Working & The Economy
The nation’s biggest electric capacity market needs fixing, critics say
The nation’s largest grid operator is warning that it might not have enough electric generation in the future to guarantee reliability. The news comes as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission convenes a forum on the multibillion-dollar capacity market PJM operates to ensure there’s enough power to meet demand even during grid emergencies, such as during […]
Virginia senator defends rollback of U.S. banking rules, blames managers for bank failures
WASHINGTON — The recent bank failures that shocked the markets and caused a speedy government bailout were “basic prudential regulation failure” by management, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said Monday. The Democratic senator, who sits on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, told reporters he stands by his position that 2018 banking regulation […]
House bill: Businesses looking to stop local laws from being enacted could get a controversial tool
Business interests, including the Florida Retail Federation, Associated Industries of Florida, and the Florida Realtors Association, are backing a bill that would make it easier for businesses to stop a local ordinance to go into effect. How would that be done? A business would make a legal challenge, which would result in a local government […]
DeSantis coy on Trump extradition; can’t speak to ‘paying hush money to a porn star’
Gov. Ron DeSantis refused Monday to say whether the state would cooperate with any extradition of former President Donald Trump to face possible fraud charges arising from a payment of $130,000 to adult-film actor Stormy Daniels. But he harshly criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., for contemplating such charges, while mentioning the lurid […]
Biden administration details potential cuts in education, food aid and more under GOP plan
WASHINGTON — Federal departments and agencies say U.S. House Republicans’ plans to cut federal spending would result in reductions to key programs like food aid, education assistance and wildfire management. The series of letters from across the federal government released Monday detail exactly how plans to cut at least $130 billion in domestic spending during […]
Regulators ended the week like they started it — tamping down fears, rescuing a bank
Financial regulators, policymakers, and bank executives spent last week trying to abate fears that a banking crisis will spread across the U.S. financial system. On Friday, President Joe Biden released a statement calling on Congress to take action to make it easier for regulators to hold senior bank executives accountable for their mismanagement. “It should […]
Limits on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland gain support in Congress, despite skepticism
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan momentum is building in Congress to restrict China and other foreign adversaries from purchasing U.S. farmland, a reflection of a similar push by some states as well as apprehension over Chinese spy balloons, rising land prices and growing international competition. “Foreign ownership of agricultural land threatens small family farms and the overall […]
GOP lawmakers take a win on tort reform bill; Dems say the measure would harm ordinary Floridians
The Florida House voted Friday to abandon a 130-year old commitment to help ordinary policyholders take insurance carriers to court when they handle claims in bad faith, over Democratic objections that the measure would harm average Floridians. The bill (HB 837), a priority for House Speaker Paul Renner and supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis, fulfills […]
Members of U.S. Senate agriculture panel spar with Vilsack over USDA spending, response
WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack bristled at complaints from both Democrats and Republicans of unchecked departmental spending and delayed support for farmers during a Thursday U.S. Senate oversight hearing. He also lobbied Congress to provide a farm bill that will balance large-scale productivity with the needs of small and mid-sized producers, a theme the […]
House OKs massive voucher program; Dems call it a ‘huge privatization’ for FL’s education system
GOP lawmakers on Friday rolled over Democrats in the state House, pushing a massive voucher, or “scholarship” program, that would open the door more widely than ever before for families to get public dollars for a private school education in Florida. Any student who’s a resident in Florida and eligible to enroll in K-12 public […]
Could this be the year that FL Republicans pass legislation wounding public sector unions?
For more than a decade, Florida Republicans have targeted public employee unions with proposed changes that would make them weaker in what is already a “right-to-work” state. The difference this year is that Gov. Ron DeSantis is actively looking to get a number of legislative accomplishments under his belt as he begins what is considered […]
U.S. Senate leader calls for safety audit into all major railroads after Ohio derailment
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Wednesday for the federal authority responsible for determining the causes of transportation casualties to investigate the safety culture at all major North American freight railroads. Following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment that caused a toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, Schumer, a New York Democrat, said […]