November, 15 2017, 01:00pm EDT
Moment of Truth for NAFTA Renegotiations: Labor, Consumer, Farm Representatives Discuss Pivotal Fifth Round of NAFTA Talks
WHAT: Press call with civil society representatives addressing the critical juncture in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations. Speakers include Celeste Drake, trade policy specialist with the AFL-CIO; Bill Bullard, chief executive officer, Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF), and Lori Wallach, director Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. As the fifth round of NAFTA renegotiations starts Friday in Mexico City, the spotlight will be on Canada and Mexico's response to U.S.
WASHINGTON
WHAT: Press call with civil society representatives addressing the critical juncture in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations. Speakers include Celeste Drake, trade policy specialist with the AFL-CIO; Bill Bullard, chief executive officer, Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF), and Lori Wallach, director Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. As the fifth round of NAFTA renegotiations starts Friday in Mexico City, the spotlight will be on Canada and Mexico's response to U.S. proposals to restructure NAFTA to eliminate incentives to outsource jobs and investments. The U.S. proposals include reforms long supported by both congressional Democrats and Republicans, labor unions and NAFTA critics from across the political spectrum but fiercely opposed by the corporate lobby.
The administration's insistence that renegotiations will result either in a new trade agreement model or no NAFTA could face a critical juncture at the fifth round. And if the NAFTA partners engage on the U.S. proposals offered at the last negotiating round, what additional proposals will the administration put forward to deal with the abysmal labor standards and wages in Mexico? What effect will Canada and Mexico's recent unified action in the context of Trans-Pacific Partnership-11 talks to suspend extreme U.S. trade-pact intellectual property terms that raise medicine prices have on NAFTA renegotiations? The answers to these questions likely will determine what's next for NAFTA and will be addressed on the call.
WHEN:11 a.m.Thursday, Nov. 16
CALL-IN: U.S. Toll Free: (800) 875-3456
Canada Toll Free: (800) 648-0973
International Toll: (302) 607-2001
Verbal Passcode (to be given to the operator): HASH78173
WHO: Celeste Drake, trade policy specialist, AFL-CIO
Bill Bullard, chief executive officer, Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF)
Lori Wallach, director, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) works tirelessly to improve the lives of working people. We are the democratic, voluntary federation of 56 national and international labor unions that represent 12.5 million working men and women.
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Wyden Says Spying Bill Would Force Americans to Become an 'Agent for Big Brother'
"If you have access to any communications, the government can force you to help it spy," said Sen. Ron Wyden.
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Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden took to the floor of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday to speak out against a chilling mass surveillance bill that lawmakers are working to rush through the upper chamber and send to President Joe Biden's desk by the end of the week.
The measure in question would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years and massively expand the federal government's warrantless surveillance power by requiring a wide range of businesses and individuals to cooperate with spying efforts.
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Titled Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), the legislation passed the Republican-controlled House last week after lawmakers voted down an amendment that would have added a search warrant requirement to Section 702.
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The wife of jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sharply criticized "assurances" the U.S. government made as the U.K. High Court considers allowing the 52-year-old Australian's extradition to the United States, where he faces 175 years in prison.
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