“Merkel’s coalition in parliament passed a law at the end of June that will impose fines worth upwards of $50 million on Facebook and other social media companies that do not promptly remove “illegal content,” a term that Merkel’s government has used to target everything from hate speech and pornography to malicious propaganda.” More …
Month: September 2017
Take the Generic Drug, Patients Are Told — Unless Insurers Say No
“Faced with competition, some pharmaceutical companies are cutting deals with insurance companies to favor their brand-name products over cheaper generics. Insurers pay less, but sometimes consumers pay more. Adderall XR, a drug to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a case in point.” More …
Wisconsin won’t break even on Foxconn plant incentives for 25 years: analysis
“Wisconsin is not projected to break even on a $3 billion incentive package for a proposed LCD screen plant by Taiwan’s Foxconn for at least 25 years, a legislative analysis showed on Tuesday.” More …
California Crops Rot as Immigration Crackdown Creates Farmworker Shortage
“Vegetable prices may be going up soon, as a shortage of migrant workers is resulting in lost crops in California. Farmers say they’re having trouble hiring enough people to work during harvest season, causing some crops to rot before they can be picked. Already, the situation has triggered losses of more than $13 million in two California counties alone, according to NBC News.” More …
Trump’s Trade Pullout Roils Rural America
“After the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, other nations launch 27 separate negotiations to undercut U.S. exporters.” More …
Climate Change Now Impacting U.S., U.S. Government Report Warns
“A scientific review prepared for a massive U.S. government report on climate change forcefully asserts that human activity is changing the global climate—and that the U.S. is already feeling the effects.” More …
In Surprise Vote, House Passes Amendment to Restrict Asset Forfeiture
“The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved an amendment to the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act that will roll back Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s expansion of asset fortfeitures. Amendment number 126 was sponsored by a bipartisan group of nine members, led by Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash. He was joined by Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna of California; Oregon’s Pramila Jayapal, a rising progressive star; and Hawaii’s Tulsi Gabbard.” More …
Is Anybody Home at HUD?
A long-harbored conservative dream — the “dismantling of the administrative state” — is taking place under Secretary Ben Carson. More …
Pro-Russian Bots Take Up the Right-Wing Cause After Charlottesville
“Analysts tracking Russian influence operations find a feedback loop between Kremlin propaganda and far-right memes.” More …
Trump team goes to bat for NRA-backed bill, deleting Park Service concerns
“The National Park Service has several big problems with NRA-backed legislation that would restrict the agency from regulating hunting and fishing within park boundaries. But according to a leaked memo obtained by McClatchy, the Trump administration has so far prevented the parks from voicing such concerns.” More …