LABOR, ECONOMY & THE CLIMATE - page 29

Three members of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) criticized Republican colleagues for quashing the investigation of an industrialist accused of coercing workers into supporting right-wing causes. The commissioners, two Democrats and an independent, had moved to launch an inquiry of Murray Energy and its CEO, Robert Murray. Their proposal was shot down by their three GOP counterparts in a 3-3 vote. “We voted to find reason to believe in this matter because we owe it to all employees to ensure that the workplace is free… Keep Reading

In a message to fellow Senate Democratic caucus members, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday called for the defeat of emergency legislation to address Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis. A bill introduced last week by House Republicans would require the island territory to give up its budget-making autonomy in exchange for debt relief. The measure has the tentative support of the Obama administration and Democratic leadership. Puerto Rico is currently $72 billion in the hole, and already defaulting on financial obligations. Sanders, a presidential hopeful, said in a… Keep Reading

Opponents of the imminent move toward enhanced regulation of payday lenders claim the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will cut off an important source of credit for low-income Americans. “Put simply when the electricity is cut off, the water is turned off, the car payments are due, and the rent must be paid–poor people cannot go to big banks for a loan,” said Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) in March. But according to a report published early Wednesday morning by the CFPB, many payday loan customers… Keep Reading

Tuesday night’s primaries proved once again that the Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) presidential campaign still has enormous support, despite little chance of victory. Sanders picked up a 9-point win in the Oregon primary, claiming a slim majority of the state’s pledged delegates. The Democratic frontrunner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is clinging to the narrowest of leads in Kentucky. With 99-percent counted, Clinton is up by fewer than 2,000 votes. Her campaign declared victory, although the results won’t be official until the end… Keep Reading

Representatives with the US Forest Service met with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday to prep for what could be another record-breaking wildfire season due to global warming. This year has already seen five times more acreage burned than at this time last year, the most aggressive wildfire season ever recorded. The Forest Service spent $2.6 billion on dousing fires alone in 2015. “We keep setting records we don’t want to see beat,” Secretary Vilsack said in a statement after the meeting. In prior years,… Keep Reading

The Supreme Court declined to make a ruling on a major challenge to Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules on birth control. Justices on Monday ordered the parties in Zubik v. Burwell to try to hash out their differences in the appeals court circuit. The short-handed SCOTUS had agreed to start proceedings in the case before the Feb. 13 death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. The plaintiffs, non-profits backed by the Christian fundamentalist right, had argued it should be illegal to make them even apply for… Keep Reading

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finalized a rule that will allow the public to know who the United States’ most hazardous employers are. The regulation, which would take effect in next year, would force firms that already report on-the-job injuries to electronically submit those filings. The agency would then publish information from those submissions on its website. “Currently, employers cannot compare their injury experience with other businesses in their industry; they can only compare their experience with their industry as a whole,” OSHA… Keep Reading

A federal judge in Washington stopped a proposed merger between Staples and Office Depot, agreeing with Obama administration officials who argued it would have violated antitrust law. US District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled Tuesday that the $6.3 billion deal would have illegally quashed competition in the market for office supplies. The two companies said they would not appeal the decision and are jettisoning plans to merge. The Federal Trade Commission, which late last year sued to stop the deal, hailed Sullivan’s decision. “Today’s court ruling… Keep Reading

With a nearly insurmountable lead in the delegate race, and the nomination within her grasps, Hillary Clinton still can’t put away her Democratic rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The democratic socialist defeated the former Secretary of State on Tuesday, 51-36 percent in West Virginia. He picked up a slim majority of the state’s 29 pledged delegates. Clinton, however, still maintains a 286 delegate edge in the race—a lead that Sanders was unbothered by when addressing supporters late Tuesday night. “Let me be as clear as… Keep Reading

A pair of top ranking Federal Reserve officials recently made divergent assessments on the ideal trajectory of interest rates. New York Fed President William Dudley told The New York Times that the central bank should soon raise interest rates for the second time in a year. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, meanwhile, said that it could be better to encourage higher-than-normal inflation rather than hike interest rates. The Fed body that sets monetary policy, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), is scheduled to meet next… Keep Reading