DAILY NEWS
Immigration, dancing with Donald, who supports our troops…
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
IMMIGRATION
► In today’s Bellingham Herald — On Skagit County farms, Trump’s tough talk on immigration means fewer workers — As President Donald Trump vows to beef up the Border Patrol and deport more illegal immigrants, farm owners in Skagit County say it’s more difficult than ever to find workers for their fields — threatening the county’s $300 million agriculture industry.
LOCAL
► In today’s News Tribune — Puget Sound ports mark record shipping numbers — The Northwest Seaport Alliance, a partnership between the Puget Sound ports of Tacoma and Seattle, said year-to-date container volumes were up 10 percent compared with the previous year. In a news release, the alliance said international volumes recorded the highest first quarter since 2005.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Update city rules for taxi and ride-share services (editorial) — Last week the city council postponed a vote on an ordinance for ride-share companies to operate under the same regulations as for-hire taxi companies after representatives for Uber and Lyft raised objections.
THIS WASHINGTON
► In today’s Columbian — Do better, Legislature (editorial) — Throughout the process, both sides have engaged in cynical political displays rather than statesmanship. It is shameful that lawmakers have approached one of the most important policy debates in state history without a sense of urgency or a desire to put solutions above politics. The people of Washington deserve better.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From CBS News — Big labor’s delicate dance with Donald Trump — Trump’s rhetoric has led to enthusiasm not just from blue-collar workers who bolted from the Democrats to support Trump, but also from some labor leaders who hope the new president will look out for their membership. “Ask someone what the Democratic Party stands for and they look at you and they don’t have any answer,” said AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka.
ALSO at The Stand — Shutdown: ‘It’s the American people who pay the price’
► In today’s NY Times — In new trade front, Trump slaps tariff on Canadian lumber — The Commerce Department determined that Canada had been improperly subsidizing the sale of softwood lumber products to the United States, and after failed negotiations, Washington decided to retaliate with tariffs of 3 percent to 24 percent. The penalties will be collected retroactively on imports dating back 90 days.
► From Bloomberg — Big business asks Congress for protection from local paid leave laws — During the 2016 presidential campaign, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton pledged their support for more paid family leave. Now big business is countering the calls with a proposal of its own: Congress should establish a certain optional amount of paid leave and, if companies meet that threshold, they should be protected from state or local laws that might require more.
► In today’s Washington Post — President seeks 15 percent corporate tax rate, even if it swells the national debt — Sticking to one of his campaign pledges but shattering another, President Trump instructed advisers to drastically cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent.
► From the AFL-CIO — Trump’s tax plan is a massive giveaway to the wealthy few
► From Politico — State Department, U.S. embassies promoted Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
NATIONAL
► In the S.F. Chronicle — Albertsons is reportedly considering a takeover of Whole Foods — Sources say that the private equity funds that own Albertsons, including Cerberus Capital Management, have held talks with bankers regarding a takeover of Whole Foods. Albertsons merged with rival grocery chain Safeway in 2014 and explored an initial public offering in 2015 before deciding against it.
► In today’s NY Times — Hollywood writers’ unions vote to authorize strike against producers — The vote could lead to the first production shutdown in a decade, as a labor contract between the two writers’ guilds and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires at midnight May 1.
► In today’s NY Times — Today’s energy jobs are in solar, not coal — President Trump has promised to revive the coal industry and double down on fossil fuels, creating “so many energy jobs,” but he has so far ignored the increasingly important role of renewable power in America’s energy economy. Last year, the solar industry employed many more Americans than coal, while wind power topped 100,000 jobs.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.