Biden to host 'United We Stand' summit to address rising hate, extremism in U.S.

Demonstrators are seen on the National Mall at a March For Our Lives rally in Washington on June 11. The rally occurred after a mass shooting attack in Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 10 people. 

 Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden will host a cultural summit at the White House next month to address the rise of violence and extremism in the United States and lay out a vision "for a more united America," officials said Friday.

The United We Stand Summit, which is scheduled for Sept. 15, seeks to "counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety," the White House said in a statement.

National civil rights advocates have been urging Biden to hold such an event since he took office 19 months ago.

Following a recent spate of hate-motivated crimes -- which included the mass shooting deaths of 19 children at an elementary school in Texas -- the president is recommitted to delivering on one of his biggest campaign pledges, to "heal the soul of the nation."

The summit will follow other deadly mass shooting attacks in recent months -- at a July 4 parade near Chicago and a hate-motivated attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y.

"As President Biden said in Buffalo after the horrific mass shooting earlier this year, in the battle for the should of our nation 'we must enlist in this great cause of America,'" White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"The United We Stand Summit will present an important opportunity for Americans of all races, religions, regions, political affiliations, and walks of life to take up that cause together."

President Joe Biden signs the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington on June 25. The gun safety bill was passed and signed one month after the mass shooting that killed 19 children in Uvalde, Texas. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI

A variety of groups have been invited to the event to highlight cultural unity. National civil rights and religious leaders, members of the law enforcement community, anti-gun violence advocates and even former members of extremist groups will also attend when Biden delivers a keynote address.

A detailed list of attendees and speakers will be released at a later time.

Administration officials say the event is an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to unite on an issue that Biden sees as critical to the future of the country.

"Our nation has endured a disturbing series of hate-fueled attacks," Jean-Pierre added, condemning other recent violence in Oak Creek, Wis., Pittsburgh, El Paso Poway, Calif., and Atlanta.

Jean-Pierre noted Biden´s executive and legislative successes concerning hate crimes, such as the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act -- which is considered the most significant gun safety legislation in more than three decades.

The president´s planned summit will follow other recent developments in high-profile cases. This month, three Georgia men who were involved in the killing of Amaud Arbery in 2020 were convicted on federal hate crimes charges. Two were given life sentences and the other 35 years in prison. That´s in addition to their life sentences at the state level.

The White House on Friday also noted the recent five-year anniversary of the hate-motivated killing at the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 -- an event that Biden said ultimately persuaded him to run for president.

US House oversight chair seeks to hold firearms industry accountable


Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, speaks during a hearing examining the practices and profits of gun manufacturers at the U.S. Capitol in July. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo


Aug. 19 (UPI) -- House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced two bills Friday that would make it harder for firearms manufacturers to sell assault weapons to civilians.

The Firearm Industry Fairness Act would hit manufacturers who produce semi-automatic assault weapons with a 20% tax on their total revenue. Those funds would then be used to prevent gun violence and support victims.

The other bill, called The Firearm Industry Crime and Trafficking Accountability Act, would make it a requirement that every firearm manufacturer create a system that allows them to track crimes committed with guns they have sold.

It also requires manufacturers to stop distributing weapons to a retailer if they believe those guns will be used for criminal purposes.

"Today's legislation responds directly to findings from my Committee's investigation showing that the top assault weapon manufacturers have collected more than $1 billion in revenue selling assault weapons to civilians, while refusing to track the crimes carried out with these weapons," Maloney said in a statement.

"These bills would impose a 20% revenue tax on these manufacturers so that the family hunting rifle is not taxed at the same rate as an assault weapon, and would ensure that the firearm industry, like others industries in America, takes responsibility for the safety and misuse of its products."

Friday's legislation comes on the heels of a three year investigation that the Oversight Committee has conducted into gun dealers that sell guns used in crimes.

In April, the committee released its preliminary findings, showing that a small number of gun dealers have sold thousands of guns used in violent crimes.

In June, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill that strengthened firearm requirements.

Wayfair to lay off 870 employees worldwide

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Online retailer Wayfair announced it is reducing its workforce by 870 employees as sales have slowed after pandemic highs.

In its regulatory filing, Wayfair said its workforce reduction represents 5% of its global workforce and 10% of its corporate team. The company's stock price plunged more than 14% Friday afternoon.

"As a result of this workforce reduction, we expect to incur between approximately $30 million and $40 million of costs, consisting primarily of employee severance and benefit costs, substantially all of which we expect to incur in the third quarter of 2022," Wayfair said in a statement.

"The foregoing estimated amounts do not include any non-cash charges associated with stock-based compensation. These estimates are subject to a number of assumptions and actual results may differ materially."

In a letter to employees, Wayfair CEO said the layoffs were a "difficult decision" resulting from a slowdown in sales.

Last year, sales fell 3.1% after a 55% increase in 2020.

"We were seeing the tailwinds of the pandemic accelerate the adoption of e-commerce shopping, and I personally pushed hard to hire a strong team to support that growth," Shah wrote, according to CNN.

"This year, that growth has not materialized as we had anticipated. Our team is too large for the environment we are now in, and unfortunately, we need to adjust."

Mischievous monkey swipes cellphone, calls 911 at California sanctuary

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Sheriff's deputies responding to a 911 call from a wildlife sanctuary in California were surprised to discover the call had apparently been placed by an inquisitive capuchin monkey.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that dispatchers received a 911 call this week that quickly disconnected, and attempts to call the number back were not answered.

Deputies went to the source of the call, Paso wildlife sanctuary Zoo to You, but workers said they were unaware of any emergency calls placed from the facility.

Deputies and zoo staff continued to investigate and were eventually able to identify the likely caller: a capuchin monkey named Route.

The sheriff's office said Route had apparently gotten a hold of a zoo cellphone kept in a golf cart and either dialed 911 or used the phone's emergency call function.

"We're told capuchin monkeys are very inquisitive and will grab anything and everything and just start pushing buttons," the sheriff's office said.

SYRIAN KURDISTAN
U.S. condemns drone strike that killed teen girls playing volleyball in Syria
By Adam Schrader


Zozan Zedan has been identified as one of the girls killed in the drone strike while playing volleyball. Photo courtesy of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Maj. Gen. John Brennan, the commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, condemned a drone stroke this week that killed four teen girls and injured several others who were playing volleyball.

Brennan said in a statement Friday that the girls who were killed were active in a United Nations educational outreach program in Hasakah.

"I condemn this attack and any others that kill and injure civilians. Such acts are contrary to the laws of armed conflict, which require the protection of civilians. We extend our condolences to the families of those killed and sympathies to those injured," Brennan said.

"The increase in military hostilities in northern Syria is creating chaos in a fragile region where the threat of [the Islamic State] remains present. We call for immediate de-escalation from all parties and an end to activities that put at risk the significant battlefield gains the Coalition has made against ISIS."

RELATED U.S. reports no casualties in 'ineffective' drone strike near U.S. base in Syria

Brennan did not name which party conducted the Thursday drone strike but officials with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria on Saturday alleged the teens were killed by a "Turkish occupation aircraft targeting an educational center for girls."

The strike happened in the village of Shammoka, about 1.2 miles from the base of the international coalition forces.

The AANES also revealed photographs of the teen girls, born between 2002 and 2004, who were identified as Rania Atta, Zozan Zeidan, Dylan Ezz El-Din and Diana Alo.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement that 11 other people were injured in the attack.

The Turkish government views the People's Protection Units of the Syrian Democratic Forces as terrorist groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

OF COURSE THEY DO TO JUSTIFY THEIR WAR OF ETHNIC CLEANSING

ENCOURAGE SELF DIRECTED LEARNING

16-year-old designed special device to help solve one of Earth's biggest problems


Varun Saikia, far right, shows off his design to state government officials. 

(Courtesy of Varun Saikia)

Wyatt Loy
Sat, August 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM·3 min read

When Varun Saikia, a young high school student from Gujarat, India, was 11 years old, he learned about a whale in Thailand that choked to death from eating plastic that had been discarded in the ocean.

"I had read that article and it disturbed me a lot, and that basically triggered me to look and explore into this problem that was a whole new world for me," Saikia told AccuWeather National Reporter Jillian Angeline. "I did not know that this problem existed in my life."

Saikia then got to work researching pollution around the world, paying special attention to where he grew up. The Ganges River, the largest river in India, carries about 3 billion microplastic particles into the Indian Ocean every day, according to a study led by National Geographic. Saikia also learned about the garbage patches -- concentrations of marine debris -- across the Pacific Ocean that are created by ocean currents.

"Then I looked around and I was like, 'Wow, isn't this obvious? I see plastic everywhere,'" Saikia said. "So I made a prototype out of plastic bottles and plastic boxes and I tested it in a mini pool, and then I iterated the model and got to a 5-foot-long device that could collect about 2.5-3 kg of plastic waste."

He called this first prototype Makara, Sanskrit for crocodile, due to it having a "mouth" and "tail" similar to a real croc. It took years of Saikia improving on Makara to create his newest design, Flipper, which can operate on its own or attach to a ship. He estimates it can hold anywhere from about 1,000 pounds to several hundred tons of plastic waste, depending on how it's deployed.

The design is still in the prototyping phase, but Saikia's website claims that 100 ships equipped with Flipper technology can clean up the Pacific garbage patches in about a year. In addition, Saikia said this new design will do more than just take out the trash.

"I am currently working towards making Flipper not only a plastic waste collection device, but also a device that can collect data simultaneously," he said. The type of plastic it collects and the location where it was collected will be logged and analyzed to help make future collections more efficient, he added. To keep fish and ocean mammals from getting caught in the net, it will be outfitted with ultrasonic emitters that make critters avoid the area.

Saikia said he funded his first prototypes out of pocket, but has now received government grants from his home state of Gujarat, located on the coast of western India, and expanded his one-man operation to a handful of engineers. Once he finishes high school, the innovative student said he dreams of attending a prestigious program in the United States to take his project worldwide.

"There are a few schools on my mind," he said. "MIT is definitely my dream school. I'm going to apply to MIT, then Stanford. [The] University of Texas at Austin has an amazing environmental engineering program. So I'm keen on applying to these universities."

With reporting by Jillian Angeline

America’s largest employers are sounding the alarm on immigration rules. 

Canada’s successful startup visa program shows us why

Dick Burke
Fri, August 19, 2022 

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act. While the new law was widely celebrated, it removed key immigration provisions that were offered in a previous version of the bill–the America COMPETES Act.

If included in the CHIPS and Science Act, these provisions would have established a dedicated startup visa program for foreign entrepreneurs and streamlined the green card pathway for immigrants with Ph.D.s in STEM fields.

Failure to include these provisions in the new law is a missed opportunity for the U.S.–and a setback in the important national goal of seeding and accelerating American innovation in critical technologies. The limitations of the U.S. immigration system leave it vulnerable to falling behind countries like Canada, which already boasts a successful startup visa program and multiple pathways to citizenship for talented immigrants.

Recently, Amazon–the second largest employer in the U.S.–voiced its frustration with the immigration system, urging the U.S. government to act on the damaging green card backlog.

The original startup visa proposed in the America COMPETES Act would have formalized the recently revived International Entrepreneur Parole Program (IEPP), which initially launched toward the end of the Obama administration but was stifled during the Trump administration. In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated that nearly 3,000 foreign entrepreneurs would be eligible for the program annually.

While the success stories of foreign-born entrepreneurs are widely publicized through the likes of the founders of Google, Tesla, Pfizer, Nordstrom, and others, the true impact of immigrant entrepreneurship is much broader. A 2020 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) report on Immigration and Entrepreneurship in the United States found that immigrants in the U.S. are 80% more likely to start a business than native-born citizens and the total number of jobs created by immigrant-founder firms is 42% higher than that of native-founder firms, relative to each population. Furthermore, a 2018 economic analysis from New American Economy estimated that 85% of foreign entrepreneurs in the aforementioned International Entrepreneur Parole Program (IEPP) would start firms in STEM-related industries and would create nearly 410,000 jobs over 10 years.

The failure of the U.S. government to establish a startup visa program is limiting economic growth and ceding ground to our competitors in the global race for foreign talent. Meanwhile, north of the border, Canada is increasing its intake of immigrant entrepreneurs through its own dedicated startup visa program.

Canadian immigration policy has long been viewed by employers as preferable when compared to the limitations of the U.S. immigration system. In Envoy’s 2022 Immigration Trends Report, 61% of employers viewed Canada’s immigration policy as more favorable than that of the U.S. Amazon is among the many employers that have recently expanded into growing tech hubs like Vancouver.

The Canadian startup visa program is designed to target foreign entrepreneurs with the skills and potential to start innovative businesses that can create jobs for Canadians and compete on a global scale. Notably, when compared to the U.S. immigration system, the efficiency of the Canadian startup visa application process offers a seamless transition for startup founders and their companies.

At Launch Academy, a Vancouver-based tech startup accelerator, we witness firsthand how innovative foreign entrepreneurs grow into success stories in the Canadian market. Since 2017, we’ve helped 287 foreign entrepreneurs from over 38 countries navigate Canada’s startup visa program and build successful businesses in emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, VR/AR, Fintech, AgTech, and more.

As Canada reaps the benefits of successful startups flourishing and creating jobs, the U.S. continues to leave driven foreign entrepreneurs and talented professionals knocking at the door only to look elsewhere.

With a recession looming, an enduring STEM talent shortage, and major employers like Amazon sounding the alarm on the current shortcomings of the immigration system, it’s time for the U.S. government to enact reforms that embrace the job-creating power of foreign talent through a startup visa program.

Dick Burke, JD, is the CEO of Envoy Global. Ray Walia is the co-founder and CEO at Launch Academy.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

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Hundreds of Google workers signed a petition demanding it stop collecting abortion search data from people
Isobel Asher Hamilton
Fri, August 19, 2022 


Pro-choice protestors.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Google's worker union wants the company to better protect users and workers seeking abortion care.

The union said over 650 Google workers signed a petition calling for major changes.

The petition asks the company to stop collecting data from users who search for abortion services.

Hundreds of Google workers are pressuring the company to make major changes to protect users and workers following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Alphabet Workers' Union — a union for employees at Google's parent company Alphabet — circulated a petition that garnered over 650 signatures, the union said in a Twitter thread.

One of the petition's demand is that Google stop collecting data from users searching for abortion information.

"We know companies are often legally required to hand over data, which is why we're demanding Google stop collecting data on users seeking abortion information — period. It's the only way to protect it from law enforcement," the union said in its Twitter thread.

The AWU cited the case of a 17 year-old and her mother who were accused in June of obtaining an illegal abortion for the teenager, and whose Facebook data was given to law enforcement.

"We can't allow that at Google," the AWU said.

It also said Google must work to get rid of ads for "misleading 'pregnancy crisis centers.'"

Pregnancy crisis centers do not offer abortion services or medical care. Bloomberg reported this week Google Maps frequently directs users searching for abortion clinics to pregnancy crisis centers instead.

A June report by nonprofit the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found 37% of Google Maps results for abortion services directed users to anti-abortion centers.

The union is also demanding the company look after its contractors when they need medical care related to abortions.

Google announced along with many companies that it would offer benefits to employees such as covering travel expenses for seeking out-of-state medical care ahead of Roe being struck down.

The AWU said these policies should be extended to cover Google's contracted workers, which it says make up more than half its total workforce.

It is also demanded Google stop political donations and lobbying altogether.

"Google has given at least half a million [dollars] to anti-abortion PACs, despite all the highfalutin language about abortion rights," the union said in a tweet.

It added the damage done by lobbying goes beyond abortion.

"Alphabet's political donations are significant — and too often they're directed at anti-worker causes, funneling money to candidates actively stripping away our rights," it said.

Alphabet spent $11.8 million on lobbying in 2021, according to lobbying transparency nonprofit Open Secrets.

The AWU said it sent its petition to CEO Sundar Pichai and other top executives on Monday, and had not yet received a response as of Thursday.

Google did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider about the AWU's petition.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Workers at UK's biggest container port Felixstowe due to begin 8-day strike


Shipping containers at the port of Felixstowe

Sat, August 20, 2022 at 6:05 PM·2 min read

LONDON (Reuters) -More than 1,900 workers at Britain's biggest container port are due on Sunday to start eight days of strike action which their union and shipping companies warn could seriously affect trade and supply chains.

The staff at Felixstowe, on the east coast of England, are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay, becoming the latest workers to strike in Britain as unions demand higher wages for members facing a cost-of-living crisis.

"Strike action will cause huge disruption and will generate massive shockwaves throughout the UK's supply chain, but this dispute is entirely of the company's own making," said Bobby Morton, the Unite union's national officer for docks.

"It [the company] has had every opportunity make our members a fair offer but has chosen not to do so."

On Friday, Felixstowe's operator Hutchison Ports said it believed its offer of a 7% pay rise and a lump sum of 500 pounds ($604) was fair. It said the port's workers union, which represents about 500 staff in supervisory, engineering and clerical roles, had accepted the deal.

Unite, which represents mainly dock workers, says the proposal is significantly below the current inflation rate, and followed a below inflation increase last year.

"The port regrets the impact this action will have on UK supply chains," a Hutchison Ports spokesperson said.

The port said it would have a contingency plan in place, and was working to minimise disruption during the walkouts which will last until Aug. 29.

Shipping group Maersk, one of the world's biggest container shippers, has warned the action would have a significant impact, causing operational delays and forcing it to make changes to its vessel line-up.

Figures released on Aug. 17 showed Britain's consumer price inflation hit 10.1% in July, the highest since February 1982, and some economists forecast it will hit 15% in the first three months of next year amid surging energy and food costs.

The squeeze on household incomes has already led to strikes by the likes of rail and bus workers demanding higher pay rises.

(Reporting by Michael Holden)

UK
Barristers balloted on escalating action to an all-out strike after 6,000 court hearings disrupted


Flora Thompson
Sun, August 21, 2022 at 1:01 AM·2 min read

Barristers have been staging walkouts in a dispute over pay (PA Wire)

Barristers are voting on plans for an all-out strike next month as part of a row with the Government over jobs and pay.

Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have been walking out on alternate weeks but are now being balloted on an indefinite, uninterrupted strike that would start on September 5.

The ballot closes at midnight on Sunday, with the result expected on Monday.

According to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted a result of the dispute over conditions and Government-set fees for legal aid advocacy work.

Data released under freedom of information laws show that during the first 19 days of industrial action – between June 27 and August 5 – there were 6,235 court cases disrupted, including 1,415 trials, across England and Wales.


The CBA said the action was already having a “devastating impact on the ability of our crown courts to function with any semblance of normality” and that the “continuing refusal of the Justice Secretary to negotiate a fair settlement with criminal barristers comes at a very heavy price”.

In a statement published on its website when it opened the ballot earlier this month, the CBA said members had indicated there should be “no pausing or halting of the ongoing programme of strike action”, adding: “It has become clear that a significant proportion of our members wish to be given an option to escalate our current action towards an uninterrupted strike in order to exert maximum leverage upon Government at this critical time.

“Given the expectation that the ongoing strike action will inevitably lead to the progressive incapacitation of court business, there is no doubt that resolving this dispute will be the critical priority of any incoming Justice Secretary.”

Criminal barristers are due to receive a 15% fee rise from the end of September, meaning they will earn £7,000 more per year.

But there has been anger that the proposed pay rise will not be made effective immediately and will only apply to new cases, not those already sitting in the backlog waiting to be dealt with by courts.

An MoJ spokesman said: “We are increasing barristers’ fees by 15%, investing a further £135 million a year into criminal legal aid, which will see the typical barrister earn around £7,000 more a year.

“We fast tracked this legislation so lawyers will start receiving this extra money from the end of September.

“The only outcome of escalating strike action is further distress for victims forced to wait longer for justice.”

The Government department said it had “repeatedly explained” to the CBA that backdating pay would require a “fundamental change” in how fees are paid, adding: “That reform would cost a disproportionate amount of taxpayers’ money and would take longer to implement, meaning barristers would have to wait longer for payment.”