NEWS ROUNDUP
It’s a real race | Inaction on harassment | Despicable universities
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
ELECTIONS
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — What they said: Poll respondents weigh in on McMorris Rodgers, Brown and Trump — “I have voted for (McMorris Rodgers), up until this year,” said Janice Loft, a 75-year-old retiree who identified to pollsters as a Democrat. “She kind of got on my nerves this year, going along with Trump on everything.”
LOCAL
► From KNKX — Two UW Postdocs explain ‘Postdoc Power’ — Post-doctoral researchers occupy sort of a gray area on many university campuses. They’re no longer students, but they aren’t ready to be professors either. You see postdocs a lot in the sciences, where that extra lab time is virtually required before having a university lab of one’s own. Their unique situation is one reason why some postdocs at the University of Washington are trying to form a union.
► In today’s Seattle Times — Bellevue-based T-Mobile, Sprint reportedly restart merger talks — The wireless providers have renewed their merger talks, after previous negotiations collapsed in November, sources say. But the sort of issues that led to the deal falling apart last time haven’t been resolved in the interim.
AEROSPACE
► From Bloomberg — Boeing, Embraer near ‘marriage,’ Brazil defense chief says — After months of talks between Boeing and the Brazilian airplane maker, the negotiations over a tie-up “are getting closer” to an agreement, Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna said Tuesday.
► From AFP — Airbus to offer sleeping berths down in cargo hold — European aircraft giant Airbus announced on Tuesday that it is teaming up with Zodiac Aerospace to develop and market lower deck sleeping facilities for passengers that could be operational in A330 wide-body jets from 2020.
THIS WASHINGTON
► From AP — Washington lawmakers working on sexual misconduct policies — Washington’s legislative session is over but the conversation about sexual harassment at the state Capitol continues, with the House and Senate each convening groups to discuss potentials codes of conduct and how to address complaints.
THAT WASHINGTON
ALSO at The Stand — Child care crisis impacts every community (by Sen. Patty Murray)
► From The Hill — Trump executive order strengthens work requirements for neediest Americans — President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to strengthen existing work requirements and introduce new ones for low-income Americans receiving Medicaid, food stamps, public housing benefits and welfare as part of a broad overhaul of government assistance programs.
► In today’s Washington Post — Senate Republicans express concerns about Trump’s choice to lead Veterans Affairs — Ronny L. Jackson, President Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, is facing mounting skepticism from Senate Republicans over whether he has the management experience to lead the nation’s second-largest bureaucracy.
► In today’s Washington Post — Justice Dept. to halt legal-advice program for immigrants in detention — The U.S. immigration courts will temporarily halt a program that offers legal assistance to detained foreign nationals facing deportation while it audits the program’s cost-effectiveness, a federal official said Tuesday.
► In today’s NY Times — The law is coming, Mr. Trump (editorial) — Donald Trump has spent his whole career in the company of grifters, cons and crooks. Now that he’s president, that strategy isn’t working — for him or for the country.
► From USA Today — That $4,000 raise Donald Trump and Paul Ryan promised you was a trickle-down lie (by Nick Hanauer) — Take it from someone who has helped run three dozen companies: Businesses don’t give raises because they can. Businesses give raises when they have to. They give raises when they fear losing employees to a competitor, or when the government requires them to through minimum wage laws. But businesses don’t give raises just because they got a tax cut. Businesses pay you what you can negotiate. And few employees in today’s economy have the leverage to negotiate.
NATIONAL
► From NPR — In historic move at labor-skeptic Chicago Tribune, newsroom pushes to form union — One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious regional newspapers, The Chicago Tribune, could soon have a unionized staff. Wednesday morning, journalists from its newsroom informed management they are preparing to organize and they have collected signatures from dozens of colleagues. This is a historic move at a paper that had for decades taken a hardline stance against unions.
INTERNATIONAL
► From Reuters — German public sector hit by second day of strikes — Trade unions in Germany piled more pressure on public sector employers with a second day of nationwide wage strikes on Wednesday, as more than 25,000 workers staged walkouts at hospitals, childcare centres and waste depots. The Verdi union wants a 6 percent pay rise for 2.3 million public sector employees.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.