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President Trump's pick to head the Labor Department, former assistant attorney general for civil rights Alexander Acosta, is heading toward a relatively easy confirmation when he gets a vote in the full Senate this month.

Acosta has solid Republican support, and while few liberal groups are backing his nomination, their response has been muted and nothing like their opposition to Trump's previous pick for the Cabinet post, fast-food businessman Andrew Puzder.

The vote is expected later this month and "no trouble" is expected, according to a Republican source who requested anonymity.

"It's been eerily quiet about Acosta, on both the Left and Right," said Matt Patterson, executive director of the Center for Worker Freedom, an arm of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform. Others involved in lobbying for Acosta's confirmation report the same thing. Labor and liberal groups with an interest in the department didn't respond to requests for comment.

The Senate fight over placing Judge Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court has pushed everything else to the side for now, said a lobbyist backing Acosta who requested anonymity. That has had the effect of diverting attention from other administration nominees. "We haven't heard anything about Acosta's nomination facing a fight on the Senate floor," the source said.

That's a sharp contrast to Puzder's nomination, which drew fierce opposition from the Left. They mounted a sustained, and ultimately successful, PR campaign against Puzder, an outspoken conservative and CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns the Hardee's and Carl's Jr franchises.

Acosta, the dean of Florida International University Law School, has not drawn anywhere near that level of opposition. He even has the support of some major unions, including the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Laborers' International Union of North America and the International Association of Fire Fighters. All praised his record of public service in the two previous presidential administrations and said they expected he would fairly apply the law as labor secretary. In addition to being at the Justice Department, Acosta was a member of the National Labor Relations Board, the main federal labor law enforcement agency from 2002 to 2003.

The success of the anti-Puzder campaign appears to have largely satiated liberal groups' need to make a stand. Many still make a point of touting Puzder's defeat even when discussing Acosta's nomination.

In a Huffington Post article Thursday, Gail Rogers, an activist with Fight for $15, a union-run minimum wage activist group, indicated that they didn't have the ammunition against Acosta. "Mr. Puzder made his views on workers very clear, but Mr. Acosta, an attorney and law school dean from my home state, doesn't have the same outspoken record," Rogers said.

Also from the Washington Examiner

Derek Kan is general manager for Lyft's Southern California region.

04/06/17 9:41 PM

It still is likely to be a partisan vote. Acosta frustrated many Senate Democrats with his refusal at a hearing last month to commit to backing Obama-era rule changes at the Labor Department. The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, said it "raised serious questions."

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Liberals largely quiet on Acosta bid for labor secretary - Washington Examiner

After months of controversy about its fundraising practices, the Liberal Party says it will publicly advertise all events attended by the prime minister and other ministersand report on the attendees.

As announced by the party on Thursday morning, fundraising events will now be listed on the party's website, including the required donation amount to attend. According to the Liberals, events will be posted at least three days in advance. A list of attendees will be posted no more than 45 days after each event.

The party says fundraisers will be held in "publicly available spaces"and itis offering to "facilitate" media coverage of events.

Opposition parties repeatedly questioned the attendance of the prime minister and other ministers at fundraising events, at least one of which requireda $1,500 donation to attend. That is close to the annual contribution limit for political donations.

Such events were in contrast with ethics guidelines committed to by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which suggest, "There should be no preferential access to government, or appearance of preferential access, accorded to individuals or organizations because they have made financial contributions to politicians and political parties."

In January, the Liberals committed to introducing legislation that would require similar reporting requirements for events attended by ministers, opposition party leaders and leadership candidates.

NDP critic Nathan Cullen was unpersuaded by the Liberal party's new measures.

"This is nothing more than smoke and mirrors from the Liberals. They will continue offering access to ministers in exchange for Liberal Party donations even though Trudeau literally wrote rules against holding these cash for access fundraisers," Cullen said in a statement. "Instead of ending this unethical practice, the Liberals have decided to dress it up a little differently."

The NDP has proposed legislation that would put new restrictions on who a minister could raise funds from.

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Liberals announce new reporting on ministers' fundraising - CBC.ca

General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, pictured in Calgary, Alberta, in 2014, told employees last week that GE believes climate change is real and the science is well accepted.

Mike Sturk/Reuters

This story originally appeared on the New Republic and has been republished here with permission.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last weekthat aims to unravel former President Barack Obamas environmental legacy and may torpedo Americas promises under the Paris Agreement to help reduce global warming. In an implicit rebuke of Trump, some of the countrys richest companies issuedstatements reaffirming their commitment to fighting climate change.

Anodyne statements about climate change are a cheap and easy public-relations victory.

We believe climate change is real and the science is well accepted,General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt wrote in a blog post to his employees.Climate change is one of our most significant global challenges and strong action is critical to meeting the serious threat posed by greenhouse gas emissions, declared a coalition of tech giants.Nestl, the worlds largest food company, noted (correctly) that the impacts of global warming could threaten its profits:Our companys success ultimately depends on our ability to reliably source high-quality crops and other raw materials. General Mills said that moving away from coal and investing in clean energy would be key to unlocking new business growth potential for the US and around the world.

Prominent environmentalists rejoiced on Twitter.

To some on the left, nothing is more satisfying than hearing a bunch of billion-dollar corporations tell Trump that hes wrongand for good reason. While Trump has boasted that his executive order will help the U.S. economy, some of the economys biggest players say it makes more sense for businesses to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy. The White House claims its not even aware that climate change poses a threat to businesses.

But liberals should check their glee. Anodyne statements about climate change are a cheap and easy public-relations victory. None of the above corporations indicated that they would fight Trumps order; none even mentioned Trump or his executive order at all. They merely said theyd continue their own attempts to reduce carbon emissions, because its good for business. Such rhetoric isnt new. As the New York Timesnotes: Corporations, especially those with strong consumer brands, have been increasingly responsive to customer and shareholder concerns about climate change. Over the years, these businesses have signed pledge after pledge to reduce carbon emissions; some have even filed amicus briefs in court to defend Obamas Clean Power Plan.

Moreover, not all of these companies are environmental heroes in their own right. Amazon, for instance, has been widely criticized by environmental groups for avoiding transparency about its own carbon emissions. It is currently the largest U.S. company by market value to refuse to disclose its carbon footprint to the CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project. According to the Seattle Times, Amazon hasnt responded to CDPs inquiries since 2010. By contrast, Amazons biggest tech competitors are all disclosing their energy consumption levels, and doing a pretty good jobGoogle, Microsoft, and Apple all received A grades in 2015 for making strong actions to mitigate climate change. Amazon received an F.The companys fast-expanding warehouse and logistics operations, as well as its power-hungry data centers, could become growing sources of carbon emissions, the Seattle Times wrote.

Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Nestl is the largest bottled water company in the world. As it pontificates about the importance of environmental stewardship, it continues to fight environmental groups in court over its practice of extracting millions of gallons of water from drought-stricken regions of California.Nestlalso still employs Peter Brabeck, a climate denier, as its chairman. Climate change is an intrinsic part of the development of the world, he said in 2014. Since the world has existed we have had climate changes and we will have climate change as long as the world exists. For me the issue is more about what can we do in order to adapt to climate change and perhaps to try to gain more time.

Duke Energy, a veritable coal giant, raised some eyebrows when it vowed to continue to move forward in reducing carbon emissions despite Trumps executive order. But this is the same company thats constantly being cited for violating environmental regulations, thats been fighting tooth and nail against accusations of polluting drinking water in North Carolina, and that has made six-figure contributions to ensure that Republicans who deny climate change maintain their Senate majority.

Many of these companies are making important strides to reduce their environmental footprints.Nestlhas some frankly aggressive goals to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, as does General Electric.Amazon is taking steps to power many of its data centers with renewable energy.Google says it will reach100 percent renewable energy for its global operations this year.Apple CEO Tim Cook has openly said climate change deniers who disagree with his strategy to cut carbon emissions should disinvest from the company.

But such steps dont make these companies moral heroes. They are acting in response to consumer pressure. For a decade, pollafterpoll has shown that Americans want to shop sustainably and that theyll pay more for products that market themselves that way. Consumers also hate waste and environmental abuse. One recent poll found that two-thirds of consumers will avoid a brand they perceive to be hurting the environment. So when companies release generic, politically timely statements about how much they care about climate change, theyre doing it less out of concern for the planet than for their bottom line. The good news is that this empowers consumers to vote with their dollars. Buy American, sure. But more importantly, buy from American companies whose press releases are backed up by their practices.

Continued here:
Stop Praising the Brands Knocking Trump. Corporations Still Prioritize Themselves. - Slate Magazine

CREDIT: AP/Manuel BalceCeneta

Michele Bachmann believes liberal opponents of Donald Trump could bring about the end of the worldby hastening the coming of the Antichrist.

According to Right Wing Watch and the Friendly Atheist, the Republican and former Minnesota congresswoman made the apocalyptic prediction last week during an appearance on a Last Days radio program. The shows host, Jan Markell, asked Bachmann about globalists, a group she says includes American liberals who want a one world system and no borders. Markell said the group lost big time after the election of Donald Trump, sparking Bachman to compare them to the builders of the biblical Tower of Babel.

There has always been two competing ideologies: one that wants to follow the truth of the Lord God, and those who want to rebel against the creator God, Bachmann said, explaining that those who rebel want a manmade, one-world system.

Bachmann then announced that modern-day supporters of a what she called a borderless world she name-checked G-28Davos-types[and] billionairesare setting the stage for the end of the world.

Scripture tells us that in the End Times, that is what [the] Antichrist will behe will be a part of a one-world system, she said. There are people who reject Judeo-Christian truth and instead want to insert and usurp control of all of our lives with a global, economic and political government.

Bachmann, an evangelical Christian, is well known for spouting right-wing theological positions, some of which are common among conservative people of faith (e.g., that homosexuality is part of Satan) and others that are decidedly fringe (e.g., that September 11 terrorist attacks were the result of God punishing America). She is also a longtime supporter of Trump: Bachmann served on Trumps Evangelical Executive Advisory Board during the 2016 campaign, and spoke as a surrogate at his rallies.

But while its unclear what Bachmann and Markell mean by a borderless world, their theological views appear to be out-of-step with the pro-immigrant slant of most religious Americans. Majorities of every major faith group in the country support some form of comprehensive immigration reform according to PRRI, with most backing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Meanwhile, faith groups have also been staunch opponents of Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric, and a record number of worship communities have pledged to offer sanctuary to undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation by his administration. Religious groups have also overwhelmingly opposed both iterations of Trumps now-stalled Muslim ban, which prohibits refugees and immigration from six (previously seven) Muslim-majority countries.

Excerpt from:
Michele Bachmann: Liberals are letting the Antichrist come to power - ThinkProgress

Sacramento Bee

Liberals will rue Becerra's prosecution of Planned Parenthood video producers Sacramento Bee I heard liberals say Donald Trump's victory would endanger our sacred rights. I guess they were right. Perhaps because California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's attack on freedom of the press is focused on a despised minority: a pair of pro-life ... and more »

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Liberals will rue Becerra's prosecution of Planned Parenthood video producers - Sacramento Bee