CNN Anchor Corners Trump Campaign Spox: Are Dead Americans ‘Funny to You?’

Justin Baragona The Daily Beast June 22, 2020


CNN anchor Brianna Keilar took Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh to task on Monday, repeatedly pressing him to defend Team Trump’s claim that the president was just “kidding” when he claimed over the weekend that he asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing.

During his sparsely attended Tulsa rally on Saturday night, President Donald Trump told his supporters that he called on officials to slow COVID-19 testing in order to decrease the number of confirmed cases in the country. A White House official later told The Daily Beast that Trump was “obviously kidding” and Trump aide Peter Navarro claimed on Sunday that the remarks were “tongue-in-cheek.”

In a contentious Monday interview that also featured the CNN anchor grilling Murtaugh on Trump’s recent use of the racist phrase “Kung Flu,” Keilar brought up Trump’s testing comments, asking whether it was true that Trump wanted to slow it down as America passes 120,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Even ‘Fox & Friends’ Isn’t Buying Kayleigh McEnany’s Spin on Tulsa Rally Crowd

“No, it’s not. As a matter of fact, the United States leads the world in testing,” Murtaugh replied, prompting Keilar to immediately wonder why Trump was saying that.

“I understand there’s not much of a sense of humor at CNN center,” Murtaugh sneered. ”But the president was joking. He tried to illustrate the point that when you expand testing, you will naturally expand the number of positive cases that you detect.”

“That was the very point he was making,” he continued. “I’m not surprised that you’re either unable or unwilling to understand the president had a tongue-in-cheek remark there. But that’s the point he’s making.”

Keilar, meanwhile, pointed out that there are now “120,000 Americans dead,” adding: “I do not think that is funny. Do you think that is funny?”

After Murtaugh reiterated the president was just trying to “illustrate the point” about expanded testing, the CNN anchor pointed out that he just said “it’s a joke.”

Stammering, the Trump spokesperson said that one can “use ironic humor” in these situations, prompting Keilar to again interject.

“Is dead Americans, is unemployed Americans, is that funny to you?” Keilar dryly noted.

“You can ask it 100 different ways,” Murtaugh retorted, causing the CNN host to fire back: “And you won’t answer it.”

The Trump flack would go on to repeat his talking points about the president making a factual point about increased testing resulting in more confirmed cases, leaving Keilar with the final word.

“You are aware that hospitalization numbers disprove what you are saying,” she proclaimed. “That testing does not solely account for the numbers we’re seeing, including in Florida, a state you just held up as a model when it certainly is not.”

“It is not funny that Americans are dying, she concluded as a stone-faced Murtaugh stood silent. “It’s not funny that they’re unemployed. Tim Murtaugh, thank you for coming on.”

U.S. officials to meet this week on Israel annexation plan
ISRAEL IS THE 51ST STATE OF THE USA THEY ARE A COLONIALIST POWER ANNEXING PALESTINIAN LANDS ILLEGALLY UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE BUT FOR HOW MUCH LONGER?

Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick Reuters June 22, 2020

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials will gather this week to discuss whether to give Israel a green light for its plan to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's target date of July 1 approaches.

A senior administration official said on Monday that the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, will be in Washington to meet officials including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz. President Donald Trump could also join in.

Under Trump’s Middle East peace proposal, unveiled in January, it is envisaged that the United States would recognize the Jewish settlements - built on land that the Palestinians seek for a state - as part of Israel.

The proposal would create a Palestinian state as part of a broader peace plan, but impose strict conditions on it. Palestinian leaders have dismissed the initiative entirely.

Encouraged by Trump's push, Netanyahu has set July 1 as the date to launch his project of extending sovereignty over the settlements and the Jordan Valley, hoping for a green light from Washington. Most countries view Israel's settlements on occupied land as illegal, and Palestinian leaders have voiced outrage at the prospect of annexation.

"Ultimately, as the team approaches this thought of annexation, the main thing going through our heads is, 'Does this in fact help advance the cause of peace?' And therefore that is what will help drive a lot of the discussion," the official said.

LIMITED ANNEXATION FIRST?

Among the main options expected to be considered is a step-by-step process in which Israel would initially declare sovereignty over several settlements close to Jerusalem instead of the 30% of the West Bank envisaged in Netanyahu’s original plan, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The source said the Trump administration has not closed the door to a larger annexation, but fears that allowing Israel to move too fast could kill any hopes of eventually drawing the Palestinians to sit down to discuss Trump's peace plan.

There are also concerns about opposition to annexation from Jordan, one of only two countries that have a peace treaty with Israel, as well from Gulf states that have quietly expanded engagement with Israel in recent years.

Washington has also made clear it wants Israel’s unity government, which has been divided on the issue, to reach a consensus before going ahead with any actions, the source said. Defense Minister Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White Party, has so far been reluctant to back Likud-leader Netanyahu’s plan.

Berkowitz has been fielding calls about the Trump plan from European and Arab nations, but the U.S. side has privately expressed frustration that they are not offering constructive ideas on how to amend it, a source familiar with the issue said.


(Reporting By Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Canopy Growth sees $70B pot market by 2023, driven by U.S. legalization

Jeff Lagerquist Yahoo Finance Canada June 22, 2020

(GETTY) CANADIAN LEGAL OVER THE COUNTER 

OVER PACKAGED  POT THAT IS LESS POTENT 

THAN STREET POT

Canopy Growth (WEED.TO)(CGC) sees the addressable legal cannabis market expanding to nearly $70 billion globally by 2023, up from almost $10 billion today.

“Canada is expected to be about four times the size that it was in 2019. U.S. CBD, six times. In Germany, about 10 times . . . by the time we get to 2023,” Canopy’s chief executive officer David Klein said during the company’s virtual investor day on Monday. “Our goal is to hold a leading share position in each of these markets.”

Since taking over the CEO job in January, Klein has narrowed Canopy’s global focus to those three countries amid a sweeping overhaul of the cannabis giant. He sees growth in the company’s core markets reaching $22 billion by 2023, with $60 billion to be unlocked once cannabis sales are permissible under U.S. federal law.

He told Yahoo Finance Canada earlier this month that he expects that to happen in 2022, regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, allowing Canopy to enter the world’s largest pot market through its deal to acquire Acreage Holdings (ACRG-U.CN).

While shut out of selling THC cannabis stateside, Canopy has focused on building a consumer base through its CBD brand launched in late 2019 called First & Free, as well as sports drinks and skin care products through its BioSteel and This Works subsidiaries.

Klein said the U.S. CBD market is currently worth $3 billion annually, and is expected to hit $10B by 2023. He notes U.S. CBD is currently a “cluttered and confusing” space with more than 2,700 brands in the market, and 94 per cent of companies realizing sales of less than a million annually.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ban on marketing the non-intoxicating cannabis compound as a food additive or dietary supplement has been a roadblock for the CBD category.

Klein said Canopy is acting as “a voice for our industry on Capitol Hill,” actively sharing CBD research with the FDA, and holding ongoing discussions with political leaders to see it classified as a dietary supplement.

Canopy plans to roll out 40 plus CBD products for the U.S. market spanning gummies, vapes and beverages. A line by Martha Stewart is expected in the fall, with a focus on humans, and later pets.

“Our aspirations in the U.S. CBD market is based upon our expectation that by full-year 2023 the market would be a $10 billion market at retail. The FDA would have clarified CBD regulations, opening a pathway to broader distribution and product formats, and we’d be on the way to becoming a leading CBD supplier to large format retailers,” Klein said.

Turning to Canada, Canopy recently saw its share of its home recreational market slip. Chief product officer Rade Kovacevic said Canopy still holds a top three market share position in most province and territories.

Klein said the company is taking steps to address the Smiths Falls, Ont.-based pot giant’s waning dominance.

The plan involves greater focus on the popular lower-priced cannabis category, improved quality, and promotion of its cannabis 2.0 offerings like beverages, vapes and chocolates. Canopy will also cull underperforming items from its portfolio.

“Roughly 30 per cent of our SKUs have accounted for 80 per cent of our Canada recreational shipments. Simply put, we had too many low-velocity SKUs through our supply chain taking away resources from executing on the supply of high-velocity SKUs,” said Kovacevic.

“We’ve missed opportunities to capture $20 million in sales in Q4 alone due to product availability issues.”

Newly hired chief insights officer Chris Edwards said Canopy is looking to those outside the current crop of cannabis consumers to fuel future growth. According to his figures over the last 12 months, only a quarter of the potential market has consumed cannabis, 37 per cent of which bought through legal channels.

“There are different barriers that need to be overcome to get them to consume our products,” he said. “Product innovation that doesn’t require inhalation is a huge opportunity. Our beverage portfolio has products with rapid onset and no calories and sugar.”

Canopy said it has shipped over 530,000 beverage units since the first products hit the Canadian market in the spring.

In the German medical market, Canopy expects 2023 sales of close to $2 billion. The company acquired German-based cannabinoid firm C3 in 2019 to tap into growing adoption of medical cannabis therapies in Europe’s largest medical market.

“There’s only a couple hundred million dollars in sales today,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be well north of a couple of billion dollars. So we’re very bullish on the German market long term.”

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

Winnipeg plant gets $100M in federal financing to pull protein from peas (PULSE), canola (GMO)

ALL CAPITALISM IS STATE CAPITALISM

The Canadian Press June 22, 2020

OTTAWA — The federal government is helping finance an innovative, new agricultural production plant in Winnipeg that turns peas and canola into protein powders for the food industry.

Merit Functional Foods Corp. plans to have its new 94,000-square-foot production plant at Winnipeg's Centreport running by the end of the year.

There it will extract protein from peas and canola seeds for use in everything from pre-packaged protein shakes and meat-alternative foods to non-dairy creamers and energy bars.

The company intends to use only Canadian-grown peas and canola and claims to be the first in the world that will produce canola protein for the food industry.

Ottawa is contributing a total of $100 million, including a previously announced $9.2 million from the Protein Industries Supercluster.Loans of $25 million and $55 million are coming from Farm Credit Canada and Export Development Canada, while the AgriInnovate Program is contributing a $10-million repayable grant.

"This facility will be a world leader in plant-based proteins and will create good jobs in a fast-growing field," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. "And by using 100 per cent Canadian inputs, it will also support farmers who produce the canola and yellow peas used in Merit's products."

Demand for plant-based proteins is soaring as people around the world seek to find meat alternatives in a bid to improve their health and that of the planet. Merit is seeking to make protein additives from peas and canola that taste better and have improved textures.

Merit signed a development agreement with Nestle in January to use Merit's pea and canola protein products in Nestle's food offerings.

The plant is expected to create 80 new jobs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2020.

Fela Kuti and Afrika '70 - Zombie (1976) FULL ALBUM
Funk-infused political statement. Afrobeat. Artist: Fela and Afrika '70 Album: Zombie Label: Coconut Year: 1976

TRUMP BLAMES

 CHINESE SABOTUERS 

& NORTH KOREAN HACKERS

FOR USING KUNG FU 

THAT REDUCED THE ATTENDANCE 

AT HIS TULSA RALLY 

                           

Q ANON NO MORE

Signs people will choose work over CERB in jobs data, Qualtrough says

'SIGNS ARE NOT MEANINGS' SEMIOTICS
The Canadian Press June 22, 2020



OTTAWA — Canada's employment minister says the country's most recent job figures suggest that low-wage workers will go back to a job if one is available instead of remaining on federal aid.

Carla Qualtrough says the growth in jobs from May gives her confidence that workers will choose to work when they get an offer and are able to do so.

Statistics Canada's labour force survey for May showed that lower-wage jobs rebounded at a faster rate than the national rate as restrictions meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus started to ease.

Speaking at the Senate's finance committee today, Qualtrough says the finding means people chose to work rather than keep receiving the $2,000-a-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

Still, she says the government is doing everything possible to retool pandemic-related aid programs like the CERB to help get workers and companies back on the job.

Qualtrough also says the government does not know exactly what the country's labour market will look like in the coming weeks and months, but is certain that some people won't have jobs to return to.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2020.

The Canadian Press

CANADA
Grocery executives called to testify over pandemic pay cuts

Alicja Siekierska Yahoo Finance CanadaJune 19, 2020

Crisis Management: Pandemic pay gets cancelled

Senior executives at Canada’s largest grocery stores will be summoned to a House of Commons committee to explain why pandemic pay raises were cancelled last week.

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith introduced a motion at the House of Commons industry committee on Thursday calling on executives from Loblaw, Metro and Empire, the parent company of Sobeys, “to explain their decisions to cancel, on the same day, the modest increase in wages for front-line grocery workers during the pandemic, including how those decisions are consistent with competition laws.”

The motion was passed unanimously, with 11 committee members from all four parties voting in support of it. Other witnesses, including union leaders representing grocery store workers, may also be summoned.

Loblaw (L.TO), Metro (MRU.TO) and Empire (EMP) ended the temporary $2 per hour pandemic pay raise provided to frontline workers through the coronavirus pandemic on the same day, June 13. Walmart Canada has also introduced a pandemic pay raise, and confirmed it had returned wages to normal levels earlier.

Unions representing grocery store workers said they support the decision to bring grocery store executives before the committee.

“These workers have always been essential. The pandemic did not create that,” Unifor said in a statement.

“The added pay brought in during the pandemic was a good start in addressing historic inequities in the sector, but more needs to be done. Now is not the time to go backward.”

Canadians working from home permanently should expect salary changes: experts

AND NOT FOR THE BETTER EITHER  The Canadian Press June 21, 2020



TORONTO — When Mark Zuckerberg hosted a townhall in late May with Facebook's 48,000 employees, some were tuning in from new cities they had scrambled to move to as the pandemic hit.

Zuckerberg had a clear message for them: if you plan to stay, expect a change to your pay.

"That means if you live in a location where the cost of living is dramatically lower, or the cost of labour is lower, then salaries do tend to be somewhat lower in those places," he said on the video conference, where he announced more employees would be allowed to work remotely permanently.

Zuckerberg gave Canadian and American workers until Jan. 1, 2021 to inform the company about their location, so it can properly complete taxes and accounting and use virtual private network checks to confirm staff are where they claim.

The demand is part of a new reality Canadian workers are being confronted with as employers try to quell the spread of COVID-19 and increasingly consider making remote work permanent.

The shift means many companies are having to rethink salaries and compensation, while grappling with the logistics of a new work model.

Only one-third of Canadians working remotely expect to resume working from the office as consistently as they did pre-pandemic, while one-in-five say they will remain primarily at home, according to a June study from the Angus Reid Institute.

Like Facebook, Canadian technology companies Shopify Inc. and Open Text Corp. have already announced more employees will soon have the option to permanently work remotely.

Both declined interviews with The Canadian Press, but Richard Leblanc, a professor of governance, law and ethics at York University, said he wouldn't be surprised if their staff that relocate will see their pay change.

"It's inevitable because the cost and expense structure of work has changed," he said.

"If you, for example decide, that you could do the majority of your work from well outside the Greater Toronto Area...and you want to buy a home in Guelph or in Hamilton, should we expect the base salary for those individuals might change? Yes, because your cost of living has changed and your expenses have changed."

If companies calculate salaries properly, neither the business nor workers should feel their salary adjustments are unfair, Leblanc said.

However, figuring out what to pay staff transitioning to permanent remote work is tough, especially with a pandemic raging on and forcing some businesses to lay off workers or keep companies closed.

Owners have to consider what salaries will help them retain talent, but also how their costs will change if workers are at home.

Companies, for example, may be able to slash real estate costs because they don't need as much — or any — office space, but may now have to cover higher taxes, pay for their workers to buy desks or supplies for their homes or offer a budget for them to use on renting spaces to meet clients.

"(Businesses) are looking at every line item on their on their income statement....because they want to make sure they can survive and thrive over the long-term," said Jean McClellan, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's Canadian consulting practice.

Companies like GitLab, an all-remote company in San Francisco focused on tools for software developers, may offer some clues about how Canadian companies opting for permanent remote work can tackle salaries.

When GitLab started offering permanent remote work years ago it built a compensation calculator combining a worker's role and seniority with a rent index that correlates local market salaries with rent prices in the area.

THESE ARE AVERAGE SALARIES FOR REMOTE WORK IN FACT THEY ARE LESS THAN GAS PLANT WORKERS EARN IN FORT MAC OR TRADESMEN MAKE THERE 

Anyone can visit GitLab's site and plug in a role, experience level and location to find a salary.

GitLab's junior data engineers, for example, make between $50,936 and $68,913 if they live in Whitehorse, Yellowknife or Iqaluit, where the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said the average rents for a two-bedroom home last October were $1,695, $1,100 and $2,678 respectively.

That salary shoots up to anywhere from $74,359 to $100,603 for those living in Toronto, Vancouver or Victoria, where CMHC reported the average rents for a two-bedroom home last October were $1,562, $1,748 and $1,448 respectively.

Leblanc warned that varying remote work salaries can create "a global competition for talent in an online world."

People who apply for permanent remote jobs, he said, may find their fighting for the role against far more people than ever before because companies will be able to source talent living anywhere in the world.

The companies that don't offer remote work at all could also find themselves at a disadvantage, if their industry starts to value flexibility and look less favourably at companies that don't offer it.

GitLab settled on its model and calculator because the company said they offer transparency and eliminate biases around race, gender or disabilities.

Its co-founder Sid Sijbrandij wrote in a blog that the calculator was dreamed up because every time he hired someone, there was a conversation around reasonable compensation.

The negotiation would usually revolve around what the person made beforehand, which was dependent on what city they were in. Gitlab scrapped that model in favour of the calculator and also started letting workers know if they move their salary could change.

However, GitLab acknowledges that many people see paying someone less for the same work in the same role regardless of where they live as "harsh." The company disagrees.

"We can't remain consistent if we make exceptions to the policy and allow someone to make greater than local competitive rate for the same work others in that region are doing (or will be hired to do)," it says.

"We realize we might lose a few good people over this pay policy, but being fair to all team members is not negotiable."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX: SHOP, TSX:OTEX)

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press