DEMS DRAW THE LINE ON NET NEUTRALITY: Democrats on Tuesday vowed to stand firm against any efforts by Republicans to roll back the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules. “The big broadband barons and their Republican allies want to turn back the clock and make big cable and big cellphone companies the gatekeepers for internet access,” Sen. Ed Markey said at a press conference in the Capitol.
Category: US News
Arkansas House passes bill aimed at collecting Amazon taxes
Amazon would be required to tell Arkansas customers they owe the state sales tax under a bill approved by the House Tuesday, one of two efforts by lawmakers to recover millions in tax revenue from the e-commerce giant. The bill approved by the House on a 54-46 vote would also require Amazon and other out-of-state companies without a physical presence in Arkansas to provide a list to finance officials of purchases made by state residents.
Dems come out swinging on net neutrality
Democrats on Tuesday vowed to stand firm against any efforts by Republicans to roll back the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules. “The big broadband barons and their Republican allies want to turn back the clock and make big cable and big cellphone companies the gatekeepers for internet access,” Sen. Ed Markey Dems come out swinging on net neutrality Senators introduce resolution in support of Australia after Trump call Dem senator: Trump ‘trying to rig’ Supreme Court MORE Supporters of the internet rules, which require broadband providers to treat all traffic the same, are worried net neutrality could be on the chopping block under a GOP-controlled Congress and FCC.
Democratic senators push to save net neutrality rules under Trump
Democratic senators have promised to fight any move by President Donald Trump’s administration to gut the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules. Any moves by Trump or the Republican-controlled FCC to roll back the 2015 regulations will meet stiff resistance from Democratic lawmakers and digital rights groups, the five senators said during a press conference Tuesday.
U.S. trade deficit last year hit highest level since 2012
The U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly in December, but the improvement wasn’t enough to keep the deficit for the entire year from rising to the highest level since 2012. That should provide fuel for President Donald Trump’s contention that America needs a tougher approach to trade.
Trump’s Executive Order Could Cost Retirement Portfolios Big Time
Last Friday, the president sent out a mandate that could hurt long-term investors. Here is what happened and how to protect savings.
Trump banking review raises fears for global standards talks
President Donald Trump’s review of post-crisis banking rules could sound the death knell for new global standards now being finalised and rip apart a common approach to regulating international lenders, bankers and regulators said. Central banks and watchdogs around the world have spent the past eight years drawing up regulation aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2007-2009 financial crisis, but there are fears that project could unravel after Trump said he wants the U.S. to row back on capital rules.
The CEO of an $18 billion software company says Harry Reid…
Carl Bass, CEO of software company Autodesk with a market cap of $18 billion describes himself as “batsh*t about President Trump” and he’s felt that way “for a year,” throughout the campaign, he told Pando Daily’s Sarah Lacy. Like many other folks in the U.S. who are not fans of the new president, Bass has got a long list of concerns.
Court weighs halting release of police video of shootings
In this June 2, 2013, file frame from video provided by the Gardena Police Department, an officer, right, aims a gun at Ricardo Diaz-Zeferino, left, and two friends while investigating a bicycle theft in Gardena, Calif. Moments later police fatally shot Diaz-Zeferino.
House Passes Bill Requiring Warrants to Search Old Emails
A lone worker passes by the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, October 8, 2013. A few faint glimmers of hope surfaced in the U.S. fiscal standoff, both in Congress and at the White House, with President Barack Obama saying he would accept a short-… term increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to avoid a default.
Coty Says It Will Add First Woman Board Member by July
Fragrance and cosmetics company Coty will soon be adding a woman to its board of directors, reducing the number of S&P 500 companies without women in the boardroom to four. Fragrance and cosmetics company Coty said it will add a woman to its board of directors by July, reducing the number of S&P 500 companies without women in the boardroom to four.
Trump Extends Timetable to Replace Obamacare
President Donald Trump downgraded expectations for his party’s swift repeal and replacement of the 2010 health law in a Sunday interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, saying “maybe it’ll take til some time into next year” “Obamacare doesn’t work. So we are putting in a wonderful plan.
Apple to Zynga File Legal Brief Against Trump Immigration Order
Ninety-seven companies, from Apple Inc. to Zynga Inc., filed an impassioned legal brief condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, stepping up the industry’s growing opposition to the policy. The amicus brief was filed late Sunday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and emphasizes the importance of immigrants in the economy and society.
Apple to Zynga File Legal Brief Against Trump Immigration Order
Ninety-seven companies, from Apple Inc. to Zynga Inc., filed an impassioned legal brief condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, stepping up the industry’s growing opposition to the policy. The amicus brief was filed late Sunday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and emphasizes the importance of immigrants in the economy and society.
Apple to Zynga File Legal Brief Against Trump Immigration Order
Ninety-seven companies, from Apple Inc. to Zynga Inc., filed an impassioned legal brief condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, stepping up the industry’s growing opposition to the policy. The amicus brief was filed late Sunday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and emphasizes the importance of immigrants in the economy and society.
As a conservative Twitter user sleeps, his account is hard at work
Daniel John Sobieski, a retiree in Chicago, is able to tweet more than 1,000 times a day using “schedulers” that work through stacks of his own pre-written posts in repetitive loops. Daniel John Sobieski, 68, climbed the stairs in his modest brick home and settled into a worn leather chair for another busy day of tweeting.
Iran Avoids Taking Trump Bait to Collapse Nuclear Deal, for Now
Since the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Tehran over a ballistic missile test Friday, Iran’s conservative media has railed against the government for being too soft, the military has tested another projectile, and officials have generally thumbed their noses at a White House warning that they were now “on notice.” What hasn’t happened, however, is as important: no official has threatened to abandon the nuclear deal signed in 2015 under the previous U.S. administration of President Barack Obama.
FCC made a case for limiting cost of prison phone calls, but not anymore
Federal regulators no longer are pressing to cut the costs of most prison phone calls, backing away from a years-long effort to limit charges imposed by a handful of private companies on inmates and their families. The shift by the Federal Communications Commission comes as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Monday considers whether commissioners went too far when they capped prices for inmate calls that had reached more than a $1 per minute.
FCC is stopping 9 companies from providing subsidized Internet to the poor
FCC chief Ajit Pai, shown in 2013, said Friday that the approvals of nine companies to participate in the Lifeline program “did not enjoy the support of the majority of commissioners.” FCC chief Ajit Pai, shown in 2013, said Friday that the approvals of nine companies to participate in the Lifeline program “did not enjoy the support of the majority of commissioners.”
Wall St. lending to Main St. even as many decry Dodd-Frank
President Donald Trump has wasted little time in beginning a push to reverse the stricter banking regulations enacted after the 2008 financial crisis. Trump has branded the Dodd-Frank Act “a disaster” – a regulatory overreach that slowed the economy and stifled lending to consumers and businesses.
Trump just took a big step away from Steve Bannon’s views
White House senior strategist Stephen K. Bannon looks on during a meeting at Trump Tower on Oct. 7, 2016. For the first two weeks of President Trump’s administration, it seemed as though White House senior strategist Steven K. Bannon was calling the shots.
Litigation Alert: The Ninth Circuit Holds That a Telephone Consumer…
This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that allegations that unsolicited advertisement text messages were sent in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act established a concrete injury sufficient to confer Article III standing in Van Patten v. Vertical Fitness Group, LLC , No.
Dakota Access Pipeline Said to Start Pumping Crude in June
The $3.8 billion Dakota Access crude oil pipeline may start operating June 1, assuming no new obstacles prevent it, according to a person familiar with the matter. Energy Transfer Partners LP, the developer of the pipeline, will begin filling it with oil around Feb. 15, barring complaints or legal action to stop it, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plan isn’t public.
Trump on jobs report: ‘It’s going to continue, big league’
President Donald Trump greeted news of a robust January jobs report Friday with his signature blend of gusto, self-promotion and promises of good times yet to come. Flanked by leading CEOs who met with him at the White House, Trump suggested that his November election victory had lifted America’s morale – and emboldened many employers to step up hiring.
Pipeline projects in limbo as energy commissioner departs
Major natural gas pipeline projects along the East Coast and Midwest face uncertainty as the federal agency that oversees the work loses a commissioner and will be unable to decide on projects indefinitely under President Donald Trump. Democrat Norman Bay is stepping down Friday from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, leaving the five-member panel with just two commissioners, one short of the number needed to form a quorum.
Obama Should Thank Trump for Putting Iran on Notice
Don’t say Donald Trump never did anything for Barack Obama. On Wednesday, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn put Iran “on notice” for its ballistic missile test and its arming, training and equipping of Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Ajit Pai and the FCC’s Role in ISP Privacy Regulation under President Trump
On January 23, 2017, President Donald Trump named Ajit Pai as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission . In his previous role as the senior Republican on the FCC under President Barack Obama, Mr. Pai was an outspoken critic of the agency’s decision to assert jurisdiction over Internet Service Providers and its rules governing broadband privacy.
Liberals Will Not Like How This Revenge Plot Ends
Thanks to the unexpected death of Antonin Scalia, they were so close to flipping the balance of the Supreme Court that they could taste it. Vast possibilities seemed to be opening up to move us towards a government that was more friendly to regulation, less friendly to social conservatism, and overall much more congenial to liberal visions of the role of government.
U.S. Eases Sanctions on Russian Intelligence Agency
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday eased sanctions on Russian intelligence agency FSB put in place by former President Barack Obama last year over accusations that Moscow launched cyber attacks to try to influence the U.S. presidential election. The Treasury Department said in a statement it would allow U.S. companies to make limited transactions with the intelligence service that are needed to gain approval to import information technology products into Russia.
U.S. Eases Sanctions on Russian Intelligence Agency
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday eased sanctions on Russian intelligence agency FSB put in place by former President Barack Obama last year over accusations that Moscow launched cyber attacks to try to influence the U.S. presidential election. The Treasury Department said in a statement it would allow U.S. companies to make limited transactions with the intelligence service that are needed to gain approval to import information technology products into Russia.
FCC Republican argues against more federal broadband subsidies
Federal Communications Commission member Michael O’Rielly is not a fan of calls to increase federal spending on broadband subsidies, arguing that the approach has “serious potential drawbacks.” O’Rielly, a Republican, posted a blog yesterday adding his thoughts to a debate “over whether there should be an expansive infrastructure spending and policy bill” with broadband-related infrastructure provisions.
Resolution to Scrap Oil and Gas Anti-Bribery Rule Is Moving Swiftly Through Congress
A resolution to scrap an anti-bribery rule that affects oil, gas and mining companies is quickly making its way through Congress. A resolution to scrap an anti-bribery rule that affects oil, gas and mining companies is quickly making its way through Congress.
U.S. Senate Budget Committee Approves Mulvaney as Budget Director
Rep. Mick Mulvaney testifies before a Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination of to be director of the Office of Management and Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria – … The U.S. Senate Budget Committee on Thursday voted to confirm Republican Representative Mick Mulvaney to serve as White House budget director under President Donald Trump.
Cigna’s Profit Beats Estimates
Cigna, which is awaiting a ruling on the U.S. government’s lawsuit to block its acquisition by Anthem, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by strength in its commercial business. Cigna’s results come a day after Anthem said it expected to break even or make a small profit in the Obamacare individual market in 2017 even as it considers pulling out of that business next year.
Trumpa s early moves spark alarm, resistance within the government
At the U.S. State Department, the dissent began building soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order late on Friday to limit immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. Opposition mounted through the weekend as a draft memo criticizing Trump’s policy was written up in Washington and circulated by email to U.S. diplomatic posts around the world, according to multiple officials involved in the effort.
Trumpa s early moves spark alarm, resistance within the government
At the U.S. State Department, the dissent began building soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order late on Friday to limit immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. Opposition mounted through the weekend as a draft memo criticizing Trump’s policy was written up in Washington and circulated by email to U.S. diplomatic posts around the world, according to multiple officials involved in the effort.
Donald Trump Dethrones Putin as Most Mentioned Person in Russian Media
He got 202,000 mentions in print and online media, compared with 148,000 for Russia’s president who had stayed on top for 5 years. Donald Trump outdid Russia’s president Vladimir Putin as the most mentioned person in the Russian media in January, according to data reported on Thursday.
Trump’s New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai May Drain the TCPA Swamp
In one of his first official actions, newly elected President Donald Trump tapped Ajit Pai as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission , replacing outgoing chairman Tom Wheeler. Pai is a sharp critic of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act as it is currently being applied, meaning the FCC’s regulatory approach to the TCPA is likely to shift under his leadership.
Labor nominee Puzder is facing complications separating himself from his fast-food chain
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate fast food executive Andy Puzder as Secretary of Labor, a sign that he may be less labor-friendly than President Obama. Justin Mitchell reports.
Retailers, trade groups increase fight against tax proposal
More than 100 retailers including Wal-Mart and Target as well as key trade associations are launching a new coalition aimed at fighting a Republican proposal on how imports get taxed, which they believe would harm their businesses. The National Retail Federation, along with the American International Automobile Dealers Association, the National Grocers Association and others are joining forces to form Americans for Affordable Products, which will run a campaign to educate consumers and show lawmakers that the so-called Border Adjusted Tax plan would lead to higher prices of as much as 20 percent on everyday items including clothing, food and even gas.