January, 25 2021, 11:00pm EDT
Patriotic Millionaires Praise the Raise the Wage Act as "An Incredible Long-Term Economic Stimulus"
"With businesses closing left and right because they don't have enough customers, we can't afford not to raise wages right now."
WASHINGTON
This afternoon, Representative Bobby Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Patty Murray, Representative Pramila Jayapal, and Representative Stephanie Murphy formally introduced the Raise the Wage Act, which if passed would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. This would be the first increase in the federal minimum wage in over a decade.
In response, Morris Pearl, the Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and a former managing director of BlackRock, Inc., issued the following statement:
"Raising the federal minimum wage isn't just good for workers, it's good for businesses and investors as well. The current federal minimum wage of just $7.25 an hour has left a wide swath of the American workforce unable to fully participate in our consumer economy.
40% of Americans report being unable to afford an unexpected $400 expense. How much do you think someone who can't afford housing or groceries is going to be spending at their local businesses or restaurants? How much is someone who couldn't scrape together $400 in an emergency going to be contributing to their local economy? Raising the minimum wage is about so much more than just helping poor workers - it's an incredible long-term economic stimulus.
The Raise the Wage Act could not come at a more important time. Critics will say we can't afford to raise wages in the middle of a pandemic. But with businesses closing left and right because they don't have enough customers, we can't afford not to raise wages right now. Our economy needs a boost in consumer spending that can only come from putting more money into the hands of low wage workers who will immediately spend it."
The Patriotic Millionaires is a group of high-net worth Americans who share a profound concern about the destabilizing level of inequality in America. Our work centers on the two things that matter most in a capitalist democracy: power and money. Our goal is to ensure that the country's political economy is structured to meet the needs of regular Americans, rather than just millionaires. We focus on three "first" principles: a highly progressive tax system, a livable minimum wage, and equal political representation for all citizens.
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'Oh, Please': Critics Scoff at Clarence Thomas' Defense of Secret Luxury Trips
The right-wing Supreme Court justice "broke the law, and it isn't particularly close," argued two legal analysts.
Apr 07, 2023
Under fire after reporting offered a detailed look at his decades of billionaire-funded luxury vacations, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas claimed Friday that he was "advised" by colleagues not to report personal hospitality gifts from friends, a story that drew immediate derision from lawmakers and legal analysts.
In a statement responding to ProPublica's reporting, which shined additional light on trips bankrolled by billionaire real estate mogul Harlan Crow, Thomas acknowledged joining the GOP megadonor and his wife on "a number of" family trips over the past two decades but insisted that he was told such hospitality "from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable."
"I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines," said Thomas, who in 2011 amended 20 years of financial disclosure forms after failing to disclose income that his wife, Ginni Thomas, received from the right-wing Heritage Foundation and other organizations.
Thomas claimed at the time that he had a "misunderstanding of the filing instructions," an excuse that watchdogs found highly implausible.
On Friday, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) scoffed at Thomas' explanation for declining to disclose his many luxury vacations, specifically criticizing the justice's assertion that those involved with the trips had no business before the court.
ProPublica reported that Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, who has helped drag the U.S. judicial system to the right, was among the guests of one Crow-funded trip that Thomas attended.
"Oh, please," Whitehouse tweeted in response to Thomas' statement. "If you're smoking cigars with Leonard Leo and other right-wing fixers, you should know they don't just have business before the court—their business IS the court."
Mark Joseph Stern, a legal writer for Slate, added that the justice's statement "fails to account for Thomas' alleged use of Crow's private jet for his own personal travel, presumably because it cannot possibly be squared with the disclosure guidelines in effect at the time."
ProPublica reported that Thomas' trips included multiple flights on Crows' private jet and rides on his superyacht—none of which the justice disclosed. The investigative outlet noted that "Thomas has even used the plane for a three-hour trip."
"On Feb. 11, 2016, the plane flew from Dallas to Dulles to New Haven, Connecticut, before flying back later that afternoon," ProPublica revealed. "There are no reports of Thomas making a public appearance that day, and the purpose of the trip remains unclear."
\u201cThe 80 or so trips to hunting resorts taken by Scalia set the stage for the Thomas billionaire extravaganza.\n\nThe path to secrecy was illogical claims of \u201cpersonal hospitality,\u201d a trick the federal judges of the Judicial Conference just shut down.\n\nhttps://t.co/RJPEFuy2r3\u201d— Sheldon Whitehouse (@Sheldon Whitehouse) 1680888329
According toThe Washington Post, Thomas "has reported receiving only two gifts since 2004"—a bronze bust of Frederick Douglass, which came from Crow, and an award from Yale Law School.
After the Los Angeles Timesreported in 2004 that Thomas "had accepted expensive gifts and private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow," the justice "appears to have continued accepting free trips from his wealthy friend," the newspaper reported Thursday.
"But he stopped disclosing them," the Times added.
On Thursday, Stern and fellow Slate court writer Dahlia Lithwick argued that by failing to report gifts from Crow, Thomas "broke the law, and it isn't particularly close."
"The best argument in his defense is that the old definition of 'personal hospitality' did not require him to disclose transportation, including private flights," the pair wrote. "This reading works only by torturing the English language beyond all recognition. The old rule, like the statute it derives from, defined the term as hospitality that is 'extended' either 'at' a personal residence or 'on' their 'property or facilities.'
"A person dead-set on defending Thomas might be able to squeeze these yacht trips into this definition, arguing that, by hosting Thomas on his boat for food, drink, and sightseeing, Crow 'extended' hospitality 'on' his own property. But lending out the private jet for Thomas’ personal use? Come on. There’s no plausible way to shoehorn these trips into the old rule—which quotes the statute verbatim—even under the most expansive interpretation imaginable."
Following pressure from Whitehouse and other lawmakers, the Judicial Conference of the United States—the policymaking body for federal courts—clarified its disclosure requirements surrounding "personal hospitality."
The updated regulations state that disclosure exemptions do not include "gifts other than food, lodging or entertainment, such as transportation that substitutes for commercial transportation"—like a private jet.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in an interview with The Lever on Thursday that articles of impeachment against Thomas "need to be introduced" in response to ProPublica's revelations.
"If no one's going to introduce it, I would certainly be open to doing so and drafting them myself," said the New York Democrat. "I think this has gone far, far beyond any sort of acceptable standard in any democracy, let alone American democracy."
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Potent Heat-Trapping Methane Emissions Saw 4th-Largest Annual Increase in 2022: NOAA
"Allowing any new fossil fuel projects, more fracking, and [liquefied natural gas] is an unspeakable climate crime."
Apr 07, 2023
Driven primarily by human activities including fossil fuel extraction, methane levels in the atmosphere had their fourth-largest annual increase in 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday.
Scientists detected 1,911.9 parts per billion (ppb) of methane in the atmosphere last year, indicating a rise of 14 ppb. The level rose by 17.75 ppb in 2021 and 15.20 ppb the previous year.
Benjamin Poulter, a scientist with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), told the Associated Press that researchers are "confident that over half of the methane emissions are coming from human activities like oil and gas extraction, agriculture, waste management, and landfills."
Responding to pressure from experts and climate campaigners, policymakers and corporations in recent years have made pledges to reduce carbon emissions, but scientists have begun to push for more policies focused on slashing the release of methane into the environment, due to the gas' ability to trap heat over a short period of time.
Methane can trap about 87 times more heat than carbon dioxide in its first two decades in the atmosphere.
Responding to NOAA's report on atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, Sierra Club campaigner Jens Wieting said that "allowing any new fossil fuel projects, more fracking, and [liquefied natural gas] is an unspeakable climate crime."
\u201cMethane levels in the atmosphere now more than 2.5x their pre-industrial level. The oil & gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane. Allowing any new fossil fuel projects, more #fracking & #LNG is an unspeakable #climatecrime #bcpoli #cdnpoli https://t.co/Wlbj3Gg6xw\u201d— Jens Wieting (@Jens Wieting) 1680805178
The report comes a month after The Guardianrevealed that more than 1,000 "super-emitter" incidents, in which projects leak at least one tonne of methane per hour, were detected worldwide last year, mainly at oil and gas facilities.
About 26% of the planetary heating that is attributed to human activity is caused by methane emissions from sources such as landfills, livestock, and oil and gas extraction, Duke University professor Drew Shindell told the AP Thursday.
Experts also warn that fossil fuel emissions have led to a feedback loop in which the planet itself is releasing more methane due to hotter conditions.
\u201cThe story of methane's rise continues to focus on sources, but carbon monoxide from wildfires, leaking hydrogen, covid-19 emission reductions, changes in shipping fuels and loss of the forest sink are all contributing to existing methane persisting longer.\nhttps://t.co/8obq4yrFFv\u201d— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@Prof. Eliot Jacobson) 1680823132
"If this rapid rise is wetlands and natural systems responding to climate change, then that's very frightening because we can't do much to stop it," Shindell told the AP. "If methane leaks from the fossil fuels sector, then we can make regulations. But we can't make regulations on what swamps do."
Policymakers must take action to cut the methane emissions that can be reduced, said NOAA.
"The time is now," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad in a statement, "to address greenhouse gas pollution and to lower human-caused emissions as we continue to build toward a climate-ready nation."
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'Either Trade Unions Win This, or It Will Be the Far Right': Labor Sees High Stakes in French Pension Fight
A new poll shows that Marine Le Pen would beat French President Emmanuel Macron in a head-to-head rematch, making the left's struggle against Macron's pension attack a struggle for democracy in France.
Apr 07, 2023
As French workers intensify their fight against President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular plan to raise the nation's retirement age from 62 to 64, the stakes couldn't be higher.
A poll released Wednesday shows that reactionary lawmaker Marine Le Pen—leader of the far-right National Rally party, the largest opposition force in Parliament—would beat Macron by a margin of 55% to 45% in a head-to-head rematch. The neoliberal incumbent defeated Le Pen in a runoff election last April, but the openly xenophobic and Islamophobic challenger has gained significant ground since their first matchup in 2017.
The new survey was conducted after Macron advanced his planned retirement age hike through executive order on March 16. The president bypassed the National Assembly once it became clear that his legislative proposal did not have enough support to pass France's lower house.
"We're in the middle of a social crisis, a democratic crisis."
Macron's blatantly anti-democratic move provoked an uproar. The labor movement had already been staging weekly nationwide strikes and peaceful marches since mid-January. But the president's decision to circumvent a vote last month has brought more people to the streets, with heightened participation from high school and university students, some of whom have set up barricades on campus.
Progressive lawmakers and union leaders have urged the working class to keep up the pressure, portraying the left's struggle against Macron's pension attack as a struggle for democracy in France.
"Either trade unions win this, or it will be the far right," Fabien Villedieu, a representative of a railway trade union, told France Info radio on Thursday. "If you sicken people—and that is what's happening—the danger is the arrival of the far right."
Laurent Berger, head of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor, told RTL radio that "we're still asking for the reform to be revoked."
"We're in the middle of a social crisis, a democratic crisis," he added.
Macron has so far refused to withdraw his proposed pension overhaul, which includes raising the minimum eligible retirement age and increasing the number of years one must work to qualify for full benefits. France's constitutional council is evaluating the legality of the government's plans and is set to issue a decision next Friday.
According toThe Guardian:
The constitutional council, which has the power to strike out some or even all of the legislation, will assess the pension changes based on a strict interpretation of the law. Constitutional experts say the council is unlikely to strike the legislation down fully.
The government is playing for time, hoping protests and strikes will fizzle out. Unions want to show that the protest movement still has momentum, whatever the council's decision.
Hundreds of thousands of people have continued to rally across France in recent weeks. The government has responded with an increasingly repressive crackdown.
An 11th round of strikes on Thursday caused further disruption to schools, public transit, and energy production. In addition, clashes broke out "between demonstrators and police on the edges of protests in cities including Lyon, Nantes, and Paris," The Guardian reported.
Workers' anger is palpable and mounting.
"In the capital, protesters briefly set fire to the awning of the Left Bank brasserie La Rotonde, well known for hosting Macron's controversial evening of celebrations when he led the first-round vote in the 2017 presidential election," The Guardian noted.
Meanwhile, rat catchers threw dead vermin at city hall.
\u201cParis has been without trash pickup for weeks. Chaos and garbage everywhere. And rats: lots of rats.\n\nNow the rat catchers joined the protest against the Pension Reform, and threw the dead vermin in front of the charming Hotel de Ville, Paris City Hall.\n\n\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\u201d— Paul Serran (@Paul Serran) 1680748331
Also on Thursday, striking workers "forced their way into the building that houses BlackRock's office in Paris Thursday, taking their protest against the government's pension reforms to the world's biggest money manager," CNNreported. "About 100 people, including representatives of several labor unions, were on the ground floor of the building for about 10 minutes, chanting anti-reform slogans. BlackRock's office is located on the third floor."
Jerome Schmitt, a spokesperson for the French labor confederation SUD, told reporters: "The meaning of this action is quite simple. We went to the headquarters of BlackRock to tell them: the money of workers, for our pensions, they are taking it."
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager with a nearly $9 trillion portfolio, has not been involved in Macron's assault on France's public pension system. But workers targeted the financial institution due to its role in overseeing the private pension funds that they may be forced to rely on.
"The government wants to throw away pensions, it wants to force people to fund their own retirement with private pension funds," one teacher toldReuters. "But what we know is that only the rich will be able to benefit from such a setup."
\u201cStriking workers storm BlackRock\u2019s Paris office to protest the corporate giant\u2019s role in privatizing workers\u2019 pensions.\n\nJerome Schmitt, a union spokesperson, said, \u201cThe meaning of this action is quite simple. We went to the headquarters of BlackRock to tell them: the money of\u2026\u201d— More Perfect Union (@More Perfect Union) 1680789576
Le Pen, for her part, "has kept a low profile, hoping to increase her support among low-income workers, many of whom began their careers earlier and will be more greatly affected by the pension changes," The Guardian reported.
Earlier this week, left-wing luminaries alarmed by France's escalating repression of pension defenders as well as environmentalists campaigning against water privatization signed a Progressive International petition.
"We stand with the French people in the face of violent crackdowns on popular protest and the criminalization of dissent by Emmanuel Macron's government," it states. "The extreme violence of the police and the criminalization by the interior minister are clearly aimed at suppressing the movement against the pension cuts. This is an unacceptable attack on the democratic freedoms and human rights of French citizens."
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