims activist investor</span></b><br /><br />Luke Barr<br />Sat, March 16, 2024 <br /><img height="250" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FlQfIqWNLY7pDXnQrpby0A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_telegraph_258/e29ea174460bce6683e647e172d5f2d3" width="400" /><br />BP's chief executive Murray Auchincloss has vowed to continue to pursue his predecessor's investment in renewables - RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images<br /><br />Almost all of BP’s biggest shareholders are unhappy with its shift to green energy, an activist investor has claimed, amid a growing backlash over the oil giant’s <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/01/29/bp-attacked-by-investor-over-irrational-switch-clean-energy/">focus on net zero targets</a>.<br /><br />Giuseppe Bivona, chief executive of Bluebell Capital, which has a minority stake in BP, said he had spent the past three weeks talking to many of the company’s top 30 investors.<br /><br />He said: “With only the exception of one shareholder, I am still to find someone who supports BP in its entirety.”<br /><br />Bluebell is spearheading a brewing investor revolt after sending a 30-page letter to the FTSE 100 company in January.<br /><br />In the letter it urged BP to halt investment in renewable energy schemes, prioritise oil and gas production, and rewrite net zero targets to clarify that they will be achieved “in line with society”.<br /><br />BP has been under increasing pressure over net zero commitments that have allegedly left shareholders £40bn poorer.<br /><br />Mr Bivona said he plans to share negative feedback with BP on a no-name basis, which he said will “clearly expose them to the fact that many investors are sympathetic to what we are saying”.<br /><br />He is hopeful this will serve as a “wake-up call” for the company, with Bluebell having previously taken similar action against blue-chip giants Glencore and Danone.<br /><br />The activist threat represents the first major test for <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/01/17/bp-names-new-chief-bernard-looney-scandal/">Murray Auchincloss</a>, BP’s new chief executive, who has told staff that he will stick to the green energy plans rolled out by his predecessor Bernard Looney.<br /><br />One of Mr Bivona’s biggest criticisms of BP is that it has destroyed shareholder value by investing billions of pounds in loss-making renewable energy businesses.<br /><br />He said: “When you want to deploy £30bn on renewable power at a return of 6pc to 8pc, that is insane. BP is such a poorly managed company.”<br /><br />Despite the criticism, Mr Bivona has given BP a stay of execution to allow it to respond to Bluebell’s concerns, adding that he was not looking to stir up trouble at the forthcoming shareholder meeting.<br /><br />He added: “But watch out for the next one.”<br /><br />Mr Bivona said BP is open to the idea of <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/11/01/bp-oil-gas-green-energy-pledges/">scrutinising its green energy plans</a> but said the company is too scared to follow through with Bluebell’s requests in case of a backlash from environmentalists.<br /><br />A BP spokesman said: “We do not recognise the assertions Bluebell has made. In recent weeks and months, we have engaged extensively right across our shareholder base internationally, including with our largest shareholders.<br /><br />“We have heard clear and widespread support for BP’s strategy and our focus on delivery. Throughout this engagement, we have not heard support for Bluebell’s proposals.”</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-78083808779882548232024-03-18T22:36:00.003-07:002024-03-18T22:40:25.449-07:00<span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mnuchin’s interest in TikTok and distressed NY bank echoes his pre-Trump investment playbook<br /></span></b><br /><br />STAN CHOE and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER<br />Updated Sat, March 16, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/4HhzrM1CXN7WFoiEt8qYfQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ap_finance_articles_694/e4c8885e7431e07ca1e0c431d5dd714d" width="400" /><br /><br />NEW YORK (AP) — It seems like a bizarre mishmash: A former Trump cabinet official is saying he wants to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-mnuchin-house-senate-ffdf37776e63a09bb6966d741df7093b">buy TikTok</a> just days after leading a group that pumped <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nycb-new-york-community-bancorp-07861ea23c054111d784752480423954">$1 billion into a beaten-down bank</a>. But it all actually fits in with the complicated career of Steven Mnuchin.<br /><br />The man who served as former President Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary is well connected in the world of finance, after all. From 1985 to 2002, he worked at Goldman Sachs, one of the most storied — and criticized — investment banks on Wall Street.<br /><br />Mnuchin also has a history in media and entertainment. Among his Hollywood credits are “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Lego Movie,” where he was one of the executive producers. Think of them as much bigger-budget versions of TikTok videos.<br /><br />And Mnuchin certainly has experience taking risks with troubled institutions. He famously swooped in to turn around the struggling IndyMac bank after its failure in the financial crisis of 2008.<br /><br />But for critics, Mnuchin's dealmaking also raises concerns about ethics. Robert Weissman, president of the watchdog group Public Citizen, points to TikTok in particular, where the U.S. government may force its Chinese owners to sell. Imagine something similar happening in another country, where its former finance minister ended up as the buyer, he said.<br /><br />"When you’re at the top of the financial policymaking hierarchy, you don’t jump from that to figure out how you can help yourself,” Weissman said.<br /><br />Other former Treasury secretaries have gone to Wall Street after their terms ended, including Robert Rubin, a Goldman Sachs executive who served under President Clinton. In all cases, the move carries the appearance of cashing in on their time in government, Weissman said.<br /><br />Mnuchin, who couldn’t be reached for comment through a request via his private-equity firm, has often generated controversy as he has generated cash.<br /><b><br />After leaving the Treasury Department in January 2021, he launched his private-equity fund, Liberty Strategic Capital, which raised $2.5 billion by that September, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/us/politics/mnuchin-saudi-private-equity.html">according to news reports</a>.<br /><br />Much of that money was from government-controlled investment funds in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, which Mnuchin had frequently visited as Treasury secretary. He was in the Middle East just weeks before leaving office, cutting the trip short after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.<br /><br />The rapid shift from his government travel overseas to business dealings in those same countries prompted a watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, to call for a <a href="https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/mnuchin-business-dealings-reveal-gap-in-conflict-of-interest-laws/">one-year ban on senior government officials</a> doing business overseas after leaving office.</b><br /><br />Earlier this month, Mnuchin jumped back into the headlines when his PE firm led a roughly $1 billion investment in embattled New York Community Bancorp.<br /><br />NYCB was looking for a lifeline, and its stock had at one point plunged more than 80% from the start of the year. The bank is struggling with falling values for investments tied to commercial real estate and the growing pains associated with some of its past acquisitions.<br /><b><br />It all hearkens back to the move that may have defined Mnuchin's career.</b><br /><br />In 2009, OneWest Bank Group, where Mnuchin was chairman and CEO, bought the troubled IndyMac after federal regulators took over the bank. Other big-name backers included funds tied to George Soros and hedge-fund manager John Paulson.<br /><br />OneWest bought all of IndyMac’s deposits and assets at a discount of $4.7 billion following an auction by the Federal Deposit of Insurance Corp. The FDIC also agreed to share in the losses created by some mortgages tied to single-family homes.<br /><br /><b>Kevin Kaiser, an adjunct professor of finance at the Wharton School, said such investors can profit by buying at steep discounts when markets are panicking. To ensure the investment pays off, however, investors like Mnuchin have to pay hardball with borrowers at risk of default, he said.<br /></b><br />“They’re a little bit sharp elbowed,” Kaiser said, referring to distressed-property investors as a group. “And what that means is they’re not shy to get into a bit of a conflict situation.”<br /><br />After OneWest, Mnuchin was Trump’s top fundraiser in the 2016 election. He came under fire in Congress when he was nominated for the Treasury post, after it came out that OneWest foreclosed on tens of thousands of homes after the U.S. housing bubble popped.<br /><br />Advocates found the bank particularly difficult to work with under government mortgage modification programs. Some of those who lost their homes had voted for Trump in 2016 and were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/0f1305c8742547df9bcf978b2c15997c">disappointed in Mnuchin’s nomination</a>.<br /><br /><b>Maxine Waters, the top Democrat of the House’s financial committee, at the time called Mnuchin the “foreclosure king.”</b><br /><br />In testimony before a Senate committee considering his nomination, Mnuchin said he had worked to help homeowners remain in their homes and that his company had extended more than 100,000 loan modifications to borrowers.<br /><br /><b>Mnuchin was Treasury secretary in 2020, when the Trump administration brokered a deal where Oracle and Walmart would take a large stake in TikTok. That deal eventually fizzled for several reasons, but the popular video app is again under pressure after the House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday to ban it in the U.S. if its China-based owner doesn't sell its stake.</b><br /><br />On Thursday, Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC that he had spoken with “a bunch of people” about creating an investor group to buy TikTok.<br /><br />And Mnuchin may not be done.<br /><br />Mnuchin has plenty of potential, distressed targets given the banking industry's troubles, said Chris Caulfield, who runs the banking practice at West Monroe, a consulting firm.<br /><br />Besides having a history of bringing in new leadership teams to right struggling banks, Mnuchin also has experience in the potentially thorny world of regulations.<br /><br />“He also has access to capital,” Caulfield said of Mnuchin. “Should there be need for more capital, he's somebody who’s very adept at putting consortiums together.”<br /><br />___<br /><br />Rugaber reported from Washington.</span><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Trump official and Goldman Sachs alum Steve Mnuchin plots to buy TikTok as Gen Z panics about a possible ban</span></b><br /><br />Dylan Sloan<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><br />On Tuesday, former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin closed a $1 billion equity deal to rescue the faltering New York Community Bank. On Thursday, he said he was working to buy TikTok with a group of investors after the House passed a bill demanding that Chinese firm ByteDance sell the app. It's been the source of considerable Gen Z (and probably a lot of millennial) panic, as the realization dawns that the defining social-media platform of the 2020s really could go away.<br /><br />After leaving the public eye for years after Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of Donald Trump in 2020, Mnuchin is back in the business pages. It’s just the latest in a wide-ranging career that’s brought him from the <a href="https://fortune.com/company/goldman-sachs-group/">Goldman Sachs</a> trading floor to Hollywood—Mnuchin has production credits on “Avatar” and “The <a href="https://fortune.com/company/lego/">Lego</a> Batman Movie.”<br /><br />Mnuchin’s interest in TikTok dates back at least to his time in Trump’s cabinet, when he<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1094"> urged the then-president to block Chinese company ByteDance from acquiring TikTok</a>, back when it was called musical.ly. Mnuchin’s experience as a dealmaker and fundraiser, though, goes back much further, to the very beginnings of his career in business.<br /><br />Mnuchin is a Wall Street veteran through and through. His father, Robert Mnuchin, was a partner at Goldman Sachs who<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=guMCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false"> worked at the bank for over three decades</a>. After Steve <a href="https://millercenter.org/steven-mnuchin-2017-2021">graduated from Yale in 1985</a>, he took a job at his father’s company, working in Goldman’s mortgage-backed securities department.<br /><br />Working his way up to partner and Chief Information Officer, Mnuchin left Goldman in 2002 and spent over a decade bouncing around between various management roles, ranging from film to California-based OneWest Bank to <a href="https://fortune.com/2018/10/16/steven-mnuchin-eddie-lampert-sears-bankruptcy-pensions/">serving on the Sears board</a>. (Dune Capital, a hedge fund that Mnuchin co-founded with seed money from George Soros, put up some of the money for David Cameron’s 2009 movie Avatar, alongside other hits such as Magic Mike XXL.)<br /><br />Donald Trump tapped Mnuchin to lead the finance arm of his presidential campaign in 2016, and <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/02/13/steven-mnuchin-trump-treasury-confirmation/">nominated him to be Secretary of the Treasury after the election</a>—the first Wall Street vet to hold the role since his old Goldman Sachs boss Hank Paulson nearly a decade earlier. Democrats were unanimously opposed to Mnuchin, pointing to his <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/01/19/trump-steven-mnuchin-hearing-octomom/">allegedly predatory track record of foreclosing on California homeowners</a> while serving as OneWest Bank’s CEO. But Mnuchin was narrowly confirmed by the Senate, and was one of the few Trump cabinet members to remain in office for all four years of Trump’s term.<br /><br />As Treasury Secretary, Mnuchin stuck close to the party line, emerging as an unflinching Trump ally: he pushed to enact Trump’s tax cuts and supported rolling back the Dodd-Frank Act passed after the 2008 financial crisis, which weakened the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But his work across the aisle during a crisis will likely be his legacy, as he worked with Speaker Nancy Pelosi to shepherd the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/magazine/mnuchin-cares-act-stimulus.html">Covid-19 stimulus bill that he helped through Congress</a>: allocating nearly $1 trillion in federal aid and temporarily expanding the social safety net at a sorely needed time.<br />What has Mnuchin been up to during the Biden administration?<br /><br />In 2021, after leaving office, Mnuchin founded Liberty Strategic Capital, a $3.1 billion private equity firm <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/liberty-strategic-capital/about/">focusing on tech and fintech</a>. By far its highest-profile investment to date came earlier this week, when it <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/03/06/nycb-commercial-real-estate-1-billion-rescue-steven-mnuchin/">handed New York Community Bank a $1 billion lifeline</a> to keep it afloat after <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/03/14/banks-fed-funding-btfp-too-many-to-fail-commercial-real-estate/">the bank’s shares plummeted off ratings downgrades and concerns over its struggling commercial real estate portfolio</a>.<br /><br /><br />“It’s a top-20 bank. We put up a lot of capital which will stabilize the business, brought in Joseph Otting as CEO, and I think there’s going to be a great turnaround,” Mnuchin <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/14/cnbc-transcript-liberty-strategic-capital-founder-managing-partner-and-former-united-states-treasury-secretary-steven-mnuchin-speaks-with-cnbcs-squawk-box-today.html">said of the deal on CNBC on Thursday</a>.<br /><br />A potential TikTok purchase would be a far bigger—and far more complicated—prize. In a deal with high geopolitical stakes, Mnuchin’s fundraising ability can only take him so far.<br /><br />“I’m assuming he can raise the money easily enough…I don't know what the price would be. [But] I think the identity of the CEO of the buyer is a pretty low level consideration,” Columbia Law professor and corporate governance expert John C. Coffee told Fortune. “This is not an ordinary business transaction between a buyer and a seller. It's two sovereigns facing off, and one may want to say, ‘You can't do that to us. Go ahead and do it, and we'll engage in economic reprisals of our own.’”<br /><br />The House of Representatives <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7521">voted 352-65</a> on Wednesday to pass a bill that would ban TikTok unless the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it. The bill isn't expected to pass the Senate, but it’s reignited debate over the risks of a Chinese company potentially having access to over 170 million American users’ data—as well as control over what they’re seeing on an app where close to a third of adults age 13-29 get their news, <a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/03/tiktok-news-source-social-media-young-americans-fact-brief/#:~:text=Yes.,%2DOct.%201%2C%202023.">according to Pew Research Center data</a>.<br /><br />“I had President Trump sign an order that TikTok had to be sold, and I continue to believe that. So I think the legislation should pass…It’s a great business, and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok,” said Mnuchin <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/14/cnbc-transcript-liberty-strategic-capital-founder-managing-partner-and-former-united-states-treasury-secretary-steven-mnuchin-speaks-with-cnbcs-squawk-box-today.html">on CNBC on Thursday</a>. “It should be owned by U.S. businesses. There’s no way that the Chinese would ever let a U.S. company own something like this in China.”<br />Another feather in the cap<br /><br />Buying TikTok would be a huge get for Mnuchin. The app <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/275bd036-8bc2-4308-a5c9-d288325b91a9">reported $16 billion in annual sales on Friday</a>, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/tik-tok-economic-impact-report/">an Oxford Economics report</a> found that it contributed $24.2 billion to US GDP last year (TikTok contributed funding for the study). Bloomberg Intelligence <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-14/tiktok-considers-divesting-from-bytedance-if-deal-with-us-fails">recently valued TikTok’s U.S. business</a> at an estimated $40-50 billion.<br /><br />The last major social media buyout was Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover in 2022. Musk has taken a central role in Twitter (now X.com)’s operations ever since, dictating content moderation policies and experimenting with payment models. NYU Business professor and former Obama Assistant Secretary of State Michael H. Posner told Fortune that he wasn’t concerned about Mnuchin potentially exerting Musk-like control over TikTok.<br /><br />“It's a very different thing than Elon Musk owning X, or even Mark Zuckerberg effectively having operational control of Meta. So, you know, I would be less concerned,” Posner said. “Elon Musk at X has inserted himself in a way that I think is very detrimental to the company and not good for our society…I think Mnuchin probably wouldn't have that kind of control.”<br /><br />Posner pointed out that if legislators are concerned about Chinese influence over TikTok, forcing a sale is only one half of the equation: it would also be necessary to remove that all of the app’s data centers and engineering staff from any Chinese oversight, a process that could take a long time.<br /><br />“Mnuchin and his group, if they had the money, and they were able to buy [TikTok], and separate not only ownership but the technology—making sure that the algorithms, all the engineering was also taken out of China—that would obviously, to me at least, be a very positive development,” Posner said.<br /><br />This story was originally featured on <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/03/15/who-is-steve-mnuchin-tiktok-avatar-goldman-sachs-trump/">Fortune.com</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-39550967343304204902024-03-18T22:32:00.006-07:002024-03-18T22:32:27.213-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Charting the Global Economy: Stubborn Inflation Giving Fed Pause</span></b><br /><img height="236" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pWs2wYIYY99n7w2OREBgXQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU2NztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/0300b3f949a8bb529efa93d4b6bc49ed" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="317" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/brBaAM91CU4WPl8hd2fS0g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc2MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/012017d03170916582b20547a4e46e53" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2.YzsWLPBd2RfDGlkt9C5g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/b5552c0c314ccb52a16b3093f8362cc6" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="246" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/oyWG3w1LhfvQkiL6jUHwgg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU5MTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/b8c9ce72143d0f526ec9a886f66c3b41" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="243" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jNafTTYbh2NDmzy.kYWvJQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU4NDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/59eb95d03cc0ccebd4c0dfb3c980c9ad" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="238" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QQxw6MbiT9QveLjEnUvG0Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/f3fe0838a71febdd98fe58d324ccede1" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="340" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ybYuP5DHS6M46z5k46t3fA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTgxNjtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/27043ac6dddd1aca800ce64a2caadd37" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BGTdrwf5jcxo7q5DlqaEqQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/d023ba752f3d692354f7fa1467487f22" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="288" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rcOs2UqLMx9LYND5c7xnbQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY5MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/f4393f28d6bcc3a640d5dd69d9763b8a" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jizN_Q_UbVcctoxA49Oytw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/5bc0f8303e847676dcfed5dcd21d116d" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="245" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/N7pAJNKGFTzeDgXxAZRvHg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU4ODtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/c960c9a6a663f170e376cab5da7bb1fe" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="245" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/UF8S6nr27nnAAwHVa4Nr.w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU4ODtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/3c61a627850b8c56432e0e608e1ea60d" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="297" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VFVY9yULiuSbToJGwsD0Qw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcxNDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/a51637162e52efd4aa30e7e9617b90bc" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />Vince Golle and Molly Smith<br />Sat, March 16, 2024 <br /><br />(Bloomberg) -- Fresh US data showing persistent inflation so far this year and limited signs of a weakening job market underscore a Federal Reserve in no rush to start lowering interest rates.<br /><br />Industrial production figures illustrated a euro area economy that’s merely limping along. In Japan, speculation intensified for the first rate hike in more than a decade after the country’s largest labor union secured big wage deals.<br /><br />The world of geopolitics continued to evolve, including Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, declining foreign investment in China and US concerns about Beijing’s subsidies for shipbuilders.<br /><br />Here are some of the charts that appeared on Bloomberg this week on the latest developments in the global economy, geopolitics and markets:<br /><br />World<br /><br />Ukrainian drone attacks halted three oil refineries deep within Russian territory in an assault President Vladimir Putin said was aimed at disrupting his presidential election later this week. An aerial strike on Wednesday caused a blaze at one of the country’s biggest crude-processing facilities, Rosneft PJSC’s Ryazan plant near Moscow. Since the start of this year, Ukraine has used drones to target important Russian oil facilities from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.<br /><br />US President Joe Biden pledged to look into a petition from a group of unions asking his administration to review China’s subsidies for shipbuilders, as tensions between the world’s two largest economies simmer on trade and key supply chains during a critical American election year. Shipbuilding is emerging as the latest battleground in the US-China trade war.<br /><br />Georgia and Ukraine cut rates, while Angola raised them. After holding rates steady last week, the European Central Bank presented a new framework for how it implements monetary policy, preserving the current system of steering interest rates while giving lenders more of a say over how much cash they need to operate.<br /><br />US<br /><br />The latest data on inflation and unemployment filings gave Fed officials more reasons to hold off on cutting interest rates, even as retail sales suggested a slowdown in consumer spending. Key components from the latest consumer and producer price reports that inform the personal consumption expenditures price index — the Fed’s preferred inflation metric — suggest the February PCE will come in strong again when released later this month.<br /><br /><br />The Biden administration is offering a $2.26 billion loan to help Lithium Americas Corp. develop a Nevada lithium deposit that’s the country’s largest. Demand for lithium, which also is used for grid storage and weapons, is projected to exceed current production by 2030. About 65% of the critical mineral is processed in China.<br /><br />Europe<br /><br />Euro-area industrial production slumped at the start of the year, raising the prospect that the economy as a whole is struggling to grow in the first quarter.<br /><br />The UK economy rebounded in January, registering modest growth after falling into a technical recession in the second half of last year. Gross domestic product rose 0.2%, bolstered by services and construction, after a 0.1% decline in December<br /><br />Asia<br /><br />Japan’s largest union group announced stronger-than-expected annual wage deals, a result that will fuel already intense speculation that the central bank will next week raise interest rates for the first time since 2007. The central bank has long pursued a goal of achieving sustainable 2% inflation. A key component of that goal is setting in motion a virtuous cycle in which wage growth feeds into demand-led price gains.<br /><br />India’s inflation was little changed in February, staying above the central bank’s target and giving policymakers reason to remain cautious. India’s strong economic growth last quarter is another reason for policymakers to stay on guard.<br /><br />South Korea’s direct investment flows into China last year fell by the most in data going back more than three decades in a sign of weakening economic ties between the two countries. The re-orientation of South Korea’s investment away from China comes amid a change in the breakdown of its export markets. China is close to being overtaken by the US as the biggest destination for South Korean exports.<br /><br />The Philippines is counting on the US and its allies to play a crucial role in its plans to explore energy resources in the disputed South China Sea, according to Manila’s envoy to Washington. The Philippines is exploring several options in its quest to tap the resource-rich South China Sea, waters that China claims almost in its entirety. The body of water is estimated to hold significant quantities of oil and gas<br /><br />Emerging Markets<br /><br />President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s plan to help Brazilians escape the record amounts of debt they amassed during the pandemic remains well short of its targets as it approaches its March 31 expiration, denting his efforts to unleash consumer spending and boost growth in Latin America’s largest economy.<br /><br />Argentina’s monthly inflation slowed for a second consecutive time as the impact of December’s large peso devaluation fades and President Javier Milei’s austerity measures push the economy into recession. The night before the release, the central bank announced a surprise rate cut to 80% from 100% as policymakers said they see monthly inflation cooling.<br /><br />--With assistance from Philip Aldrick, Andrew Atkinson, Jan Bratanic, Andreo Calonzo, Sam Kim, James Mayger, Ari Natter, Yoshiaki Nohara, Anup Roy, Augusta Saraiva, Zoe Schneeweiss, Manolo Serapio Jr., Manuela Tobias, Sylvia Westall, Josh Xiao and Erica Yokoyama.<br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Fed, BOJ to Lead a Week of Rate Decisions for Half the World</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><img height="336" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/C_sbNQ9jZjG8oCmTa_9mQA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYyMTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/cf00024c77e94fac45254a2894820041" width="520" /><br /><br /><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lhZs5SS.SfPzf3XVDKe1dw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/9104ad69138571b04cd839d4574a662c" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><img height="265" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/zYNeB5ywSaa2j8MA6h3CaA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzNjtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/fcd4dec652c6611631cd70b8c27474d7" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><img height="250" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/P5_goNoz6VSS5ptEuWfCjQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/bb6d758c43f3f8b35cabc4f302e70bc2" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><img height="243" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/YcfHjnEiTuBFbGMFnjVsOA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU4NDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/eb97f384ba542ed751f8ed001d7ab9a1" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/gSQp5S_DZEVi0FHs3KDaow--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/63c789efa92fdb8a037240e8c048ba97" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><img height="245" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hzaDDp1cdrc6l6.U8BiOBA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU4ODtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/6d87fd3a437cd94c314756254854ce45" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />Craig Stirling<br />Sun, March 17, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br />(Bloomberg) -- Investors may glean more on the Federal Reserve’s resolve to ease and how close Japan is to finally exiting negative interest rates as central banks set policy for almost half the global economy.<br /><br />The coming week features the world’s biggest agglomeration of decisions for 2024 to date, including judgments on the cost of borrowing for six of the 10 most-traded currencies. The collective outcome may underscore how monetary officials’ perception of inflation risks is diverging noticeably.<br /><br />That would reflect how a global consumer-price shock in the wake of the pandemic, further exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has transitioned asymmetrically, with some economies facing stronger domestic price pressures than others.<br /><br />In turn, the world now features a patchwork of different policy dynamics, in contrast to the largely synchronized response that central banks previously engineered.<br /><br />Most consequential will be the Fed’s decision on Wednesday, which may reveal whether still-robust economic data are giving Washington officials cause to dial back intentions to cut rates — or whether their outlook for three reductions this year remains on track.<br /><br />The Bank of Japan’s announcement on Tuesday is also pivotal. The prospect that it’s moving toward finally raising borrowing costs and effectively calling an end to a generation-long period of feeble price growth points to how tectonic plates are shifting in another key member of the global financial system.<br /><br />In Europe, meanwhile, central banks from the UK to Switzerland might inch toward reducing borrowing costs, while all four with decisions in Latin America in the coming week are poised to either begin or extend easing cycles.<br /><br />Click here for what happened last week, and below is a look at the monetary highlights anticipated over the next five days.<br /><br />Monday<br /><br />Pakistan will be Monday’s main rate event. With a team of International Monetary Fund officials visiting this weekend for talks over the troubled economy’s loan program, most forecasters in a Bloomberg survey reckon the central bank will keep its rate unchanged at 22%.<br /><br /><br />A minority does anticipate a cut, though, with predictions of its size ranging from a quarter point to a full percentage point.<br /><br />Tuesday<br /><br />The BOJ’s decision will be among the most closely watched in decades, as officials decide whether to end the world’s last negative rate now, or wait until April.<br /><br />The meeting comes days after the nation’s largest umbrella group for unions announced that annual pay negotiations resulted in the biggest increases in more than 30 years, sending a signal to authorities that their long-sought-after virtuous cycle of strong wages fueling demand-led inflation may be emerging.<br /><br />The raises outpaced inflation in a positive sign for households that have seen real wages fall every month for almost two years. Economists are divided on whether the central bank will move Tuesday or not.<br /><br />“We think it will judge that it’s too early to tighten,” Taro Kimura, senior Japan economist at Bloomberg Economics, said in a report. “To be sure, there is a significant risk to our call.”<br /><br />The same day, the Reserve Bank of Australia will probably hold its cash rate at 4.35% after weaker-than-expected inflation in January. Investors will focus on whether the institution keeps its hawkish tone or hints at a pivot a few months out.<br /><br />And later in Morocco, with inflation having slowed to 2.3% in January, the central bank may opt to keep its rate steady at the 3% level it reached a year ago.<br /><br />Wednesday<br /><br />A trio of decisions in Europe and Asia might pique investors’ interest before the day’s main events. Firstly, Indonesia’s central bank is seen keeping rates on hold.<br /><br />Over in Europe, Iceland may begin easing with a quarter-point cut from 9.25% — the highest level in Western Europe — according to lender Islandsbanki hf. Slowing inflation and a long-term pay deal may provide officials with reassurance against a potential wage-price spiral.<br /><br />The Czech central bank is poised to act more aggressively, with most economists anticipating a half-point reduction and one predicting a bigger move.<br /><br />Attention then shifts across the Atlantic, where the Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady for a fifth consecutive meeting, and to continue to project three quarter-point rate cuts in 2024, even as inflation has proven stickier than expected the past two months.<br /><br />After raising their benchmark federal funds rate more than five percentage points starting in March 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee has held borrowing costs at a two-decade high since July.<br /><br />Against the backdrop of strong job growth and a jump in prices in January and February, officials have repeatedly emphasized they’re in no rush to ease.<br /><br />Most economists surveyed by Bloomberg News expect the policymakers to pencil in three cuts for 2024, with the first move coming in June, in line with markets’ current pricing, though more than a third expect a hawkish surprise of fewer reductions.<br /><br />Chair Jerome Powell told Congress this month that the central bank is getting close to the confidence it needs to start lowering rates, saying they were “not far” from that when considering the strength of inflation.<br /><br />For later in the day, Brazil’s central bank has telegraphed that a sixth straight half-point cut is on tap, which would take the key rate down to 10.75%.<br /><br />The institution’s board, led by President Roberto Campos Neto, may shorten the horizon on current guidance, which signals cuts of “the same magnitude in the next meetings” after three straight above-forecast inflation prints.<br /><br />Economists see a year-end rate of 9%, but the policy path from there remains less clear as neither the central bank nor analysts see consumer prices back to target before 2027.<br /><br />Thursday<br /><br />Three decisions will reveal how parts of Western Europe have reached a crossroads in monetary policy.<br /><br />Firstly, the Swiss National Bank is anticipated by most economists to stay on hold, though two respondents in Bloomberg’s survey predict that officials will cut rates, opting not to wait for bigger counterparts to start their own easing cycles.<br /><br />Shortly after that, Norges Bank is also expected to keep borrowing costs on hold, with investors focusing on potential changes in its outlook for when reductions might start. Most economists still see the pivot to easing in Norway no earlier than in the third quarter, even as inflation has been cooling faster than anticipated.<br /><br />Bank of England policymakers will have fresh inflation data on Wednesday and the latest purchasing manager surveys on Thursday to consider before their decision, which is seen likely to keep rates unchanged again.<br /><br />With consumer-price growth slowing but likely to still come in well above the 2% target, the UK central bank is in no rush to move toward easing for now.<br /><br />Observers are likely to focus on the vote count from officials on the Monetary Policy Committee, with another three-way split possible between those wanting no change and others favoring either a cut or a hike.<br /><br />“Having dropped its tightening bias at its February meeting, we don’t think the MPC will be minded to alter its guidance,” Dan Hanson and Ana Andrade of Bloomberg Economics wrote in a report. “A bigger shift in tone is likely to come in May.”<br /><br />Investors will also closely watch Turkey’s rate decision after February’s inflation numbers came in higher than expected. Several banks, including JPMorgan, say monetary officials will probably raise the key rate beyond its current level of 45%, though most doubt that will happen until after this month’s local elections.<br /><br />The focus will again shift to Latin America later in the day. In Mexico, officials may finally pull the trigger on a long-awaited cut — likely a quarter point — and by doing so join major peers across the region in easing monetary policy.<br /><br />Banco de Mexico, led by Governor Victoria Rodriguez, has kept borrowing costs at a record-high 11.25% since last March while consumer prices have embarked on a protracted and bumpy path downward.<br /><br />In one of Latin America’s smaller economies, Banco Central del Paraguay will likely cut its key rate for an eighth time since August, from the current 6.25%, after inflation slowed to 2.9% last month.<br /><br />Friday<br /><br />The Bank of Russia’s first post-election rate decision is likely to keep borrowing costs unchanged for a second straight time, following last month’s hold at 16%. With inflation at 7.7% — well above its 4% target — the central bank has said it sees room to begin lowering borrowing costs only in the second half of the year.<br /><br />Later on, Colombia’s central bank is all but certain to cut the current 12.75% rate for a third straight meeting — and may opt to go bigger after consecutive quarter-point reductions.<br /><br />Policymakers led by Governor Leonardo Villar do have room for maneuver: inflation has slowed for 11 months and Colombia’s economy is operating well short of potential.<br /><br />Economic Data<br /><br />The coming week will also feature some key data releases:<br /><br />China’s monthly batch of numbers may show growth in retail sales and industrial output slowed in the first two months of 2024, while property investment may have dropped 8% on year.<br /><br /><br />US statistics on the schedule include housing starts and PMI numbers.<br /><br /><br />Canada, Japan, South Africa and the UK will all release inflation data.<br /><br /><br />Euro-zone reports due include PMI surveys and consumer confidence.<br /><br /><br />Germany’s ZEW and Ifo indicators will provide a snapshot of the potential recovery of Europe’s biggest economy.<br /><br /><br />Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea publish trade data.<br /><br />--With assistance from Brian Fowler, Piotr Skolimowski, Robert Jameson, Monique Vanek, Paul Wallace, Kira Zavyalova, Steve Matthews and Ott Ummelas.<br /><br />Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-91830460943249225812024-03-18T22:24:00.000-07:002024-03-18T22:24:01.267-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Starbucks Investors Approve CEO Pay Package That Drops DEI Reference</span></b><br /><br /><br />Daniela Sirtori-Cortina and Jeff Green<br />Sat, March 16, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9VzlcyxoyTKdLn_P2tkbkA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/fce293124260db9523cf66056936f283" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />(Bloomberg) -- Starbucks Corp. shareholders approved a plan to drop a bonus tied to DEI goals for its executives and replace it with a more general workforce target while also shifting more compensation to financial performance.<br /><br />The new structure, approved at an annual meeting on March 13, nixes a specific goal from the 2023 compensation package that tied 7.5% of executives’ bonuses to an undisclosed goal related to diversity, equity and inclusion.<br /><br />The new plan was approved by 92% of shareholders, the company said in a filing Friday. The vote is non-binding, but companies tend to make changes in compensation if the plans fail or get significant opposition. The coffee chain first said it would include ESG-related targets in executive compensation in October 2020.<br /><br />Starbucks’s equality, social and governance goals will be part of a longer-term incentive program that makes up about 25% of bonuses that no longer mentions DEI, referring instead to “talent.” The portion of the bonus paid for hitting financial targets rose to 75%, from 70%.<br /><br />In an earlier regulatory filing, the company said it opted to “modify the talent metric to include a broader spectrum of the workforce and provide for different representation improvement targets in connection with this change.” It said it made the change after meetings with shareholders.<br /><br />Starbucks retains inclusion and diversity goals within its overall compensation structure, a spokesperson said in a statement. US goals to achieve racial and ethic diversity of at least 30% at all corporate levels and at least 40% across manufacturing and retail roles by 2025 are also still in place, the company said.<br /><br />Conservative activists have been targeting executive compensation that rewards leaders for meeting DEI goals because they contend that such incentives might encourage illegal hiring behavior to meet company diversity targets. It’s part of a broader backlash against corporate diversity programs after the US Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action in college enrollment is illegal.<br /><br />Strive Asset Management, an anti-activism fund company co-founded by former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, sent a letter to Southwest Airlines Co. in August warning it to end its executive compensation incentives for environmental and social goals. The group has also met privately with about a dozen large companies on the issue, according to Justin Danhof, Strive’s head of corporate governance, declining to name the companies.<br /><br />Strive plans to release a detailed report later this year, after the proxy season ends, he said in an interview, adding Strive voted against compensation plans and the chair of compensation committees “at every company where there was ESG/DEI in the compensation plan.”<br /><br />The Conference Board found that about 76% of S&P 500 companies had DEI/ESG incentives in their compensation plan in 2023, an increase from about 67% in 2021. Those goals can include a mixture of climate and diversity goals, the study found.<br /><br />Starbucks’s switch to “talent” avoids the term DEI, which has been “weaponized” by the opposition, while still making it clear the company is seeking to broaden the pool of applicants, according to Charles Tharp, a professor who teaches executive compensation at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.<br /><br />Companies use compensation plans to highlight issues they believe are important to investors, employees, customers, and the general public, Tharp said. He added that opposition to the incentives, such as a letter last year from 13 state attorneys general questioning the legality of certain companies’ DEI plans, will definitely spark caution going forward.<br /><br />“What I hope is we don’t go to what I would call diversity hushing, where people don’t want to talk about what they’re doing,” Tharp said.<br /><br />--With assistance from Saijel Kishan and Clara Hudson.</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-64317443716174046222024-03-18T22:21:00.010-07:002024-03-18T22:21:55.418-07:00<span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Why auto insurance costs are rising at the fastest rate in 47 years</span></b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/author/pras-subramanian/">Pras Subramanian</a><br />·Senior Reporter<br />Updated Sat, March 16, 2024<br /><br />As car prices moderate from a pandemic-era surge, insurance has pushed the cost of car ownership to the brink for many Americans.<br /><br />New data out <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/consumer-prices-rise-more-than-forecast-as-inflation-pressures-persist-123226166.html">this week showed</a> auto insurance costs rose 20.6% from the prior year in February, matching January's increase as the most since December 1976, when costs rose 22.4% over the prior year.<br /><br />On an annual basis, motor vehicle insurance costs rose 17.4% in 2023, the most since a 28.7% increase in 1976, according to data from the BLS.<br /><br />The sticker shock hitting many American drivers is being driven by a rise in accidents, the severity of accidents, and geographical factors combining to create a perfect storm and push costs higher.<br /><br />Read more: <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/cheap-car-insurance-152307402.html">Tips for getting cheap car insurance</a></span><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br />'Severity' and bodily injury claims on the rise<br /><br />The most alarming factor driving insurance costs higher is more severe claims.<br /><br />"In general, the numbers of crashes, injuries, and fatalities are up, and inflation has made the cost of repairs more expensive," AAA spokesperson Robert Sinclair told Yahoo Finance.<br /><br />Sinclair said motorists developed "bad habits" on the road during pandemic lockdowns, contributing to current behavior. For example, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/magazine/dangerous-driving.html">the New York Times reported earlier this year</a>, researchers in Nevada discovered that during the pandemic, motorists were speeding more (and driving through intersections), seat belt use was down, and intoxicated driving arrests were up to near historic highs.<br /><br />Sinclair also pointed to NHTSA data, which found that in 2021, at the height of the pandemic, road fatalities increased by <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/early-estimate-2021-traffic-fatalities">10.5%</a> to their highest level since 2005, even while most Americans stayed at home. The NHTSA said it was the highest percentage increase it had ever seen. The agency <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/traffic-crash-death-estimates-2022#:~:text=The%20National%20Highway%20Traffic%20Safety,42%2C939%20fatalities%20reported%20for%202021.">found that fatalities in 2022 only decreased by 0.3%</a> as compared to 2021.<br /><br />Insurance tech firm <a href="https://insurify.com/car-insurance/report/">Insurify found that auto insurance premium hikes</a> were "largely due to the skyrocketing price of auto parts and the increasing number and severity of claims." And while increases may moderate, analysts still believe further premium hikes are on the horizon.<br /><br />"While the magnitude of rate increases is likely to ease somewhat, after several years of double-digit increases, some lingering claim cost inflation and adverse claim severity and frequency will likely lead to a 'higher for longer' auto rate environment,” CFRA analyst Cathy Seifert told Yahoo Finance.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, severe accidents leave insurance companies with rising loss ratios, or a share of premiums collected that insurers paid out in claims.<br /><br />"Broadly speaking, severity in [the] auto [business] is running mid- to high-single digits — think closer to mid in the vehicle severity, think closer to high in bodily injury — and so that's sort of where trends are running today," Travelers (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TRV?.tsrc=fin-srch">TRV</a>) personal insurance president Michael Klein said <a href="https://s26.q4cdn.com/410417801/files/doc_financials/2023/q4/trv-4q23-transcript.pdf">during the insurance giant's latest earnings call</a> in January.<br /><br />"We've seen a bit of a mix shift towards more bodily injury claims, which is one of the things that has us keeping our severity trend estimates at that sort of elevated level," Klein added.<br /><br />In response, Travelers increased premiums, especially for customers renewing their policies. In the <a href="https://s26.q4cdn.com/410417801/files/doc_financials/2023/q4/4Q23-Press-Release-FINAL.pdf">fourth quarter</a>, its renewal premium price change was a whopping 16.7% in its auto business, contributing more than $2 billion of additional premium into the segment compared to the same quarter last year.<br /><br />GEICO, the cost-conscious insurer owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BRK-A">BRK-A</a>, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BRK-B">BRK-B</a>), also felt the effects of those rising severity claims.<br /><br />The second-largest auto insurer in America behind only State Farm, GEICO was hit by six consecutive quarters of underwriting losses beginning at the height of the pandemic. The company has since responded with more aggressive policy writing, trimmed marketing budgets, and higher premiums.<br /><br />GEICO eventually <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/geico-wont-face-class-action-165343701.html">earned $3.64 billion</a> before taxes from underwriting in 2023, but the trend of higher severity of claims remains.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/bkvaVr9ywocaNTjoM2YJGw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-03/9f0e5a90-e2da-11ee-bd79-af1674f0e44c" width="400" /><br />Shareholders pose for a picture with a Geico mascot at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder's meeting on April 30, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson via Getty Images)<br /><br />"Average claims severities continued to rise in 2023 due to higher auto repair parts prices, labor costs, and medical inflation," the insurer said in parent Berkshire Hathaway's 2023 annual report, despite the frequency of claims coming down for property and auto claims.<br /><br />GEICO said, "Average claims severities in 2023 were higher for all coverages, including property damage (14-16% range), collision (4-6% range), and bodily injury (5-7% range)." GEICO also sought rate increases in numerous states in 2022 and 2023 in response to accelerating claims costs.<br /><br />On the flip side, insurer Progressive (<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/PGR?.tsrc=fin-srch">PGR</a>) noted in its latest earnings report that the severity and frequency of claims were coming down, suggesting some relief for the insurer's bottom line and perhaps consumer wallets.<br /><br />"Severity seemed to moderate a little bit [in Q4], and so we're hoping that it's a little bit benign," Progressive CEO Tricia Griffith said in Progressive's <a href="https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2024/02/27/progressive-pgr-q4-2023-earnings-call-transcript/">fourth quarter earnings call</a>. "When you look at last year, we were affected by fixing cars, and that seems to be a little bit calmer."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><b>Complex repairs, rising labor costs</b><br /><br />As bodily injury and property damage costs rise, so too have the incidence of more complex repairs and the need for more expensive mechanics to get them done.<br /><br />New vehicle prices<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1ijW9"> have risen over 20% since 2019</a>, leading to an increase in the cost of parts. Additionally, newer cars contain more technology, such as sensors and control modules built into bumpers and exterior panels, which makes a simple fender bender a potential <a href="https://komonews.com/news/consumer/heres-why-that-fender-bender-costs-so-much-to-fix">several-thousand-dollar </a>repair.<br /><br />And like almost all industries since the pandemic, the cost of labor has risen dramatically as well.<br /><br />"Within auto repair, most of our expenses are human beings, and as minimum wage laws come into effect, that pushes the cost of labor up," a general manager at a major Southern California-based auto dealer told Yahoo Finance.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kbTcEmG81P49yLIxi5Lx4g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-06/1e344c70-19ab-11ee-bebf-5e688191c46f" width="400" /><br />An auto mechanic walks under a vehicle being repaired from a lift at Gates Automotive Service on Jan. 13, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images) (Jon Cherry via Getty Images)<br /><br />A lack of supply of technicians that handle the most complex repairs has also pushed costs higher. "To give you some perspective, I have transmission technicians and diesel technicians that make $200,000 a year," the general manager said.<br /><br />The number of workers employed in the motor vehicles and parts industry fell more than overall employment during the pandemic, <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1ik5t">dropping almost 40% from peak to trough</a>. And while employment in this industry has since surpassed pre-pandemic levels, it took until August 2022 to recover.<br /><br />Another issue for dealers and the service business is the rise of electric cars.<br /><br />While the rate of service for EVs is lower, EVs have a "much higher magnitude" of costs, the general manager said, when it comes to body or structural repairs. EVs also tend to require a more advanced tech solution, requiring even more specialized technicians in an even shorter supply.<br /><br />Read more: <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/ev-insurance-153443980.html">Are electric cars more expensive to insure?</a><br /><br />Griffith, Progressive's CEO, for her part noted that garage labor fees were still rising, saying the company's auto parts inflation was "nearing zero," but that auto services inflation was still rising by "mid-single digits."<br />Weather catastrophes 'are not going away'<br /><br />Where you live also plays a big factor in what you pay to insure your vehicle: Severe weather in states like Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina has drivers paying premium costs that exceed the national average.<br /><br />In Louisiana, auto insurance costs are the highest in the nation on a per-capita basis, with 4.7% of the median household's income going towards car insurance, Insurify noted.<br /><br />In Florida, what Insurify called "rampant" insurance fraud, along with natural disasters, pushed premiums up to nearly $3,000 a year on average.<br /><br />"The average full-coverage insurance rate in Florida is $243 per month, influenced by severe weather events that strain the state’s insurers," Insurify's report said. "In 2022, Hurricane Ian caused $109.5 billion worth of damage in Florida, making it the costliest hurricane in the state's history, according to NOAA."<br /><br />Insurers and policyholders did get a respite in 2023 with a relatively calm hurricane season, but there's no expectation that a repeat will happen in the years ahead.<br /><br />"While 2023 results benefited from the lack of a record-breaking catastrophe (like Hurricane Ian), catastrophes and volatile and outsized weather patterns are not going away," CFRA's Seifert said.<br /><br /><br />Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/Pras_S"> Twitter</a> and on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/pras_s/"> Instagram</a>.</span></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-75004978046773197192024-03-18T22:18:00.007-07:002024-03-18T22:18:42.638-07:00<span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Nippon Steel Defends US STEEL Deal After Biden Comes Out Against Bid</span></b><br /><br />Joe Deaux and Shoko Oda<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="266" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Co6wzta6IOy9B7JRjzRHAg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/7b4154bebd93724b556dbfb70c20d681" width="400" /><br /><br /><br />(Bloomberg) -- Nippon Steel Corp. said it’s determined to complete its $14.1 billion acquisition of United States Steel Corp., even after President Joe Biden stated the company should stay in US hands.<br /><br />In the wake of Biden’s comments, Japan’s largest steelmaker repeated its previous offer of an additional $1.4 billion in investment and a promise of no layoffs or plant closures, according to a statement on Friday.<br /><br />While Biden stopped short of saying he would block the takeover, his statement on Thursday marked a rare presidential intervention in a transaction that outside an election year would have drawn less political scrutiny. Nippon Steel is doubling down on its bid for its iconic US rival just as opposition from the White House threatens to become insurmountable to getting the deal done.<br /><br />The US also risks upsetting relations with a key ally. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is due to hold a summit with Biden in Washington on April 10, where security cooperation will be on the agenda, but the US Steel issue is set to cloud the meeting.<br /><br />“US domestic politics is defining what should be up to two private companies to decide,” said Shihoko Goto, director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center in Washington DC. “The US Steel/Nippon Steel debate is also driving a harmful wedge between otherwise solid partner nations,” she wrote in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.<br /><b><br />Another Bidder</b><br /><br />In the wings is the possibility of another bid for US Steel from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. Earlier on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer Lourenco Goncalves said he’d consider making an offer — with union support — albeit at a significantly lower price than Nippon Steel’s proposal. US Steel rejected an earlier bid from Cleveland-Cliffs.<br /><br />Nippon Steel’s shares fell slightly in Tokyo after an initial advance following its statement.<br /><br />But a plunge in US Steel’s shares shows that investors are increasingly concerned about the future of the Japanese deal. The stock slumped as much as 11% on Thursday to $36.38, but pared losses after Goncalves’ comments, closing at $38.26. Its shares have dropped 18% in two days and are trading sharply below Nippon Steel’s offer of $55 per share.<br /><br />Despite its storied history, US Steel’s role in the economy has diminished over several decades, a period during which producers in Asia have risen to dominate the global steel market. And while Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition targets a historic business name, a takeover in the US commodities industry by a company based in a friendly country is hardly unusual.<br /><br />Biden’s comments have also shone a fresh light on the influential position held by the United Steelworkers union and its leader, David McCall. Biden called McCall Thursday morning, reiterating that “he has the steelworkers’ back,” the White House said in a statement. For its part, the union welcomed Biden’s call for US Steel to remain domestically owned and operated, saying that the president’s comments should “end the debate,” according to a statement on Thursday.<br /><br />Nippon Steel initially said in its statement on Friday that there would be no layoffs or plant closures until at least September 2026. That date was deleted in an updated statement later in the day so that the wording is “more appropriate,” according to a spokesperson.<br /><b><br />Standalone Company</b><br /><br />The political opposition to the deal means it’s increasingly likely that US Steel will end up as a standalone company, according to a note from Wolfe Research. Another possibility is that “a deal still goes through but after the election and likely with concessions to the union,” it said.<br /><br />Finding a compromise with the union could give Nippon Steel a chance of success, said Takeshi Irisawa, analyst at Tachibana Securities Co. That would help give Biden the cover he would need to walk back his comments on American ownership.<br /><br />Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said at a briefing on Friday that the government is aware of the president’s statement on US Steel but wouldn’t comment on individual companies.<br /><br />“In any case, the US-Japan alliance is stronger than ever,” said Hayashi. “Japan and the US will continue to work together on the realization of sustainable and inclusive growth and the maintenance and strengthening of a rules-based free and open economic order in the Indo-Pacific.”<br /><br />Others were less sanguine.<br /><br />“This throws sand in the wheels of U.S.-Japan economic cooperation,” Mireya Solis, director of the Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings Institution, posted on X. “Who will believe us when we appeal to the spirit of ‘friend-shoring’?”<br /><br />--With assistance from Ryotaro Nakamaru, Jon Herskovitz, Yoshiaki Nohara and Isabel Reynolds.<br /><br />(Includes an update of Nippon Steel’s comment in second paragraph)</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-68292745025493313992024-03-18T22:15:00.000-07:002024-03-18T22:15:01.896-07:00<span style="font-family: Roboto Slab;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Uber, Lyft to stop operations in Minneapolis over minimum wage law</span></b><br /><br />Reuters<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9cJxUjunYVKPE5vwot7lng--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/1d147a83b8dc980fd001c792778f274e" width="400" /><br /><br />(Reuters) - Uber Technologies and Lyft said on Friday they will stop operations in Minneapolis starting May 1 after the city's council paved the path for rideshare drivers to be paid a minimum wage.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The council voted 10-3 to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto, ensuring rideshare drivers in the city are paid $15.57 an hour.</span></b><br /><br />"We are disappointed the Council chose to ignore the data and kick Uber out of the Twin Cities, putting 10,000 people out of work and leaving many stranded," Uber said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, smaller rival Lyft, calling the bill "deeply-flawed", said it hopes to return to Minneapolis as it advocates for a statewide solution in Minnesota.<br /><br />This comes after rideshare and delivery drivers staged a protest on Valentine's Day this year demanding fair pay and working conditions.<br /><br />The New York Attorney General's office said in November that Uber will pay $290 million and Lyft will pay $38 million to resolve a multi-year investigation into the companies, calling it the largest wage theft settlement in her office's history.<br /><br />A study by the Minnesota state's Department of Labor and Industry published last week said the companies are unlikely to hike prices to levels that would significantly reduce consumer demand and commissions, adding that such an outcome was unlikely.<br /><br />(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-88447356473281983192024-03-18T22:13:00.000-07:002024-03-18T22:13:04.545-07:00<span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Kentucky GOP moves to criminalize interference with legislature after transgender protests</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />BRUCE SCHREINER<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/auqZUIaNHh5FKAwko88NMA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ap.org/c0c36962d7d501ddfb14f6840a10d8f0" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/oHM_7yjMrw117lGrFPXg4w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ap.org/fff873acc399efdc3bdd3d520e96b64b" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Srb2pctDct8FyTjpZXx_bg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ap.org/e22e8d2a43216a6cb0bda4958f4b7c89" width="400" /><br />Supporters of Senate bill 150, known as the Transgender Health Bill gather in the Rotunda of the Kentucky State Capitol as protesters look on from the balcony on March 29, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky. Protests at Kentucky's Capitol can seem as commonplace — and noisy — as basketball pep rallies when the Republican-led legislature is considering bills that stir the emotions of activists opposing them. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="caas-body-wrapper"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s Republican-supermajority legislature is taking steps to criminalize disruptive protests inside the Capitol, raising concerns among advocates that their right to challenge authority will be chilled.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Before big votes on polarizing issues, throngs of protesters have waved signs and shouted out synchronized chants at the foot of the steps that lawmakers climb to reach the House or Senate chambers, creating a din that echoes throughout the ornate statehouse. Activists sometimes pack committee rooms in the Capitol Annex or crowd the galleries to monitor floor debates.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Teachers, union members and abortion-rights supporters have staged massive demonstrations, but it was a protest against anti-transgender legislation — which resulted in <a class="link " data-rapid_p="11" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:the arrests of some demonstrators on criminal trespassing charges;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-care-bill-kentucky-legislature-e7c0bfb0e6cdfb1144451efe677108d6" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">the arrests of some demonstrators on criminal trespassing charges</a> last year — that prompted the Kentucky House this week to approve new criminal offenses for interfering with legislative proceedings. The bill is now pending in the Senate.</p><div class="caas-da" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><div id="sda-INARTICLE"></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Republican state Rep. John Blanton considers protesting to be “as American as apple pie,” and “part of the foundation of who we are and I’m fully supportive of that.” But he said there should be consequences when demonstrators “cross the line” and become disruptive.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“The purpose of House Bill 626 is to ensure that the General Assembly has an opportunity to legislate without interference from people who wish to prevent us from doing our work on behalf of our constituents,” Blanton said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Other state legislatures also have criminalized disruptions. Georgia has a law, challenged in court, making a third such offense a felony. Until 2020 in Kansas, people who wanted to stage an event at the statehouse, including a protest, had to have a legislative sponsor and permit, and handheld signs were banned. The rules were relaxed after a lawsuit, allowing handheld signs as long as people don't attach them to a wall or railing. A permit or sponsor isn't needed unless someone wants to reserve a specific space like a committee room.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Under <a class="link " data-rapid_p="12" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:the Kentucky bill;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb626/bill.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">the Kentucky bill</a>, “disorderly or disruptive conduct” intended to disrupt or prevent lawmakers from doing business would be a misdemeanor for a first offense and a felony for repeat offenses. The offenses also include impeding a lawmaker or aide from entering a legislative room or refusing to leave a legislative facility with the intent to prevent lawmakers from doing business.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Activists worry it could chill their rights to challenge authority.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“When lawmakers are willfully stripping away civil rights, what other avenues do Kentuckians have but to protest their actions?” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group that led opposition to the anti-transgender bill.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">ACLU of Kentucky legal director Corey Shapiro said he's concerned that "people could be arrested for simply expressing their opinions to legislators.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Lawmakers can generally criminalize actions impeding their orderly business, provided that “reasonable alternative avenues of speech” are available, said University of Kentucky constitutional law professor Joshua Douglas.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“My concern with the bill is that it does not define ‘disorderly or disruptive conduct,’ so it could be seen as too vague under the First Amendment,” Douglas said. “Laws that limit speech must be written very precisely so it is clear what speech conduct is prohibited for a good enough governmental purpose.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Twenty years ago, when Democrats still controlled the House, hundreds of hymn-singing protesters exhorted lawmakers to support a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages, which voters then approved overwhelmingly.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Now the backlash is against Republican bills. <a class="link " data-rapid_p="13" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:Teachers thronged the Capitol;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3622dc9b61204787a5b5f3da24e409e1" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Teachers thronged the Capitol</a> a few years ago to protest pension legislation and other measures they considered to be anti-public education. Abortion-rights supporters spoke out, to no avail, as GOP lawmakers passed anti-abortion laws, culminating in the state's near-total ban.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Tensions boiled over last year when the House overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of the bill banning access to gender-affirming health care for young transgender people. As prolonged chants rang out from the gallery, nearly 20 protesters were removed and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“There were many of you that had your buttons to push last year that wanted to speak, that had your voices for your constituents silenced,” Blanton said to his House colleagues on Monday. “Because we just had to move on and take the vote, it got so out of control. So they were trying to impede our process.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Blanton, a retired state police major, said the proposed new criminal offenses would be a better fit than trespassing statutes, since the Capitol is a public place. Of the 19 people arrested last year, only one has gone to trial, and was ordered to pay a $1 fine along with court costs. Four others pleaded guilty and the other cases are pending, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As for how law enforcement officers would interpret a demonstrator's intent when enforcing the measure, their first response would be to observe and, if they can identify people being disruptive, ask them to leave, Blanton said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“They’re not just going to go up there and randomly start arresting people,” Blanton said. “We’ve never seen that happen here.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Such reassurances haven't eased the activists' concerns. “From my personal experience, state troopers are nothing but antsy when it comes to protesters,” Hartman said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">___</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Associated Press Writers Jeff Amy in Atlanta and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-71565605881511959342024-03-18T22:04:00.007-07:002024-03-18T22:04:47.698-07:00<div class="caas-body-wrapper"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Officials surprised after ancient lake in Death Valley re-emerges: 'This is an extremely rare event'</span></span></div><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>Doric Sam<br />Mon, March 18, 2024 <br /><br /><img height="226" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tfS6IqjRwCMabMPvTM9S1w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03MDM7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_cool_down_737/56bb25d32baa806db3f3754b7627b42b" width="400" /><br /></span></div><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Heavy precipitation from Hurricane Hilary led to the reemergence of a famed ancient lake in Southern California last year, and officials are blown away by how long the lake has persisted.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Park ranger Abby Wines explained to <a class="link " data-rapid_p="6" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:ABC News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/ancient-lake-reemerged-death-valley-national-park-stay/story?id=107347931" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">ABC News</a> last month that the legendary Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park began filling up with water when the tropical storm brought several rounds of extreme rain to the area. The area has seen more precipitation after Hilary and the lake has yet to evaporate, remaining in place much longer than initially expected with no timetable for when it will be gone.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Death Valley is the driest place in North America, typically seeing just two inches of rain per year, and that amount was exceeded in a single day on Aug. 20. <a class="link " data-rapid_p="7" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:ABC News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/ancient-lake-reemerged-death-valley-national-park-stay/story?id=107347931" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">ABC News</a> noted that records show nearly five inches of rain came to the region within the past six months.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">At a full 282 feet below sea level, <a class="link " data-rapid_p="8" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Badwater Basin;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.nps.gov/places/badwater-basin.htm" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Badwater Basin</a> is at the lowest elevation in North America. The basin is devoid of obvious life and endorheic, meaning that water only flows into it and not out of it.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The last time the lake filled up was 2005, but Wines said it only took a week after it formed to dry up and hadn't formed again for nearly 18 years because of the evaporation rate in the desert. Satellite images showed the lake went from having no water on July 5 to being flooded with water from August through February.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"You might think with no drain to the sea, that Death Valley would always have a lake," Wines <a class="link " data-rapid_p="9" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:said;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/ancient-lake-reemerged-death-valley-national-park-stay/story?id=107347931" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">said</a>. "But this is an extremely rare event. Normally the amount of water flowing in is much less than the evaporation rate."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">At 6 miles long, 3 miles wide and 1 foot deep, the lake is deep enough to kayak in, which Wines <a class="link " data-rapid_p="10" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:called;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/ancient-lake-reemerged-death-valley-national-park-stay/story?id=107347931" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">called</a> a "rare opportunity." Visitors to the park enjoyed the beautiful reflections of the surrounding mountain peaks in the water in the basin.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Similarly, Hurricane Hilary <a class="link " data-rapid_p="11" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:raised the level;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2023/08/22/hurricane-hilary-rises-water-level-lake-mead/70654623007/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">raised the level</a> of Lake Mead to <a class="link " data-rapid_p="12" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:its highest point;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2023/08/22/hurricane-hilary-rises-water-level-lake-mead/70654623007/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">its highest point</a> in 2023. Lake conservation is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, preserving food and water supplies, and combating the effects of our planet's overheating. For example, Mono Lake in California was restored from the brink of destruction because of water being diverted to Los Angeles and now has a <a class="link " data-rapid_p="13" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:thriving, unique ecosystem;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2023/08/22/hurricane-hilary-rises-water-level-lake-mead/70654623007/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">thriving, unique ecosystem</a> and serves as a beacon of hope for other conservation efforts.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-69873810386916909412024-03-18T22:03:00.000-07:002024-03-18T22:03:12.226-07:00<span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Panama Canal Averts a Crisis for Now— But at a Cost to Drinking Water</span></b><br /><br />Peter Millard, Michael McDonald and Eric Roston<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="316" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DibPBws2rnPRDSXsSI5XSQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/35fd898993f9d400f903f6f22a6430e1" width="473" /><br /><img height="316" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Xt.sbXa2MGzWebZPeMUVQg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/c7d30e4bf5731745a9334a4648551f36" width="473" /><br /><img height="315" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/S4xoYQsNBwWoBgtnHs77ZA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/9cc1631c74c905af158e37989d6e52ed" width="472" /><br /><img height="273" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/x7FwRvY4RQrM1ZTxrwl4aA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU1MTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bloomberg_markets_842/93085e75486b225283ddf4c1705fdaab" width="475" /><br /><br />(Bloomberg) -- The Panama Canal has avoided the worst of a shipping crunch that threatened to upend the global economy — but at a cost to marine life and the Latin American country’s supplies of drinking water.<br /><br />After imposing strict limits on vessel traffic last year as drought left water levels languishing, the Panama Canal Authority is increasing the number of ships that can cross. Thanks to conservation measures, water levels fell just over a foot for the year through March 12, compared with three feet during the same period of 2023.<br /><br />Those measures, though, come with side effects. The canal recycles water from locks that vessels pass through, instead of simply flushing it into the ocean. This reused water gets saltier, and some of it infiltrates Lake Gatún, an artificial lake that forms part of the channel and is also Panama’s largest source of potable supply.<br /><br />The Panama Canal’s challenges highlight how combating climate change carries inevitable tradeoffs. As policymakers take action to limit the effects of global warming, there can be unintended consequences for the environment and the economy. And time is of the essence: Drought is already altering the world’s trade flows, creating chokepoints last year on the Mississippi River in the US and the Rhine in Europe.<br /><br />This year, Panama has had roughly two-thirds of its normal rainfall, said Fred Ogden, a former University of Wyoming civil engineering professor who has done extensive work in the country. Upgrades to the canal have made the situation worse, because new locks opened in 2016 to accommodate bigger ships require more water.<br /><br />Climate change means “things are changing at a pace that is basically surprising everyone,” Ogden said. The canal expansion has “increased the likelihood of drought restrictions. When you throw a drought on top of that — oh my gosh. What a mess.”<br /><br />Read More: Fixing the Panama Canal Hinges on Expensive and Divisive Gamble<br /><br /><br />The Panama Canal’s low water levels and efforts to conserve what’s left have made Lake Gatún more salty. Salinity is at the highest since 2020, when the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute began collecting data, and still growing, said Steve Paton, the director of the institute’s physical monitoring program.<br /><br />The lake’s salinity shot up after the new set of locks was inaugurated in 2016. Up until that point it was 0.05 parts per thousand, and with the increased trade flows it quickly rose and reached 0.35 parts per thousand four years ago. It’s now nearing that level again and will probably hit or surpass it before the rainy season starts, Paton said.<br /><br />The canal authority’s chief hydrologist, Erick Córdoba, said during an interview in November that finding new sources of freshwater will be critical to ensuring Panama can meet growing demand from the population, shippers and local industry. One plan is to create a new reservoir at a river valley near Lake Gatún to supply additional water. The canal is also looking to invest in more rainwater collection to help reduce salinity in the lake, he said.<br /><br />Under normal circumstances, the Panama Canal handles about 3% of the world’s maritime trade volumes and 46% of containers moving from Northeast Asia to the US East Coast. Bottlenecks at the canal can ripple throughout the global economy, particularly as attacks by Houthis in the Red Sea add to shipping disruptions.<br /><br />Last year, the El Niño weather pattern led to one of the driest years on record for the Panama Canal and forced it to slash transit. But El Niño is now fading, which means the rainy season should hit in late April or May, allowing the canal to ease shipping limits. The authority will allow 27 vessels a day to transit by late March, up from the current 24 but still well below the pre-drought capacity of 38.<br /><br />“The forced reduction” in vessels “is having the desired effect of lowering total water consumption,” said Jorge Luis Quijano, a consultant and former chief executive officer of the canal authority. “However, it is difficult to predict if these favorable changes in weather will be enough to guarantee returning to 38 transits per day sometime later this year or next.”<br /><br />Quijano said the canal could possibly increase to 30 or 32 vessels a day after the dry season ends, and then progressively raise the limit further if rainfall is favorable. In a statement on March 11, the canal authority said it’s monitoring water levels and will announce any further changes in a timely manner. It didn’t respond to additional requests for comment.<br /><br />Other observers are more optimistic. Volumes could return to normal in three to five months, said Julia Junnan Zhao, principal data scientist at Dun and Bradstreet, a global data and analytics provider.<br /><br />Any increase in vessels through the canal will come as a relief to shippers, some of whom paid millions of dollars to jump the queue while others took longer, costlier routes around Africa or South America.<br /><br />In the meantime, the threats to drinking water and marine life remain. The canal authority’s strategy of recycling water could prompt marine species to start traveling between the Pacific and the Atlantic, disrupt coastal environments and even decimate fish stocks that communities along the Pacific and Caribbean rely on for food and tourism, Paton said.<br /><br />Lionfish are an example of what can go wrong with invasive species. They are suspected to have escaped from aquariums along the US East Coast during floods and storms, and now threaten native fish populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. A new saltwater corridor could wreak similar havoc on both sides of Panama.<br /><br />Signs of that shift are already emerging. As rising salinity reduces the barrier between the oceans, researchers are seeing an increasing number of marine species in Lake Gatún, Paton said.<br /><br />It’s an example of the risks policymakers are grappling with as they confront the impact of climate change on freshwater supplies. Drought plagued regions all over the world last year, including the Americas, Africa and the Mediterranean.<br /><br />The parched conditions have “given a big wake-up call to a lot of people,” Ogden said. “The future does not look bright for the consistency of water resources that we’ve been able to rely on up until now.”</span>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-57237407346781665442024-03-18T22:02:00.009-07:002024-03-18T22:02:57.803-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ is running dry as residents urged to take fewer showers and use disposable cutlery</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br />Rhea Mogul, Meenketan Jha and Sania Farooqui, CNN<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br />The water tanker arrives once every two weeks, its 1,000 liters expected to serve hundreds of people in this suburb of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/india?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo">India’s</a> most high-tech metropolis, where women carrying empty buckets come clamoring to quench their thirst.<br /><br />The sight is not unusual says Susheela, a resident of the suburb of Bandepalya, who goes by one name and needs the water for her family of four. “Sometimes fights break out, there is a lot of arguing,” she said. “But what do we do? We need water. We are desperate.”<br /><br />Susheela’s taps – like millions of others – in the southern city of Bengaluru have run dry and the borewells that supply water to her household are empty.<br /><br />The tech hub, known as India’s “Silicon Valley” and home to giant multinationals like Infosys and Wipro, requires about 2 billion liters (528 million gallons) of water for its nearly 14 million residents every day. But those numbers dwindled to alarming levels, falling about 50% over the past week, according to the chairman of the city’s water supply and sewage board, V. Ram Prasat Manohar.<br /><br />Residents have been advised to use water sparingly – encouraged to bathe on alternate days, use disposable cutlery, and limit washing clothes and utensils.<br /><br />It’s a crisis that has been described as dire by those who live in Bengaluru – and experts warn it is only going to get worse as mercury levels climb in the lead up to summer.<br /><br />“I have been warning about this for over a decade,” said climate scientist T.V. Ramachandra, from the Centre for Ecological Sciences. “It’s a culmination of unplanned urban growth, rapid deforestation and the ongoing climate crisis – and everyone is paying the price.”<br />From India’s garden city to dried up lakes<br /><br />For decades, Bengaluru – also known as Bangalore – had a reputation for its wide network of man-made lakes that provided water to the city’s residents. The abundance of greenery and surrounding forests, boosted by its 900-meter (nearly 3,000 feet) elevation and pleasant climate, earned it the moniker “India’s garden city.”<br /><br />But since the early 1990s, Bengaluru has undergone rapid urbanization, as its transformation into a major tech center resulted in exponential growth. Developers cut down the forests and built around its lakes as the city of about 4 million exploded to house more than three times that.<br /><br />As layers of tarmac swept through the city, Bengaluru lost its ability to absorb water, Ramachandra said.<br /><br />“Today 83% of Bangalore is covered in concrete,” he added. “There is no vegetation. There is no way that groundwater recharging can happen further to go to the underlying layers. This is a big problem.”<br /><br />Rapid urbanization and the decline of waterbodies could also worsen the impact of the climate crisis, contributing to a rise in the city’s temperatures, Ramachandra warned.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/zL1dyIk9YTXl0VR8BOSMEw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/e33a78e16740bee9d80698d182ad072c" width="400" /><br />The gardens of Karnataka Raj Bhavan, the residence of the state governor, in 2018. Bengaluru was once known as "India's Garden City." - Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times/Getty Images<br /><br />More than 70% of the city’s water comes from the Cauvery River, a major waterway that flows through southern Karnataka state, of which Bengaluru is the capital.<br /><br />But as the city expanded, authorities didn’t have enough time to extend its network of water pipes into the new neighborhoods, with these areas relying on groundwater extracted by borewells.<br /><br />A weak monsoon last year depleted groundwater levels, causing a water shortage for the city’s huge population.<br /><br />But for about 4 million of them who rely on the borewells and live mostly on the outskirts of the city, the situation is much worse. Some 7,000 of the city’s 16,000-odd borewells have run dry, according to Bengaluru’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar – and experts say the focus should be on helping them.<br /><br />“For the 11 million people (dependent on the Cauvery River), there’s a bit of scarcity but not too much of a crisis,” said civil engineer and Bengaluru-based water researcher Vishwanathan, who goes by one name.<br /><br />“For the other three and a half million people who are completely dependent on groundwater, there is a crisis because groundwater is going dry.”<br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/eDusCMrZw.m7EFHrmB4Jwg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/9717c4cfa569ee23e4fe8e635fd76d77" width="400" /><br />A cow walks across the arid Nallurahalli lake at Whitefield in Bengaluru on March 10, 2024. - Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images<br />‘Pushing families to the limit’<br /><br />Residents from Bandepalya, a low-income community suburb in the city’s south, line up with buckets from 9 a.m., waiting for the water tanker to arrive.<br /><br />Private tankers commissioned by the government distribute water to neighborhoods when river and groundwater levels run low, charging residents for the service and hiking prices when demand rises.<br /><br />About four hours later, as the afternoon arrives in Bandepalya, so too does the tanker.<br /><br />Scenes of chaos and anxiety follow as they hustle to fill their buckets and bring them home. Women try to fill two large buckets each to carry to their homes nearby. One woman begins to hit the vessel to check its water levels.<br /><br />The tanker is emptied within minutes.<br /><br />“We get water once in 15 days and have to buy water on a daily basis,” said resident Kumkum, who also goes by one name, from her home, adding that she is using bottled water to wash her children’s faces in the mornings.<br /><br />Kumkum’s youngest child has fallen sick with a high fever because of the crisis.<br /><br />“All these drums are empty and haven’t had water in them in days,” she said as she pointed to the empty buckets in her home. “We can’t wash our clothes or our utensils. We will catch rainwater just for our chores during the monsoon.”<br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/6q..7yQfkdkKqfgc4v8PlA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/0f4589659ca6fc86cfb6d81a56be767d" width="400" /><br />People line up to collect drinking water during the ongoing crisis in Bengaluru on March 14, 2024. - Idress Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images<br /><br />Authorities capped the price of such deliveries commissioned by the government at 1,200 rupees ($14) per tanker, but residents say they are struggling financially.<br /><br />Susheela, the resident with the family of four, said people in Bandepalya typically earn between 6,000 – 8,000 rupees ($70 – 95) a month, and many of them have no choice but to now spend half their income buying water from the tankers.<br /><br />“We are hardly bathing, using water so scarcely. But we are all struggling,” she said.<br /><br />Geeta Menon, a social worker who works with low-income communities in Bengaluru said the crisis could give rise to diseases and illness as hygiene levels drop.<br /><br />“Children are defecating on the streets as there’s no water at home, they’re going thirsty, people are unable to cook,” she said. “This is not just a short-term problem, but will have long-term repercussions if it continues.”<br /><br />CNN has contacted Bengaluru’s Water Supply and Sewage Board but is yet to receive a response.<br />No one spared<br /><br />While the city’s poorest are bearing the brunt of Bengaluru’s water crisis, it hasn’t spared the upper middle class either.<br /><br />Management from many housing societies send daily updates to its residents, warning them of shortages and urging them to be careful with their water usage.<br /><br />One apartment complex has sent a notice to its residents saying they must reduce their water usage by 50%.<br /><br />“Water situation is very alarming!” the notice, seen by CNN, said. “We are hardly receiving any water through from Cauvery supply. We are fully dependable on borewell water. Out of the 11 borewells only 5 are operating. We have absolutely no way of knowing when these wells will get dry. There won’t be any notice period when it happens.”<br /><br />The shortage has also forced garment factories to slow production while doubling restaurant water bills, according to Reuters. Managers at some global firms are letting some employees skip meetings to collect water from the tankers, it added.<br /><br />The crisis has meanwhile turned into a political blame game, weeks before a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/india/india-modi-ram-temple-analysis-intl-hnk/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo">national election</a>, with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protesting the state’s Congress-led government for its alleged mismanagement of the situation.<br /><br />The main opposition Congress has claimed the BJP has not done enough at a federal level to help financially with the crisis.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Qigycjf35pY_Y_1fjKJGdQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/ac3f81700bcce3846029299ae3bb4c72" width="400" /><br />Activists and BJP members hold empty water pots during a protest against the state government over the severe water crisis, in Bengaluru on March 12, 2024. - Idress Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images<br /><br />Yet, for the city’s residents, the tit-for-tat arguments mean little as they experience the worst of the shortages.<br /><br />For Maher Taj, a mother of seven, the past few weeks have been unbearable.<br /><br />“We have cut down how many times we use the bathrooms and take turns to bathe,” she said.<br /><br />“Our children are using the washrooms in their school and my husband is going at his workplace. I have reduced water usage in all aspects of life. It’s pushing my family to the limit.”</span></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-60550480897910269612024-03-18T21:53:00.009-07:002024-03-18T21:56:38.879-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">UNRWA chief says Israel blocks him from Gaza</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>Reuters<br />Updated Mon, March 18, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/FO4UEnzPW4xYPNrjkSFejQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/c8a1f30d2fb1a072ee485fa5a90c71aa" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/esYRxfr4QTn4u3OES5gx2g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/262061f2cb27ff64b46b87e27e039796" width="400" /><br /><br />CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel denied the head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) entry to the Gaza Strip on Monday, UNRWA and Egypt said, calling it an unprecedented move at a time of massive need.<br /><br /><a href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Philippe%20Lazzarini">Philippe Lazzarini</a>, whose organisation has been in crisis since Israel accused 12 of its staff of taking part in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, said he meant to go to the Gaza city of Rafah but was informed: "my entry into Rafah is declined".<br /><br />Speaking with him at a Cairo news conference, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said: "You were declined by the Israeli government, refused the entry which is an unprecedented move for (a) representative at this high position".<br /><br />The Israeli prime minister's office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br /><br />UNRWA is by far the largest relief body in Gaza, where the depth of the humanitarian crisis was underlined on Monday when a U.N.-backed report warned of imminent famine in the north.<br /><br />"On the day new data is out on famine in #GAZA, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza," Lazzarini wrote on X, adding that his visit was intended to improve humanitarian operations.<br /><br />"This man-made starvation under our watch is a stain on our collective humanity."<br /><br />Israel's ground and air offensive has laid waste to the Gaza Strip over the last five months, killing more than 31,000 people, according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza.<br /><br />The offensive was triggered when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel in an attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.<br /><br />FUNDING CRISIS<br /><br />Israel alleged in January that 12 of UNRWA's 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli accusations led 16 countries including the United States to pause $450 million in funding, throwing UNRWA operations into crisis.<br /><br />UNRWA fired some staff members, saying it acted in order to protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, and an independent internal U.N. investigation was launched.<br /><br />Australia is one of several states which subsequently resumed funding. Its foreign minister said last week that Australia had consulted with UNRWA and other donors and was satisfied the agency was not a terrorist organisation.<br /><br />UNRWA has condemned the Oct. 7 attacks, saying the Israeli allegations against the agency - if true - are a betrayal of U.N. values and of the people UNRWA serves.<br /><br />UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma told Reuters Lazzarini had visited the Gaza Strip four times during the war, and numerous occasions before that.<br /><br />"We were ready to leave this morning on an Egyptian plane from Cairo to El Arish," Touma said.<br /><br />Lazzarini has previously warned of a campaign to end UNRWA operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said UNRWA must be shut down.<br /><br />In Cairo, the UNRWA head warned of a "race against the clock" to reverse the spread of hunger and avert famine. With political will, Gaza could be "flooded" with food via land crossings, he added.<br /><br />He also said that more than 150 of UNRWA's facilities in Gaza have been hit, damaged or completely destroyed.<br /><br />"We also know that a number of staff that have been arrested have gone through very tough investigation, ill-treatment and humiliation," Lazzarini said.<br /><br />(Reporting by Sarah El Safty, Nayera Abdallah, Clauda Tanios, Tom Perry in Beirut, James Mackenzie and Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by William Maclean and Andrew Cawthorne)<br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />UN agency chief says Israel blocked him from entering Gaza</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>AFP<br />Mon, March 18, 2024 <br /><b><i><img height="266" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Hckjyn2xEtUlgGX7WWxMaQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MjY7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp.com/e5ab2c945ec76d0380c2911e0e3c1e14" width="400" /><br />UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said there is 'man-made starvation' in Gaza</i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"> (Fabrice COFFRINI)<br /><br />The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Monday Israel had blocked him from entering the war-torn and besieged Gaza Strip where the United Nations has warned of impending famine.<br /><br />Israel responded that UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini had not followed proper procedure.<br /><br />Lazzarini, who last month said Israel "aimed at destroying UNRWA," said he had "intended to go into Rafah today, but was informed my entry had been declined." He spoke in a Cairo joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.<br /><br />Israel in January accused several of UNRWA'S roughly 13,000 Gaza employees of being involved in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.<br /><br />Lazzarini wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had been denied entry by "Israeli authorities".<br /><br />COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry body governing civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on X that Lazzarini had not followed "the necessary coordination processes and channels" when requesting entry into Gaza.<br /><br />"This is another attempt by UNRWA to blame Israel for their own mistakes," it said of the UN agency at the centre of efforts to provide humanitarian relief in Gaza.<br /><br />Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said "all UN officials, including Mr Lazzarini and his colleagues in UNRWA, should have access to do the vital humanitarian work they do."<br /><br />Guterres "certainly wants Mr Lazzarini to have access throughout the areas in which UNRWA operates", Haq told reporters.<br /><br />The Israeli accusation against some UNRWA employees led multiple donor nations including the United States to suspend funding although some have since resumed or increased it including Spain, Canada and Australia.<br /><br />Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman earlier Monday reiterated what he called Israel's position, that "UNRWA is a front for Hamas".<br /><br />Lazzarini has said that Israel provided no evidence against his former employees accused over the October 7 attack.<br /><br />Shoukry expressed Cairo's "complete support" for the agency and criticised "unilateral actions to restrict UNRWA funding due to baseless accusations".<br /><br />The Hamas attack of October 7 resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.<br /><br />Israel's retaliatory campaign in Hamas-controlled Gaza has killed at least 31,726 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.<br /><br />- 'Man-made starvation' -<br /><br />Among the dead are 168 UNRWA employees, according to the agency's latest figures.<br /><br />Lazzarini on Monday said the UN has paid a "massive price in Gaza".<br /><br />"More than 150 of our facilities have been completely destroyed in the Gaza Strip," he said.<br /><br />"And a number of our staff were arrested and endured ill-treatment and humiliation during investigation."<br /><br />In more than five months of war and siege, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated to what the UN has repeatedly warned is an imminent famine.<br /><br />"This is man-made starvation," Lazzarini said.<br /><br />The Gaza health ministry has in recent weeks recorded at least 27 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, most of them children.<br /><br />The UN said Monday that half of the territory's 2.4 million people are experiencing "catastrophic hunger and starvation".<br /><br />Humanitarian aid operations have intensified in recent weeks, including airdrops and efforts for a maritime humanitarian corridor from Cyprus, but UN and other aid agencies warn that these are insufficient to meet the desperate needs in Gaza.<br /><br />Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, writing on X Monday, accused UNRWA of "collaboration" with Hamas and said "Israel allows extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help."<br /><br />bam-bha/sbh/ami/it</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dossier reveals information used to explain UN agency's deep ties to Hamas in Gaza</span></b></span></div><div><span><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">Peter Aitken</span><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">Sun, March 17, 2024 </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/.itlBAHCct2KaToCXUZVUQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/fox_news_text_979/8fe38bf5d07a5204a608b2f9ba59e0d5" width="400" /><br />United Nations headquarters and flag juxtaposed with a picture of an Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.</i></span><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman";" /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">FIRST ON FOX – Fox News Digital obtained a dossier that </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/world-regions/israel" style="font-family: "Libre Franklin";">the Israeli government</a><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"> is said to have used to explain its concerns to the U.S. and other nations about its actions toward a controversial United Nations agency and its relationship with Hamas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (known simply as UNRWA) lost hundreds of millions of dollars from donors after allegations surfaced that at least a </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-shares-dossier-spelling-allegations-12-un-employees-allegedly-involved-hamas-attack" style="font-family: "Libre Franklin";">dozen employees had ties to and assisted Hamas</a><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"> during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">The United States and several allies in January </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/biden-admin-cuts-funding-controversial-un-agency-allegations-members-assisted-hamas-massacre" style="font-family: "Libre Franklin";">froze funding to UNRWA</a><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">, and the agency fired the 12 employees named in the allegations. Since those initial allegations, the number has risen to potentially hundreds of employees with ties to Hamas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">The dossier reviewed by Fox News Digital includes an updated claim that the number of UNRWA employees directly involved in the Oct. 7 attack has risen to at least 15, with at least three suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of the hostages. This information, presented to ally nations by the Israeli government, allegedly prompted the countries to cut funding to the agency – an act that the majority have not reversed as of this week.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">The information includes allegations that around 17% of UNRWA teachers (out of a total 8,300) and around 20% of UNRWA school principals and deputy principals (out of a total 500) are members of Hamas. Ties to the group extend to UNRWA workers in positions related to relief and humanitarian aid, with about 10% of the 151 relief workers, and members of UNRWA’s health services.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://foxnews.onelink.me/xLDS/mvaj7wvj" style="font-family: "Libre Franklin";">READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP</a><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/uy2si0Mqv7qHD30_wzrcXg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/fox_news_text_979/205abcc718a04a21271bf5bef9f19645" width="400" /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">From 2009 to 2024, a little under $4 billion in taxpayer dollars was given to the humanitarian relief organization, according to a Fox News Digital review.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">The most serious allegations claim that Hamas has representatives in the UNRWA staff union and influences it, and lines of communication exist at the district level between UNRWA’s district managers and Hamas. According to the information, "due to the scope of UNRWA's activity in the [Gaza Strip]," Hamas prioritizes its connection with UNRWA, stressing that "in steady state and in contingency state, the Hamas regime coordinates activities with UNRWA."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">Satellite images reviewed by Fox News Digital show two boys' schools – the Maghazi Prep B Boys School and the Zaitun Prep A Boys School – that allegedly have Hamas tunnels underneath them. Both cases had resulted in UNRWA condemning potential violations of neutrality, but as of 2023 the tunnels remained open. Israel also identified several schools that stood next to rocket and mortar launch sites throughout the Gaza Strip.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/gaza-strip-receives-nearly-200-tons-food-supplies-un-describes-huge-obstacles-getting-relief" style="font-family: "Libre Franklin";">GAZA STRIP RECEIVES NEARLY 200 TONS OF FOOD AND SUPPLIES, UN DESRIBES ‘HUGE OBSTACLES’ TO GETTING RELIEF</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">Israel has alleged logistical support and exploitation of UNRWA’s immunity, support through supplies and aid, sale of equipment that UNRWA imported to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) weapons manufacturing units.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">"Furthermore, Hamas assists UNRWA in securing the humanitarian aid that is introduced to the [Gaza Strip]," the dossier explains. "Hamas’ operatives coordinate the aid transfer for UNRWA via Hamas’ tactical network, and have operatives of the Military Wing escort and secure the convoys. UNRWA complies with Hamas’ demands in other areas, as well, such as transferring fuel and additional equipment."</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><br />The dossier also <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/un-sponsored-schools-using-anti-israel-textbooks-from-palestinian-authority">included excerpts from textbooks</a> used in the agency’s school curriculum that allegedly include glorification of martyrdom and antisemitic tropes. Maps provided to children in their textbooks show a singular land where Israel and the Palestinian territories exist but labeled as a singular Palestine.</b><br /><br /><b>Israel has argued that such content violates UNRWA’s neutrality policy, which the agency on its website describes as an understanding that "humanitarian actors must not take sides in hostilities or engage in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature."</b><br /><br />One excerpt included a math problem which used "the number of martyrs" in the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/timeline-decades-long-israeli-arab-palestinian-conflict">first and second intifadas</a> (meaning rebellion or uprising) and decrees on Allah’s wishes for "hypocrites in fighting against infidels" and honoring martyrs "from among the believers."<br /><br />More than 1,200 Israelis were killed, more than 6,900 civilians are estimated to have been injured, and hundreds more were taken hostage when Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.<br /><br /><b>"UNRWA, and the United Nations writ-large, have acted swiftly and decisively in the matter of the allegations brought against UNRWA employees, fully cooperating with Israeli authorities, issuing a public disclosure of the allegations and immediately terminating the named employees," William Deere, senior congressional adviser to the Washington, D.C., office of UNRWA told Fox News Digital.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fb76CrJ.0nu7tSKWWUUoog--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/fox_news_text_979/1b07ca762d488edc76a7455e3c88a7fd" width="400" /><br />An UNRWA tent camp in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Nov. 27, 2023.<br /><br />Deere also claimed that the Israeli government had provided no information beyond the names of the dozen employees and that UNRWA only learned of further accusations of greater numbers of agency employees with ties to Hamas from international media reports and later from a press briefing by an Israeli official.<br /><br />U.S. intelligence in February said it was likely some employees of UNRWA participated in the attack, but it also said it could not verify Israeli allegations of wider links between the agency and UNRWA, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-intelligence-confirms-some-claims-about-unrwa-staff-ties-hamas-report">according to The Wall Street Journal</a>. Citing the assessment, Deere noted "the reality of Hamas' control in Gaza means that while UNRWA may have to interact at a technical level with the group to deliver humanitarian relief, but that that doesn't mean that the agency is collaborating with the militant group."<br /><br />Unlike the U.S. and several other countries, the United Nations has yet to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hi9Lolvg3CkUB8qAWp1U4A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/fox_news_text_979/955829c5da11dd4c1e79423dbd5cf35a" width="400" /><br />A plane drops humanitarian aid around to Al-Shati refugee camp and Jamal Abdel Nasser Street in Gaza City on March 9, 2024.<br /><br />"Another section of [the] report notes what it says is Israel's long-standing dislike of UNRWA and how Israeli bias serves to mischaracterize much of their assessments on UNRWA, resulting in distortions," Deere said.<br /><br />"Israeli intelligence agencies said they concluded that 10% of all UNRWA workers had some kind of affiliation, usually political, with Hamas," the Wall Street Journal reported. "A far smaller number had ties to the militant wings of Hamas and another group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. UNRWA employs around 12,000 people in Gaza."<br /><br />Deere said the investigation team from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) had commenced an investigation into the employees and potential ties, but insisted that the Israeli government must assist the investigation. An interim report provided to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres provided information that led to Canada reversing its decision to cut funding to the agency.<br /><br />Another, independent review carried out by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna commenced following the allegations against the UNRWA employees, specifically citing concerns that UNRWA was not maintaining its neutrality policy. The group will issue an interim report on March 20, 2024, with a completed report expected exactly one month later.<br /><br />A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the department is focused on the U.N.'s investigation "to make sure that this is fully and thoroughly investigated, that there’s clear accountability, and that as necessary, measures are put in place so that this doesn’t happen again, assuming the allegations are fully borne out."<br /><br />"We welcome the decision by the U.N. to conduct an investigation and a ‘comprehensive and independent’ review of UNRWA, as well as Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate," the spokesperson added.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CZCJJug2B.7s6SKEmgep5Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/fox_news_text_979/ec46ea6161b2eacd0fa1220785925578" width="400" /><br />A man walks in front of the UNRWA building in Gaza City on Jan. 30, 2023.<br /><br />Australia, the European Commission and Sweden also <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/australia-resumes-funding-un-agency-months-staffers-accused-participating-oct-7-hamas-attack">resumed funding for UNRWA in recent weeks</a>: Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong told reporters "the best available current advice from agencies and the Australian government lawyers is that UNRWA is not a terrorist organization," arguing that it remains paramount to ensure "the integrity of UNRWA’s operations," rebuild confidence in the organization and ensure aid flows to Gaza.<br /><br />Wong also pledged an additional $2.6 million to UNICEF to provide urgent services in Gaza, and a C17 Globemaster plane will also deliver defense force parachutes to help with the U.S.-led <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/gaza-aid-us-others-falling-short-critics-say-better-cheaper-ways-nobody-knows-whats-going-on">airdropping of humanitarian supplies</a> into the enclave, which is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.<br /><br />Survivors and family members of slain victims of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack have <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/american-nonprofit-tied-unrwa-sued-oct-7-survivors-families-aiding-abetting-hamas-terrorists">initiated a lawsuit against UNRWA USA</a> and UNRWA this week, arguing the two groups are "[i]nextricably [l]inked" in supporting Hamas."<br /><br />"501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations generally do good work. They feed the hungry, help the poor, and house the homeless. But on some very rare occasions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization finances an international terrorist plot that kills over 1,200 innocent people," the lawsuit says. "This case involves one of those rare occasions."<br /><br />Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace, Lawrence Richardson, Brianna Herlihy and The Associated Press contributed to this report. <br /><br /></span><br /></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-49682070493812793982024-03-18T21:47:00.009-07:002024-03-18T21:48:00.371-07:00<div id="caas-content-body"><div id="content-wrapper"><div id="module-article"><div class="wafer-caas wafer-caas-complete" data-comments-id="spotIm-conversations-module-wrapper" data-wf-caas-collapsed="0" data-wf-caas-has-rightrail-ads="1" data-wf-caas-type="renderedArticle" data-wf-caas-uuid="4b63eb5f-0cae-308c-bd07-6bd94dfe6adf" data-wf-caas-wrapper="Page" id="content-canvas"><div class="caas caas-cc news disableReadMore editorialUpsells enableCommentsCountViaOpenweb enableGAMAds enableGAMAdsOnLoad enableGAMMomentsAds enableInArticleAd enablePxSlottedReadMore enableRRAdsSlots enableSingleSlotting enableVideoDocking enableViewCommentsCTA enableXrayInline enableXrayNcp enableXrayPeopleEntities enableXrayTopicEntities exposeYctIds filterNonGdprEmbeds imageLightbox liveBlogPolling noRapidClickClass outStream showCommentsIconInShareSec caas-click-attached hide-pending-tweet" data-assets="[]" data-device="desktop" data-i18n="{"{date} at {time}":"{date} at {time}","{0} hr ago":"{0} hr ago","{0} min ago":"{0} min ago","{0} mins ago":"{0} mins ago","{0} Views":"{0} Views","INLINE_CONSENT_BLOCKED_3P_BUTTON_ALLOW":"Allow","LESS":"Less","LIVE_IS_OVER":"LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER","LOADING":"Loading","MORE":"More","NEW_UPDATE":"new update","NEW_UPDATES":"new updates","JUST_NOW":"Just now","RELOAD":"Click to reload with latest update","SEE {0} MORE":"See {0} more","SEE_LESS":"See less","SEE_MORE":"See more","SHOW_MORE":"Show more updates","TODAY":"Today","TRY_AGAIN":"Something went wrong. Try again","UPDATES":"updates","VIDEO_A11Y_DISABLE_FULLSCREEN":"Full Screen, button, disabled, temporarily not available for screen reader users"}" data-lang="en-US" data-params="{"features":{"disableReadMore":true,"editorialUpsells":true,"enableCommentsCountViaOpenweb":true,"enableGAMAds":true,"enableGAMAdsOnLoad":true,"enableGAMMomentsAds":true,"enableInArticleAd":true,"enablePxSlottedReadMore":true,"enableRRAdsSlots":true,"enableSingleSlotting":true,"enableVideoDocking":true,"enableViewCommentsCTA":true,"enableXrayInline":true,"enableXrayNcp":true,"enableXrayPeopleEntities":true,"enableXrayTopicEntities":true,"exposeYctIds":true,"filterNonGdprEmbeds":true,"imageLightbox":true,"liveBlogPolling":true,"noRapidClickClass":true,"outStream":true,"showCommentsIconInShareSec":true},"config":{"authorBylineCollapseLineCount":2,"commerceQuickOverviewLimit":5,"freezeOnLinkClick":true,"lazyOffsetY":1300,"livecoverage":{"defer":false},"imageCaptionCollapseLineCount":3,"slideshowCaptionCollapseLineCount":2,"uiShowPreviousButtonOnLoad":true,"prestigeScrollMarginTop":-72}}" data-space-id="1197618800" data-tz="America/Edmonton" id="caas-art-4b63eb5f-0cae-308c-bd07-6bd94dfe6adf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; display: flow-root; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.6; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: initial; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; zoom: 1;"><article aria-labelledby="caas-lead-header-4b63eb5f-0cae-308c-bd07-6bd94dfe6adf" class="caas-container" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1140px; outline: 0px; position: relative; width: 1136px;" tabindex="-1"><div class="caas-body-wrapper"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Gaza will 'take years' to be made safe again, warns UNRWA</span></b></span></div><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><br />Euronews<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="301" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Dec5fbwccUblXN.oT5mpGQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/euronews_uk_articles_973/a54e2a26b879df50f4b76178300bca77" width="535" /><br /><br /></span><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The United Nations agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Friday warned that it will “take years” before the Gaza Strip is made safe again.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">It says Israeli attacks have left almost 23 millions tonnes of rubble and unexploded weapons scattered across the enclave, which will continue to pose a threat well into the future.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) says mine action partners are now “carrying out assessments of explosive threats” and educating Gazans about the dangers.</p><div class="caas-da" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><div id="sda-INARTICLE"></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">It adds, however, that “response efforts have been hampered by restrictions on the import of humanitarian mine action supplies and authorisation requirements for the deployment of specialised personnel."</p><div class="twitter-tweet-wrapper" data-embed-anchor="839777bc-b6bb-5349-997f-e9ca84efedb2" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; scroll-margin-top: 64px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered caas-loaded" data-caas-lazy-loading-init="1" style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; width: 550px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1768601863123792225" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1768601863123792225&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2F2024%2F03%2F16%2Fgaza-will-take-years-to-be-made-safe-again-warns-unrwa%3Futm_source%3Dyahoo%26utm_campaign%3Dfeeds_articles2022%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&sessionId=419e344fbdac41090d438dbe062e352bb7174ec8&siteScreenName=YahooNews&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="border-radius: 13px; display: block; flex-grow: 1; height: 799px; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px;" title="X Post"></iframe></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The UN says the current Israeli military operation in Gaza has not only resulted in an unprecedented death toll and displaced over 1.5 million people, but has also seen extensive destruction of infrastructure.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As Israel continues it relentless bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, its estimated from satellite images that over 150,000 buildings and homes have been damaged and destroyed.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">That is believed to add up to more than half of all structures in the 365 kilometre square area, home to 2.3 million people.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Across Gaza, residential areas have been left in ruins, schools and universities have been destroyed, roads rendered impassable, and water and other essential services are no longer functioning.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The UN says economic activity in the enclave, across all sectors, has ground to a halt, except for the minimum health and food services, and that the impact on household welfare is immeasurable.</p><div class="twitter-tweet-wrapper" data-embed-anchor="6595a607-99fe-5ebe-be90-42a0effa09a8" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; scroll-margin-top: 64px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered caas-loaded" data-caas-lazy-loading-init="1" style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; width: 550px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1747896487009251355" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1747896487009251355&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2F2024%2F03%2F16%2Fgaza-will-take-years-to-be-made-safe-again-warns-unrwa%3Futm_source%3Dyahoo%26utm_campaign%3Dfeeds_articles2022%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&sessionId=419e344fbdac41090d438dbe062e352bb7174ec8&siteScreenName=YahooNews&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="border-radius: 13px; display: block; flex-grow: 1; height: 552px; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px;" title="X Post"></iframe></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Making matters worse much of the damage resulting from the numerous previous Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip remain unrepaired.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">But it is not only buildings, hospitals, schools, roads, and other infrastructure that have been impacted.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The war has destroyed families and their livelihoods, left thousands with life-changing injuries, and seen sprawling tent cities spring up, notably around the southern city of Rafah where many have fled.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Aid agencies have also warned of the severe impact that the war is having on both the physical and mental health of Palestinians.</p><div class="twitter-tweet-wrapper" data-embed-anchor="105bf85f-67d4-5f90-8ca9-9e735efac18d" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; scroll-margin-top: 64px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered caas-loaded" data-caas-lazy-loading-init="1" style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 550px; width: 550px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1768671665850871897" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1768671665850871897&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2F2024%2F03%2F16%2Fgaza-will-take-years-to-be-made-safe-again-warns-unrwa%3Futm_source%3Dyahoo%26utm_campaign%3Dfeeds_articles2022%26utm_medium%3Dreferral&sessionId=419e344fbdac41090d438dbe062e352bb7174ec8&siteScreenName=YahooNews&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="border-radius: 13px; display: block; flex-grow: 1; height: 369px; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px;" title="X Post"></iframe></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As Israel faces increasing pressure to allow more aid into the enclave, the United Nations estimates that over half a million Gazans are facing starvation.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">At the same time, an estimated 17,000 Palestinian children are now unaccompanied or have been separated from their parents.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The UN children’s agency (UNICEF) says malnutrition among children is spreading fast and quickly reaching devastating and unprecedented levels.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has repeatedly spoken of the need for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and recently reiterated his call to the warring </p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-34400158362055981242024-03-18T21:38:00.003-07:002024-03-18T21:58:38.384-07:00<span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bernie Sanders wants the US to adopt 32 hour workweek. Could workers and companies benefit?</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br />RUSS BYNUM<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R9SL_LsBkoTnsh7V.yU6Rg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ap.org/08e74e45a9c013998a2c583e97b21f3d" width="400" /><br /> <i>Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks to the media as he walks to the House chamber before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, March 7, 2024, in Washington. Sanders, the far-left independent from Vermont, introduced a bill Thursday, March 14, that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many Americans can work each week before they're owed overtime. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;">(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)<br /><br />The 40-hour workweek has been standard in the U.S. for more than eight decades. Now some members of Congress want to give hourly workers an extra day off.<br /><br />Sen. <a href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Bernie%20Sanders">Bernie Sanders</a>, the far-left independent from Vermont, this week introduced a bill that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many Americans can work each week before they're owed overtime.<br /><br />Given advances in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, Sanders says U.S. companies can afford to give employees more time off without cutting their pay and benefits.<br /><br /><br />Critics say a mandated shorter week would force many companies to hire additional workers or lose productivity.<br /><br />Here's what to know about the issue:<br /><br />What would Sanders' proposal do?<br /><br />The bill Sanders introduced Wednesday in the Senate would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours. Employers would be prohibited from reducing their workers' pay and benefits to match their lost hours.<br /><br />That means people who currently work Monday through Friday, eight hours per day, would get to add an extra day to their weekend. Workers eligible for overtime would get paid extra for exceeding 32 hours in a week.<br /><br />Sanders says the worktime reductions would be phased in over four years. He held a hearing on the proposal Thursday in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, of which Sanders is the chairman.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iZ5ICSw0mNdPGLmayr-PeIYGngdDkpGnv2K-nyW2LE-_udmuF8lvnJnB_TXe4kl7cUOINlEOjnpwMTrSdu0zvYzJt17u2m991eMsuQ-cqviZ5BbwhpEMpTuSR_HxgyXLSGUCKoaTa2w1poF-A84OrUqpX3uSHUjcrnujyXwT6fkvSXIHn6lSfw/s800/demand-a-reduced.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iZ5ICSw0mNdPGLmayr-PeIYGngdDkpGnv2K-nyW2LE-_udmuF8lvnJnB_TXe4kl7cUOINlEOjnpwMTrSdu0zvYzJt17u2m991eMsuQ-cqviZ5BbwhpEMpTuSR_HxgyXLSGUCKoaTa2w1poF-A84OrUqpX3uSHUjcrnujyXwT6fkvSXIHn6lSfw/s320/demand-a-reduced.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><br /><br />How would a shorter workweek affect employees and productivity?</b><br /><br />One recent study of British companies that agreed to adopt a 32-hour workweek concluded that employees came to work less stressed and more focused while revenues remained steady or increased.<br /><br />In 2022, a team of university researchers and the nonprofit 4 Day Week Global <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-d114ef8be69e1665fd22c39515bdaecf">enlisted 61 companies</a> to reduce working hours for six months without cutting wages. Afterward, 71% of the 2,900 workers said they were less burned out and nearly half reported being more satisfied with their jobs.<br /><br />Meanwhile, 24 of the participating companies reported revenue growth of more than 34% over the prior six months. Nearly two dozen others saw a smaller increase.<br /><br />“The majority of employees register an increase in their productivity over the trial. They are more energized, focused and capable,” Juliet Shor, a Boston College sociology professor and a lead researcher on the UK study, told Sanders' Senate committee.<br /><br />Critics say a 32-hour workweek might work for companies where employees spend most of their time at computers or in meetings, but could be disastrous for production at manufacturing plants that need hands-on workers to keep assembly lines running.<br /><br />“These are concepts that have consequences," Roger King, of the HR Policy Association, which represents corporate human resource officers, told the Senate committee. “It just doesn’t work in many industries."<br /><b><br />What’s the response in Washington?</b><br /><br />With considerable opposition from Republicans, and potentially some Democrats, don't expect Sanders' proposal to get very far in the Senate. A companion bill by Democratic Rep. Mark Takano of California is likely doomed in the GOP-controlled House.<br /><br />GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said paying workers the same wages for fewer hours would force employers to pass the cost of hiring more workers along to consumers.<br /><br />“It would threaten millions of small businesses operating on a razor-thin margin because they’re unable to find enough workers," said Cassidy, the ranking Republican on the committee. "Now they’ve got the same workers, but only for three-quarters of the time. And they have to hire more.”<br /><br />Sanders has used his platform as the committee's chairman to showcase legislation aimed at holding big corporations more accountable to workers. He blamed greedy executives for pocketing extra profits as technology has boosted worker productivity.<br /><br />“Do we continue the trend that technology only benefits the people on top, or do we demand that these transformational changes benefit working people?” Sanders said. "And one of the benefits must be a lower workweek, a 32-hour workweek.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR8OYV-RJQRzUR4L8y_CLAzLRJ0f3gMztqgxFC6masOgrwqOja9BjjRymeoZu3EmD57zVQH74cKOHpCo_KgWVJsmYk0Eg7heBcpFHbGXyewwlBXUBy5k_nroT5KA7i09K_2bzBnmySxXWA9ci8Hd6LckkA2H35q9yCj3jeUF0-gHM1BNH7iO1SQ/s342/4-HourAgit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="299" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR8OYV-RJQRzUR4L8y_CLAzLRJ0f3gMztqgxFC6masOgrwqOja9BjjRymeoZu3EmD57zVQH74cKOHpCo_KgWVJsmYk0Eg7heBcpFHbGXyewwlBXUBy5k_nroT5KA7i09K_2bzBnmySxXWA9ci8Hd6LckkA2H35q9yCj3jeUF0-gHM1BNH7iO1SQ/s320/4-HourAgit.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><b>1933</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>How did we decide a 40-hour workweek was the standard?</b><br /><br />The Fair Labor Standards Act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, restricted child labor and imposed other workplace protections that included limiting the workweek to 44 hours. The law was amended two years later to make it a 40-hour week.<br /><br />The landmark law followed a century of labor-union efforts seeking protections for the many overworked people in the U.S., said Tejasvi Nagaraja, a labor historian at Cornell University’s School of Industry and Labor Relations.<br /><br />“The issue of time was always as important, or more important, than money for labor unions and labor advocates,” Nagaraja said.<br /><br />In the 1830s, coal miners and textile workers began pushing back against workdays of up to 14 hours. After the Civil War, the abolition of slavery caused those in the U.S. to take a fresh look at workers' rights. Unions rallied around the slogan: "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what you will.”<br /><br />The federal government took tentative steps toward limiting working time. In 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant ordered an eight-hour workday for government employees. In 1916, Congress mandated the same for railroad workers.<br /><br />Other reforms came from private industry. In 1926, Henry Ford adopted a 40-hour week for his automobile assembly workers more than a decade before Congress mandated it.<br /><br />Ford wrote: "It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either lost time or a class privilege.”<br /><br />___<br /><br />Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARlUm5pj5nXXYaj4OfZDIhYvr2mNrBYMvF8vWgLiqlO3q8VP4vS8ZMh3Sc7-RmqImexr1siRjj7szmnNo0TN1IgXCYY9ld6QpPivpSBESgkaUZovCAK1FoSd3rS4SMFahf3irjjX_q5HeSyNmb-tB4o0MlnI_IXS1px5osjDcmVT4cdMQ6mvFwA/s800/the-robots-are-5b9acb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARlUm5pj5nXXYaj4OfZDIhYvr2mNrBYMvF8vWgLiqlO3q8VP4vS8ZMh3Sc7-RmqImexr1siRjj7szmnNo0TN1IgXCYY9ld6QpPivpSBESgkaUZovCAK1FoSd3rS4SMFahf3irjjX_q5HeSyNmb-tB4o0MlnI_IXS1px5osjDcmVT4cdMQ6mvFwA/w400-h266/the-robots-are-5b9acb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-73663278473956178892024-03-18T21:34:00.003-07:002024-03-18T21:34:11.828-07:00<span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fiji upholds China policing agreement, Guardian Australia reports</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Reuters<br />Fri, March 15, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Tv_5D_AhHqSSec1q8UhALA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/0105353fce3518ec7fac60fbe36d0fb1" width="400" /><br />20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore</span><div class="caas-body-wrapper" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-xray-wrapper caas-xray-wrapper-type-cards caas-xray-wrapper-position-top caas-xray-wrapper-inline" style="font-size: 13px; left: -9999px; position: absolute; visibility: hidden;"><div class="caas-xray-pills-container" style="position: relative;"><ul class="caas-xray-popups" data-article-uuid="0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c" style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li class="xray-popup-wrapper" style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.8; list-style-type: none;"><div class="caas-xray-popup" data-entity-id="Pio_Tikoduadua" data-entity-type="wiki" data-pill-target-id="xray-overlay-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c-Pio_Tikoduadua_top" style="font-size: inherit; left: -9999px; margin: 0px 10px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 26.3906px; transform: translateY(-20%); transition: opacity 500ms ease-in-out 0s; visibility: hidden; will-change: opacity; z-index: 11;"><div class="xray-popup-wrapper" style="border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 4px 16px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 0px 2px 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="xray-popup-close" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); border-radius: 50%; cursor: pointer; height: 36px; position: absolute; right: 14px; text-align: center; top: 12px; width: 36px; z-index: 3;"><button aria-label="Close more info modal dialog" class="link xray-popup-close-button" data-rapid_p="10" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="g:0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c;itc:1;sec:pill;elm:pill-close;slk:close" style="appearance: button; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; height: 36px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; width: 36px;"><span class="close icon" style="display: inline-block; position: relative; top: -5px;"><svg height="24" viewbox="0 0 20 20" width="24"><path d="M10 8.823L5.585 4.408a.833.833 0 00-1.173.004.828.828 0 00-.003 1.173L8.823 10 4.41 14.414a.833.833 0 00.003 1.174.827.827 0 001.173.003L10 11.176l4.415 4.415a.832.832 0 001.176-1.177L11.177 10l4.414-4.415a.833.833 0 00-.003-1.173.829.829 0 00-1.173-.004L10 8.823z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="xray-popup-content wafer-scrollview xray-popup-content-slim wf-scrollview-inactive" data-wf-behavior="native" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; height: 75vh; max-height: 750px; overflow: hidden overlay; position: relative; transition: height 0.4s ease-in-out 0s; width: 375px;"><div class="xray-rmp-wrapper wafer-rapid-module active wafer-rapid-tracked" id="xray-overlay-rapid-module-0-top"><div class="xray-fetch-content" id="xray-overlay-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c-Pio_Tikoduadua_top_fetch"></div></div></div><div class="xray-popup-view-more-prompt" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 8px; bottom: -1px; display: flex; justify-content: center; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; z-index: 3;"><button class="link xray-popup-view-more-prompt-button" data-rapid_p="11" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="g:0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c;itc:1;sec:pill;elm:popup-view-more;slk:More content below" style="align-items: center; appearance: button; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; overflow: visible; position: relative; transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; z-index: 1;"><div class="xray-popup-view-more-prompt-button-label"></div><div class="xray-popup-view-more-prompt-button-icon" style="height: 20px; margin-left: 2px; margin-top: 2px; position: relative; width: 20px;"><span class="chevronDown icon icon-center" style="display: inline-block; left: 10px; position: absolute; top: 10px; transform: translate(-50%, -50%);"><svg height="20" viewbox="0 0 20 20" width="20"><path d="M9.00177132 10.0007114l4.08829038-4.02939921c.3144838-.31076732.3194363-.83061107-.0024763-1.1478866-.3252143-.32052964-.8444016-.31890259-1.1646634-.00244058L6.66666667 10.0007114l5.25790623 5.1813535c.3153093.3107673.8427507.3156485 1.1646633-.0024406.3243889-.3197161.3235635-.8314246.0024763-1.1478866l-4.08994118-4.0310263z" transform="rotate(270, 10, 10)"></path></svg></span></div></button></div></div></div></li><li class="xray-popup-wrapper" style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.8; list-style-type: none;"><div class="caas-xray-popup" data-entity-id="Sitiveni_Rabuka" data-entity-type="wiki" data-pill-target-id="xray-overlay-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c-Sitiveni_Rabuka_top" style="font-size: inherit; left: -9999px; margin: 0px 10px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: 26.3906px; transform: translateY(-20%); transition: opacity 500ms ease-in-out 0s; visibility: hidden; will-change: opacity; z-index: 11;"><div class="xray-popup-wrapper" style="border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 4px 16px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 0px 2px 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="xray-popup-close" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); border-radius: 50%; cursor: pointer; height: 36px; position: absolute; right: 14px; text-align: center; top: 12px; width: 36px; z-index: 3;"><button aria-label="Close more info modal dialog" class="link xray-popup-close-button" data-rapid_p="12" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="g:0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c;itc:1;sec:pill;elm:pill-close;slk:close" style="appearance: button; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; height: 36px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; width: 36px;"><span class="close icon" style="display: inline-block; position: relative; top: -5px;"><svg height="24" viewbox="0 0 20 20" width="24"><path d="M10 8.823L5.585 4.408a.833.833 0 00-1.173.004.828.828 0 00-.003 1.173L8.823 10 4.41 14.414a.833.833 0 00.003 1.174.827.827 0 001.173.003L10 11.176l4.415 4.415a.832.832 0 001.176-1.177L11.177 10l4.414-4.415a.833.833 0 00-.003-1.173.829.829 0 00-1.173-.004L10 8.823z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="xray-popup-content wafer-scrollview xray-popup-content-slim wf-scrollview-inactive" data-wf-behavior="native" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; height: 75vh; max-height: 750px; overflow: hidden overlay; position: relative; transition: height 0.4s ease-in-out 0s; width: 375px;"><div class="xray-rmp-wrapper wafer-rapid-module active wafer-rapid-tracked" id="xray-overlay-rapid-module-1-top"><div class="xray-fetch-content" id="xray-overlay-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c-Sitiveni_Rabuka_top_fetch"></div></div></div><div class="xray-popup-view-more-prompt" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 8px; bottom: -1px; display: flex; justify-content: center; left: 0px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; right: 0px; transition: opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; z-index: 3;"><button class="link xray-popup-view-more-prompt-button" data-rapid_p="13" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="g:0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c;itc:1;sec:pill;elm:popup-view-more;slk:More content below" style="align-items: center; appearance: button; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; overflow: visible; position: relative; transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; z-index: 1;"><div class="xray-popup-view-more-prompt-button-label"></div><div class="xray-popup-view-more-prompt-button-icon" style="height: 20px; margin-left: 2px; margin-top: 2px; position: relative; width: 20px;"><span class="chevronDown icon icon-center" style="display: inline-block; left: 10px; position: absolute; top: 10px; transform: translate(-50%, -50%);"><svg height="20" viewbox="0 0 20 20" width="20"><path d="M9.00177132 10.0007114l4.08829038-4.02939921c.3144838-.31076732.3194363-.83061107-.0024763-1.1478866-.3252143-.32052964-.8444016-.31890259-1.1646634-.00244058L6.66666667 10.0007114l5.25790623 5.1813535c.3153093.3107673.8427507.3156485 1.1646633-.0024406.3243889-.3197161.3235635-.8314246.0024763-1.1478866l-4.08994118-4.0310263z" transform="rotate(270, 10, 10)"></path></svg></span></div></button></div></div></div></li></ul><div class="caas-xray-pills-list-wrapper" style="margin: -16px 2.39062px 4px -10px; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 16px; padding-left: 10px; padding-top: 16px; position: relative;"><ul class="caas-xray-pills xray-as-popup caas-xray-pills-top caas-xray-pills-inline" data-xray-id="xray-popup-0" style="display: inline-block; height: 0px; left: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-wrap: nowrap; transition: left 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><li class="xray-pill-wrapper" id="xray-overlay-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c-Pio_Tikoduadua_top" style="display: inline-flex; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top;"></li><li class="xray-pill-wrapper" id="xray-overlay-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c-Sitiveni_Rabuka_top" style="display: inline-flex; font-size: 1em; line-height: normal; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: top;"></li></ul><button aria-label="Show previous cards" class="link xray-cards-arrow xray-cards-arrow-previous" data-rapid_p="14" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="g:0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c;itc:1;sec:pill;elm:pill-arrow;slk:previous" style="appearance: button; background-color: #f7f8ff; border-color: rgba(29, 34, 40, 0.11); border-radius: 50%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 2px 4px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 1px 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; height: 36px; left: 5px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 6px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; top: 26.3906px; transform: translateY(-50%); transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; visibility: hidden; width: 36px; z-index: 4;"><span class="chevronBack icon icon-center" style="display: inline-block; height: 24px; left: 17px; position: absolute; top: 17px; transform: translate(-50%, -50%); width: 24px;"><svg height="24" viewbox="0 0 20 20" width="24"><path d="M9.00177132 10.0007114l4.08829038-4.02939921c.3144838-.31076732.3194363-.83061107-.0024763-1.1478866-.3252143-.32052964-.8444016-.31890259-1.1646634-.00244058L6.66666667 10.0007114l5.25790623 5.1813535c.3153093.3107673.8427507.3156485 1.1646633-.0024406.3243889-.3197161.3235635-.8314246.0024763-1.1478866l-4.08994118-4.0310263z"></path></svg></span></button><button aria-label="Show next cards" class="link xray-cards-arrow xray-cards-arrow-next" data-rapid_p="15" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="g:0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c;itc:1;sec:pill;elm:pill-arrow;slk:next" style="appearance: button; background-color: #f7f8ff; border-color: rgba(29, 34, 40, 0.11); border-radius: 50%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 2px 4px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 1px 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; height: 36px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; outline: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 6px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 26.3906px; transform: translateY(-50%); transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; visibility: hidden; width: 36px; z-index: 4;"><span class="chevronNext icon icon-center" style="display: inline-block; height: 24px; left: 17px; position: absolute; top: 17px; transform: translate(-50%, -50%); width: 24px;"><svg height="24" viewbox="0 0 20 20" width="24"><path d="M9.00177132 10.0007114l4.08829038-4.02939921c.3144838-.31076732.3194363-.83061107-.0024763-1.1478866-.3252143-.32052964-.8444016-.31890259-1.1646634-.00244058L6.66666667 10.0007114l5.25790623 5.1813535c.3153093.3107673.8427507.3156485 1.1646633-.0024406.3243889-.3197161.3235635-.8314246.0024763-1.1478866l-4.08994118-4.0310263z" transform="rotate(180, 10, 10)"></path></svg></span></button><div class="xray-cards-gradient-mask xray-cards-gradient-mask-next" style="background-image: linear-gradient(to right, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgb(255, 255, 255) 40%); bottom: 0px; content: ""; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: 8px; transition: opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; width: 80px; z-index: 1;"></div><div class="xray-cards-gradient-mask xray-cards-gradient-mask-previous" style="background-image: linear-gradient(to left, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgb(255, 255, 255) 40%); bottom: 0px; content: ""; left: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; top: 8px; transition: opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; width: 80px; z-index: 1;"></div></div></div></div><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><p style="font-size: 1.385em; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fiji will maintain a policing cooperation deal with China after a review of the agreement which has sparked concern in Australia, the Guardian Australia news site reported.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“We are now back on the original police agreement [with China] – that has been restored, we had reviewed it for 12 months,” Fijian Home Affairs Minister <span class="caas-xray-inline-tooltip wafer-destroyed wafer-loader-success" data-wf-local-storage-key="xray-inline-tooltip" data-wf-reset-every="90" data-wf-template-id="caas-xray-inline-wafer-tooltip-template-with-close-0aec3843-fabd-3796-bca7-7f165635298c" data-wf-tooltip-position="bottom" data-wf-tooltip-text="Get info without <br/> leaving the page." style="position: relative;"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" class="caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt" data-entity-id="Pio_Tikoduadua" data-ylk="cid:Pio_Tikoduadua;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(126, 31, 255); border-image: initial; border-radius: 0px; border-style: solid solid dashed; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 28px; min-width: 30px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><a class="link " data-i13n="cid:Pio_Tikoduadua;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" data-rapid_p="16" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Pio Tikoduadua;cid:Pio_Tikoduadua;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Pio%20Tikoduadua" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: none; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="-1">Pio Tikoduadua</a></span></span> was quoted as saying.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka put on hold the decade-old police cooperation deal between Fiji and China shortly after forming government in December 2022, citing differences in policing, investigations and legal systems.</p><div class="caas-da" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><div id="sda-INARTICLE"></div></div><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Guardian Australia reported on Friday that Tikoduadua said “there will only be Fijian officers training in China and no embedding of Chinese officers in the Fiji police force”.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Tikoduadua's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for confirmation of the report.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In February, Australia's Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said there should be "no role" for China, a growing presence in the region, in policing the Pacific Islands.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">China's ambassador to Australia, a key United States ally, said earlier this year that China had a strategy to form policing ties with Pacific Island countries to help maintain social order and this should not cause Australia anxiety.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-22764560147012516732024-03-18T21:30:00.003-07:002024-03-18T21:30:25.282-07:00<span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Looking for work, migrants turn to street vending</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin;">]<br />Sarah Freishtat, Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune<br />Mon, March 18, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/g.CZktH_phv6IiRHkbzr5w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/chicago_tribune_national_336/e066f06af8073d026614ef9a5fa7ee9b" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Rvo_xNzPCMlw3iu8sSXX4Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/chicago_tribune_national_336/22e31ea3fe452514ec533110ec1663f6" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Eel1JCjMKTnvRkGuKWR_DQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/chicago_tribune_national_336/ddfe671918413313b88c4e53ce0427aa" width="400" /><br /><br /><img height="281" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Lwft._tHg2dYi1Llujo7TA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY3NTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/chicago_tribune_national_336/544d4269410e285d9732e479963dedc2" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/03vMTOhpiKfpgTTpiBkNDA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/chicago_tribune_national_336/ba203dfd478ae65b2c3a8641c686fc5d" width="400" /><br /><i>Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS<br /></i><br /><br />CHICAGO -- On a chilly late winter evening, the smell of cooked meat washed over the traffic backed up outside the Salt Shed music venue.<br /><br />The smell came from the folding tables and stools set up across the street, where several vendors were selling arepas, empanadas and pastelitos out of multicolored coolers. Benches and a shopping cart were packed with snacks and cans of Sprite and Fanta. Cigarettes were also available for sale, and the smell of smoke mixed with that of the Venezuelan street food.<br /><br />This is where Edwin Bravo was selling tequeños, outside the migrant shelter he’s staying in. Venezuelans more established in the city bring him the precooked food, and in return take a cut of the money, he said.<br /><br /><br />But he expected to have enough customers to make a profit. The food at the shelter is terrible, he said, and he figured plenty of residents would take him up on his two-for-$5 special.<br /><br />And as dinnertime neared, the stub of a side street wedged between the music venue and Metra tracks filled with migrants hanging out and looking for a familiar meal from Bravo and the other vendors. The sounds of setup for the Jason Isbell concert at the Salt Shed mixed with the Spanish music playing on the street corner as the crowd grew.<br /><br />“The day I get a (work) permit, I’ll leave this place,” Bravo said in Spanish. “I’ll rent a home.”<br /><br />Bravo and the others set up on the West Town corner are one type of the street vendors who are becoming an increasingly familiar sight, as those newly arrived in the area look for opportunities to work. They are part of an informal economy that has gained visibility as more than 36,000 people have arrived in Chicago from the southern border since August 2022.<br /><br />The new arrivals are the latest additions to Chicago’s history of street vending. For years, immigrants to the city have sold tamales on street corners and out of coolers in bars. Paleteros have pushed carts in the city’s neighborhoods and at the lakefront, and eloteros have long been a staple of the city’s Mexican American neighborhoods.<br /><br />In recent months, other types of street vending have also become more visible. Men and women walk through CTA trains selling chocolates and candy out of decorated bins. On a recent afternoon, several women from Ecuador sat on street corners around the Loop, selling gum, M&Ms, Reese’s and Skittles.<br /><br />One of the sellers, Norma Allas, sat on a street corner with her 2-year-old daughter. She worked at a flower shop in Ecuador, but after facing few work opportunities there and increasing gang violence, she left, walking through jungle to the U.S., she said.<br /><br />She thought she would be able to find a job when she arrived in the States, but couldn’t get a work permit, she said. When she saw other people selling on the street, she decided to try it.<br /><br />“So, so many people are coming,” she said in Spanish. “And you have to pay for rent, for food.”<br /><br />Advocates say stories like Allas’ show the need to expand work opportunities to more immigrants, both those newly arriving and those who have been here for years. Some of the new arrivals are eligible for work permits, depending on a variety of factors such as the country they left, the circumstances under which they left and when they arrived. But others are not eligible, and even those who are sometimes must overcome hurdles, advocates said. Efforts have been made to speed up the process for those who are eligible, but in some cases it can still take months.<br /><br />The Biden administration has made efforts to address work eligibility for Venezuelans, in particular, who make up the majority of arriving migrants. That includes a move last fall to extend temporary protected status for Venezuelans who arrived before July 31, 2023, which fast-tracks their approval to work legally. The move was expected to cover an estimated 472,000 people nationally.<br /><br />The Resurrection Project, a housing and immigration assistance agency based on the city’s Lower West Side, has held workshops to help some of those eligible get work authorization. So far, more than 1,900 work authorization cards have been issued to attendees, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is processing another roughly 2,000 applications, said Erendira Rendon, vice president of immigrant justice at the organization.<br /><br />But left out of the picture entirely are immigrants in the country without legal permission who have been living in the city for years, which has been a frustration for many advocates and immigrants, she said.<br /><br />“The eligibility criteria that has been set out has been very arbitrary and unfair,” she said.<br /><br />Work authorization can provide a pathway to better-paying jobs with better benefits, which means workers will pay taxes at a higher rate and have more opportunities to contribute to their community, said Diego Samayoa, associate director of Centro Romero, an Edgewater-based organization that works with refugees and immigrants. Expanding eligibility would not only help those seeking work, but the private sector, too, he said.<br /><br />Some business groups are also pushing to expand work authorization. Mark Denzler, president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, said that nationally more than 600,000 manufacturing jobs are unfilled, including an estimated tens of thousands in Illinois. Many of the openings would be suitable for newly arrived migrants or immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years without legal permission, if they were authorized to work in the country, he said.<br /><br />In the meantime, those arriving are finding other ways to work. Bravo, selling outside the Salt Shed, said he makes about $30 a day in profit. Getting work authorization and a stable job would help him save to rent a home, he said.<br /><br />Near Bravo’s cooler, Ruven Vartida sold pork, ham and egg arepas for $5 each. Vartida, 29, was a mechanic in Venezuela, but he began selling food after just days in the U.S.<br /><br />“It’s better to do this than nothing,” he said.<br /><br />Like Bravo, he purchased premade food from migrants and sold the arepas largely to other migrants, tapping into an informal ecosystem. He also buys Cokes at Walmart and sells them for $1, sometimes to migrants and sometimes to passersby.<br /><br />“I think all new beginnings are difficult,” he said. “No one comes to a new country with everything. Everything is a process, and you have to adapt and fight.”<br /><br />Chicago has long welcomed waves of immigrants, but the sheer number arriving in recent years, many with no family or support systems in the city, has perhaps made informal work more visible, said Megan Davis, director of legal services at social services nonprofit Erie House.<br /><br />Rengi Jesus Faltime, 33, turned to street vending to help support his wife and 5-year-old daughter. He has been in the U.S. about eight months, long enough to move out of a shelter and into a home, he said. But that means he has $550 in monthly rent to pay.<br /><br />Faltime worked at a shoe store in Venezuela and, on his journey north through the jungle, stopped for a time in Tapachula, Mexico, to work at a bakery and earn money. After he arrived in Chicago he worked for two months at a hotel but was laid off, he said. He looked for other work but struck out.<br /><br />So he and his wife decided he would sell arepas stuffed with breaded chicken, or chicken mixed with bacon and ham, and pastelitos that she cooked in their home.<br /><br />“I really don’t want to be on the street begging, and I don’t want to go back to a shelter either,” he said. “So the situation brought me here.”<br /><br />He intends to look for permanent work once the weather warms up. But so far, selling outside the migrant shelter nearly every day for four months, he has been able to pay rent.<br /><br />He and his wife search multiple stores for the most cost-effective ingredients to ensure they make a profit, he said. Some days he sells a few dozen arepas, and some days a few hundred. He strategically chose the corner across from the Salt Shed because it is visible to the street, and close to the shelter, he said.<br /><br />In an area surrounded by other Venezuelans, he knows the familiar food will be a hit. He often sells out in a matter of hours, even when there is a steady supply nearby from other vendors. Occasionally he also sells to other people walking by, he said.<br /><br />The business isn’t without risks. Sometimes police ask the vendors to clear out, saying it’s illegal to sell without a street vendor permit, he said.<br /><br />Chicago generally requires those who sell prepared foods and peddlers who sell uncut fruits and vegetables or other goods to be licensed. In 2023, the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection issued 730 enforcement actions to 155 peddlers and vendors, including cease-and-desist orders and citations, according to department data. Police can also enforce license violations, the department said.<br /><br />Not every new vendor has encountered enforcement, though.<br /><br />Andris Vasquez, who came to the U.S. from Caracas, Venezuela, about four months ago, has been selling empanadas for about a month. Once a butcher in Venezuela, the 23-year-old now lives in a Chicago Heights home with his mom, who has been in the U.S. longer than he and has work authorization, he said.<br /><br />Back in Caracas, vendors selling traditional stuffed masa hallacas and a type of dumpling called bollos were common, he said.<br /><br />Here, he and his mother carefully tally up the cost of the flour, oil, beef and chicken she uses to make the empanadas. They’ll spend about $150 for four days’ worth of empanadas, and on a good day he can make $80 to $100 selling.<br /><br />“Here there are mostly Venezuelans, and they know empanadas,” he said in Spanish, from outside the West Town migrant shelter. “I don’t speak English, and I don’t know how to offer them to people from the U.S.”<br /><br />Vasquez would prefer to have a more stable job, he said. But after leaving Venezuela, uncertain of what the future held for him there, he and his mother now have bills to pay.<br /><br />“We have to pay for water and electricity,” he said. “I have to do something to make money.”</span></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-10287379812541206842024-03-18T21:28:00.000-07:002024-03-18T21:28:07.620-07:00<p><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">How Trump’s Allies Are Winning the War Over Disinformation</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br />Jim Rutenberg and Steven Lee Myers</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">The New York Times</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Sun, March 17, 2024 <br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/my8Pfi4jsM.f8c6fYNfV.w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_new_york_times_articles_158/a67cbdd1ad45b5467adb72560e62356a" width="400" /><br /><i>A person at MichiganÕs GOP state convention in Lansing, Mich., Feb. 18, 2023.</i></span></p><p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #232a31;">In the wake of the riot on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021, a groundswell built in Washington to rein</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #232a31;"> in the onslaught of lies that had fueled the assault on the peaceful transfer of power</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">.</span></p><div class="caas-body-wrapper" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Social media companies suspended <span class="caas-xray-inline-tooltip wafer-destroyed wafer-loader-success" data-wf-local-storage-key="xray-inline-tooltip" data-wf-reset-every="90" data-wf-template-id="caas-xray-inline-wafer-tooltip-template-with-close-e7f644ea-4f51-32c1-a39d-77d6fc0b8177" data-wf-tooltip-position="bottom" data-wf-tooltip-text="Get info without <br/> leaving the page." style="position: relative;"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" class="caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt" data-entity-id="Donald_Trump" data-ylk="cid:Donald_Trump;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(126, 31, 255); border-image: initial; border-radius: 0px; border-style: solid solid dashed; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 28px; min-width: 30px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><a class="link " data-i13n="cid:Donald_Trump;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" data-rapid_p="18" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:Donald Trump;cid:Donald_Trump;pos:1;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:Politician;" href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Donald%20Trump" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: none; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="-1">Donald Trump</a></span></span>, then the president, and many of his allies from the platforms they had used to spread misinformation about his defeat and whip up the attempt to overturn it. <span class="caas-xray-inline-tooltip" style="position: relative;"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" class="caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt" data-entity-id="Joe_Biden" data-ylk="cid:Joe_Biden;pos:2;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:OfficeHolder;" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(126, 31, 255); border-image: initial; border-radius: 0px; border-style: solid solid dashed; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 28px; min-width: 30px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><a class="link " data-i13n="cid:Joe_Biden;pos:2;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:OfficeHolder;" data-rapid_p="19" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:President Joe Biden;cid:Joe_Biden;pos:2;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:OfficeHolder;" href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Joe%20Biden" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: none; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="-1">President Joe Biden</a></span></span>’s administration, Democrats in Congress and even some Republicans sought to do more to hold the companies accountable. Academic researchers wrestled with how to strengthen efforts to monitor false posts.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Trump and his allies embarked instead on a counteroffensive, a coordinated effort to block what they viewed as a dangerous effort to censor conservatives.</p><div class="caas-da" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><div id="sda-INARTICLE"></div></div><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><a class="link " data-rapid_p="20" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters?partner=yahoo" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times</a></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">They have unquestionably prevailed.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Waged in the courts, in Congress and in the seething precincts of the internet, that effort has eviscerated attempts to shield elections from disinformation in the social media era. It tapped into — and then, critics say, twisted — the fierce debate over free speech and the government’s role in policing content.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Projects that were once bipartisan, including one started by the Trump administration, have been recast as deep-state conspiracies to rig elections. Facing legal and political blowback, the Biden administration has largely abandoned moves that might be construed as stifling political speech.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">While little noticed by most Americans, the effort has helped cut a path for Trump’s attempt to recapture the presidency. Disinformation about elections is once again coursing through news feeds, aiding Trump as he fuels his comeback with falsehoods about the 2020 election.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“The censorship cartel must be dismantled and destroyed, and it must happen immediately,” he thundered at the start of his 2024 campaign.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The counteroffensive was led by former Trump aides and allies who had also pushed to overturn the 2020 election. They include Stephen Miller, the White House policy adviser; the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, both Republicans; and lawmakers in Congress such as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who since last year has led a House subcommittee to investigate what it calls “the weaponization of government.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Those involved draw financial support from conservative donors who have backed groups that promoted lies about voting in 2020. They have worked alongside an eclectic cast of characters, including Elon Musk, a billionaire who bought Twitter, now called X, and vowed to make it a bastion of free speech; and Mike Benz, a former Trump administration official who previously produced content for a social media account that trafficked in posts about “white ethnic displacement.” (More recently, Benz originated the false assertion that Taylor Swift was a “psychological operation” asset for the Pentagon.)</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Three years after Trump’s posts about rigged voting machines and stuffed ballot boxes went viral, he and his allies have achieved a stunning reversal of online fortune. Social media platforms now provide fewer checks against the intentional spread of lies about elections.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“The people that benefit from the spread of disinformation have effectively silenced many of the people that would try to call them out,” said Kate Starbird, a professor at the University of Washington whose research on disinformation made her a target of the effort.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">It took aim at a patchwork of systems, started in Trump’s administration, that were intended to protect U.S. democracy from foreign interference. As those systems evolved to address domestic sources of misinformation, federal officials and private researchers began urging social media companies to do more to enforce their policies against harmful content.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">That work has led to some of the most important First Amendment cases of the internet age, including one to be argued Monday at the Supreme Court. That lawsuit, filed by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, accuses federal officials of colluding with or coercing the platforms to censor content critical of the government. The court’s decision, expected by June, could curtail the government’s latitude in monitoring content online.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The arguments strike at the heart of an unsettled question in modern American political life: In a world of unlimited online communications, in which anyone can reach huge numbers of people with unverified and false information, where is the line between protecting democracy and trampling on the right to free speech?</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Even before the court rules, Trump’s allies have succeeded in paralyzing the Biden administration and the network of researchers who monitor disinformation.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department continue to monitor foreign disinformation, but the government has suspended virtually all cooperation with the social media platforms to address posts that originate in the United States.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“There’s just a chilling effect on all of this,” said Nina Jankowicz, a researcher who in 2022 briefly served as executive director of a short-lived DHS advisory board on disinformation. “Nobody wants to be caught up in it.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">‘Interpretive Battle’</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">For Trump, banishment from social media was debilitating. His posts had been central to his political success, as was the army of adherents who cheered his messages and rallied behind his effort to hold on to office after he lost.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“WE have to use TIKTOK!!” read a memo prepared for Trump’s lead lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, referring to a strategy to use social media to promote false messages about dead voters and vote-stealing software. “Content goes VIRAL here like no other platform!!!!! And there are MILLIONS of Trump supporters!”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">After the violence on Jan. 6, Trump aides started working on how to “win the interpretive battle of the Trump history,” as one of them, Vincent Haley, had said in a previously unreported message found in the archives of the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack. That would be crucial “for success in 2022 and 2024,” he added.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Once out of office, Trump built his own social platform, Truth Social, and his aides created a network of new organizations to advance the Trump agenda — and to prepare for his return.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Miller, Trump’s top policy adviser, created America First Legal, a nonprofit, to take on, as its mission statement put it, “an unholy alliance of corrupt special interests, big tech titans, fake news media and liberal Washington politicians.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">He solicited funding from conservative donors, drawing on a $27 million contribution from the Bradley Impact Fund, which had financed a web of groups that pushed “voter fraud” conspiracies in 2020. Another $1.3 million came from the Conservative Partnership Institute, considered the nonprofit nerve center of the Trump movement.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">A key focus would be what he perceived as bias against conservatives on social media. “When you see people being banned off of Twitter and Facebook and other platforms,” he said in January 2021, “what you are seeing is the fundamental erosion of the concept of liberty and freedom in America.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Biden’s administration was moving in the other direction. He came into office determined to take a tougher line against misinformation online — in large part because it was seen as an obstacle to bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control. DHS officials were focused on bolstering defenses against election lies, which clearly had failed before Jan. 6.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In one respect, that was more clear-cut than matters of public health. There have long been special legal protections against providing false information about where, when and how to vote or intentionally sowing public confusion, or fear, to suppress voting.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Social media, with its pipeline to tens of millions of voters, presented powerful new pathways for anti-democratic tactics, but with far fewer of the regulatory and legal limits that exist for television, radio and newspapers.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The pitfalls were also clear: During the 2020 campaign, platforms had rushed to bury a New York Post article about <span class="caas-xray-inline-tooltip" style="position: relative;"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" class="caas-xray-inline caas-xray-entity caas-xray-pill rapid-nonanchor-lt" data-entity-id="Hunter_Biden" data-ylk="cid:Hunter_Biden;pos:3;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:BusinessPerson;" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(126, 31, 255); border-image: initial; border-radius: 0px; border-style: solid solid dashed; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 28px; min-width: 30px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><a class="link " data-i13n="cid:Hunter_Biden;pos:3;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:BusinessPerson;" data-rapid_p="21" data-v9y="0" data-ylk="slk:Hunter Biden;cid:Hunter_Biden;pos:3;elmt:wiki;sec:pill-inline-entity;elm:pill-inline-text;itc:1;cat:BusinessPerson;" href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Hunter%20Biden" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: none; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="-1">Hunter Biden</a></span></span>’s laptop out of concern that it might be tied to Russian interference. Conservatives saw it as an attempt to tilt the scales toward Joe Biden.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Administration officials said they were seeking a delicate balance between the First Amendment and social media’s rising power over public opinion.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“We’re in the business of critical infrastructure, and the most critical infrastructure is our cognitive infrastructure,” said Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, whose responsibilities include protecting the national voting system. “Building that resilience to misinformation and disinformation, I think, is incredibly important.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In early 2022, DHS announced its first major answer to the conundrum: the Disinformation Governance Board. The board would serve as an advisory body and help coordinate anti-disinformation efforts across the department’s bureaucracy, officials said. Its director was Jankowicz, an expert in Russian disinformation.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The announcement ignited a political firestorm that killed the board only weeks after it began operating. Liberals and conservatives raised questions about its reach and the potential for abuse.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The fury was most intense on the right. Miller, speaking on Fox News, slammed it as “something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Jankowicz said such attacks were distorting but acknowledged that the announcement had struck a nerve.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“I think any American, when you hear, ‘Oh, the administration, the White House, is setting up something to censor Americans,’ even if that has no shred of evidence behind it, your ears are really going to prick up,” she said.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">A Legal Assault</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Among those who took note was Eric Schmitt, then the attorney general of Missouri.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">He and other attorneys general had been a forceful part of Trump’s legal campaign to overturn his defeat. Now they would lend legal firepower to block the fight against disinformation.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In May 2022, Schmitt and Jeff Landry, then the attorney general of Louisiana and now the governor, sued dozens of federal officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, who had become a villain to many conservatives.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The lawsuit picked up where others had failed. Trump and others had sued Facebook and Twitter, but those challenges stalled, as courts effectively ruled that the companies had a right to ban content on their sites. The new case, known as Missouri v. Biden, argued that companies were not just banning users; they were being coerced into doing so by government officials.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The attorneys general filed the lawsuit in the Western District of Louisiana, where it fell to Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee who had built a reputation for blocking Biden administration policies.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“A lot of these lawsuits against social media companies themselves were just dying in the graveyard in the Northern District of California,” Schmitt, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022, said, referring to the liberal-leaning federal court in San Francisco. “And so our approach was a little bit different. We went directly at the government.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The lawsuit was considered a long shot by experts, who noted that government officials were not issuing orders but urging the platforms to enforce their own policies. The decision to act was left to the companies, and more often than not, they did nothing.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Documents subpoenaed for the case showed extensive interactions between government officials and the platforms. In emails and text messages, people on both sides were alternately cooperative and confrontational. The platforms took seriously the administration’s complaints about content they said was misleading or false, but at the same time, they did not blindly carry out its bidding.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">On Biden’s third day in office, a White House aide, Clarke Humphrey, wrote to Twitter flagging a post by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely suggesting that the death of Hank Aaron, the baseball legend, had been caused by the COVID-19 vaccines. She asked an executive at the platform to begin the process of removing the post “as soon as possible.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The post is still up.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Reframing the Debate</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In August 2022, a new organization, the Foundation for Freedom Online, posted a report on its website called “Department of Homeland Censorship: How DHS Seized Power Over Online Speech.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The group’s founder, Benz, claimed to have firsthand knowledge of how federal officials were “coordinating mass censorship of the internet.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">At the heart of Benz’s theory was the Election Integrity Partnership, a group created in the summer of 2020 to supplement government efforts to combat misinformation about the election that year.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The idea came from a group of college interns at CISA. The students suggested that research institutions could help track and flag posts that might violate the platforms’ standards, feeding the information into a portal open to the agency, state and local governments and the platforms.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The project ultimately involved Stanford University, the University of Washington, the National Conference on Citizenship, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, and Graphika, a social media analytics firm. At its peak, it had 120 analysts, some of whom were college students.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">It had what it considered successes, including spotting — and helping to stop — the spread of a false claim that a poll worker was burning Trump ballots in Erie, Pennsylvania. The approach could misfire, though. A separate but related CISA system flagged a tweet from a New York Times reporter accurately describing a printer problem at a voter center in Wisconsin, leading Twitter to affix an accuracy warning.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Decisions about whether to act remained with the platforms, which, in nearly 2 out of every 3 cases, did nothing.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In Benz’s telling, however, the government was using the partnership to get around the First Amendment, such as outsourcing warfare to the private military contractor Blackwater.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Benz’s foundation for a time advertised itself as “a project of” Empower Oversight, a Republican group created by former Senate aides to support “whistleblower” investigations.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Benz had previously lived a dual life. By day, he was a corporate lawyer in New York. In his off-hours, he toiled online under a social media avatar, Frame Game Radio, which railed against “the complete war on free speech” as it produced racist and antisemitic posts.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In videos and posts, Frame Game identified himself as a onetime member of the “Western chauvinist” group the Proud Boys, and as a Jew. Yet he blamed Jewish groups when he and others were suspended by social media companies. Warning about a looming demographic “white genocide,” Frame Game vented, “Anything pro white is called racist; anything white positive is racist.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Benz did not respond to requests for comment. After NBC News first reported on Frame Game last fall, Benz called the account “a deradicalization project” to which he contributed in a “limited manner.” It was intended, he wrote on X “by Jews to get people who hated Jews to stop hating Jews.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Toward the end of 2018, Benz joined the Trump administration as a speechwriter for the housing and urban development secretary, Ben Carson. Benz’s posts were discovered by a colleague and brought to department management, according to a former official who insisted on anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As the election between Trump and Biden heated up, he joined Miller’s speech-writing team at the White House. He was there through the early days of the effort to keep Trump in power and was involved in the search for statistical anomalies that could purport to show election fraud, according to testimony and records collected by House investigators, some of which were first uncovered by Kristen Ruby, a social media and public relations strategist.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In late November 2020, Benz was abruptly moved to the State Department as a deputy assistant secretary for international communications and information policy. It is unclear precisely what he did in the role. Benz has since claimed that the job, which he held for less than two months, gave him his expertise in cyberpolicy.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Benz’s report gained national attention when a conservative website, Just the News, wrote about it in September 2022. Four days later, Schmitt’s office sent requests for records to the University of Washington and others demanding information about their contacts with the government.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Schmitt soon amended his lawsuit to include nearly five pages detailing Benz’s work and asserting a new, broader claim: Not only was the government exerting pressure on the platforms, but it was also effectively deputizing the private researchers “to evade First Amendment and other legal restrictions.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The scheme, Benz said, had “ambitious sights for 2022 and 2024.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">‘An Aha Moment’</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In October 2022, Musk completed his purchase of Twitter and vowed to make the platform a forum for unfettered debate.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">He quickly reversed the banning of Trump — calling it “morally wrong” — and loosened rules that had caused the suspensions of many of his followers.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">He also set out to prove that Twitter’s previous management had too willingly cooperated with government officials. He released internal company communications to a select group of writers, among them Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The resulting project, which became known as the Twitter Files, began with an installment investigating Twitter’s decision to limit the reach of the New York Post article about Hunter Biden’s laptop.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The author of that dispatch, Taibbi, concluded that Twitter had limited the coverage amid general warnings from the FBI that Russia could leak hacked materials to try to influence the 2020 election. Although he was critical of previous leadership at Twitter, he reported that he saw no evidence of direct government involvement.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Last March, Benz joined the fray. Taibbi and Benz participated in a live discussion on Twitter, which was co-hosted by Jennifer Lynn Lawrence, an organizer of the Trump rally that preceded the riot on Jan. 6.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As Taibbi described his work, Benz jumped in: “I believe I have all of the missing pieces of the puzzle.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">There was a far broader “scale of censorship the world has never experienced before,” he told Taibbi, who made plans to follow up.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Later, Shellenberger said that connecting with Benz had led to “a big aha moment.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“The clouds parted, and the sunlight burst through the sky,” he said on a podcast. “It’s like, oh, my gosh, this guy is way, way farther down the rabbit hole than we even knew the rabbit hole went.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">Platform in Congress</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">A week after that online meeting, Taibbi and Shellenberger appeared on Capitol Hill as star witnesses for the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Benz sat behind them, listening as they detailed parts of his central thesis: This was not an imperfect attempt to balance free speech with democratic rights but a state-sponsored thought-policing system.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Shellenberger titled his written testimony, “The Censorship Industrial Complex.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The committee had been created immediately after Republicans took control of the House in 2023, with a mandate to investigate, among other things, the actions taken by social media companies against conservatives.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">It was led by Jordan, who helped spearhead the attempt to block certification of Joe Biden’s victory and who has since worked closely with Miller and America First Legal.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“There are subpoenas that are going out on a daily, weekly basis,” Miller told Fox News in the first days of Republican control of the House, showing familiarity with the committee’s strategy.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Jordan’s committee soon sought documents from all those involved in the Election Integrity Partnership, as well as scores of government agencies and private researchers.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Miller followed with his own federal lawsuit on behalf of private plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden, filing with D. John Sauer, a former solicitor general of Missouri who had led that case. (More recently, Sauer has represented Trump at the Supreme Court.)</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Democrats in the House and legal experts questioned the collaboration as potentially unethical. Lawyers involved in the case have claimed that the subcommittee leaked selective parts of interviews conducted behind closed doors to America First Legal for use in its private lawsuits.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">An amicus brief filed by the committee misrepresented facts and omitted evidence in ways that may have violated the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., wrote in a 46-page letter to Jordan.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">A committee spokesperson said the letter “deliberately misrepresents the evidence available to the committee to defend the Biden administration’s attacks on the First Amendment.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The amicus brief, filed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was drafted by a lawyer at Miller’s legal foundation.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Miller did not respond to requests for comment.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">A Chilling Effect</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">By the summer of 2023, the legal and political effort was having an impact.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The organizations involved in the Election Integrity Partnership faced an avalanche of requests and, if they balked, subpoenas for any emails, text messages or other information involving the government or social media companies dating to 2015.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Complying consumed time and money. The threat of legal action dried up funding from donors — which had included philanthropies, corporations and the government — and struck fear in researchers worried about facing legal action and political threats online for the work.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">“You had a lot of organizations doing this research,” a senior analyst at one of them said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of fear of legal retribution. “Now there are none.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The Biden administration also found its hands tied.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">On July 4, 2023, Doughty issued a sweeping injunction, saying that the government could not reach out to the platforms, or work with outside groups monitoring social media content, to address misinformation, except in a narrow set of circumstances.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The ruling went further than some of the plaintiffs in the Missouri case had expected. Doughty even repeated an incorrect statistic first promoted by Benz: The partnership had flagged 22 million messages on Twitter alone, he wrote. In fact, it had flagged fewer than 5,000.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The Biden administration appealed.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">While the judge said the administration could still take steps to stop foreign election interference or posts that mislead about voting requirements, it was unclear how it could without communicating “with social media companies on initiatives to prevent grave harm to the American people and our democratic processes,” the government asserted in its appeal.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In September, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals scaled the order back significantly but still found the government had most likely overstepped the limits of the First Amendment. That sent the case to the Supreme Court, where justices recently expressed deep reservations about government intrusions in social media.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Before the court’s decision, agencies across the government have virtually stopped communicating with social media companies, fearing the legal and political fallout as the presidential election approaches, according to several government officials who described the retreat on the condition of anonymity.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In a statement, Cait Conley, a senior adviser at CISA, said the department was still strengthening partnerships to fight “risks posed by foreign actors.” She did not address online threats at home.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The platforms have also backed off. Facebook and YouTube announced that they would reverse their restrictions on content claiming that the 2020 election was stolen. The torrent of disinformation that the previous efforts had slowed, though not stopped, has resumed with even greater force.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Hailing the end of “that halcyon period of the censorship industry,” Benz has found new celebrity, sitting for interviews with Tucker Carlson and Russell Brand. His conspiracy theories, such as the one about the Pentagon’s use of Swift, have aired on Fox News and become talking points for many Republicans.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The biggest winner, arguably, has been Trump, who casts himself as victim and avenger of a vast plot to muzzle his movement.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Biden is “building the most sophisticated censorship and information control apparatus in the world,” Trump said in a campaign email March 7, “to crush free speech in America.”</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">c.2024 The New York Times Company</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-62177109887272796332024-03-18T21:24:00.001-07:002024-03-18T21:24:15.984-07:00<span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">California speeds plans to empty San Quentin's death row</span></b><br />Hannah Wiley<br />Mon, March 18, 2024<br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/4yOW7Wd3jZg.sAOQQppw2w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/la_times_articles_853/8993c984263325c5a9240d3cd0da9d42" width="400" /><br />Prisoners on San Quentin's death row will be transferred out by summer, as California moves to overhaul its oldest prison to emphasize training and rehabilitation. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)<br /><br />California is accelerating its efforts to empty San Quentin's death row with plans to transfer the last 457 condemned men to other state prisons by summer.<br /><br />The move comes five years after Gov. <a href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Gavin%20Newsom">Gavin Newsom</a> <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-governor-gavin-newsom-death-penalty-moratorium-20190312-story.html">signed an executive order</a> that imposed a moratorium on the death penalty and closed the prison's execution chamber. It coincides with his broader initiative to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-16/newsom-wants-to-transform-san-quentin-using-a-scandinavian-model">transform San Quentin</a> into a Scandinavian-style prison with a focus on rehabilitation, education and job training.<br /><br />The condemned prisoners will be rehoused in the general population across two dozen high-security state prisons, where they will gain access to a broader range of rehabilitative programming and treatment services, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The changes do not modify their sentences or convictions.<br /><br />The plan unveiled Monday builds on a <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-31/california-moves-forward-on-plans-to-close-death-row">pilot program</a> that experimented with the transfer of 104 death row prisoners from January 2020 to January 2022. An additional 70 people on death row have been moved from the legendary men's facility in Marin County over the last month, the department said. The 20 condemned women incarcerated at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla will remain there, but have been rehoused in the general population.</span><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kEA1wXfAPV12q3CjQt35Qg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/la_times_articles_853/923fac4ab5f37028b1aaacebc6cce9df" width="400" /><br />The condemned prisoners on San Quentin's legendary death row will be dispersed in coming months across two dozen high-security prisons, where they will be housed in the general population. (Los Angeles Times)<br /><br />The changes align, in part, with <a href="https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=66&year=2016#:~:text=This%20measure%20specifies%20that%20every,prison%2C%20subject%20to%20state%20regulations.">Proposition 66</a>, a statewide ballot measure approved in 2016 that allows for condemned prisoners to be housed in institutions other than San Quentin, requiring them to work and pay 70% of their income to victims.<br /><br />“This transfer enables death-sentenced people to pay court-ordered restitution through work programs. Participants are placed in institutions with an electrified secured perimeter while still integrating with the general population,” corrections department Secretary Jeffrey Macomber said in a prepared statement.<br /><br />But a primary aim of Proposition 66 was to speed up executions by setting time limits on legal challenges and expanding the pool of attorneys authorized to represent defendants sentenced to death. In that same election, voters <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-death-penalty-prop-62-prop-66-20161109-htmlstory.html">defeated a rival measure</a> that would have repealed capital punishment.<br /><br />By contrast, Newsom vowed in 2019, when announcing his death penalty moratorium, that no California prisoner would be executed while he is in office because of his belief that capital punishment is discriminatory and unjust.<br /><br />Even before Newsom's moratorium, executions had been on hold in California for years amid litigation over whether the state's lethal injection process constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. California's last execution was in 2006. There are 644 condemned people in California's prisons.<br /><br />Read more: <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-16/newsom-wants-to-transform-san-quentin-using-a-scandinavian-model?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=promo_module&utm_campaign=rss_feed">California to transform infamous San Quentin prison with Scandinavian ideas, rehab focus</a><br /><br />Last year, Newsom announced plans to overhaul San Quentin, California's oldest prison, into a more rehabilitative facility with job training, substance-use and mental health programs as well as expanded academic classes, a model of incarceration more common in Scandinavian countries.<br /><br />But death row prisoners will not be incorporated into the re-envisioned San Quentin. Outside of death row, the facility does not have the necessary security measures, including a "lethal electrified fence," to rehouse high-security prisoners in its general population.<br /><br />Newsom proposed $380 million last year to jump-start the San Quentin overhaul and set up an advisory council to implement his vision. But, faced with a looming state budget deficit topping $37 billion, lawmakers in both political parties, as well as the Legislature's nonpartisan financial advisors, have raised questions about the scope and timing.<br /><br />The Legislative Analyst's Office recently recommended <a href="https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2024/4852/CDCR-022224.pdf">closing five prisons</a> to reduce criminal justice spending, in addition to the two state prisons the Newsom administration has already closed. Meanwhile, the San Quentin advisory council in January recommended redirecting some of the money dedicated to the revamp to renovations that would more immediately <a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-quentin-reform-newsom-council-4fec9fd7e8cbd72adc12ac0398fbb04b">improve living conditions at the prison</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.latimes.com/newsletters/essential-california?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=newsletter_module&utm_campaign=essential-california">Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.</a><br /><br />This story originally appeared in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-18/california-to-transer-san-quentin-death-row-prisoners-to-other-prisons-by-summer">Los Angeles Times</a>.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />San Quentin begins prison reform - but not for those on death row</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>Madeline Halpert - BBC News, New York<br />Sun, March 17, 2024 <br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/GOmO.r26CjkndFKLIRaXhQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/4afa62b430ff57f196689f27e44b4a37" width="400" /><br />San Quentin's gas chamber was used for over 100 executions<br /><br /><br />California is transferring everyone on death row at San Quentin prison to other places, as it tries to reinvent the state's most notorious facility as a rehabilitation centre.<br /><br />Many in this group will now have new freedoms. But they are also asking why they've been excluded from the reform - and whether they'll be safe in new prisons.<br /><br />Keith Doolin still remembers the day in 2019 when workers came to dismantle one of the United States' most infamous death chambers.<br /><br />He was in his cell at San Quentin prison on the north side of San Francisco Bay, watching live footage on television showing an execution chair - where 194 people had been put to death - carried away after more than 80 years of use. The green gas chamber being taken apart was just several hundred feet from where he sat.<br /><br />A former long-distance truck driver convicted of murder, Doolin has spent nearly 23 hours a day for the last 28 years in a tiny cell. He long worried he would one day be shackled to a mint-green chair and executed.<br /><br />But in the last few years, California has been moving fast with some plans for prison reform. Governor <a href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Gavin%20Newsom">Gavin Newsom</a>'s decision to deconstruct the death chamber - and also place a moratorium on the death penalty in the state - was a watershed moment for Doolin.<br /><br />"He [Newsom] was sending the message: 'Look, it might take a while, but things are going to change'."<br /><br />Mr Newsom is now seeking more changes at San Quentin, which currently has the nation's largest death row. The governor announced last year that he planned to transform the state's oldest prison into a rehabilitation centre.<br /><br />He will close the prison's death row unit and move Doolin and the other 532 death row inhabitants to standard prisons across the state in the coming months (70 have been moved already).<br /><br />Doolin and his neighbours will still have death sentences - meaning they will spend the rest of their lives in prison. For some, the threat of execution still looms large, as a future governor could reinstate the state's death penalty.<br /><br />Six people on death row who spoke to the BBC over the phone shared mixed feelings about their move. Some were elated by the opportunity to live closer to family and step outside their cells without handcuffs, while others were terrified at the prospect of starting over after decades living alone in a cell.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><i><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QX3cr_q16vSZhEvJiwAXrA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/0d762a208d189903ff77b9c6ff5695a8" width="400" /><br />Keith Doolin, who was convicted of murder in 1996, says he is worried about his transfer to another California prison</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><b><br />Rats, birds and handcuffs: Life on death row</b><br /><br />Built in 1852, San Quentin is California's oldest prison and the state's only facility for incarcerated males who have been sentenced to death. Since 1893, 422 people have been executed there, including by gas, hanging or lethal injection.<br /><br />Family members walk by the entrance to the prison's execution chamber every time they visit their loved ones, said Doolin's mother, Donna Larsen, who drives a nine-hour round trip once a month to visit her son.<br /><br />The execution chamber would emit a green light that turned red as a person was being executed, a sight visible to Californians driving by on the highway, she said. This green room of death - and infamous incarcerated people such as cult leader Charles Manson - have brought international notoriety to San Quentin, featured in podcasts, television shows and films.<br /><br />When Ramon Rogers arrived at the prison in 1996, rain leaked through the ceiling of the death row unit, and mice and rats would run rampant. But the biggest pests, he said, were the birds.<br /><br />"They started defecating all over the place - all over the railings," he said. "It was a gross environment."<br /><br />Since then, life on death row has remained restrictive and, at times, hazardous.<br /><br />An outbreak of Covid-19 during the height of the pandemic killed at least 12 people on death row - part of a wider coronavirus surge at the prison that infected 75% of the population.<br /><br />Ms Larsen - Doolin's mother - said she was shocked by how dirty the prison was the first time she visited.<br /><br />"It had a stench to it," she said. "Sometimes Keith's clothing smells mouldy when we visit. To know that your loved one is living in that made me sick."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><i><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0w04NOjXXHktRaZqPNtijQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/762ecd3c106071223af063fb11c64cae" width="400" /><br />Those imprisoned in San Quentin's death row spend nearly all of the day in their cells</i><br /><br />People housed in San Quentin's death row are kept alone for most of the day in a roughly four foot (1.2m) by nine foot (2.7m) cell, a space that Doolin said feels like a "sardine can".<br /><br />The 51-year-old was sentenced to death in 1996 for murdering two sex workers, Inez Espinoza and Peggy Tucker, and shooting four others. In 2009, the California Supreme Court upheld Doolin's death sentence based on testimony from the surviving victims, who identified him as their attacker.<br /><br />He has maintained his innocence, and a California attorney has alleged that he has information - learned during another case - that could potentially support his defence. But the lawyer, David Mugridge, told the BBC that he could not share the details due to attorney-client privilege.<br /><br />Doolin and others living on death row are required to wear handcuffs at all times when outside their cells, which officers have to unlock with metal keys after strip-searching them.<br /><br />"Our daily life confinement is based on going from one box to another," said another death row inhabitant, Tony, who declined to share his last name for privacy reasons.<br /><br />People on death row are offered little access to rehabilitative programmes except for some college courses and jobs such as cleaning showers.<br />Ending death row<br /><br />In March 2019, Governor Newsom issued an executive order that halted the death penalty in the state and ordered the dismantling of the gas chamber in San Quentin.<br /><br />Mr Newsom's move did not alter any incarcerated individuals' sentences, though he said that he might later consider commuting death row sentences.<br /><br />While the state had not actually performed an execution since 2006, Mr Newsom argued the death penalty system had been "by all measures, a failure" that was unfairly applied to people of colour and people with mental illness.<br /><br />According to the Death Penalty Information Center, black people comprise 34% of California's death row, but only 6% of the state's population.<br /><br />Since 1973, seven people on death row in the state have been exonerated.<br /><br />Preparing for bigger changes, Mr Newsom announced a two-year pilot programme in 2020 to transfer around 100 volunteers from San Quentin's death row to other prisons, the first move in his bigger plan to eventually move all the death row inhabitants out, to more than 20 other prisons that meet security requirements.<br /><br />Correll Thomas left San Quentin with the pilot programme in 2021 after being on death row since 1999.<br /><br />But at Centinela prison, in Imperial, California, settling in was a struggle. "They didn't want to give us [rehabilitation] programs," he said. "We had to pretty much fight for everything."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><img height="225" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZFh2tpc96wdmzZHiUerH9Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/5f612e4623db6708b759685762e8c23c" width="400" /><br /><i><b>Correll Thomas was happy to have the chance to leave San Quentin death row</b></i><br /><br />Other prisoners and staff appeared frightened of his death row status, said Thomas, who added that with time, some at the prison grew to accept him.<br /><br />Ramon Rogers, the incarcerated person who first arrived at San Quentin in 1986 when birds and rats had overrun the facility, said the move was welcome.<br /><br />"I didn't care where they sent me, I just knew anywhere else would be better," he said.<br /><br />Now at the Richard Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, Rogers, 64, has been able to enrol not just in rehabilitation programmes but also college.<br /><br />The greatest relief, he said, came from not having to wear handcuffs around the clock outside his cell for the first time in decades.<br /><br />"Sometimes, I'm amazed at what I'm allowed to do here that I would never be able to do on death row."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather Sans;"><br /><b>Starting over</b><br /><br />But some advocates say not enough support is being offered as these people on death row make a drastic transition. There is a "huge difference" between the people on death row who chose to leave and those being forced to move now, said Gavrilah Wells, a volunteer with human rights group Amnesty International.<br /><br />"I'm so worried about the safety and the human rights of so many people being involuntarily transferred," she said. "The massive endeavour of rapidly moving 550 people to unknown prisons, with unknown cultures specific to each facility, raises serious concerns."<br /><br />Ms Wells and other advocates say moving the death row population, which includes many who are sick and elderly, poses great challenges. The oldest person in San Quentin's death row is 93.<br /><br />"It's not the same as just transferring any person in prison," said Natasha Minsker, a policy adviser for non-profit Smart Justice California.<br /><br />Advocates worry about those being moved far away from their lawyers and family members, and how they will adjust after decades living alone in a cell.<br /><br />"These guys have never lived with anyone but themselves," Tony said. "They're going to have to learn how to do things all over again."<br /><br />Doolin is anxious about avoiding conflict as he interacts with more people than ever before, including prison guards.<br /><br />"It's extremely stressful," he said. "I'm forced to start all over again like my first day in prison."<br /><br />Ms Larsen, Doolin's mother, said she and others suggested programmes to offer support to their incarcerated loved ones as they made the transition, but the prison turned them down.<br />'We still have humanity'<br /><br />For several death row inhabitants, the anxieties of a new environment are outweighed by the prospect of breaking free from a dismal life in San Quentin.<br /><br />"For some people, it's a godsend," Tony said. "They want to leave this oppression."<br /><br />But for others, the departure from San Quentin before its estimated $360m (£282m) upgrade has served as a reminder of how those on death row are treated differently to other prisoners. Mr Newsom has said the goal is to transform the prison into a college campus-like setting, modelled on Scandinavian correctional facilities that focus on rehabilitation.<br /><br />In response to a question from the BBC on how people on death row fit into the state's larger plans for prison reform, Mr Newsom's office said he was committed to "addressing failings in our criminal justice system - including the discriminatory nature of the death penalty system".<br /><br />Mr Newsom's office did not elaborate on why people on death row could not participate in the San Quentin project, but touted the closure of death row and his moratorium on the death penalty.<br /><br />The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said all who were incarcerated on death row had to be moved because San Quentin did not have the "required lethal electrified fence". It did not respond when asked why that had been okay up to this point. It also did not respond to questions about support being offered to transfers.<br /><br />Darrell Lomax, one of the men in San Quentin, said: "It's not what they're doing. It's the way they're doing it... Why are we being moved so they can make room for a rehabilitation program that doesn't even serve us?"<br /><br />The arrangement sends the "unfortunate" message that one of the biggest prison reform projects in the US can't include people sentenced to death, Ms Minsker said.<br /><br />Tony believes some in California are still not ready to reckon with the status - and future - of those sentenced to death, even in a state that is not executing people.<br /><br />"There's a notion that because we're here, it's the end of the road," he said. "But we still have humanity in this place. I don't think our humanity has been seen enough."</span></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-90963090707004429272024-03-18T21:17:00.007-07:002024-03-18T21:17:38.776-07:00<span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Shock and confusion as Turkey seizes earthquake survivors' homes</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Oxygen;"><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/c9e8RZxeVtorWw4rGvTJQQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/49f0a014b1fcb9fa588fa388a87316b4" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/zwYekpitt_ntBNpBWpbiwA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/429829b50b7e977a3f258401b47aee56" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/dHs0eZCl7ABHeu9jAziHzg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/dea6879e7aad05e7a7dc8d76397a71fd" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/L9CiUgWjebM8Pjy.B_XQ6Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/c67b381b83a283cc90a9ed31863fd7cf" width="400" /><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/oI2h_FkBbYAdrP9od_zrkg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/reuters.com/daa16a81fdad88a4191dd95bf507ce7a" width="400" /><br /></span></div><div><div class="caas-body-wrapper"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">By Ceyda Caglayan and Burcu Karakas</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Oxygen;">Updated Mon, March 18, 2024 </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">SAMANDAG, Turkey (Reuters) -Habip Yapar felt lucky that his home in southern Turkey withstood last year's devastating earthquake. Then a text message appeared on his phone in October telling him the government was taking ownership of the apartment.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The message sent to Yapar, 61, declared that the deeds for his property in Hatay province were being transferred to the Treasury under an amendment to an urban planning law set to affect thousands of earthquake survivors.</p><div class="caas-da" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center;"><div id="sda-INARTICLE"></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Urbanisation Minister Mehmet Ozhaseki said in early February the government needed new powers established in the amendment to speed up the redevelopment of neighbourhoods in towns severely damaged by the earthquake, which flattened a swathe of the country's southeast on Feb. 6, 2023.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Hatay, the southernmost region of mainland Turkey, bordering Syria, suffered the most damage in the deadliest tremor in the country's modern history. Since then, reconstruction has fallen behind ambitious deadlines set by President Tayyip Erdogan.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">According to the regulation, which was passed in November, the seizures were to create "reserve building areas," a temporary measure to expedite reconstruction. Those affected would be entitled to a property after paying towards the construction costs, it said, without providing details of the financial burden.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">While earthquake insurance is compulsory in Turkey, the rule is not always enforced and insurance often covers only a fraction of the costs of rebuilding or buying new property.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Interviews with nearly two dozen residents, lawyers and local officials show that thousands of homeowners were blindsided by the seizure plans, with many learning on social media their properties would be affected.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Like Yapar, dozens in his coastal home town of Samandag received text messages even before the amendment was passed in November.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Five months later, the government has yet to inform affected people about how much they will pay, what happens if they are unable to, any compensation they might be entitled to, and exactly when and for how long their titles will be in the government's possession, the people Reuters spoke to said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"It's like going to a restaurant where they bring you a dish, but you don't know the price. You have to pay whatever the bill is," said Ecevit Alkan, chairman of the Environment and Urban Law Commission at Hatay Bar Association.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Reuters spoke to four homeowners and two lawyers in the Hatay districts of Samandag, Defne and Antakya who have filed lawsuits with the Hatay administrative court to block the orders.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The urbanisation ministry and Erdogan's office did not respond to questions from Reuters. Several opposition parties have submitted parliamentary questions requesting more information from the ministry about the new law but they remain unanswered.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Yapar lives with his wife and adult son and daughter in a temporary tent shelter. At least 215,000 Hatay survivors are living in container camps or tents.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The retired civil engineer had been saving money to repair his two-storey home. With ownership now being transferred to the government, he cannot start work. The house is scheduled for demolition.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Yapar, among those who filed a lawsuit, denied the building was beyond repair.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"We can rebuild our houses ourselves, and we do not want a cent from the state."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">HOMELESS IN HATAY</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Just over a year since the devastating earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey, hundreds of thousands of survivors remain in temporary homes such as containers and tents.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Most of the affected owners have been living with acquaintances or in temporary shipping containers since the earthquake flattened or damaged their apartments and have not been told when the new buildings will be ready, residents and lawyers said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Others have been made homeless by the seizure notices. Hatice Altinoz said she and her adult son Ahmet had to move from their damaged apartment in Hatay's Antakya because the building is in a reserve area largely cleared for reconstruction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"Authorities did not provide us a container to stay in because our building had not collapsed, so I moved to my daughter's container house," Altinoz said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Antakya residents Omer and Dilay Dolar, said they learned on social media that their five properties were in a designated area, where few buildings are standing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"My family and I worked so hard to own these assets," said Dilay Dolar, 57, an entrepreneur. "But now it is unclear what the future will hold."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Hatay's federal government-run governor's office said on its website in February nearly 44,000 homes will replace transferred property. It did not give figures on how many people's property will be seized in the process and did not respond to questions from Reuters.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In total, Erdogan has promised 254,000 new homes for the province, but so far construction has been completed on less than 7,300 of those, data from the governor's office shows. Last year an official told Reuters limits on funds and rising prices were to blame for the delays.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The bar association's Alkan said nearly 50,000 people will be affected by the property seizures, based on the population in neighbourhoods designated as reserve areas in the province.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In Samandag, Mayor Refik Eryilmaz said he welcomed the government's plan for a modern bazaar and new housing in the declared reserve areas.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">But, he said, it was wrong for the government to send text messages to his town's property owners without explaining the project or the legal and financial arrangements.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"The government authorities have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation to the public, which is problematic," Eryilmaz, from main opposition party CHP, said in an interview.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Some residents see politics at play. Hatay is an opposition-run district where Erdogan is keen to make inroads in local elections on March 31.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">A speech he gave in the province to mark the first anniversary of the quake was widely interpreted as a veiled message that reconstruction aid would flow more smoothly with a ruling party administration.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Erdogan later emphasized that reconstruction efforts did not differentiate between government supporters and opponents.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">LAW SUITS</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">With information scarce, the home owners and lawyers who spoke to Reuters were mistrustful and feared the state could keep property if owners are not able to pay.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The new amendment to the Law on the Transformation of Areas under Disaster Risk granted the ministry's Urban Transformation Directorate wide authority to designate private properties as reserve building areas without first getting consent from owners.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Orhan Ozen, a lawyer in Samandag, said the law violates property rights and does not specify how owners will be protected after their properties are handed over to the Treasury, despite promises of a smooth rebuilding process.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">So far, the Urban Transformation Directorate has declared more than 200 hectares of land as reserve areas in Hatay province, official data shows.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Ozen, who filed lawsuits for stays on two parcels of land in Samandag, said the designation covered the most valuable properties in town.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"The balance between the public interest and the citizens is being ignored," Ozen said, adding that the lack of detail in the law has sown uncertainty, including what will happen to a new property if the owner dies before paying it off.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In one plea seen by Reuters, the urbanisation ministry said the request for a stay should be dismissed on grounds that plaintiffs only have rights over individual properties, not the broader area designated by the ministerial decision.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Samandag's central bazaar is among around 1.6 hectares in the district seized for renovation under the plans. Ali Tas, who runs a toy shop in the bazaar, said he was willing to work in a container for a while if the bazaar ultimately looks good.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">But Hasan Fehmi Cilli, a 56-year old doctor, said neither he or his neighbours whose offices and shops are operating in the bazaar but are slated for redevelopment had given their consent. He was among those who have filed a lawsuit.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">"There are lots of uncertainties. Will the state provide us a property in the same location, on the same plot, and of the same size?" Fehmi Cilli said, visibly angry.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">(Reporting by Ceyda Caglayan and Burcu Karakas, additional reporting by Umit Bektas; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Frank Jack Daniel)</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-678358448139267322024-03-18T21:11:00.006-07:002024-03-18T23:02:00.199-07:00<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: arial; font-size: 2.46em;"><b>Here's the Average U$ Social Security Retired-Worker Benefit Right Now</b></span></p><p><b><span style="color: red; font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;">SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT THAT'S THE DEFENSE BUDGET!</span></b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDFhU1mtEmVGpqrreDMPUmyXtA92jfb0J9xi0Jhc6LwwyBIi198Ad7mv8-vO0xfJUInPfGQZXPJ_zc_v1u0Q0U5zoanRfKGSUDnlY7CCx58LaGMelaY3eCJP2e5HV7cASPZ7tvxgHu1LyVoSqNaTPG2Xvfv5jYAZLo4pl9KGsmT4a-hkZw_FrPQ/s694/27657004_1819830544725371_4989310278023478404_n.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDFhU1mtEmVGpqrreDMPUmyXtA92jfb0J9xi0Jhc6LwwyBIi198Ad7mv8-vO0xfJUInPfGQZXPJ_zc_v1u0Q0U5zoanRfKGSUDnlY7CCx58LaGMelaY3eCJP2e5HV7cASPZ7tvxgHu1LyVoSqNaTPG2Xvfv5jYAZLo4pl9KGsmT4a-hkZw_FrPQ/w369-h400/27657004_1819830544725371_4989310278023478404_n.jpg" width="369" /></a></p><div class="caas-content-byline-wrapper" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #232a31; display: flex; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; justify-content: space-between; margin-bottom: 24px; margin-right: 332px; max-width: 640px; padding-left: 56px;"><div class="caas-attr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="caas-attr-meta" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 1.385em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1; vertical-align: middle;"><div class="caas-attr-item-author" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="caas-author-byline-collapse" id="m-2">Sean Williams, The Motley Fool</span></div><div class="caas-attr-time-style" style="color: #6e7780; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 5px;"><time datetime="2024-03-17T07:44:00.000Z">Sun, March 17, 2024</time></div></div></div></div><div class="caas-body-wrapper"><div class="caas-body-inner-wrapper" style="margin-bottom: 50px;"><div class="caas-body-section"><div class="caas-content" style="display: flex;"><div class="caas-content-wrapper" style="min-width: 400px; width: 1136px;"><div class="caas-body-content" style="display: flex; justify-content: space-between;"><div class="caas-inner-body" style="flex-grow: 1; max-width: 752px; min-width: 0px;"><div class="caas-body" style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 640px; position: relative;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">For more than eight decades, <a class="link" data-rapid_p="6" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Social Security;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/social-security/?utm_source=yahoo-host-full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=b63ac06b-01c9-49de-afe2-f958a0694ba0" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Social Security</a> has been providing a financial foundation for those who could no longer do so for themselves.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Based on recently updated estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, America's top retirement program is pulling 22.7 million people above the federal poverty line annually. This includes 16.5 million adults aged 65 and above. Without the guaranteed monthly payout provided by Social Security, the elderly poverty rate would nearly quadruple to 39% from 10.2% (as of 2022).</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">It's also a program that's vital in helping retired workers make ends meet. For more than 20 years, national pollster Gallup has been conducting annual surveys of retirees to gauge their reliance on Social Security income. Between 80% and 90% of respondents have consistently noted that their benefits account for a "major" or "minor" source of income.</p><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><b><span style="font-family: Libre Franklin; font-size: large;"><span face="YahooSans VF, Yahoo Sans, YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #232a31;"><span style="background-color: white;">But what future generations of retirees may not realize is that </span></span><a class="link" data-rapid_p="7" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Social Security retired-worker benefits are quite modest;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2024/01/15/heres-the-average-social-security-check-in-2024/?utm_source=yahoo-host-full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=b63ac06b-01c9-49de-afe2-f958a0694ba0" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Social Security retired-worker benefits are quite modest</a><span face="YahooSans VF, Yahoo Sans, YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #232a31;"><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span></span><br /></b><br /><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Xdp403EhFu7qXysw_2AKmw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motleyfool.com/2d707c3ef5a247dd031752cf1ec8f050" width="400" /><br /></p><h2 style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.33; margin: 40px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's how much the average Social Security retired-worker beneficiary is bringing home each month</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Although Social Security has a number of quirks and complex rules that can make understanding it a challenge at times, calculating your monthly retired-worker benefit is done using four very straightforward factors:</p><ul class="caas-list caas-list-bullet" style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 1.538em;"><li style="line-height: 1.8; list-style-type: disc;"><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; vertical-align: top;">Work history</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.8; list-style-type: disc;"><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; vertical-align: top;">Earnings history</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.8; list-style-type: disc;"><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; vertical-align: top;">Full retirement age</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.8; list-style-type: disc;"><p style="line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; vertical-align: top;">Claiming age</p></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Without delving too deeply into each category, the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your 35 highest-earning, inflation-adjusted years of income (meaning wages and salary, but not investment income) to calculate your benefit. The pivot point that determines whether you'll receive 100% of your payout, or some percentage above or below this level, is your full retirement age, which is determined by your birth year.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The final factor -- your claiming age -- can have the biggest effect of all. Depending on when you choose to begin receiving your Social Security check, your monthly payout could be reduced by up to 30%, relative to what you'd have received at full retirement age. Or it can increase by between 24% and 32% with a later claim.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As of January 2024, the SSA's monthly published snapshot shows that the average retired-worker beneficiary was bringing home $1,909.01, or about $22,908 on an annualized basis. For added context, the federal poverty level for an individual tax filer is $15,060 in 2024.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Social Security income is only designed to replace around 40% of workers' pre-retirement earnings, which means it's imperative that future retirees get as much as they can out of the program. Thankfully, there are three relatively easy ways for future retirees to boost their benefits.</p><h2 style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.33; margin: 40px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Consider working well past the 35-year mark</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">One of the smartest ways for future recipients to get the most they can out of Social Security is to work longer than 35 years.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As noted, the SSA will use your 35 highest-earning, inflation-adjusted years when calculating your monthly benefit. For every year less than 35 worked, the SSA penalizes you by averaging in a $0. If you have any hope of maximizing what you'll receive from America's top retirement program, you'll need to work at least 35 years.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">As you age and gain both skill and experience, you're more likely to command a higher wage or salary -- even when adjusted for inflation. Working well into your 50s and 60s can remove lower-earning years from when you initially entered the labor force, which should ultimately result in a higher monthly benefit from Social Security.</p><img height="267" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/C1vAV8843XXK95Phc6bBZg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motleyfool.com/10ca97ecdd41a31558860826cc000ddc" width="400" /><br /><br /><h2 style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.33; margin: 40px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. Sit on your hands and be patient</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Sometimes doing nothing really is the smartest move you can make. For every year you wait to take your payout, beginning at age 62 and continuing through age 69, your monthly benefit can increase by as much as 8%. This is why early filers can have their monthly payout permanently reduced by up to 30%, while those claiming at age 70 can generate 24% to 32% more per month than they would have received at full retirement age.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">What's particularly interesting about playing the waiting game is that a comprehensive study validates the notion that patience pays off.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">In 2019, researchers at United Income used data from the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study to analyze the claims of 20,000 retired-worker beneficiaries. The goal for researchers was to extrapolate these claims to determine if the individual made an "optimal" decision -- one that produced the highest <em>lifetime</em> income. Understand that the highest monthly and highest lifetime income may not be synonymous.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">United Income's report found that actual and optimal claims were inverses of each other. Whereas most workers chose to receive their payouts prior to full retirement age, optimal claims overwhelmingly skewed to ages at or after full retirement age. In fact, age 70 would have been optimal for 57% of the claimants studied.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Although there are valid reasons to claim benefits early -- for example, a person with one or more chronic health conditions whose life expectancy may be shortened can benefit from an early claim -- statistically speaking, most future claimants are likely to be rewarded for their patience.</p><h2 style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.33; margin: 40px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Lean on Social Security's little-known do-over clause</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">The third relatively easy way future retirees can potentially increase what they'll receive from Social Security is by taking advantage of an under-the-radar Social Security do-over clause known as "SSA-521" (officially, "Request for Withdrawal of Application").</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">SSA-521 is a request by retired-worker beneficiaries to undo their claim. If approved by the SSA, your benefit would go back to accruing at a rate of up to 8% annually until you, once again, file for benefits.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Where SSA-521 can come in handy is in instances where a retiree regrets an early filing or perhaps lands a well-paying job mere months after they begin receiving their benefit.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">But keep in mind that this Social Security mulligan comes with three notable restrictions. To start with, you only have until 12 months after your benefit approval to file SSA-521. Second, this is a one-time do-over, so you won't be able to continually stop and start your benefits if you regret your claim. And third, you'll need to repay every cent in benefits received until SSA-521 is approved. This includes any benefits spouses or children may have received that were based on your earnings history.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">Though not all retirees will be able to take advantage of SSA-521, it can come in handy in the right situation.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">The $22,924 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;">If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $22,924 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. <a class="link" data-rapid_p="8" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://api.fool.com/infotron/infotrack/click?apikey=35527423-a535-4519-a07f-20014582e03e&impression=a03b998b-a576-41e5-bd96-5ea96f7fe1a5&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fecap-foolcom-social-security%2F%3Faid%3D8727%26source%3Dirreditxt0000127%26ftm_cam%3Dryr-ss-intro-report%26ftm_pit%3D13623%26ftm_veh%3Darticle_pitch_feed_yahoo&utm_source=yahoo-host-full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=b63ac06b-01c9-49de-afe2-f958a0694ba0" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-weight: 600;"><a class="link" data-rapid_p="9" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:View the "Social Security secrets";elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://api.fool.com/infotron/infotrack/click?apikey=35527423-a535-4519-a07f-20014582e03e&impression=a03b998b-a576-41e5-bd96-5ea96f7fe1a5&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fecap-foolcom-social-security%2F%3Faid%3D8727%26source%3Dirreditxt0000127%26ftm_cam%3Dryr-ss-intro-report%26ryr-ss-intro-report%26ftm_veh%3Darticle_pitch_feed_yahoo%26ftm_pit%3D13623&utm_source=yahoo-host-full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article&referring_guid=b63ac06b-01c9-49de-afe2-f958a0694ba0" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">View the "Social Security secrets"</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><em>The Motley Fool has a <a class="link" data-rapid_p="10" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:disclosure policy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.fool.com/legal/fool-disclosure-policy/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">disclosure policy</a>.</em></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><a class="link" data-rapid_p="11" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:Here's the Average Social Security Retired-Worker Benefit Right Now;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2024/03/17/average-social-security-retired-worker-benefit-now/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0f69ff; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Here's the Average Social Security Retired-Worker Benefit Right Now</a> was originally published by The Motley Fool</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Zero. That’s how much 28% of the country has saved for retirement.</span></b><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Jessica Hall</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Sat, March 16, 2024 </span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><img height="317" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/vCfHzlIdJ004Yfj49PLuIA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc2MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/marketwatch_hosted_869/fbf0c730711e101efe43b2704cf35f06" style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" width="400" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Between 25% and 35% of all demographics between the ages of 18 and 64 years old report having nothing saved for retirement, the survey found. - Getty Images</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Nothing. That’s not much to fall back on in retirement.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">As many as 28% of Americans have nothing saved for their retirement, 39% aren’t contributing to a retirement fund and another 30% don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire. That’s according to a new GoBankingRates </span><a href="https://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/planning/nearly-30-percent-of-americans-have-0-saved-for-golden-years/?mod=article_inline" style="font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">survey</a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Between 25% and 35% of all demographics between the ages of 18 and 64 years old report having nothing saved for retirement, the survey said.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">How much is needed for a secure retirement varies by person and situation, of course. But a study from Northwestern Mutual in 2022 found that U.S. adults anticipate they will need $1.25 million to retire comfortably, while a 2023 Schroders survey put the figure at about $1.1 million.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">GoBankingRates, meanwhile, found that a quarter of the 1,000 people surveyed think they can retire with less than $500,000. Another quarter believes it will take somewhere between half a million and a million dollars, while another 30% expect their retirement to cost higher in the seven figure-range.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">So why aren’t people saving for retirement? Some don’t have access to retirement-savings plans, although participation is low even when the accounts are available: The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 69% of private industry workers have access to an employer-based retirement plan but only 52% participate.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Read: </span><a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/robinhood-launches-retirement-benefits-for-gig-workers-e23b6e74?mod=article_inline" style="font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Robinhood launches retirement benefits for gig workers</a><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Other obstacles include inflation, debt, as well as low financial literacy, starting saving too late, being inconsistent in making contributions, and spending on wants without seeing saving for retirement as a need, GoBankingRates said.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">The study revealed that the youngest generation of adults, Generation Z, is actually getting an early jump on retirement savings. As many as 16% of 18- to 24-year-olds put 4% to 6% of their income in a tax-advantaged retirement account, more than any other demographic, GoBankingRates found. Generation Z is those born between 1997 and 2013.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><br style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";" /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Merriweather Sans";">Despite the overall retirement-savings shortfall, nearly one quarter of respondents (23%) think they’ll be able to retire early. Roughly another quarter (24%) anticipate retiring by 65, which is still earlier than the full retirement age of 67 for people born in 1960 or later, according to the Social Security Administration. As of 2022, the average retirement age was 61.5 years old, according to a Gallup survey.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #232a31; font-family: "YahooSans VF", "Yahoo Sans", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>EUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.com0