35 Burst results for "Trade Association"
The Crypto Overnighter
"trade association" Discussed on The Crypto Overnighter
"This follows requests from two other states, Vermont and Wisconsin, as well as a similar request from the U.S. trustees office. And independent examiners can really get the dirt. We covered it the other night where the investigator in the Celsius bankruptcy child has basically proved that not only was Celsius a Ponzi scheme, all the people at the top knew about it. They talked about it. They emailed each other about it. And that's likely what would happen here. Instead of the filters of the FTX current and former leadership teams, a third party should better be able to track the middle road to the truth. As it stands, FTX lawyers and leadership are against hiring one. They're citing cost concerns. Speaking of FTX, we have some FTX related news. So Adam stands for association for digital assets markets. They're a trade association for crypto. They've been effectively rudderless since the beginning of the year. So they're looking for some help. What happened is their CEO, Michelle Bond, and their head of policy, Robert Baldwin, they quit. They left the group, and they were the only two full-time employees. So now the group is needing some help. Now, remember the Senate banking committee we were talking about earlier? Baldwin, who has experience with the Treasury Department, he joined the Senate banking committee as a national security adviser. I have no idea where Michelle Bond landed. She made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in New York and that was the last I heard of her. Brad volpi is the board's president, as well as the head of digital assets at Hudson River trading. He sent an email to the association's members. He wrote, quote, we believe Adam's role as an industry led group with the roster of high quality organizations committed to good market structure and advocating for thoughtful regulation is paramount. And so why is this happening? Well, I can't say for sure, but it may be FTX fault. Because in February of last year, both FTX and FTX U.S. were admitted as board members. Michelle Bond was sitting behind sand bankman fried in December of 2021 when he testified in front of the HFS. Now reportedly, using both the FTX and FTX U.S. brands, sbf spent more than $1.2 million per year on lobbying. That includes both internal efforts as well as contracts with outside firms like conaway graves. So maybe bond and Baldwin just wanted to get as far away from FTX as possible. I could certainly understand not wanting to have the stink of Sam about you. And that's going to do it for us tonight. I want to thank you. My listeners, because when you stop listening, I will stop talking. And if you like the show, please, like follow subscribe. Do something to let the algorithms know that this show is worth listening to. And until then, we'll see you tomorrow night.
The Crypto Overnighter
"trade association" Discussed on The Crypto Overnighter
"He said quote, banning cryptocurrencies may be practical in the short term, but whether it's sustainable in the long run deserves an in depth analysis. And like many folks, he recognizes the need for a good, regulatory foundation for crypto to build on. He said quote, there is no particularly good way to ensure stability and function as to how cryptocurrencies should be regulated. Especially for developing country. But ultimately, an effective approach may still need to be found. But he wasn't completely team crypto, though. He said that there are still many risks with cryptocurrencies. In fact, he really doesn't see Bitcoin as a currency at all. He views it more like a digital asset because he said it lacks intrinsic value. And we know that China is imposing some key performance measures around their Central Bank digital currency project. Well, he had to admit the digital wand has failed to achieve the expected market penetration, given the project actually launched years ago. He brought up the idea of stablecoins based on the digital Juan, he said that it was a quote various sensitive question, but one worth asking. As it currently stands, blockchain technology is perfectly legal in China. Crypto is not. You can live in China and own NFTs, for example, and the government just doesn't care. But virtually all crypto ownership was banned in 2021. That said, as I reported last May, in an episode called underground Chinese Bitcoin miners. Bitcoin mining didn't completely disappear in China. As of January last year, they were still in second place. In some cases, they figured out how to use the rivers to provide the electricity completely off grid. Electrical draw is one of the big giveaways for these mining operations. So that makes a lot of sense. Bringing things back here to the United States, senator Tim Scott, a Republican on the Senate banking committee, is ready to get to work. The senator from South Carolina said that he's ready to work on bipartisan regulation for the crypto industry. In a statement on Thursday, he said quote, the committee should work to facilitate a bipartisan regulatory framework. Which, honestly, I don't think I've ever heard him talk about crypto. It might be because former senator Timmy was the ranking member of that committee, and to me was such a proponent of crypto. I will be interested to see what we get out of senator Scott. His statement on Thursday listed his 7 priorities for the upcoming session of Congress. Crypto regulation is one of those priorities. And frankly, he sounds a little concerned, and for good reason. He said quote, recent years have seen expansive growth in the digital assets industry, including an increasing number of consumers interacting with cryptocurrencies. Several high profile failures resulted in lost customer assets, exposed regulatory gaps, and highlighted concerns with illicit finance. Which is a fair criticism I'd say. Now the Senate banking committee chairman has already signaled his readiness to get to work on crypto regulations. After months of silence on the issue, last November, he sent a letter to US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen. He told her at the time that he is ready to get to work on an expansive regulatory framework. Now, if things start moving through the SBC, that will indeed be a change. Because honestly, they've been something over roadblock, or at least a bottleneck for any crypto regulatory efforts. The Senate ad committee and the House financial services committee
The Crypto Overnighter
"trade association" Discussed on The Crypto Overnighter
"Regulating cryptocurrencies. This change shows a different approach to how the country handles the industry. This law updates outdated laws to match new technology and could change how Indonesia views cryptocurrencies, which were previously seen as commodities like gold. The law was signed by the Indonesian president on January 12th. Indonesia's blockchain trade association, ABI believes that the country is showing optimism towards the technology behind crypto. The association believes that this is because the new regulator, the financial services authority, will oversee the industry under its financial sector technological innovation measures. ABI's chair, a sea cornet sea, said that this change shows that the government understands that cryptocurrencies are more than just trading. In 2022, Indonesia was a rapidly growing market for crypto. The main reason for this growth was speculative trading. The country's trade ministry recorded 14 million people trade in crypto, which is more than the number of people trading stocks. In Indonesia, cryptocurrencies were treated as commodities, which kept them separate from the discussion of whether digital assets should be treated like traditional securities. This is a topic that regulators and industry members and other countries such as the United States are still discussing. Carnegie said that the new regulation means that cryptocurrencies may be treated like securities. This would mean that they would have to follow the same rules and restrictions as securities. The government will take two years to complete the regulatory change. The country manager for the crypto exchange, luno, Indonesia, said its too early to know how the financial services authority will regulate cryptocurrencies. Luno is a member of the ABI. Now it could be that the change it regulators could be beneficial for the development of the industry. The new regulator, the financial services authority, will have a different scope than the previous regulator. This means that it could be easier for crypto exchanges to operate in the country. The previous regulator required crypto exchanges to submit reports on their transactions. This caused difficulties and delays for local token issuers. So Indonesia is now planning to create a national crypto exchange. This would be similar to a stock exchange, and it will make it easier for regulators to monitor the market. Carnegie said that this new national crypto exchange will be important for market supervision and development. He also said that it will play a role in deciding which products the exchanges can offer. A government official told Bloomberg that the exchange will be set up before the two year transition period ends. The financial services authority has not yet issued any guidelines for crypto companies operating in the country.
Living to 100 Club
"trade association" Discussed on Living to 100 Club
"And then throw in a few handfuls of the greens. So that's one of my top. Sure. The next one is berries. Now, I believe we're going to see, you know, a lot of berries being beneficial. I think the blueberry trade association seems to have a lot of money to do research. Sometimes that's what it comes down to is what trade association and the food world has the money to do the research. And there was just last month, another fabulous study came out. And I'm trying to think of the headline that really didn't get much attention, but the results were amazing. This is a quote from the study. Blueberry supplementation may provide an effective countermeasure to age related declines in functional mobility. Now, sometimes with cognitive decline, one of the early features that we see is balance. Tripping, falling, just not being quite as coordinated. Sometimes a sense that the brain is not providing the right directions to the right hand and the left hand, things like that. Sure. Now, they found that one cup a day can improve cognitive function. This is another study. Also improves cognitive function. Okay, so both of these studies used one cup a day. And I believe this study was about 7 weeks. So you don't have to have a cup a day. I know, especially in the off season months where blueberries aren't available fresh, they're hard to get. But you can get the frozen, which tends to be less expensive and just as good. Just as good. Right. Yeah. And have a half cup several times a week. See, you know, when you shop when they have the deals and don't worry about blueberries, pick up BlackBerries, raspberries, strawberries, strawberries are pretty highly sprayed. So try and get organic strawberries because you don't want to add the pesticides along with all the good stuff.
CoinDesk Podcast Network
The New Crypto Policy Blueprint With Kristin Smith
"All right guys, today as I mentioned, my interviews with Kristen Smith, who leads the blockchain association in Washington, D.C.. Blockchain association is a member organization with more than 100 members advocating for better public policy around crypto. They, as you might imagine have had a very active year. And in this conversation, we talk about just how different 2022 ended up from where it started. We also get into what the real state of play is around crypto politics and what the blueprint for crypto's D.C. efforts are post SPF. All right, Kristen, welcome to the breakdown. How are you doing? It's great to be here. Excited for 2023. With much understatement. So no, I'm really excited to get your take on how this year has evolved. I think you've been kind of a firsthand witness to a lot of changes in terms of crypto and where crypto sits in the D.C. arrangement. I guess just for folks who aren't familiar with you or your work, just get a quick background on what you do and what the blockchain association is would be great. Yeah, so my name is Kristen. I run the blockchain association and we are a trade association based in Washington D.C. that focuses primarily on federal public policy issues. So we have a 109 member companies and we work with these companies to develop public policy positions. And then we go lobby Congress to enact these positions. We work with the regulatory agencies and then sometimes we get involved in different litigation matters that could have a public policy outcome. So really whatever means is available. Also, as a part of this, we do a lot of education with policymakers because this is obviously very complicated space. So we've been around for about four and a half years. We have, I think, up to 16 or 17 people on the team right now and our sole focus is to get good public policy for the crypto industry.
Bloomberg Radio New York
"trade association" Discussed on Bloomberg Radio New York
"Were just talking about, you could think of in terms of cyclical terms. In structural terms, we have a long-term structural issue in labor markets in this country, right? We are not producing enough population growth. We have more than some of our peer competitors. And that particularly manifests in agricultural production. We have some very severe labor constraints in agricultural production and it's getting worse over time. And as our population ages and because we've had a significant reduction in legal immigration, agriculture is really suffering. And so the attention of the Congress to the need to get our immigration policies right is would be very welcome. So that's just where I was going to ask about it. That's immigration because an economist would say what you do in that situation is you let more people in the country. It doesn't have to be permanently even. You can have guest workers that come in. A lot of countries do that sort of thing. By you, the rural America, and the economy. Do you have a seat at the table in Washington? Are people listening to you on that subject? Absolutely. Not just me personally as the CEO, co bank, but I'm the chairman of our trade association as well. The National Council of pharma co ops. We are actively engaged. We are, of course, nonpartisan. We work with we work with everybody. But we're actively engaged. We have a seat at the table. We are bringing to the attention of Congress, the needs that the rural economy in general has, but the agricultural production economy and in particular has. So you mentioned earlier, the reduction in transfer payments, that's in part as I recall, because if we were here three years ago, four years ago, we'd be talking about the problems, for example, with soybeans and China and trade issues. Have those been resolved as trade freeing up for agricultural as your viewers probably know trade policy really hasn't changed over the last couple of years. So the tariffs and everything that were put in place remain. The transfer payments that were put in place in the period 2020 and 21 were a consequence of trying to make whole people's losses because of the trade disputes and the impact and implications of COVID. The reality is all of the consequences of all of that together have driven up commodity prices sufficiently high that just the sheer amount of revenue that comes from a robust and healthy market have allowed all of those payments to dissipate. And for the revenue to be coming from normal market conditions, which, frankly, producers would like just as much as the rest of the taxpaying public likes. Tom, when we have your honor, we are very fortunate to have you on from time to time. We tend to think of you in terms of agriculture. But in fact, co bank is much broader than that. You have a lot more tentacles if I could put that way into the economy, the rural economy. It gives us a sense more broadly of the Europe rural economy. Beyond agriculture. Well, one of the things that's really, really interesting in our judgment of what's happened as a result of COVID. And we're having a big debate about whether it's cyclical or structural, is there's been an enormous net in migration in this country from urban places that lost population during the pandemic to rural places. Is that right? So for several decades, the absolute number of people in rural America and the relative percentage of our population that resides in rural America has been on a steady structural decline. That has just reversed over the last two years and reverse really quite starkly that, of course, is highly unevenly distributed across the country, but the reality is for the first time in several decades. Rural America is picking up population. And at a time when the agricultural economy is very robust and strong, that's good for the underlying macroeconomic health and the vibrancy of rural communities where, as you say, we are actively involved all across the country in rural infrastructure, be it water, power, and communications. But you put your finger on it, is that cyclical or is that structural? I mean, how much of that is just a result of the pandemic? And how that could be reserved. And by the way, how much is because of technology because people can live and places now and zoom in. Right. Well, we are a very significant investor in rural infrastructure and communications in particular. So the ability to have effective high quality broadband Internet access across rural America is one of only one of a handful of very, very important attributes that rural communities have or need, I should say, to be able to attract people who otherwise used to be living in urban environments. And we've seen through legislation and just through these changes that were caused by the pandemic and people's desire to work remotely and changes in the labor force and so forth, a dramatic change. And it's our view, though it's quite preliminary in terms of this change, it's our hope and our expectation that this will be somewhat structural. But it will be unevenly distributed across the country based on the ability of regional economies and local economies to create an established the attributes to attract people from urban places who have high expectations for healthcare, education, broadband connectivity, and the like. So Tom overall, I would say this is a pretty positive report card on the agricultural business, but more broadly on the rural economy. So let me ask a negative question, which is what's the biggest risk as you look out there? Well, we're in a really, really interesting
WMAL 630AM
"trade association" Discussed on WMAL 630AM
"That called on Congress to stop the strike was the American petroleum institute, a trade union trade association representing U.S. drillers as well as the American chemistry council whose members include ExxonMobil, Chevron. And more. Refineries and petrochemical plants rely on freight rail to deliver raw materials and carry off by and carry off byproducts from their production processes, including products that can't be transported via pipeline. While The White House's message has been that unions are risking economic ruin by refusing to accept the deal, it helped negotiate another reading of this situation is that by coming up with this deal, Biden is at some of the country's wealthiest people, including Warren Buffett, are threatening to bring the country to a halt. To keep someone 125,000 people from attending a doctor's visit or staying home if they get the flu. Oh, you knew that was coming. Yeah. So there's a liberal circular firing squad about what Biden is proposing. Yeah, well, just let them work it out. We'll just sit here and observe. Look, it was always going to end up in a situation like this. We talked about, first of all, earlier this week, the president demonstrating very clearly, he cares nothing about unions. But you can't win in a situation like this. And remember, this started back when he was being hailed as the hero. For negotiating a deal before. Which obviously didn't work out. But he was doing his victory lap when there was no victory. Well, here's what it says early Wednesday in response to some Democrats concerns about sidon signing with rail owners to stop the strike, Pelosi announced a plan for two separate bills, one to block the strike and another to give workers 7 days of sick leave. Can Congress do the first, the first one, I'm assuming because of if you look at because of a national emergency, whatever because of the block to strike would be one thing, right, can Congress negotiate the terms of a contract between a union? And management, well, if there was a federal negotiator, and both sides agreed to Biden arbitration, that would be one thing, right? Yeah. Because both sides agreed, all right, whatever you come up with is fine. Well, we asked this question the other day. What does it look like when lawmakers get their hands on a negotiation between union members, unions, and their employer? And we're not talking about the federal government. It would be different if it were. A public union. And I have so they talk about how much these companies make to go. It's worth remembering that the rail barons are also climate villains. In their own right. So Biden is supporting the rail villains. That's right. Well, you know, and of course what they miss here, too, on that on the point that while it's just the big oil, the fuel companies, it's how the economy runs. You know, one of the things is because we had talked to a couple of real workers. Remember a couple of first happened who said one of the problems is they can't find anybody. Right, yeah. They can't find any, they can't find any workers here. Right. And that's one of the problems that you said, well, why can't they just give because they can't find any workers? I saw and I would need more on it. I saw a local report about this restaurant that apparently does great business, but prices have gone up so much and they can't find anybody to work that they're closing the business. Yeah, right. Because of two things, they claim because of inflation, but they went into the previous station went into the place, and it was full. People are there all the time, and they're working the one owners, like I do everything. I work 80 to a hundred hours a week. Said I can't do it anymore. He said, since COVID can't find anybody to work. Brought their mother came in to volunteer. Yeah, that's how bad it's popular restaurant. It's like we've got a close we just can't do it. We can find anybody to work and inflation is also killing us. And we just can't do it anymore. And that's one of the things that was talked about was when we had the rail workers call us is that the companies are saying we can't find people, therefore these people have to work because the trains have to run. Yeah, right. There is no other way they have to. I mean, that's the argument being made. Well, I don't know. I'm not involved in it. I don't know the inner workings. I'm just telling you what both sides are saying, you know, saying in this, but even the rail workers admitted that and again, from the union perspective would be, well, then pay a heck of a lot more money with the promise of more vacation and more people may take these jobs. Right. You can always look at it. In a negotiation, there's many ways to look at it incentivize the work incentivize people to come and do this job. Yeah, it was the and I knew there was a law that was attached to it, but it goes back to the 1920s, the railway labor act. That gives Congress the ability to
Bloomberg Radio New York
"trade association" Discussed on Bloomberg Radio New York
"Charlie, thank you so much. Well, Bloomberg reporting last week that any way you slice it, this Thanksgiving is going to cost more. I know, I'm so sorry. You are good. Price increases are flour and cookies hitting a record year over year for October, eggs jump the most since O 7 turkey and other non chicken poultry were up 17%. Expensive. Well, let's talk a little bit about the way that consumers are adapting when it comes to these higher prices. We got Leslie Saracen with us president and CEO of FMI. It's the food industry association. It works with and on behalf of the food industry as an organization. An association. Leslie, good to have you with us. How are you? I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. Well, it's a really good day to have you. We got Walmart earnings this morning. And we're increasingly hearing from companies and individuals about what they're doing when it comes to higher prices. What are you seeing when it comes to FMI survey about how consumers are adapting to higher prices? Well, clearly, consumers are concerned about the increase in prices. I think the majority of shoppers indicate to us that they are spending more at the grocery store as compared to what they were spending a year ago. But I think it's important to keep that in perspective as we think through the numbers, despite the fears about inflation, average weekly household grocery spending is about a $148. And in fact, that's down from a $161 that they were spending each week at the height of the pandemic. It's higher, of course, than the 2019 pre-pandemic number of a $113 and 50 cents. But it's not as high as it has been in the last couple of years. So it's interesting. So not as high as it's been in the last couple of years. So I do wonder, you know, I guess we're just trying to assess expectations. You represent All. aspects of the food supply chain globally. So are your members anticipating that when it comes to inflation and pressure and pricing? Does it end up staying high a lot longer than we anticipated? Maybe it's a new normal when it comes to food prices? Well, I'm not sure that it'll be the new normal. You know, there seem to be some indications that inflation may be sort of leveling off at this point based on the numbers that came out recently for October. But you know, the challenge for the food industry and particularly for food going into the retail sector into the local grocery stores is that that is the food once it's at the end of the line. And there's a lot that goes into identifying what a particular food product is going to cost. So it's going to take some time as labor costs settle as costs related to transportation, packaging costs. There's a lot that goes into identifying what a particular product is going to cost. And it will take some time for those numbers to settle out and even out, I think. What are you hearing in terms of the biggest costs from your members right now? Is it food costs have gone up? Is it transportation costs that have gone up? Is it employee costs and labor costs that have gone up? What is the single biggest cost increase for your members? Well, unfortunately, I think it's yes and yes and yes. All of those costs have gone up. And so I think it would be difficult to identify a single cause of the issue because they're just multiple causes that are going into the equation at this point. So, you know, it's interesting too. And I guess maybe politics are really front and center right now coming off the midterms, we're thinking about the presidential election as we move ahead. What is it that your members need want in terms of federal policy? I think what we are looking for is a little less focus on perhaps increased regulation. As the regulatory environment evolves and as clearly, we are highly regulated industry as we should be. But I think trying to balance the need for regulation and the need for businesses to be able to meet their own costs. And meet the needs of their customer base, I think that's really what we're about is trying to make sure that that balanced approach takes place rather than just full blown regulation no matter the results. Where do you stand on consolidation in the industry? For example, Kroger merging with Albertsons, for example. What's your position on that? Well, you know, as an industry trade association that represents the breadth of the industry, we don't usually get very involved in the decision, the business decisions that are being made by our member companies. So I can tell you that I don't really have a position on it. Those are individual decisions that each business makes. So when it comes to looking at one thing I want to get before you go, and I was just looking for the latest headlines. We've been tracking Leslie, as you know, the Russian missiles that crossed into Poland, killing two individuals, were still waiting for more information. We saw it play out, though, certainly in the markets and this, of course, goes back to the bigger geopolitical concerns of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the impact it has. We've seen the impact on energy markets. We've seen it on the global food supply chain. How do you guys and your members think about that going forward? Does that continue to be kind of a pressure point, at least for the next 6 to 12 months? And just got about 30 seconds left. I think it is a pressure point. It's something we're watching very carefully, particularly as it affects the availability and the price associated with grains and edible oils and other things that go into manufacturing the foods that are sold here in this country. All right, we're going to leave it on that note. Leslie, thank you so much. Leslie Saracen, president and chief executive officer of FMI, the food industry association a lobbying and policy group that really is working all aspects of the food supply chain. She was joining us via Zoom from Phoenix, Arizona. Hey, let's get a check of what's going on in the after hours right now. Excuse me. Let's get a check on the markets and how things close. We got the NASDAQ finishing the day higher by 1.5%. The S&P 500
Bloomberg Radio New York
"trade association" Discussed on Bloomberg Radio New York
"Well, this was the week when Wall Street got much of what it had been asking for. And then decided quite characteristically that it didn't like it. The economy is simmering down as requested. Industrial production took its worst fall in more than a year. Business inventories are rising ominously. And the housing industry's trade association said its members were virtually out of business. That, of course, was Lewis ruckus on Wall Street. We back in 1981, believe it or not, 41 years ago now, when all the markets wanted was a slowing economy, and the lower interest rates that they thought would come with that. The big move that week was a romantic comedy, and you may not remember it with Burt Reynolds named paternity. And the number one song was Arthur's theme from that Dudley Moore film named Arthur. Now the problems are very different as interest rates are on the way up, not down, and the economy is still very robust by most measures. Still with us, our Joanne feeny of advisers, capital management, and loose Anne Saunders of Charles Schwab. So join let me come to you. The question is, what do we do with our money in this world? Where does it make sense to invest? With this much volatility, there's much uncertainty. It's really been challenging time for investors. And it really depends what sort of time frame you have as an investor. If you're in retirement, what you probably need is some assurance that you're going to be able to get the cash flow you need off of your portfolio. And so one of the things we've done for our clients in that kind of situation is to create portfolios with above average dividend yields. On the one side and now as bond yields are rising and we've kept our duration relatively short, we've been able to let bonds mature and then re up at higher yields. So one area to go to is some relatively stable companies, whether it's a General Mills or an AbbVie or some of the others in consumer Staples and in energy that have dividend yields in the four or 5, 6% range. And that way they can still get that income and they can ride out the volatility in the stock prices and wait this out. And that gives our clients a fair bit of comfort. But it hasn't been easy really for anybody, but that's one way to deal with the volatility. Lausanne, what do you recommend these days? Well, first of all, I absolutely agree with Joanne that there's no there's no cookie cutter answer to a question like that. It really does depend on who the investor is, the risk tolerance surpassed experience, their time horizon. Whether they're financial risk tolerance and their emotional risk tolerance, whether there's a narrow gap between the two or a wide gap between the two. But I think we're in the part of the market cycle right now where you want to actually focus on fundamentals. And I know that sounds trite and sounds what we're always supposed to do. But gone are the days where you could look at segments of the market components of, say, big tech and look at it monolithically, make an assumption that they're all going to go up simultaneously. There's much more differentiation in the market right now. And I'd say look for where things are dear from a macro perspective. So we have declining earnings revisions in the aggregate. So look for the factor around positive earnings revisions, positive earnings surprise. We know we're in a rising interest rate environment. So companies with strong balance sheets, low debt, high cash flow, strong free cash flow. Lower volatility is just kind of a quality wrapper. And I think that's the best type of approach in this environment. And then the last thing we've suggested for those investors who can do it, if you were rebalanced or based on the calendar, maybe instead of doing it once a year, once a quarter, let your portfolio and the volatility associated with dictate the timing of taking advantage of the volatility by adding into weakness trimming into strength relative to your overall strategic asset allocation. Joanne, what about the possibility of fixed income at this point? I mean, for a long time, you didn't want to be in bonds, given what was going on bonds. But those yields have really come up. They're yielding something now. And they do generate cash. It's sort of like dividends, right? Yeah, absolutely right. We're getting in the order of 6 plus percent in
AP News Radio
Climate change jeopardizes health care services, report says
"A report finds that climate change jeopardizes healthcare services I Norman hall Medical centers around the country say that fires flooding heat waves and other extreme weather are increasingly jeopardizing medical services damaging healthcare facilities and forcing patients to flee their hospital beds Thus according to findings released in report from the House ways and means committee a majority of the 63 trade associations hospital systems and community health centers that responded to the questionnaire say they have experienced at least one extreme weather event at some point in the last 5 years The weather disasters force closures are evacuations that cost millions of dollars Norman hall Washington
The Dinesh D'Souza Podcast
Paul Manafort Describes How His Work in Ukraine Was Totally Twisted
"I'm back with the legendary political consultant campaign manager of Paul Manafort Paul. We're talking about your new book, political prisoner, and you did some consulting for the former president of Ukraine, this guy named Yankovic. And what the government tried to do and was leaking to the media was that somehow you're an asset, not a Ukraine, but of Vladimir Putin. But Putin, so to walk us through the way the twisted way in which a narrative can catch facts that are even on the opposite side of the narrative, but incorporate them into the narrative. As I said, I elected several governments there. The last one being Lena coburg presidency. And all of the work was focused on getting Ukraine into your very publicly. I was working with the U.S. embassy, the German embassy, I was going back and forth to Brussels. And I was the visible face linking the work that Ukraine was doing to comport its laws and its economics policies to European standards. So there was no doubt where I stood in Ukraine and there was no doubt that Putin was a 100% against Yanukovych bringing Ukraine into Europe. And threatened the Annika which, which is why we had a coach had to take a pause, which led to the civil unrest in Ukraine when he was about to sign what they call trade association agreement. Putin said publicly, if you signed it, I will stop. The next day, all the trade with Ukraine, which is 70% of Ukraine's foreign trade. So you had a coach did say he wouldn't say it, but he said he needed to pause and start working with the Europeans to try and work a bridge kind of sort of blown out to help him get over that what was going to be big gap.
The Business of Esports
"trade association" Discussed on The Business of Esports
"I am Paul the prophet, Olivia, I'm joined today. My Friends and co hosts, the honorable judge Jimmy burrata, Lindsay the boss pass Jeff the juice going. For those of you who are new here, welcome what we do is we cover the most pressing gaming and eSports topics news of the week, but we look at all of it through a business and C suite lens. We dissect. We analyze the business implications of everything happening in this industry. And best of all, on this new show, we get to do it live with you guys. And so we invite you to participate to ask questions to get in our faces to challenge us. It makes it so much more fun. It's the best part of doing this weekly show. How are you guys doing this week, Lindsay? I'm doing so great. We're actually taking my three year old nephew to go see the monster trucks tonight. I'm very excited. He and I share the same birthday and it's happening next Monday, so we're doing a little early celebration. I'm pumped. And for anyone out there who's attending the eSports trade association conference in Chicago, come say hi to me. It's actually on my birthday. So come say hi and celebrate my birthday with me. When is that coming up, Lindsay? This next weekend, so it's next Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Really just Monday and Tuesday. Very cool. Monster trucks are super cool. I'm excited. I'm pumped. I was going to say Lindsay, I got obviously we get the EST emails. And I got the advertising email for them, advertising the conference. And I never gave my permission for them to use my likeness in these emails. My image and likeness, I'm just teasing, of course. It's no issue, but it was funny. Yeah. I had such a good time judging the pitch competition last year. I'm going to miss it this year, unfortunately. I'm surprised they're not flying you over. It's kind of a long flight. Pretty hefty rider, you know? High quality. That's true, yeah. That's true. I only drink water that sparkles. It's a mastro's butter cake. How are you guys doing, Jeff, Jimmy? Very good. Very good. Jimmy, I have to shout out your background for those who are not watching it. For those who are listening and not watching, Jimmy is at Seinfeld's apartment. I'm in New York. Have you guys seen the meme? This is a total aside, but the one that says, if friends had happened in 2022, like if friends had come out in 2022, have you guys seen that meme? No. No? Do you have it ready? So Friends obviously aired next to next to Seinfeld. Yeah, hold on. I'll show you one second. I'll share my screen here. Total aside, but very funny. And I think very true. There you go. If Friends aired in 2022. Which. Oh, that's good. I like that.
The Doug Collins Podcast
Larry Keane Describes the National Shooting Sport Foundation
"For our podcast listeners who may, you know, I have them very wide ranging audience some mostly conservative, but not all conservatives are probably gun owners, probably some are not. Some may not know. I mean, they're familiar with the organizations like gun owners of America. NRA, folks like that, let's take a step back a second. Let's talk about national sports shooting federation because I've gotten to know you guys. Know what you do, you're great folks, and especially for the industry part itself. Less scar there and with these ideas of shot show with the administration coming up. What is the foundation of the? Who do you work with? And let's get that foundation and also continue on this conversation. So the national student sports foundation is the firearm ammunition hunting industry sports industries trade association. Our members are and there are over 9000 members are all of the major firearms and ammunition manufacturers you've heard of. You've seen and smaller ones, you may not be as familiar with distributors and dealers, retailers. From the modern pop and the back country road in rural Georgia all the way to the big box corporate retailers like bass pro shop and such. So very broad range of members, everybody that makes something to go in on around or through firearm for hunting, shooting sports, personal protection, so ask that question, well, what's the difference between you guys and say the NRA? And the elevator speech Doug is the dividing line is to check out counter. We represent the industry from the bar stock being delivered to Smith and Wesson to make the firearm to the sell to the consumer after a background check by our retailer somewhere in the United States. And that's really
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"And how we're going to do events and let you know about conferences and updates and crypto curious and all the things that we're working on by becoming members. Twitter, PR blockchain one Instagram PR blockchain and Facebook PR blockchain. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing from a lot more of our listeners to say, all right, I'm coming to Puerto Rico soon. We already get, you know, emails and DMs and messages from people telling us that they want to join us in Puerto Rico, but I think with this additional info, you know, a kind of started for me with our friend John Lee Dumas of the host of entrepreneurs on fire. And he came here almost 5 years ago. And I remember when he made the move here and he put a video up of his crib and showed the views and the reasons he was here. I'm like, that's really interesting, but I really didn't think about it for myself. But I won't tell you bad crypto too. Oh yeah. I was before he even started. Yeah, there was wasn't making enough to even consider it. And then crypto came around. And I was actually supposed to move here last year. I was going to move a year ago may, may 2020. COVID hit and shut down everything, although I discovered afterwards, there were some people that took advantage and moved during COVID. But I didn't. I waited until this year. And so I am actually, you know, you have to put in a 180 days plus one, which for those of you that are mathematically challenged, that's a 181 days a year as part of the requirements for being a resident of Puerto Rico. I am today is the 13th of October, 2021 on the 16th. I will celebrate my 181 days. I will have put in my requirements. So it's a milestone. I can't believe underneath three days on one day..
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"But that is the one stop shop place that we created for this week. That's awesome. Now you mentioned something that you know that the government thinks that tax evaders are coming here and whatnot. But I would say, that's a piece of it, but I think the other part is, like, where else can you go in the world that has this many brilliant blockchain and crypto people, right? Like the community here is outstanding. Like going to a crypto Monday and then going to some of the other events that like photo to child or something like, you're meeting top notch, amazing, brilliant people. And like, when you meet Tom, you become who you hang around, right? I always tell my kids is you become the 5 people you spend the most time around and you're gonna become those people. And so the networking here is outstanding. And when you're surrounded by brilliant people who know the space, more opportunity pops up, right? So it's bringing people to the islands creating this huge opportunity zone that I think the Puerto Rican government maybe there's a realized is brewing yet, but it's brewing. No, absolutely for sure. And that's a big part of what we're trying to do with crypto curious is share that. First up, week one, James heft is going to be talking to hopefully we want 50 people to show up for crypto curious. About introduction in blockchain. And it's to have these amazing companies that are here these amazing minds and the talent and sharing that knowledge and want and people who are very sincere about wanting to make a contribution to Puerto Rico. So absolutely. And hopefully I host those speakers will help me continue this workshop. Well, we'll be the best way to advertise that. Maybe it's almost like a San Juan radio or something, and espanol. I get people to come on in. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So like today I believe our press release is going to go out and we're going to working with local media as well. I'm going to go to the Senate this afternoon and invite them personally to come to crypto curious. We have flyers in English and in Spanish. We're hosting a workshop for the senators later this month and flyers also English to Spanish. Everything that we're doing is in both languages because we think it's important to not just assume that they speak English or that that's the easiest way to learn something..
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"For that's been here forever? Yes. That is very good. For the word for Americans that have moved here. I think you're looking for the word gringo. Yeah, well, no, that one I know. Okay. Somebody gave me the wrong meaning of boricua then because I'm definitely not that. Yeah, very quiet. It's like that's the term of endearment or way of talking about native. Yeah, so you mentioned how the colonial aspect for 500 years and this year is the 500th anniversary of San Juan. It's really cool as flags and there's stuff that's been going on around that event. But 500 years of colonial, that's hard, right? Being a colony of Spain and then being a colony of America. How by the way, I don't think I know this information. How long has America sort of controlled Puerto Rico? Since the Spanish-American War, it was part of the negotiation after America one that Spain would hand over the colony to the U.S.. So over a hundred and 50 years, I want to say it's late 1800s. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. And we've noticed this, it's like, it seems like everyone in Puerto Rico or most people in Puerto Rico are very compliant. It's like government tells him to do something. They go all in. Like, you don't even see people wearing masks below their nose. Like, there are full on like, oh, 80 plus percent vaccinated and stuff. It's like, it's interesting when you see, you know, that aspect of things of being, you know, being a colony and being so compliant. Like I guess it's like, for me, as someone from Missouri, I'm all about freedom and personal choice, right? And so it's interesting to kind of see the paradigm in Puerto Rico of how compliant most people are. Yes. I mean, I don't really have a comment about their compliance, but I did notice one of the things when I'm telling people they should come visit, is it safe? And I was like, it seems very safe to me. You know, people take it seriously here. And they, you know, you get your temperature taken at the door. You get your hand sanitizer. I was like, that doesn't happen in downtown D.C. when I just went back. That's something that's happening here. So I think they take really good precautions. Isn't it like 70%? There's such a big percentage of people who work for the government here. Is that what it is? Yeah, so there's a high percentage. People say that it's half, but I think it's around 30%, I recently went over and I spoke to D deck or the department of economic development of Puerto Rico. And I think it's much lower. But it's still high in comparison to what other states would be. But 30% is about the number that I've been I was quoted recently..
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"Think that we are trying to help orchestrate how to best organize and capture what those indirect and direct benefits are. And also, not all the more monetary as well. So you can think of that as not a transfer of hiring locals to creating jobs or creating new opportunity. Like at the engineering schools, we want to build relationships with universities, and we want to demonstrate how smart contracting jobs are now people will hire remotely. So they can stay in part three go and they don't have to move to New York or Miami and to get the good paying jobs. And so that's another that's another facet of what the trade association is working on is building those relationships and trying to demonstrate positive impact in communities. The legislation, I mean, I understand there's another bill that's going to be introduced. So this is definitely a long a long time down the road, but what I tell lawmakers is my background is in economic development. I used to work in Washington, D.C. for the city. And I tell them a building takes two years to build. And that doesn't count permitting, and that doesn't count architecture and design entitle transfer. I was like, you just changed the law in 2019. There's no way. No way that you can possibly see what the value is and turn it around, especially when we don't define metrics. Want to work with the legislature with the governor on working on how we can show what that value is. And also there needs to be better communication around X 60 because X 60 is also available to locals. Many don't know that. The only one that they're not part of able to participate in is the capital gains tax at zero. And there's actually a conversation to change that. To include them in this go round. And that's a bit amendment that's been thrown around. So a lot of education and a lot about the benefits, but we're staying in contact. And really seems like it should still apply to them because no taxation without representation would apply to them because they're in Puerto Rico and they don't have senators or congressmen really that and their vote doesn't count for president. So, right? It seems like there was a no brainer they should have 0% capital gains too. Agreed. So the goal of having the act 20 and 22 now 60 implemented was to bring more money and commerce to the island, right? And now they're doing that and they're going, oh no, people were coming here and taking advantage of I don't understand..
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"Week three is Ethereum and smart contracts and week four will be on NFTs. And ideas like we'll have it in English and we'll also have Spanish materials in Spanish speakers. But we really want to make it approachable, make our community more accessible. And so everyone can thrive. Well, I going to say if there's profit, we're going to need royalties because for more than four years, this has been the show for the crypto curious. So I just want to say, no, we're big fans. So more and more people are moving here because of Puerto Rico's act 22, 20 and 60, which 20 and 22 got together had a baby and they called it 60. I first heard about this probably four and a half 5 years ago when my friend John Lee Dumas moved to Puerto Rico. He is the host of a very popular podcast called entrepreneurs on fire. And he's kind of been a pied piper because a lot of people have followed. Well, now Travis and I are getting tweets and emails and messages from people saying, hey, we'll see you guys there soon. So why don't you kind of break down the benefits here and why so many people, especially crypto people are moving here. Well, happy to do so. Great question. I think it doesn't even have to be necessarily crypto people. And I also don't think that they necessarily need the tax incentives. I for one, I'm here without them. I love the island I fell in love with it when I visited in January. And it really wasn't enchanted island. I'm had to an amazing time meeting people and just love the vibe in the energy here. And moved. That said, the tax incentives are quite favorable. So under X 60 there's the individual investor, which says that you don't have to pay capital gains. And then there's the export service incentive, which as you start a company here in Puerto Rico, and you export a service, you only have to pay 4% in corporate tax. So X 60 actually has a number of incentives underneath it, but those are the two popular ones for people that are moving here. And they take there's a lot of people work and that's why I highly recommend getting some assistance from the local attorneys here. They do a great job. No, the ins and outs of how to help you navigate that process. And most recently, though, we've had some issues at the capitol because there's some interest by the legislators to repeal these incentives. So another thing that the blockchain trade association is working on is educating lawmakers and trying to explain the value add of the tax incentives and the long-term gains and growth in economic development opportunities. So that's just another facet of what our association is up to. It seems like in Puerto Rico that there's more consumption tax, right? Like when you buy stuff, it seems like there's a higher tax. If you're getting stuff shipped to the island, there's more of a tax. And so it's like, there may not be as much income tax, but there is some more consumption tax. It's not nearly as it's not comparable to what you would pay if you're in America. But it does seem like this act 60 act 20 or 22 has brought a high caliber of people to the island. And if they repeal these, these high caliber people will probably leave the island. And so, you know, what is a more do you have any more information on that?.
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"Because daddy government here doesn't want you to have control of your money. So there it is. There it is. And here, this interview is with Kiko yoshino. You.
The Bad Crypto Podcast
"trade association" Discussed on The Bad Crypto Podcast
"From four 30 call? Me, I'm old Joel Tom. I may almost ride. It's on the Lake italiano. I don't know what we're gonna do that, but they're here we are. Welcome. Welcome to muy malo crito. Yeah. What's the Spanish word? You know, they don't speak. They speak their own spanglish here. They speak Spanish, but it is a local dialect that people who speak Spanish, like what are you saying? I don't understand. They drop the S's off the end of words. So instead of saying, follow miss delmar, which is what it is. Don't say Palma. Yeah. And everywhere you go, they go Buena. You know, which is just good, right? Instead of Buenos Diaz winner. That's it. There's more efficient here. They just like to get shit done quick. That's not true. They don't like to get sit down. Except drive quick. Except some of them don't. No. I don't have any generalizations other than it's beautiful here. It's sunny. And I know that it's cold and shitty, where I'm originally from, and it is not cold and shitty here. Well, and the people are super nice and we really enjoy it. We got a great interview for you today. First we want to give a shout out to our sponsor at matrix port, hopefully you listened to the last episode. Number 5, 5 7. If you haven't bad code IN slash 5, 5, 7, where we interviewed the one and only jihan Wu, the founder of bitmain and now matrix port, they give regular investors access to investing strategies that have historically only been used by hedge funds and other big trading desks. Let me give you an example here. So Bitcoin's been trading sideways these past few weeks. And if you think that trend will continue, you can earn more than 200% APY. And if Bitcoin breaks to the upside or the downside, you'll still earn 8% APY. It's an example of a structured product and matrix port called the range sniper..
WGN Radio
"trade association" Discussed on WGN Radio
"It is 46 degrees at one o'clock and afternoon. I'm Jordan Burnt field. The news is sponsored by Caplin law firm. The city of Chicago will soon be ready to fully reopen in the auto show his coming back and in business So far today, the markets have struggled, but the Dow is creeping up towards even we'll give you the numbers. First WGN traffic Here's Mary Vandevelde and driving a sponsored by plumbers. 911 Chicago. No delays on the Eden's outbound on the Kennedy about 22 minutes. 28 coming in a little heavy from North Avenue Outbound. Eisenhower is just building now approaching Austin, the impound side of the Stevenson from the Tri State 25 minutes Slow the bishop forward from 103rd also an accident in Derry and 67th, east of Dale. And in Chicago Heights. US. 30 at Chicago Road. When you call plumbers, 911, you're guaranteed to have a plumbing professional such as Jesus our plumbing. Fix your plumbing problem right the first time call plumbers 911, 24 7 and 833 Plum 911. Vandeveld, deputy on traffic. Central City officials are saying Chicago will see a full re opening by July 4th in the Chicago auto show, making a return July 15th through the 19th and McCormick place. Gave Sloan with the Chicago Automobile Trade Association shares details on how the show will take place safely moved right here to the West building so that we could take advantage of his proximity to Indiana Avenue so that we could add an outdoor element like we've never been able to before. Test drives will be done outdoors and it's possible Indiana Avenue could be turned into a street festival masks will be required, and tickets for the show will be sold exclusively. Online. Attendees will select a timeto entrance window to control the crowd capacity show will be reduced in size and will be shortened. Chicago Department.
WSJ Tech News Briefing
P
"We've been reporting that apple is planning a software update in the coming weeks that will require app developers to get permission from users before tracking them and how some ad tech firms have pushed back against the update thing it'll kneecap their ability to tailor content to users. Now we report that proctor and gamble worked with chinese firms to develop a way around. Apple's new privacy rules. Here's our patients haggen with more p. and g. is part of a trade association in china. That's working on a way to do what's called device. Fingerprinting it's a method where they rely on the signals that are inevitably passed between your phone and the apps including the ip address. They track as many of those signals as they can. And they use that to create an id to identify the user on an ongoing basis. They're doing it to try to figure out a way to keep being able to track consumers and reach consumers with ads even if those consumers opt out of sharing their their. Id declined to provide additional details about the program including whether they'll use the technology the company said in a statement that its involvement with consistent with its goal of delivering quote useful content. That consumers want in a way that prioritizes data privacy transparency and consent. a spokesman for apple said absent disregard. Its privacy rules would be rejected from the app store.
BBC World Service
MLB All-Star Game yanked from Atlanta over voting law
"This is all things considered. I'm Audie Cornish and I'm Elsa Chang in Los Angeles. Totally unnecessary. That is what a top lieutenant in the Minneapolis Police Department said today about the way that former police officer Derrick Show Vin Pressed his knee into the neck of George Floyd, he testified on the fifth day of Sheldon's murder trial. NPR's Adrian Florido has been covering the proceedings and joins us again from Minneapolis. Hey, Adrian. Hi, Elsa. All right. So today wrapped up the trial's first week, which, as you know, I've been talking about has been packed with so much emotional testimony, like from bystanders who watched Floyd died to first responders who couldn't revive him. But today the trial seemed to shift a little right. Tell us a little bit about that. Yeah. Today, the prosecution worked to build its case that Derrick show Vin used excessive force on George Floyd. And to do that they called Lieutenant Richard Zimmerman to the stand. He is the longest serving police officer in the Minneapolis PD. He's been on the force since 1985. He's the head of the homicide division. And importantly, after George Floyd's death, he was one of the department employees who publicly condemned what show Vin did. Prosecutor Matthew Frank spent time today asking him about the dangers of restraining a suspect by laying them face down. Have you ever in all the years you've been working for the Minneapolis Police department. On been trained. To kneel on the neck of someone who is handcuffed behind their back in a prone position. No, I haven't. Is that if that were done with that be considered force absolutely. What level of force might that be? That would be the top tier the deadly force. Why? Because of The fact that if you need is on a person's neck That can kill him. Not not mincing words. They're obviously right. Well, what exactly did Lieutenant Zimmerman's say about the way show Vin handle George Floyd. So here is the same prosecutor asking Zimmerman a question about what he saw in the body cam footage of George Boyd's arrest. What is your? You know, your View of that use of force during that time period. Totally unnecessary. What do you mean? Well, first of all. Pulling him down to the ground face down. And putting your knee on the neck. For that amount of time. Is just Uncalled for. I saw no reason why The officers felt they were in danger if that's what they felt. And he said, the danger is what show then I would've had to field to justify keeping his his knee on Floyd's neck for that, Monk. E mean it's not every day that you hear. A police officer, especially a senior police officer criticized Another officer, even a former one, right, right? Yeah. But on cross examination, eyes show, Vin's attorney, Eric Nelson, worked to poke holes in his testimony, his main focus being the latitude that police officers are allowed during under the police department's use of force policy when they're responding to incidents, So here's Nelson asking that the same witness a question. You would agree, however, that in the fight for your life generally speaking in a fight for your life, you is an officer are allowed to use whatever force is reasonable and necessary. Correct? Yes. And that could even involve improvisation, agreed. Yes. Minneapolis Police department policy allows a police officer to use whatever means there never are available to him to protect himself and others, right? Yes. The defense attorney there, obviously giving clues about the kind of arguments he's going to make when it's his turn to present his case that show been feared for his life that he was dealing with the dynamic situation. Struggling suspect an angry crowd. And real quick. When do we expect the defense to start calling their own witnesses? Well. The prosecution is expected to wrap up their case by the end of next week. And then it'll be the defense's turn. We expect starting the following week that is NPR's Adrian Florido in Minneapolis. Thank you, Adrian. Thank you, Elsa. Critics say that George is controversial New election law restricts voter access and disproportionately effects people of color and in protest Major League Baseball announced today It will relocate the summer's All Star game and draft out of Georgia and under pressure from voting rights advocates. Major companies like Delta and Coca Cola have issued critical statements. Now. Stetson University law professor Ciara Tourist Spellissy studies the influence of corporations and lawmaking earlier today, I spoke to her about what she found striking about this wave of corporate criticism. One of the things that's remarkable about the new statements from Delta and Coca Cola is that they have changed positions a few days ago. They put out pretty Tepid criticisms and or support for the Georgia legislation, and now that the legislation has become law, and they've been under pressure from voting rights advocates They have changed their tune on. That doesn't happen that often. Let's dig into that a little more, because obviously corporate America lobbies. Statehouses Congress for all kinds of things, right? Can you talk about how aggressive they can be in this area or how reluctant they have been in this area in the past? So corporations have two main ways that they influence policy. One is through corporate donations to particular candidates. They then spend even more money lobbying lawmakers to get the policies that they want. Now, most of the policies that a corporation wants are for its own benefit. No, this is a little bit different because voting rights advocates in Georgia put pressure on corporations not just because they were located in Georgia, but also because they had given money to Some of the politicians who created this regressive Election law in Georgia. Can you talk about a moment in recent history where we've seen corporate activism lead to significant legislative change? I think the biggest Example of this was the 2017 tax cut. And the tax cut was literally for corporations. So you had political donors putting enormous pressure on Members of Congress and the corporate tax rate was cut significantly. Another example is bathroom bills and so by bathroom bills. These are Laws at the state level that direct individuals to only use the bathroom of the gender of their birth. And one of these bathroom bills was passed in North Carolina. The end see double a pulled championship games from North North Carolina. And that got AH lot of attention and and North Carolina. Rolled back that bathroom, Phil. We've been hearing a lot, especially in the last year about corporate responsibility, so to speak. What you going to be looking for going forward to see whether this is Real or not, well, one of the things that we saw after the riots at the Capitol on January 6th. Woz corporations deciding to pull back corporate PAC money from the Republicans who objected to The electoral college votes for Joe Biden. But now there is pressure from the U. S Chamber of Commerce, which is one of the largest trade associations in America. It's also one of the largest Dark money, political spenders in America, and they're urging their members to get back in the political spending game. So one of the things that I will look at After Georgia and after the riots on January, 6th is Do any of these corporations actually changed their political spending behavior. Ciara Torres Spellissy is a professor of law at Stetson University in Gulf Port Florida. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. There is a new attempt to bring the U. S and Iran back to the 2015 nuclear deal with one The Trump administration left in direct talks are set to begin in Vienna next Tuesday.
WTOP 24 Hour News
Groups file court challenge of Maryland's internet ad tax
"Maryland's first in the nation law, the taxes digital advertising by big tech companies is being challenged in federal court as a punitive assault on digital advertising. Trade associations who filed that lawsuit contend the law is illegal, and it violates the federal Internet Tax Freedom
All Things Considered
Big Oil Evaded Regulation And Plastic Pellets Kept Spilling
"Plastic pellets have been spilling into oceans and rivers. The world over where birds and fish eat them. They are the building blocks of all plastic melts 350 of them. You get a yogurt cup 1000 gets you a water bottle. But an NPR and PBS frontline investigation found the oil and plastic industry has long known there an environmental problem. NPR's Laura Sullivan brings us this story about how the oil in plastic industry evaded regulation. Despite decades of spills. You probably haven't spent a lot of time standing on train tracks looking at your feet. We're looking at the edge of a highway outside of plastic manufacturer. If you did, there's a good chance you'll see them little plastic pellets. This is Kocsis Creek, and we're looking at fresh pellets. It has fallen out of the Terps. Ronnie hammering is standing on state Road 35 in Southeast Texas, rising four square miles. Behind him is the petrochemical plant, Formosa Plastics. And they're not just here. There over there. They're important Lakha. You're gonna find him down the road Hand looks not an anti plastic environmentalist. He's a former supervisor who worked to Formosa for 25 years, And while he worked there, he says he was told to cover up spills of classic pallets. I want you to put down a certain number. You know what I'm saying? They want to keep it love. So So you line so would you like That's my job. That's my bread and butter, so I got to do what they think. I got a family. What's striking about standing outside Formosa and finding pellets? 100 yards from the plant's edge is that last year for most agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit in which it agreed to zero discharge of pellets. And yet, here they are and down in the creek, where the plant drains thousands more. Ah federal judge called Formosa, a serial offender for most of says it's working to improve its containment systems. But Formosa is just one of thousands of companies that either make or use plastic pellets in the United States. The oil and plastic industry says it doesn't have a problem, Officials told me for most of it was simply a quote bad actor, while leading companies like Exxon and Chevron recently told shareholders that at their dozens of facilities worldwide Either lose, not a single pellet or just two sandwich bags full. And here's how they say they've done it. Thanks again for signing on the operation Clean Sweep Operation Clean Sweep is a voluntary program the industry came up with in 1991. Companies that joined watch videos and promised to keep pellets from spilling from plant truck ships and rail cars. There's no data required. No numbers, nothing public. The operation Clean sweep is truly making a difference. Together, we can achieve zero pellet flake and proud of us. The industry says it's been a success. Pellet containment is incredibly important to our members. Steve Russell was until recently the vice president of plastics for the American Chemistry Council, which jointly runs the program, Nobody wants plastic in the environment. And if it still happens, and if we're gonna assume it's an accidental release, then it will be reported and remediation steps could be taken. Formosa is an operation Clean sweep member. So I asked to former workers and Ronnie Hamrick about it. I have no idea what you're even talking about. I've never heard it. There's evidence the industry does, in fact, have a pellet problem. Recent spills on beaches in Louisiana in South Carolina and studies show pellets are contaminating oceans, killing birds and fish and carrying toxins through rivers. There's also evidence the industry has known about this problem all along. In 2005, the industry participated in a study of 10 pellet plants. It found pellets washed away in heavy rain at every single facility and called Operation Clean sweep. Inadequate. But even long before that, there's a memo buried inside thousands of documents left over from old industry lawsuits. It was written in March. 1991 Thean Mysteries Trade Association warns top executives from Exxon, Chevron, Dow DuPont and others. But the EPA have recently found pellets to be quote ubiquitous in the environment. Regulation and permits are likely coming, the memo says. Unless they act quickly, it may still be possible to institute voluntary programs to address the pellet issue, it says. Unless this occurs, it is likely EPA will act independently. Then, just four months later, we developed a program that was called Operation Clean Sweep. Lou Freeman was a vice president at the time for the trade association, then called the Society of the Plastics industry. I don't recall any discussions. But quantitatively measuring the success of the program. It was being measured really about who is participating that what the results were, so it was a voluntary program without any metrics. Yeah, I would like to think that they were also doing it because it was the right thing to do. But I'd also be naive if I didn't think that much of the motivation was was governed by, you know. Keeping the regulators off our back today. The EPA doesn't regulate pellets and in the almost 30 years since, the agency told NPR it has brought just 10 Clean Water Act enforcement cases against facilities accused of spilling pellets. How would anyone really know if pellets were leaking? If you head down to the Gulf of Mexico pellet manufacturers like Chevron Phillips say they're not. I can tell you that. It's not a problem here at Chevron Phillips, we have almost no Let's leaving our sights. Jim Bakker is the
Environment: NPR
Big Oil Evaded Regulation And Plastic Pellets Kept Spilling
"Of tiny plastic pellets have been spilling into oceans and rivers the world over where birds and fish eat them. They are the building blocks of all plastic melts. Three hundred fifty of them. You get a yogurt cup thousand. Get you a water bottle. But an npr pbs frontline investigation found. The oil and plastic industry has long known there an environmental problem. Npr's laura sullivan brings us this story. About how the oil and plastic industry evaded regulation despite decades spills. You probably haven't spent a lot of time standing on train tracks looking at your feet or looking at the edge of a highway outside a plastic manufacturer. But if you did. There's a good chance you'll see them little plastic pellets. This is kocsis creek. In looking at fresh pellets that has fallen out of the turks. Ronnie hammer is standing on state road. Thirty five in southeast texas rising four square miles behind him as the petrochemical plant formosa plastics. There're not just here. They're over there. They're in portable alaka. You're gonna find them down the road not an anti plastic environmentalist. He's a former supervisor. Who worked at formosa for twenty five years. And while he worked there he says he was told to cover up spills of plastic pellets. I won't do to put down the phone number. You know what i'm saying. They want to keep it low. So so you lie. That's my job. This britain butter so i got to do what they say. You got a family. What's striking about standing outside formosa and finding pellets. A hundred yards from the plants edge. Is that last year. Formosa agreed to pay fifty million dollars to settle a lawsuit in which it agreed to zero discharge of pellets. And yet here they are and down in the creek where the plant drains thousands more a federal judge called formosa a serial offender. Formosa says it's working to improve its containment systems but formosa is just one of thousands of companies that either make or use plastic pellets in the united states. The oil and plastic industry says it doesn't have a problem. Officials told me formosa was simply a quote bad actor while leading companies like exxon and chevron recently told shareholders that their dozens of facilities worldwide the either lose not a single pellet or just to sandwich bags full. And here's how they say they've done thanks again for signing onto operation operation. Clean sweep is a voluntary program. The industry came up with in nineteen ninety-one companies that join watch videos and promised to keep pellets from spilling plants trucks ships and railcars. There's no data required no numbers nothing public. The operation clean sweep is truly making a difference together. We can achieve zero pellet flake and powder the industry says it's been a success. Pellet containment is incredibly important to our members. Steve russell was until recently the vice president of plastics. For the american chemistry council jointly runs the program. Nobody wants plastic in the environment. And if a spill happens and if we're gonna assume it's an accidental release then it will be reported and remediation steps can be taken for most. Isn't clean sweep member. So i asked to former workers an ronnie hammer about it. I have no idea what jeevan talking about. I've never heard of. There's evidence the industry does in fact have appellate problem recent spills on beaches in louisiana and south carolina and studies show pellets are contaminating killing birds and fish and carrying toxins through rivers. There's no evidence. The industry has known about this problem. All along in two thousand five industry participated in a study of ten pellet plance it found pellet washed away in heavy rain at every single facility and called operation clean sweep inadequate but even long before that there's a memo buried inside thousands of documents. Leftover from old industry lawsuits. It was written in march. Nineteen ninety-one the industry's trade association warns top executives from chevron dow dupont and others that the epa had recently found pellets to be quote ubiquitous in the environment regulation. Permits are likely coming. The memo says unless act quickly it may still be possible to institute voluntary programs to address the pellet issue it says unless this occurs. It is likely. Epa will act independently then just four months later. We developed a program that was called operation. Clean sweep lou. Freeman was a vice president at the time for the trade association then called the society of the plastics industry. I don't recall any discussions about quantitatively measuring the success of the program. It was being measured really about who is participating not what the results were. So is a voluntary program. Yes without any metrics. Yeah i would like to think that they were also doing it because it was the right thing to do. But it also be naive. If i didn't think that much of the motivation was was governed by keeping the regulators offer back today the epa doesn't regulate pellets and in the almost thirty years since the agency told npr. It has brought just ten clean water act enforcement cases against facilities accused of spilling pellets. But how would anyone really know if pellets wurley if you head down to the gulf of mexico pellet manufacturers like chevron phillips say they're not I can tell you that it's not a problem here. At chevron phillips we have almost no kellett's leaving our sites. Jim becker is the vice president of sustainability for chevron phillips he met me in a warehouse after plant officials showed me ponds and drains. They said catch all the pellets. You've heard a little bit about operation. Clean sweep we've been practicing that Since the company was formed having no that that you had almost no hell it's leaving your site. I feel i feel confident. We have multiple layers of protection to prevent that without any data. It's hard to know. But then you could go look hacksaw some and if you're gonna hunt pellets a mile up texas bite. You're gonna wanna bring diane wilson the woman who tracked formosa's leaking pellets for five years.
The Art Newspaper Weekly
Brexit: what would no deal mean for the art market?
"I'm joined by two experts to discuss where we are with brexit and how it will affect the market and for this episode work of the week the curators never wakefield tells us about the planks made by john mccracken. You suddenly gained a new audience because he was initially remained to be behind that shiny monolith in the utah desert before that. The holidays are two weeks away so why not gift. A subscription to the newspaper you can save up to forty percent when you buy a subscription for a friend colleague or indeed for yourself between the digital only subscription full and immediate access to a website an app or the complete subscription all the benefits of the digital only subscription plus the monthly printed newspaper delivered direct to. You do go to the art newspaper. Dot com and click on the subscribe. Link the top left of the page now despite the coronavirus pandemic the uk Fast to its intention to strike a trade deal with the european union by the end of twenty twenty so talks intensified over recent weeks but at the time of recording no deal has been struck and the uk and remain far apart according to us your phone delay and the president of the european commission the worst case scenario unless you a hard line. Brexit camp owner is deal and that remains a possibility but how autrey be affected to find out i asked the writer and art market specialist ivan question and former. Mvp current chief executive of the british chamber of commerce in brussels daniel donaldson daniel before we talk specifically about the art trade and brexit's effects. Let's let let's get a state of play. Where do you see the negotiations now. Well i'm actually still pretty positive. I think actually more or less the deal is done. The question now is how will that date is choreographed. On both sides of the channel to ensure the politically they can get through on both sides. So i actually think the deal was probably more or less agreed at the start of the week. The question now is the uk gay some concessions on northern ireland earlier in the week. I think that was the first stage. The prime minister met with commissioner of on the land on wednesday night. And i think that also was the next stage of of Of this i think you will find that. The eu will grant some concessions on the level playing field over the weekend and the uk will grant some concessions on fish. I'm then. I think we will more or less dale semi. That's the feeling that the Getting in brussels now this could all still Blow up You know the politics of this is still very very delicate. But i think contrary probably what you you see in in some of the media online. Pretty confident that we're still on course for a deal early next week. What do you make these contingency announcements from the that. We're talking on thursday lunchtime in the uk and this morning. The have set out some some aspects of sort of contingency planning. I suppose the portents of that suggests that that no deal was more likely but do you think that's a bit of a smokescreen. Then i think the you is just covering it. It's back because it did the same thing before march last year when when there was the first deadline anthony e you needs to make sure from its point of view that certain things can continue in the case of no deal so for example. Airline routes can continue. Some of these sort of things need to be done so these are more or less the same contingency measures that they put in place just over a year ago when we had that first potential Deal situation. i'm i do think also that You know given the fact that this is going roy down to the wire at this puts a little bit more pressure on the uk to make sure that you know if they were gonna be concessions made. They need to be made very soon. Okay i've what do you think the chief concerns of the art trade are what what information do they need. And what guarantees. They need for this to be something that will stop panic and allow them to continue to trade in the way that they would like to. So i've actually been speaking to people on the ground on what we've been getting a lot. Actually in the market media is A lot of detailed from trade associations and from lawyers and shippers. And that's what we haven't been getting is what is happening on the ground. How do people feel so. That's what i've been focusing on and actually the biggest thing is obviously uncertainty. The most interesting thing to me was. I couldn't find any panic anywhere
Ag Sales Professional's Podcast by Greg Martinelli
Go from Vendor to Member
"I want you to go from being a vendor in your industry to being a member how to change your mind set on who you are in your industry the shift from being a vet near in your industry to being a part of your industry is a subtle mental shift in your thinking. However, it is a huge impact on your confidence and what you bring to your customer often. We consider ourselves Spectators in the industry. We sell into since we are not grain or livestock producers. We feel almost like an outsider when it comes to our industry took some reason the fact that we sell and ask for money makes us feel as if we are not truly in the trenches of the business. We can almost feel marginalized in this feeling can be so strong. People don't want to be described as a salesperson when I began working with sales teams. There are those on some of the teams who will tell me very loudly and in phatic Lee I am not in sales. I do not do the sales thing. Well, these feelings are reinforced as we participate in trade shows designed for producers. All the programs are focused on the producers bathtime is relegated to a short time in the morning lunch. And at a random break-in the presentations we even get different colored name tags to it. So attendees can tell us apart. I'm not saying we need change anything we were doing in the industry. I understand why we operate trade shows the way we do what I am saying is that you can change the way you think about your involvement in the industry. I'm doing so will provide several huge benefits in your sales career being recognized as a leader in your industry increases the trust that customers and Prospects have with you which of course speeds. The selling process first thing to do is realize that you are not in the fertilizer business. You're in the crop production industry. You're not in the feed industry. You are in the swine industry wage fill in your own example of whatever it is, but realize that you're not in the industry of what you sell but you are in the customers industry. This mental shift alone is enough for some sales people to embrace what they do quit feeling apologetic or vague about what you do you're not some vendor sitting on the sidelines waiting to extract money, you are a talented experienced and trusted advisor wage by some of the best producers in the industry. You not only deserve to be paid for it, but paid more due to your involvement in the industry and you're worth it that involvement means that you are network with others than industry so you can help your customers. Yes, you sell feed but you are connected to vets University resources and to Industry leaders and influencers. You don't just connect or learn with people on nutrition facts. Networked widely across your industry your customers realize how valuable your industry involvement is when they are in a crisis. That's when they really find out you're worth when their animals are sick or dying their crops are having disease outbreaks or yield issues when they need help understanding and navigating the challenging world of precision Egg Farm financial decisions are grain marketing. That's when they find out how valuable you are with these are the moments when they realize you are not just a vendor you're a valuable resource that works hard for their success. And yes, you get paid to do it back to our agronomist nutritionist tagblender account manager who doesn't consider themselves A salesperson or doesn't do the sales thing first. Everyone is selling something at a minimum you sold your company on your resume when you interviewed for the job currently hold secondly the whole company your whole company is designed to create and keep customers. So whatever you do, it's for the customer when I run into these individuals I never wage. To change their mind. I simply asked him. Well, that's good. What do you do then? They usually explain all the things they do for customers are how they help the sales team help their customer. Sometimes they get it as they explain what they do and sometimes they don't I imagine that day when they realize diet I guess I really am in sales. Well, here are a few suggestions of ways that you could move and shift from vendor to member of your industry. Number one participate in your customers trade shows a 10 get a booth sponsor speak at them or volunteer to help em City number to participate in the trade Association join the board be an expert in a particular area for the association right for their newsletter. Number three network key players in Crop Production reach out to several agronomists microbial suppliers chemical suppliers seed companies. We are doing so much in the virtual world today at the cost of putting down. Grouped together is virtually free number for Network your company experts into an online event give your customers and your industry a chance to see behind the curtain a little bit odd points of interest for this might be you know, what a loan committee looks at in improving your larger loans how your PhD researchers set up feeding trials how equipment is tested during product engineering and design or how satellite data is actually converted into real-time data. Obviously, you would never reveal proprietary information, but we are in a very mature industry. Most of what we do is either common knowledge or easily found out and on the internet you can certainly explain or share what you do without sharing exactly how you do it. The number five is not working participate in your customers customers business. Let me say that again Network and participate in your customers customers business. This is more applicable to those of us that sell to agri-business. If you sell to a Cooperative locations be involved with producer groups in that area. That's where your customers will be focused. I sold to dealers so I was not only involved in the dealer business office, but I was involved in the horse and poultry industry. Well as you make that transition from vendor to trusted industry adviser realize that this all comes at a cost you spend valuable time and money to become that you attend sponsor and set up booths you attend training events to learn how to be a better resource for your customers you are available as an advisor on other parts of the industry, you know know I was off a lawyer but I did know a few rules and regulations to help customers stay out of trouble. All of this comes at a cost and should not be given away for free by that. I mean you should not be priced shop penny for Penny against a competitor who offers nothing more than a 1-800 number to place an order if that is the case find another Market to sell into if your Market is so price-sensitive you home. Sell your products at the same price, even though you are this trusted advisor, then your rewards should be loyalty. In other words customers loyalty is another way of recognizing your value to them. They could or would buy from others if you weren't who you are in the industry, and when you reach that point, congratulations, you have established a strong personal brand in your industry. I hope today's podcast helped you on your journey to be the best
Clark Howard Show
Small businesses thrive or struggle amid pandemic
"Never in my wife, have I seen an economic situation is confusing. With the Cross currents that we have right now. We have tens of millions of Americans they continue to suffer mightily from unemployment underemployment. Medical problems, financial hardships. is just crazy and then at the same time. That are doing quite well. One area where people were very very. Unhappy and suffering mightily. Is the small business sector of the economy. And certainly, there are small businesses that have been devastated by corona virus and had a brutally hard time. Many businesses that have shut down for good. The same time other small businesses. Are doing quite well, and this creates these cross currents that are so. hard to understand and so confusing. Well. The NFL I be, which is the Trade Association for Small Businesses National Federation independent businesses puts out. A survey on business attitudes every month. and. This is what's crazy. The, what they call their optimism index. is at one of the highest numbers ever at one Oh four. Back in late spring, it was at seventy five. At, the same time. The uncertainty numbers are way up which speaks to how confusing. The current economic situation is. Businesses. Very, significant number of businesses that have survived. Wildly enough are thriving now. and. People. Are once again. Investing in their businesses, the number of business owners in the survey who are expanding their businesses is rising. So that's why. It is. Such a befuddling time because it completely depends. On what kind of small business you are. How you're being affected by this, this is why certain cities or regions. Are being brutalized. By our current corona virus influenced economy well, others are doing quite well the oil region tourism regions just absolutely being hit over the head with a two by four. Massive job losses. That sort of thing, and then other areas are doing quite well any area of the country, any metro area that is very heavily technology oriented. Doing extremely, well, certain manufacturing sector's doing well. The good of this is that we are not in a cyclical downturn in the US economy where basically. Everything, is doing poorly in everybody is pessimistic. And the environment we're in now helps create. A better and quicker recovery then we might expect otherwise during a recession. But there are a lot of businesses and a lot of jobs. That will not come back until the cloud of people's fear of infection from Corona virus lifts, which I am putting at some point. Late summer early fall of twenty one. So. There are people among us who don't fear Corona virus. But. There's a larger percent of Americans who do and it has shifted how they live their lives, what they do, and what they'll spend their money on, and that's why the economic situation. Is So. Choppy.
Planet Money
How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled
"How did millions of Americans come to believe that most plastic would be recycled when that's not actually true Laura Sullivan is GonNa take the story from here. Okay, it seemed like a good place to start was the plastic industry they make the stuff. Did they know the truth about recycling plastic? I headed to one of the birthplaces of plastic plastic comes from oil. But really comes from the dupont chemical company and some of the plastic industries old records are housed in the Hagley Library. It's this stone building on the grounds of the first dupont family home in Delaware. This is a place that actually used to store sodium nitrate back when Dupont made gunpowder not plastic. There's an archivist with a bow tie a handlebar moustache named Lucas Clawson, and he looks like someone would make cocktails. Lucas wheeled out a cart of boxes. Thank you. Files that documented the discovery of a chemical marvel that changed the world, a product that looked like glass but break a product that could also look like lightweight fluff but keep things hot called Styrofoam and incredible new film that can preserve food for days called. Saran. Wrap there were a couple of clues about recycling inside the boxes from the industry's most powerful lobby group at the time the Society of the plastics industry their job was to lobby for the big oil and plastic companies. So think Exxon Chevron Dow Dupont. And there's this one memo from one, thousand, nine, hundred, seventy, three, the. Movement is just being born, and one of the top people in the plastics industry is talking about how the cost of sorting plastic is high but it seemed like a lot of the documents were were missing I find reference to a memo a report, but then I noticed that someone had drawn a line through it Lucas. Can I ask you a question absolute. Okay. Why? In this section are all. These APPS. So many of these. Cross out because those records are no longer. Here anymore day or not where did they go the society of the Plastics Industry Astra them back think they really yes is an unusual. That doesn't happen often. Do you do know why they took them. Did they say? I, do not know. Okay Of course, there are all kinds of reasons why an industry lobbying group might want. It's records back I did call society the plastic folks and ask them if I could see the records they took they said No. So I headed to another library this time at Syracuse University and they're buried in its tax, our boxes of files donated from an industry consultant. Actually the industry consultant died in the why found the boxes and gave them to Syracuse and inside these boxes. I found what I was looking for a report was sent to top oil and plastic executives in nineteen seventy three. It says, recycling plastic is nearly impossible. There is no recovery from obsolete products. It says recycling is costly sorting. It is infeasible plus it says plastic degrades every time you try to reuse it. So the oil in plastic industry new, they've known for almost fifty years. and. Then I found more confidential memos in meetings echoed decades of this knowledge insight thousands of pages of courtroom discovery. There's a speech from an industry insider in nineteen seventy four when it comes to recycling large quantities plastic, it says there is quote serious doubt that it can ever be made viable on an economic basis. Now. Okay. Sure. Anyone can take something plastic melted down and make something else. But what these documents are saying is that it's expensive, it's time consuming it's chemically problematic and it's just cheaper and easier to make plastic out of new oil instead of plastic trash there are all kinds of names in these documents men who have never spoken publicly before and there was one name I kept seeing over and over he. was, giving speeches at fancy hotels, hosting conferences and Berlin. Phoenix, they called him a bigwig. He was the industry's top lobbyist. Larry Thomas this is the man I had to find but do you know how many Larry Thomas's there are in the United? States. Thousands I'd call say are you the Larry Thomas used to work in plastics? Are you leery Thomas who used to be president of the Society of the plastics industry? And then finally, I'll prompt Merrin the plastics industry no getting around it the BIGWIG himself I'll walk. Do that's for sure. Yeah. My personal views certainly didn't always job with. US I had the quake as part of my job. That's the way it was there. He's retired now on the coast of Florida but I told him I've been reading all about his exploits in the world of plastic. Where would the offices the officers were? What would you think they would be K. Street yes. Twenty Five K. Street Casey was the heart of lobbying in Washington and it was in those offices at top executives in the world's most powerful oil and plastic companies met they had meeting after meeting about a little problem they were having there was just too much plastic trash consumers didn't like it. In one of the documents I found from nineteen nine, hundred nine Larry wrote the top oil executives at Exxon Chevron, Amoco Dow Dupont proctor, and gamble in a bunch of others he wrote the image of plastics is deteriorating at an alarming rate. We are approaching a point of no return. The classic. I was under fire. We gotta do. What it takes to take the heat off. Because we want to continue to make classic equality, they wanted to keep making plastic but the more you make the more plastic trash you get and the obvious solution to this is to recycle it but they knew they couldn't remember it's expensive. It's a great. Discussion about how difficult it was to recycle. They knew that the infrastructure wasn't there. So really have recycling amount to a whole lot. So they needed a different plan. Larry Decides to call a bunch of meetings at fancy hotels. He summons the Society of the plastics people executives Larry doesn't remember the specifics of each particular meeting but one of his deputies at the time Lou Freeman he remembers you could. Get. Back all the layers of my brain. Lou, remembers a bunch of meetings the basic question on the table was. You guys you're our trade association in the plastics industry aren't doing enough. We need to do more. This one dupont executive was telling Lou. It's your job to fix plastics imaging problem. So what do you need? You said, I think if we had five million dollars. which seemed like a lot of money. If we had five million dollars we could. We could. We could solve this problem. And My boss said in response. If you add five million dollars, you would know how to spend it effectively. Well, they came up with a way to spend five million dollars that and a lot more I. Remember this. This is one of these exchanges that sticks with me thirty five years later however long it's been. Anna was You know what we need to do is advertise our way out of it. That was the idea thrown out. The industry decided to advertise its way out of a can't recycle it problem. The possibilities off plastics plastics. From dense. Touted the benefits of a product that after it was used for the most part was headed to a landfill incinerator or even ocean. Look empty yet it's anything but trash it's full of potential. These commercials carried an environmentalist message, but they were paid for by the oil and plastic companies eventually leading to fifteen million dollars a year industrywide ad campaign promoting plastic. So I asked Larry why why spend tens of millions of dollars telling people to recycle plastic when the new recycling plastic wasn't going to work? and. That's when he said it. The point of the whole thing if the public thinks so recycling is working. Then they're not going to be concerned about the environment and if they're not concerned about the environment. Though keep buying plastic it wasn't just Larry in lieu who said this I spoke to half a dozen top guys involved in the industry at the time who all said plan was unfolding and it went beyond at the industry funded recycling projects and local neighborhoods expensive sorting machines that didn't make any economic sense school recycling contests. All of this was done with great fanfare. except I decided to go track down almost a dozen of the industry's biggest projects like the one where they were going to recycle plastic and national parks or the one that was going to recycle all the plastic and school lunches in New York they all failed and disappeared quietly but there was one more part of this campaign, the final piece that did stick around. That recycling symbol with the numbers in the middle this symbol has. So. Much confusion about what is and is not recyclable in the plan to stamp it on every plastic item popped up a lot in the documents I learned of a quiet campaign to lobby almost forty states to require that every single plastic item have this symbol stamped on it. Even if there was no way to economically recycle it, I should note that some. Environmental is also supported. The symbol thinking would help, separate and sort plastic but the industry knew the truth the symbols were causing problems. Warm report told executives in July nineteen ninety-three that the symbol is being misused. It's creating quote unrealistic expectations about what plastic people can recycle. It's being used as a green marketing tool, but the executives decided to keep the symbol anyway. I did reach out to plastic industry folks and they said that the symbols were only meant to help sort plastic and that they were not intended to confuse people but the symbol in the ads in the projects, all of this basically convince people Larry says the idea that the vast majority of plastic can be recycled was sinking in. Say that. After a while the atmosphere seems to change I. Don't know whether it was because people thought that recycling has solved the problem. was that they were just so in love with plastic products that they were willing to overlook the environmental concerns that were were mounting up. It's been thirty years now since most of those plans have been put into place and the public's feelings about plastic have started to shift again, people are reading stories about oceans choked with plastic trash and trace amounts of this stuff inside our bodies, and once again, people are wanting to ban plastic and the survival of the oil companies is at stake.
Business Wars Daily
Hotels Clean Up Their Acts to Win Guests' Confidence
"If we needed another reminder of how hard the hotel industry has been hit by Covid nineteen on Tuesday, Hilton Worldwide Holdings announced that it would cut two thousand one hundred corporate jobs across the US, roughly sixty percent of hotel rooms are empty, according to research firm SDR and that doesn't include the thousands of hotels it of closed for good since the beginning of the pandemic. But summer vacation season is upon us, and Hilton is trying to convince customers. It's safe to check in again to do so. They're coming clean about their virus. Safety measures and launching a new campaign called the clean stay program to WANNA. Be Vacationers out of their homes. Hilton has assembled a virus fighting a team that includes the maker of Lysol and the Mayo. Clinic's infection prevention and control team. Team goal is to enhance existing disinfecting and safety measures and ultimately to bolster travelers confidence. The hotel is looked at virtually every area. It's operations and found ways to reduce infection risk loyalty program members can use an APP for contactless check in each room is secured with a clean stay seal after cleaning to show. It's been disinfected with the hotels. New rigorous standards frequently touched areas like lights. Lights which is door handles. TV, remotes get extra cleaning, attention and disinfecting wipes are provided for gas use common areas like lobbies restaurants, fitness centers have been rearranged for social distancing and restaurants ditched buffets in favor of safer options like covered dishes and grab and go items not to be left in the dust. Marriott is also calling in the COVID nineteen reinforcements. The Hilton competitor created the Marriott Global. Global Cleanliness Council, recruiting infection, prevention and food safety experts from ECOLAB adventist health care and purdue and Cornell University's virus fighting upgrades include hospital grade disinfectant increased surface, cleaning, limited contact and additional training Marriott has also rolling out enhanced technologies, including electrostatic sprayers, which can quickly disinfect fitness, centers, pool, areas, and other spaces, and the companies, testing ultraviolet light technology to sanitize keys and devices shared by associates. But is an extreme safety makeover enough to coax customers out of their homes. It might be the pandemic has created pent up, demand for travel also called revenge spending a June survey by destination analysts family at one in five people are already traveling with no hesitation and seven ten have plans to do so by the end of the year. As these brands try to do each other's squeaky clean practices. Third Party experts are getting in the game to the global bio. Risk Advisory Council a division of the Cleaning Trade Association Issa. Now offers the Gbi A. C. Star certification, hotels, restaurants, and other venues can earn the distinction by having the proper chemicals, equipment and procedures in place to remove harmful pathogens. The program began accepting applications may seventh Marriott and Hilton. Competitor Hyatt is the first hotel brand to commit to getting. All of its property certified the Chicago Tribune reports. Of course such change requires big investments in products, technology and training at a time when revenue is down, but new virus hotspots are emerging, and a vaccine or cure is still on the relatively distant horizon, so hotel brands are doubling down on better hygiene to get nervous trawlers back on the road. Booking those empty hotel rooms.
Marketplace Tech with Molly Wood
Tech businesses wary of moves to bar brainy immigrants
"An executive order last month temporarily suspending the approval of some green cards many in the tech industry pushed back hard. The sixty days suspension does not apply to h. One B. B.'s. `As the visas for high skilled workers that tech companies often used to bring in engineers and other employees but this ETA the big lobbying and Trade Association for the Tech Industry says immigrants have founded some of the country's biggest tech companies. They've contributed to the startup innovation economy in the US and said that if these restrictions go on or get expanded it will hurt the country's ability to compete. Michael Patrick own is the senior vice president of government relations for the CPA. It's huge issue for us. Immigrants and their children have founded forty five percent of the US fortune five hundred companies and that includes tech companies like Intel Amazon. Google and Apple Steve Jobs as father came from Syria. Andy Grove of Intel came from Hungary and Sergey Brin came from Russia. Jeff Bezos is father came from Cuba. Imagine how different our country would be. We'd closed our doors to those immigrants the order it doesn't affect workers who enter the US on H. One B. Visa which is used by many tech companies to bring in workers. But you're still worried just across the board. We have heard rumors that the administration is going to be addressing and putting limitations on h. One B. Visas next. That may something they're considering the near future and we think that would be a mistake. Got It and so the concern not is not just about this existing order which is for sixty days but the idea that down the road the tech sector could be actively hurt by ongoing restrictions will. Yeah I mean it is and also bear in mind. This is a competitive marketplace the the marketplace for the world's smartest people as competitive so of. Immigrants. Don't come here. You're going to go someplace else. They're going to go someplace like Canada. I mean for a long time there was a billboard highway one and it said something like immigration problems. Come TO CANADA. We have a new STARTUP VISA. You've got these. Other countries that are embracing skilled emigrants like programmers and engineers entrepreneurs at the same time the US tightening its borders and these countries these workers create businesses and generate jobs for locals. These immigrants that ends up another country is a win for that country at a loss for us. Is there any argument for the restriction? I mean I know that you know there probably will be people who agree with the president and say America should be first in line for jobs if we have thirty percent unemployment. Well the point is that immigrants. Come here and they create jobs right. It's not like there's a fixed number of jobs to be. Had they come here. They create companies. They create jobs and they hire Americans so immigrants are there a crucial part of our nation's economy and the tech industry. And that's especially true today. Right look around. Immigrants are helping respond to the pan-demic in research. It in AI. In Food Supply. And then as as we come out of the pandemic we're going to need to innovate as never before. We need immigrants and the world's best minds to be part of the process.
Clark Howard Show
Home renovations that pay off
"So we're in moving into home renovation season when people look around say you know. I'd really like a new kitchen. I'd really like to to have have new new bathroom. bathroom. Whatever Whatever and and my my son son and and I I were were an an eye eye Kia Kia last last week week yet yet and it was packed beyond belief. I key on a weekend but what was most crowded. Were the kitchen redesign areas. I mean people were piled in those and looking at ideas. People are taking pictures with their phones. Which I don't know if you need to do because it's probably all on. Ikya DOT com but people were looking at these ideas to put in New Cabinets. New countertops new floors do appliances the whole thing and I was looking at how much it costs even at eye Kia to do those kitchen renovations. It's a lot so if somebody does it. According to the Industry the Trade Association and the National Association of Realtors and the National Nary the National Association remodeling industry. They both do these studies about how much renovations worth see. Redo your kitchen typical kitchen redo. You'll get back out of it. Just a little more than fifty cents on the dollar. So have you spend. Let's just keep it simple. Ten THOUSAND FOR KITCHEN REDO. It will increase the value of your home. Best typically fifty nine hundred dollars. So you're if you're doing it with the idea of getting more money selling your home you're actually net negative forty one hundred dollars in that example and this is true for one thing after another. You might do to your home that you're gonNA get a return not close to what you put into it. Big thing people do is add a new master bedroom new master suite with fancy bathroom and closets and bedroom. And all that that's very popular addition. People do their home return on that also about fifty cents on the dollar so if you spend twenty thousand dollars adding on that master it will net the value of your home ten thousand so you're down ten. What does pay hottest thing right now? That will pay off more than a dollar for each dollar. You spend because what people are looking for. In most of the country hardwood floors will make a difference according to the story in CNN business and doing something like updating the heating and cooling systems in a home insulating. They come close to recovering their costs in netting. What you'll get but I wanna tell you my simple rule. The reason you renovate a home or add onto it is fear enjoyment. Do not con- yourself into thinking the you're doing an investment that's going to have a positive return in cash. You're doing that for you to enjoy the place. And that's the reason you do. It
AP News Radio
Emirates reduces, cuts flights due to virus
"The middle east's largest airline Emirates says it has reduced grounded flights due to the new virus and where it says it's adjusted its schedules and capacity to meet the challenge and passenger Dimond and Austin ploys to take paid leave unpaid leave for up to a month at the time the airline has cancelled flights to all cities in China except Beijing the world's largest airline trade association IATA says Mideast carriers have already lost around one hundred million dollars worth in revenue due to a drop in ticket sales because of the virus I'm Charles the last month
The Energy Gang
Is BP's Shift for Real?
"Story number one is all about be p the P is of course for petroleum now be once said it wanted to get beyond petroleum more than a decade ago that strategy failed and now BP has a new CEO Bernard Looney. He came in recently in announced almost immediately that the company is going to try to offset or eliminate all of its carbon emissions by twenty fifty. Looney also said that he wants a fifty percent reduction in carbon intensity and he says ep will just depend less on oil production for its revenue and continue to ramp up in clean energy. And finally it's going to support a carbon taxes or climate related policy and pull out any money from climate denying trade organizations. Now this is a big deal for a company that has a very spotty record but there are not many details yet and loonie says that they'll those details will come in September so jigger we know that you used to work for BP. We have seen this movie before when BP attempted to rebrand beyond petroleum in the early two thousands. Is this any different? Yeah I think it is different right. So what about it? I think what happened under John Brown. Was that there was a realization on. John. Brown's part that this was a megatrend the BP had to figure out that it didn't know what it was doing but it really had to figure it out and John. Was Lord Browne actually. I was very dedicated to doing it. You Know Tony Hayward Org remind us who lured Brown is so Lord. Browne was the longest the loudness CEO and VP history. I think he was. Ceo for twenty years he found the prudhoe. Bay Alaska Find Which is really what made. Bp As a corporation and became CEO in the late eighties and busy never missed a quarterly earnings report. Until sort of the end of his tenure was heralded as probably one of the most powerful oil. Ceo's in modern times and and you know when you think about the people came after him right Tony Hayward and others Bob Dudley was actually my boss before I left. Bp Solar And so it was one of those things where where people ridiculed John Brown after? He laughed thought that he was distracted by non oil pursuits and the beyond petroleum stuff. And I think what the data shown is at pretty much every single unconventional oil project that BP has embarked on In the last ten years has lost money pretty much every single one and they are now worried that what the krona virus and everything else going on that oil prices might actually stay it forty fifty dollars a barrel forever because we've hit peak demand. Which was you know another artifact that was crafted by BP Guy Right so one of my bosses at BP was tool Aria. Who's now at the Cambridge Energy Research Group and and they you know he's crafted this peak demand scenario which. I think a lot of oil people believe now that we're never going to get above. Let's call it one hundred and three million barrels a day of oil so these are macro fundamental trends that BP is now starting to come to grips with saying their oil and business is actually fundamentally Not Profitable for future oil finds that they're looking for now. Bob Dudley the former CEO who Looney took over the company from you mentioned in a recent episode. His interview with Jason Board off of the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast. And you criticize him for that interview saying that he really wasn't in touch with the reality of the changing energy markets today. So Bob Dudley. What did he do at BP? And how might looney change that? So Bob Dudley came through the Amoco side of the business and then when BP Amoco merged in the ninety eight. I think it was twenty. Eight is when he joined. Bp At the time B. P. was all about gas. I mean it was a long time ago now but but Natural gas was a waste fuel. It was not counted in reserves. Right so when you went to a stock analyst and they care deeply in the oil industry about reserve replacement ratio. Natural gas wasn't allowed to be counted in that today. Exxon Mobil seventy percent of their reserve place ratio is natural gas. So that was Bob Dudley's education right. It was really the power of gas. And that's what you know Lord Browne of inculcated in him and you know and then he went to Russia he you know our assets and BP were taken over by the government and then he fled in the middle of the night and like had to be kept in a secret location because people feared for his life. I mean those are the kinds of experiences that shaped Bob Dudley. And but to this day he's really just a natural gas fan. He just believes very strongly that the way. Bp gets there in this changing world is by converting everything to gas. Catherine you sat down and you watched Bernard loonies speech. What did he say? And what feels different to you? Yes so interestingly he just got this job. A couple of weeks ago He started at BP as an entry level engineer in early in his career nineteen ninety-one or something so he's grown up in that company so he knows a lot about the company so two weeks into being the CEO isn't starting a job without knowing anything about it. And I spoke to Mary Street. A friend of mine who works at BP. She's a senior vice president of communications and External Affairs. And she said he is setting a new direction Of course the double is in the details of how that's going to be executed but the speech was pretty impressive to his employees and investors and stakeholder community. Which is they're going to be reimagining. Energy reinventing EP and performing wild transforming. That's how he put it. And they have ten main goals or aims as he says five of them are internal so they wanna get to net zero across their operations on an absolute basis by twenty fifty or earlier they WanNa get to net zero on carbon in their oil and gas production by twenty fifty or sooner they wanna cut their carbon intensity of their products that they sell by fifty percent by twenty fifty or sooner they need to install methane measurement on all of their processing sites and reduced intensity by fifty percent and they want to increase the proportion of investment into non oil and gas businesses over time. And they're even saying that is going to increase while their oil and gas investment is going to decrease and then there are other five goals. Those are sort of the five internal goals the five external goals are that they want to more actively advocate for Pie policies that support at zero including carbon pricing. And what they would do is shift dollars from reputational advertising so all those ads you see on tv about how awesome oil and gas are. Those funds would be shifted into policy advocacy. They would incentivize their employees to you know to deliver on some of these goals. They would set expectations for relationships with trade associations. And that's gonNA come out later. This month and analysis of what trade associations they want to still affiliate with and which ones they can no longer affiliated with based on this new direction They want to be recognized as being very transparent and align with all these disclosure groups to make sure that people know what they do remember. They have had people protesting outside of their headquarters every day for a very long time And then they want to launch a new team to help others decarbonised and to look for New Investments. So with these ten aims. He's really serious about this and I think it is setting. A new trajectory for the company will be really interesting to see in September. What the details of that are and how they do plan to go to net zero on the carbon intensity and all that